The Lake Seminole Reservoir Habitat (extra stuff I did just because I grew up near this lake)

A perfect day on Lake Seminole

     Lake Seminole’s 376 miles of shoreline borders a 37,500 acre man-made reservoir in the southwest corner of Georgia.  The lake boasts some of the best fishing in the southeastern U. S. with healthy populations of black, striped and hybrid bass, crappie, bream, shellcracker, and catfish.  Huge water lilies and other aquatic vegetation provide excellent cover for fish.  Duckweed presents a significant challenge on the lake.  It proliferates and chokes the channels so the Corp of Engineers uses herbicide and sterilized grass carp to keep the lake navigable.

Impressive comeback

      Over-harvesting in the past reduced alligator numbers to critical levels so they were a protected species for many years.  Their numbers have rebounded impressively and game regulations now allow for a few to be taken yearly during a closely regulated season.  Deer and waterfowl abound.  Birds of prey are the most unexpected residents on the lake.  Reintroduced about 20 years ago, Bald Eagles and Ospreys are not yet abundant but their nests are dotted about in the dead trees that rise from the lake bottom.

Jim Woodruff Dam made it happen in 1963

    The lake is backed up by Jim Woodruff dam at the confluence of the Chattahoochee and Flint Rivers and Spring Creek.  The lake borders Florida on the south.  The reservoir was created as a part of a much larger project to provide hydroelectric power and recreational areas for water skiers, campers, fishermen and hunters all along the lower half of the Chattahoochee River.  The abundant natural resources were enhanced by backing up the lake.  This area has been occupied by humans for at least 10,000 years.  An ancient Indian mound was hidden forever when the lake was backed up in 1963.