“So, what are you building?” asks a curious onlooker at the boat launch on a hot summer day at Hammond Lake. A gentleman adorned with a hard hat, safety glasses, and a bright fluorescent vest replies, “It’s a good day to build some fish houses!” Standing around a pallet of wood and stacks of cinder blocks, the group listens as Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission staff and US Army Corps of Engineers workers rattle off instructions and safety protocols.

Unknown to the casual observer, scattered beneath the lake’s unassuming surface sprawls a diverse arrangement of fish residences. An Atlantis, of sorts, that fish call home. Unlike the great lost city, though, many anglers have found these neighborhoods, and the addresses are well documented—with housing expansion strategically planned for years to come. Today’s project at Hammond is merely a continuation of many years of hard work and dedication. Here, and at most other reservoirs in this area, the story of these subsurface cities began decades ago.

When new reservoirs were being developed and dug across the country, nearly every tree and stump was removed before the reservoirs were filled with water. Dam managers hoped to keep debris from clogging the dam breast, and little concern was placed on fish habitat. Reservoirs filled as mud-bottom bowls lacking places for fish to gather and thrive. Since those times, a better understanding of fish populations has helped biologists realize that fish need homes, too. Healthy lakes need places for fish to eat, rest, and have babies. Newborns and small fish need places to hide from hungry predators. In turn, healthy lakes offer excellent fishing opportunities and biodiversity.

According to the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission, the first habitat improvement program started in 1972, with the first project implemented in 1979. Since that time, the program has expanded immensely, with numerous clubs and conservation groups working together to help improve fisheries statewide. Projects in Tioga County date back to the early 1990s. Bass fishing clubs, Commonwealth University-Mansfield students, and countless volunteers have worked hand in hand with PFBC to enhance and protect local fisheries by building and placing artificial fish habitat structures.

Tioga County Bass Anglers, the local bass fishing club, has participated in projects for over twenty years, including work at Hammond, Tioga, Cowanesque, and Nessmuk lakes. In 2013, the club joined the National Fish Habitat Partnership as a Friends of Reservoirs Chapter. With this partnership, TCBA helped secure grants and funding for both large- and small-scale projects. This project at Hammond was made possible, in part, by a small project grant from the fish habitat partnership, and by club members donating their time to help.

Volunteers work in teams to build structures called porcupine cribs. Much like building a log home, rough cut hemlock boards are laid on a template then stacked in perpendicular rows with each row just inside the last. Once a few layers high, eight concrete blocks are added with a layer of boards to secure them in place. The boards continue higher and higher, creating a pyramid-like shape. One worker uses a nail gun to secure every board. To finish it off, a heavy-duty strap is fed through the bottom and around the entire habitat.

After completion, a forklift picks up each crib and loads it onto a specialized boat equipped with rollers to easily offload habitats into the lake. Volunteers who help with projects get a firsthand look at where the new fishing hot spots are. Prior to construction, PFBC managers located the plan area and set buoys to mark the drop-off spots. Once at the buoys, volunteers push the structure off the front deck. The new fish homes sink, then await new residents. Quality teamwork and years of experience help make quick work of a few dozen structures. A typical project involves building and placing twenty to thirty units.

As the last porcupine crib gets loaded onto the boat, club members joke about who will be the first to catch fish from their new habitat. The crib was the first artificial structure designed in the state and continues to be a favorite for both fish and fishermen. They provide habitat for panfish like crappie and bluegills, but don’t be surprised to see largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, and more hanging around, too.

Other types of structures, like black bass nesting structures or catfish boxes, are designed to encourage spawning, while some artificial habitats provide excellent bank fishing opportunities and protect shorelines from erosion. They’re all composed of natural materials, including rough cut hemlock boards, rocks, and trees.

Each fish habitat structure acts as its own mini ecosystem. First, algae covers the wood, or rock, thus attracting small macro-invertebrates like mayfly nymphs and crayfish. Next, small fish move into the area to feed on the bugs, attracting larger predator fish looking for a meal. Little fish have places to hide and grow, while hungry larger fish have ideal hunting grounds.

For those anglers who didn’t make it to building day—don’t worry! Each structure is GPS marked, and the coordinates are listed for easy reference on free maps on the PFBC website, pa.gov/agencies/fishandboat. Maps show the location of the habitat, the year it was completed, and the type and quantity of structure. Print the maps or keep them on a smartphone for easy reference on the water.

Vinnie Lessard, PFBC lake habitat manager, says plans for this year include more porcupine cribs at Tioga and Hammond, plus felled shoreline trees on Tioga. At Cowanesque, around 500 tons of rock rubble reefs will be placed. Find out where and when at tiogacountybassanglerspa.com or email them at [email protected]. The work is part of a multi-year plan that is updated regularly. With the help of great volunteers and lasting partnerships, the future of our fisheries is in good hands for generations to come.