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algae - food for zooplankton,” he said. “During high runoff years, there is plenty of zooplankton for the walleye fry and prey fish species to feed on, resulting in good conditions for fish production.” Biologists with Game, Fish and Parks continue to monitor the effects of the 2011 flooding on the Missouri River fishery. They watch Lake Francis Case, Lake Sharpe above Fort Thompson, Lake Oahe north of Pierre and Lewis and Clark Lake near Yankton. Longhenry said the impacts of flooding on Lake Francis Case and the walleye population is minimal, in part due to the reservoir's size. “Francis Case is large enough that the increased flows through the lake did not affect walleye production like Lake Sharpe and Lewis and Clark,” he said. “Lakes Sharpe and Lewis and Clark are both relatively small and had low walleye reproduction last year.” The primary prey fish on Lake Francis Case, gizzard shad, were less impacted by the high water releases through the reservoir than other prey fish, like smelt, on the other reservoirs. “Smelt are very prone to being entrained or flushed from the system because they use the areas near the dam for the deep cold water habitat making them susceptible to being entrained,” he said. “Gizzard shad utilize the whole reservoir and much of the shad production occurs in the upper two thirds of the reservoir making them more resistant to flushing.” Officials with Game, Fish and Parks and the Army Corps of Engineers don't believe flooding on the Missouri River this year is a strong possibility, despite localized flooding on Lake Francis Case the last two years. In June 2011, Lake Francis Case broke a 1997 flood record by three feet. Above normal snowpack, plus record rainfall in May 2011 throughout the river basin in Montana, North Dakota and South Dakota pushed an already full system into flood control zone starting in late May through the summer. High waters receded locally on Lake Francis Case starting in August. “When working with river systems, you always need to be concerned or aware that flooding may occur,” said Longhenry. As of publication in April, snow pack in the upper
Missouri River basin hovered around normal above Fort Peck and south to Garrison Dam in North Dakota, while plains snowpack was nearly gone. “The current runoff projection is 26 million acre feet compared to the 60 million acre feet we saw last year,” he said. “Right now, every indication is that 2012 will be an average year.”
Historical crests on Lake Francis Case • 1375.10 ft on July 8, 2011 • 1372.21 ft on May 2, 1997 • 1368.38 ft on June 23, 2010 • 1367.93 ft on June 2, 1995 • 1365.40 ft on May 5, 2001 At Chamberlain. Measured in elevation feet. Normal operating level is 1355 feet MSL. Flood stage is 1365 feet.
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