FORT RUCKER, Ala. -- Fishers looking to castoff at Parcours Lake may find the situation drier than usual due to a large-scale renovation project.

Issues with the lake's depth prompted the renovations - currently scheduled to be completed by Oct. 1, according to Charles Mayo, fish and wildlife administrator here.

Silt washing into the lake from an adjacent hill caused aquatic weeds to grow higher and lowered the lake's depth, making fishing difficult.

While the lake reconstruction is scheduled to be completed this year, fishers won't be able to throw out lines for at least another two years, he added. About 5,000 bluegill and 500 largemouth bass fingerlings will be placed in the five-acre lake, but won't reach maturity for a long period of time.

"We're putting the bluegill in first and waiting a couple of months before placing the bass," Mayo said. "The reason for that is because largemouth bass eat bluegill. This way, the bluegill will be bigger than the bass, and it'll give them a chance to grow and prosper."

Due to wetland regulations and laws, the silt removed from Parcours cannot be thrown away, he noted. Instead, fish and wildlife staff came up with a plan to use the silt for a positive purpose.

"We're constructing two new land piers and extending the existing one so fishers can more easily reach the deeper parts of the lake," Mayo said. "We're also rip-rapping the new piers, which is placing large stones all around them, to curb possible erosion. This way, the piers won't wash away."

Along with removing the silt, a three-foot drop off was added around the lake to keep the aquatic weeds from growing back, he said.

David Williamson, lead operator for the Shaw crew currently renovating the lake, said the renovations are much-needed for the post. With the addition of the three-foot drop, weeds won't be able to reach the sand along the banks, he added, noting without the sand the weeds will not grow as large or as fast.

Parcours Lake renovations were paid for by a fish and wildlife fund, which earns revenue through the sale of fishing and hunting permits, Mayo said.

For more information, call 255-2416.