Our second and final load of fish were delivered today. This load contained some different species with the goal of improving the overall Highlands CC fishing experience. In the summer, when water temperatures rise to 70*F and above, the trout stop feeding. This leads those who fish to believe we are out of fished out. In reality, the trout are either in deeper water or in search of cooler, running water, like the headwall on #10. With additional species in the lake that tolerate the warmer water temperatures, there will always be something biting, regardless of time of year. Additional Largemouth Bass, Crappies, large Bluegills, Redear Sunfish and Georgia Giant Bream are a few examples of what you can expect to find in Club Lake and the various ponds on the golf course. We are also adding a good bit of minnows to replenish the food source and a handful of Triploid Grass Carp to help with aquatic weed growth.
Redear Sunfish also known as Shell cracker
Georgia Giant Bream
This year, we did not stock any trophy trout. There are several reason for this. One, they are very expensive and reduce the overall amount of fish that we could put in our ponds. For the price of one 30" Trophy Brown Trout, we could add 5-6 fish that are in the 11"-12" size range.
Another reason is they simply aren't healthy. There is a huge difference between a 30" trout that grew to that size in the wild compared to one that was force fed high protein pelletized fish food for a couple years at a hatchery. Over the past couple years, because of this, we've learned their life span is not very long, particularly when the water temperatures rise and the fish become stressed.
The final reason is these fish are like couch potatoes. They are big and lethargic and can't move fast. Since our Bald Eagle and Osprey population has been on the rise, these bigger fish are quick and easy targets. The can be spotted from far away and an Eagle can easily pluck them out of the water with its talons. Over the past 3 years, we noticed it was these bigger fish that were getting eaten before the smaller fish, which are much more agile and able to defend itself by swimming away. By mid spring, we noticed a majority of the trophies were already caught- not by people but Bald Eagles! I just assume feed these raptors with a more economical food source...the 12" trout.
With the bank on #5 complete, we moved the excavator over to #6, where we dredged the pond at the bottom of the fairway. This pond collects a lot of leaves and digging them out is an annual commitment. This year, we removed the small hemlock that was growing on the bank of the pond. As the Hemlock kept growing larger, it's roots were pushing on the small rock wall, causing it to collapse. Now that it is gone, we are going to really get in there and fix those pond banks and rock work.
Team Highlands CC is busy filling in the drain lines with sand on #15. Our next step will be to strip the damaged sod around the work area and get ready for new turf. I prefer to re-sod the entire area as opposed to just the drain lines, which will stick out for a long time. An old Augusta National GC trick is to re-sod an area in a circular pattern with curved edges. The human eye can identify straight lines much easier than circles. Installing new sod with a random curved edge will make the area blend in with the surroundings. In the case of ANGC, the television cameras won't pick up the sod lines when done this way.