Catfish restocked in Pike Lake

CHILLICOTHE — Anglers will be able to find some fall fishing on Pike Lake after the Ohio Department of Natural Resources announced late last week that it has stocked Pike Lake with channel catfish following dam renovations.

Pike Lake was completely drained in preparation for dam repairs and upgrades. Work on the dam has been completed and the water has been restored to normal levels. Yearling channel catfish of catchable size have been recently stocked by the ODNR Division of Wildlife to restore the fisheries in the lake. Fingerling bluegill well be stocked in the next couple of weeks, and next spring, fingerling largemouth bass will also be stocked.

Yearling channel catfish between 8 and 14 inches will provide some “instant” fishing opportunities for anglers at the park this fall and into next year. Channel catfish will continue to be stocked at the lake on an odd-year cycle. The fingerling bass and bluegill will become sexually mature in two to three years and will begin sustaining themselves through natural reproduction and will not need to be stocked again. The bluegill and largemouth bass should reach catchable size in two to three years after they are stocked.

In meeting news this week:

•The Ross County Commissioners will convene at 9 a.m. Monday in the commissioners’ office in the Ross County Courthouse. The only scheduled meeting on the day’s agenda is a meeting with other area elected officials at 10 a.m. at the Chillicothe Ross County Chamber of Commerce offices on East Main Street for an open discussion with U.S. Reps. Brad Wenstrup and Steve Stivers.

•The Ross County Board of Elections will meet at 12:30 p.m. Tuesday in the board office in Suite D of the Ross County Service Center, 475 Western Ave. This will be the board’s final regular meeting before opening the polls on election day Nov. 3, and items on the agenda include disposal of an extra computer and reports from the director and deputy director.

•The Ross County Unit of the NAACP will conduct its 40th annual Freedom Fund Scholarship Banquet beginning at 6 p.m. Saturday at the Christopher Conference Center, 20 N. Plaza Blvd. Guest speaker in Rev. Gene Moore of Central State University. Tickets are $40 and are available by calling Deborah Dean at 740-947-7806 or 740-708-1590 or Ann Robinson at 740-663-6876.