Fishing returns to lake

Advertiser Staff

The day O'ahu's freshwater anglers have been waiting for is here.

After being closed for five months because of an alien weed invasion, Lake Wilson — the island's premier freshwater fishing spot — will reopen Saturday for boats and general fishing.

The lake had been off-limits since January after fast-growing Salvinia molesta spread to cover nearly 95 percent of its surface, threatening its 500 tons of fish.

But a $1 million, multiagency cleanup cleared most of the 300-acre lake by mid-April, enabling this weekend's reopening.

The Department of Land and Natural Resources remains cautious about the fast-growing weed, and is asking boaters to stay out of boomed areas, which are set up to catch remaining salvinia and keep it from spreading to other parts of the lake.

Boaters and fishermen can also help by removing salvinia they find in the lake and disposing of it in waste receptacles in the park.

"Some people thought we would never (clear out the lake), so we're very gratified" to open the lake to the public again, said DLNR spokeswoman Deborah Ward. The park and lake will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily.