A Powerton channel cat surrendered to this Prairie State angler. Photo by Windigo Images.

Monsters lurk in Powerton Lake these days.

Blue catfish, some weighing 50 pounds or more, are faring remarkably well, leaving one to ponder whether they are supplanting the thriving resident smallmouth fishery.

Not so, say bass anglers and Illinois Department of Natural Resources biologists. All indications suggest the two species are cohabitating nicely, providing two great fisheries for anglers to target.

Merle Keefer owns Pekin Bass & Bow. He sees many bass anglers in his store and hears all the opinions and gossip, both good and bad. He said he hasn’t heard any negative feedback from anyone, including bass anglers. He said the smallmouth fishery is still doing great and anglers are reporting as much success as ever.

DNR biologist Wayne Herndon, who oversees the 1,426-acre lake, said they haven’t noticed or documented any negative effect at all on the smallmouth fishery. Furthermore, Herndon and his fellow biologists don’t anticipate blue catfish ever creating a problem for the bass fishery or the anglers who pursue them. There does appear to be a significant decline of white bass, according to Herndon. In past creel surveys, white bass typically accounted for about 36 percent of fish harvested by anglers. However, in the latest creel survey, no white bass were recorded in the harvest. Although the downturn is cause for concern, Herndon said he doesn’t believe the decline has anything to do with blue catfish.

Blue cats weren’t always part of the overall fishery at Powerton.

In 1999, 35,000 blue catfish fry purchased from Arkansas and raised at the Little Grassy Fish Hatchery near Carbondale, were introduced by the IDNR. Another stocking in 2001 introduced 38,804 more blue cats ranging in size from 4 to 8 1/2 inches.

“We were hopeful that the blue catfish would be able to take advantage of the temperature regimen at Powerton Lake,” Herndon said. “Evidently, they have been able to do so.”

Growth rate data suggests the cats are adapting to the lake phenomenally well.

Stocking resumed in 2003 with 20,000 to 35,000 fish -- 10 to 20 fish per acre -- stocked every year through 2007. The number of stocked fish fluctuated dependent on what the hatchery could provide. Hatchery space is divided between numerous fish species and demands for individual species can fluctuate depending on statewide needs, with preference given to the most-needed species.

Biologists haven’t been able to determine whether there has been any natural reproduction. Future management plans include a study to determine if natural reproduction is occurring at the lake. If natural reproduction is determined adequate to maintain the fishery, stocking efforts will be suspended.

Fin clipping is the most likely method to determine reproduction. The biologists clip the fins of blue cats before they are released into the lake. If, when they return to sample the lake in a year or two, they find similar sized fish with unclipped fins, it will indicate that those fish were likely spawned within the lake.

According to Herndon, the DNR may also look into the possibility of enhancing spawning habitat to encourage reproduction. Because catfish are cavity nesters, habitat enhancement may involve placing artificial structure such as barrels or similar items into the lake for use as spawning locations. Similar work has been done to help manage other species in the lake.

When Powerton’s shoreline habitat resulted in a green sunfish population explosion, smallmouth bass were introduced to help stymie the growth. It was successful to a degree.