Carroll Lake Has Reopened

McKENZIE — Carroll Lake opened to the public for fishing and other recreation activities on Saturday, April 4, according to Tim Broadbent, Regional Fisheries Manager for the Tennessee Wildlife Resource Agency (TWRA).
Due to the concerns about the COVID-19 pandemic,  the lake had a "soft" reopening with no ceremonies or activities planned.
The lake is open seven days a week from 30 minutes before sunrise until 30 minutes after sunset. The entire 100-acre lake is a no-wake zone; boats must only idle while on the water. Restrictions on fishing are posted on the bank.
The lake’s bait shop was torn down due to asbestos. Daily fishing permits, which are $6, can be paid into a box located near the boat ramp. The TWRA also offers annual permits.
Carroll Lake was closed for nearly six years after extreme heavy rains in June 2014 caused flooding at the lake which damaged the floodgates and caused them to fail. The lake had to be emptied and it remained that way for 32 months until the gates were repaired.
In August 2016, the process of defoliation and excavation of the dry lake bed began. Invasive vegetation was sprayed with herbicide, and areas of the bed were dug to achieve depths comparable to when the lake was created in 1947.
In the following months, Diversified Contractors of McKenzie completed the repairs to the floodgates. Before the end of the year, TWRA officials inspected the lake bed and gates and burned away dead vegetation on the bed of the empty lake. Finally, the small sluice gate which regulates the spillway was closed, but, unfortunately, it failed. Repairs were made quickly, and the gate was sealed in January 2017, allowing the lake to begin to refill.
The next month, on Valentine’s Day, the first batch of fish, a combined 45,000 bluegill and redear sunfish, were released into the lake. The TWRA then incrementally stocked the water with Northern and Florida largemouth bass, catfish and walleye.
Once the gates were operational and fish had been introduced, local fishers began to once again take advantage of the fishing allowed below the spillway.