NHLA leading effort to create angler’s dream lake on the Coosa
Story by Paul South
Photos by Tricia Lybrook
Dave Tumlin has a whopper of a fish story, complete with possibly a spark of the Divine.
It was early Spring. Tumlin and his brother Billy came to fish for Crappie on Neely Henry Lake, the place his family had called home since 1968. The Tumlins were among Neely Henry’s first families.
“There wasn’t anybody here. There was a dirt road,” Tumlin recalled. The brothers went to a spot they’d never fished before. “I always thought it might be a really good place, because the guy had a lit-up cross hanging on his dock. I called it the Jesus Dock.”
They caught – but didn’t keep – over 100 fish that day in that location near the cross. They never moved.
“We were using jigs. We were using minnows. We were using minnow heads off the deck of the boat that fell off the hook,” Tumlin said. “It was a phenomenal day.”
Now president of the Neely Henry Lake Association, Tumlin and the NHLA members, along with a small gathering of devoted volunteers, want other anglers to have divine days on the lake. They’re working to boost fish populations by constructing fish habitat.
For nearly two decades, the lake association, in partnership with Alabama Power, has worked to create new habitats for the Crappie, bass and other species that call Neely Henry home.
The organization joins with the utility biannually to build and place new fish habitats on the lake. The most recent event occurred in March. The date for fall construction has not yet been set, Tumlin said.
The evolution of an angler’s idea
The association got hooked on fish habitats thanks to a member’s idea.
“One of our members, who is a tournament fisherman, ran into a buddy from another lake who told him about this partnership with the power company,” Tumlin said. “So our member got in touch with the power company and asked what we needed to do to do it at Neely Henry.” The answer? “Just ask.”
NHLA did ask, and it all started with hundreds of discarded Christmas trees that had seen their Yuletide glory fade into precious holiday memories.
“As best I can recall, it all started at Ten Islands and at Rainbow Landing,” Tumlin said. “(The utility) would bring two or three giant dump trucks and dump the Christmas trees in the parking lot.”
From there, some 10 to 20 NHLA members and other volunteers would tie the trees together in bundles of five evergreens, weighted with concrete blocks. Some volunteers bundled. Others loaded them om the barges, and still others dropped the weighted trees into the lake.
“Alabama Power supplied it all,” Tumlin said. “Christmas trees. The rope to tie them together, gloves, water for us to drink if it was too hot, concrete blocks, then the barges we would load those on. It’s really been a neat evolution and a great partnership.” The association tells the utility where they want the habitat placed and the water depth.
There was one problem with that inaugural habitat build. Just as grass withers and flowers fade with the seasons, Christmas trees in lakes disintegrate over time. And the numbers of discarded Christmas trees declined.
That led to another idea: Spider blocks. Hundreds of ‘em.
Tumlin explained: “If you can visualize a two-hole concrete block with half-inch PVC pipe, four feet long or so. Six or eight of those legs, if you will, are sticking out of the holes. Then we would pour concrete in the holes and let it dry. That was not quite as labor-intensive as the Christmas trees. That took a lot of people and a lot of effort.”
But the Spider Blocks created their own web of challenges.
“We had to wait a week for the concrete to set up, “Tumlin said.” It was difficult to load them. The concept was a lot like the Christmas trees, but (the blocks) last a lot longer. We did them for a couple of years.”
An upside of the blocks was that moss would grow more quickly, providing a buffet for fish. Then the food chain took over. “The little fish would eat the moss and the big fish would eat the little fish,” Tumlin said.
In its current incarnation, the NHLA habitat construction relies on durable five-gallon plastic buckets. “We went from Spider Blocks to Spider Buckets,” Tumlin said. “We’ve been doing that for the last six or seven years (including a hiatus during the pandemic).”
The concept is similar to the blocks, with PVC “legs” and concrete in the buckets. But with an assembly line process, projects like the one last fall at Greensport Marina, took less than two hours. Volunteers place 100 buckets in the water – 20 in each location, known only to volunteers – to create artificial habitats. The buckets create an almost permanent presence under the water.
“Then, we wait for something good to happen.” Tumlin said. “Magic.”
He added, “A lot of fishermen come out to help because they want to know where the habitats are going to be.”
Tumlin praised Alabama Power and its partnership with NHLA and volunteers. “We just supply the labor.”
And adults aren’t the only ones getting into the act. Last year, a homeschool group of kids came and helped with the project while learning the science of fish habitats and biodiversity.
“They came out. We gave them gloves, and they helped build with us.”
A driving force has kept the lake association committed to the biannual habitat builds. “When this came along, all of these members were really pumped up and said, if we can go out and put out 300 Christmas trees that’s got to help the fish habitat, which means we’ll have more fun. It’ll be exciting for us, and it will help the lake at the same time.”
He added, “That’s probably the biggest driver, knowing that on our own, without great expense, partnering with the power company, we could improve the fish habitat and the fish population on the lake.”
The effort also strengthens the Neely Henry community. “You get to see some guys you only see twice a year,” Tumlin said. “It’s always fun to catch up on family and tell the fishing stories.”
It’s rewarding, he said. “Knowing that we’re helping this lake and the camaraderie, those are the two biggest drivers. Knowing that in a small way, we are making this lake a better place, it helps not only us, but everyone who uses and enjoys this lake.”
And the habitat effort says something about lake residents and folks who enjoy the lake. “There are a lot of caring people who live on this lake that go above and beyond to keep it the beautiful body of water that it is.”
Editor’s Note: For more information on the Neely Henry Lake Association, visit the organization’s Facebook page, or visit neelyhenrylake.org.
