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It was only couple of years ago when Lake Webster gamefish had plenty of habitat.

Today, about the only “fish cover” in the lake are 11 manmade fish attractors purchased, built and installed by a group of concerned anglers and citizens with help from local businesses.

The fish attractors were necessary because all of the weeds are gone in the 774-acre Kosciusko County lake.

That’s what happens when residents get aggressive with weed killing chemicals to make the lake more boater-friendly.

The chemical Sonar, one the most effective chemicals for treating aquatic vegetation, was applied in 2010 by a private company at a cost of $125,000.

The plan was to knock out non-native milfoil plants to allow native vegetation to grow.

It killed everything. Except for a few small areas, the lake is void of plant life and the water turned turbid. Decaying plants (from the weed kill) enhance turbidity and there aren’t enough lively plants to filter the sediment.

The water has cleared some, but not as fast as anticipated. In the meantime, fishing has been mediocre at best and one has to wonder what impact the missing vegetation will have on spawning and young fish recruitment.

Once the crown jewel of Midwest muskie fishing, tourism dollars around North Webster have diminished. Most guides don’t take their clients there anymore. The muskies are present but they have become more difficult to find and catch.

“I haven’t been to Webster in two years,” said muskie guide Randy Bush of Churubusco, Ind. “I used to be able to guarantee someone a shot at a muskie, but now, when clients want to go there, I steer them to other lakes due to the situation.”

The weed kill was done legally. The Indiana DNR approved the permit on the presumption – offered by the chemical applicator and urging of lake residents – that it would be a selective weed kill and native plant life would thrive.

Didn’t happen.

Fisheries biologist Jed Pearson predicted the present outcome and voiced his concerns at the time, but was overruled.

“I was looking at it from an ecological perspective and others were viewing it as an economical decision,” Pearson said. “The lake association was spending about $25,000 a year to treat weeds selectively and the applicator told them they could save money in the long run by using Sonar in one treatment.”

Pearson, who has been involved with the DNR muskie program from day one, isn’t opposed to weed treatments and acknowledges the Webster weed problem had spread to 50 percent of the lake.

Something had to be done, but he opposed Sonar because he’d seen how previous Sonar nukings had affected Webster in 1999 and 2002.

The good news is vegetation, including milfoil, returned within a couple of years, and there are signs some plant life started coming back this summer.

“I’m hoping more native plants will return next year,” said Pearson. “When Sonar was used in ’99 and 2002, the vegetation returned in about three years.”

In the meantime, the DNR has put a temporary hold on herbicide treatments at Webster and will rethink future Sonar applications on other Hoosier lakes.

“I think most of us (biologists) agree that the use of Sonar on some lakes isn’t going to work and the collateral damage is too severe,” Pearson said.

There’s no doubt that some weed control is necessary on natural lakes where boating is restricted by thick surface weeds. Milfoil, a non-native plant, can be a problem when it smothers expansive flats and grows to the surface.

But plant life, especially native plant life, is vital to a fishery and the entire ecology of a lake. No one knows that better than fishermen.

“It’s one of those deals where it’s boaters against the fishermen,” said Bush. “It’s always been that way.”

Until the plants come back, the fish attractors will help. If you want to know where they’re located, pick up a free map of the fish attractors from Ye Olde Tackle Box in North Webster. A donation to help defray the costs would be appreciated.