By Marty Gordon
Local residents probably have taken down their Christmas decorations and placed them in the garage or attic for another year. But for the fish at Claytor Lake, the holiday is still around the corner. Christmas trees will not go up or should we say down until mid-January.
For the past several years, park officials along with the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries have been collecting real-life trees after area residents have taken them down.
Ryan Stubblebine, the chief ranger at the park, said the trees are dumped into the lake at several points, thus creating a new habitat for fish to hide and live in. Then in turn, creating a fish habitat fishermen have learned to seek out.
Holes are drilled into the trunks and ropes tied to each tree with a cinder block attached. They are then dumped into designated areas of the lake.
In the past as many as a 100 trees have been dumped into the water.
Typically, the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries determine the drop zones, and mapped for anglers to seek out in the future.
The group, Keep AmericaFishing, says: when it comes to fishing, a habitat is one of the most important aspects to angling success.
“In water bodies lacking structure and depth changes, baitfish will be heavily scattered. This often means finding your desired sportfish can be quite difficult. Without refuge, many fish remain inactive most of the day, suspending over deep water. Adding cover provides much needed nutrition for even the smallest of species, and with this the food chain will follow.
“As woody plant tissue decomposes, Mother Nature jumpstarts a whole new series of vegetation at the lowest levels of life such as phytoplankton and various algaes. Zooplankton, also known as water fleas, populate and forage on the new vegetation, attracting small insects, mussels, snails, and crayfish who also eat on the phyto and zooplankton. The abundance of life then attracts small, non-predatory fish that eat on the small insects or zooplankton, and the larger, predator species we cherish. As the saying goes: Find the Bait, and You’ll Find the Fish,” the national group said.
Some reports show the trees will remain mostly intact for up to 10 years.
The Claytor Lake collection runs through January 8 and comes with a bonus for park visitors.
If you take a tree to the park’s boat launch, you will receive free parking for that day.
Thus, the recycled Christmas trees provide create a natural habitat for the lake’s aquatic life.
The Friends of Claytor Lake furnishes a boat to take the trees out into the lake, and the locations are then recorded and put on the FOCL’s website.
This year’s drop is scheduled for January 9. Last year, over 400 trees were donated to the effort. The effort also provides the Department of Game and Inland Fisheries an opportunity to see what type of species are in and around the drop zone.
If you are unable to drop your tree off at Claytor, there are several other options for recycling.
Christmas tree collection is available to all Blacksburg refuse and recycling customers. Collection will occur during the first two weeks of January. Trees that are collected will be chipped, and used as an alternate fuel source.
In Christiansburg, public works crews will be collecting Christmas trees – weather permitting from Jan. 2-15. Please place your tree at the curb for collection.
There are a few Christmas tree collection guidelines: Place your cut tree at the curb no later than 7 a.m. on Monday of the second week in January to ensure pickup. Trees and greenery must be free of all decorations and wire.
