By Lonnie Johnson, Oregon B.A.S.S. Nation Conservation Director
Seven volunteers from the Oregon B.A.S.S. Nation arrived at the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW) offices to assemble spider blocks on April 28, 2017. Sixty “spiders” were made and allowed to cure for three weeks.
The spiders were then loaded onto an ODFW trailer for transport to Lost Creek Reservoir. Three volunteers loaded the blocks onto a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers work boat, 15 at a time, to be moved to their final resting place. Each block weighs 55-65 pounds, so 15 is a load.
The blocks rest straight up on the bottom and are required to be placed below low pool water level. Lost Creek is a draw down water body so the spiders are very deep at this time of year. They provide excellent cover/protection for the young fish.
Bystanders often ask which species of fish are protected. The response is always the same: all fish. This year marks the sixth year of this joint project of ODFW, the Corps of Engineers and Oregon B.A.S.S. Nation.
