Access to Cane Creek Lake closed Feb. 10-12

STAR CITY — The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission will close all access to Cane Creek Lake in Lincoln County Feb. 10-12 to complete nuisance animal removals.

Nutria, exotic mammals similar to muskrats and beavers, have grown to levels during the last few years that could cause issues with the lake infrastructure and aquatic habitat. The northern portion of Cane Creek Lake is held by an earthen levee that is susceptible to burrowing animals. In addition to vegetation destruction, nutria burrow in such levees and dams which can compromise dam integrity.

Ryan Mozisek, regional fisheries supervisor in the AGFC’s Monticello Office, said the control effort will require discharge of firearms, so the lake must be closed for public safety concerns.

“Trapping is not efficient enough to remove the number of nutria we need to take away from the flooded habitat of the lake in a timely manner,” Mozisek said. “We waited until waterfowl season was over to prevent displacing any hunters who may have used the lake.”

Mozisek said February is the best time to schedule the nutria removals because the vegetation has died back, making the animals easier to spot, and occurs at a time when fewer anglers will be displaced

“It’s been more than 10 years since the last nutria removal effort, and the population has gotten large enough to pose a considerable threat to the levee that makes up the north side of the lake,” Mozisek said. “Like many invasive species, we’ll likely never completely eradicate nutria from the area, but we can control it if we take steps like this to prevent habitat destruction and damage to the lake’s infrastructure.”

Cane Creek Lake is part of Cane Creek Lake State Park east of Star City and accessed by Cane Creek Road off U.S. Highway 425. During the time that Cane Creek Lake is closed, anglers wanting to get out on the water should look no further than recently renovated Lake Monticello. Crappie and black bass populations in the lake are doing very well following the renovation that concluded in November of 2021. Anglers are urged to follow posted catch-and-release regulations while fishing at Lake Monticello.

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