Newsletter January 2025

From the President – 

Winter is here and activity around the lake has slowed down significantly. We have been fortunate in that our late fall and winter weather has been mostly mild. As you know the weather has a direct impact on the condition of our lake. We have been able to enjoy relatively clear conditions on and around our lake as a result. 

Your volunteer board continues to work hard to ensure our lake is a safe and beautiful environment for you and your family. 

We could still use additional volunteers for the association’s board. We also want to keep our general membership healthy and ask that you invite new neighbors or those that enjoy the lake but are not currently members to become members. It is a simple process on our Leesville Lake Association website.  

We invite you to join us 10:30 on Saturday January 11, 2025 at the Altavista Train Station for our January General Membership Meeting. As is the tradition, this meeting will be followed by a chili lunch provided by your board to include several different types of chilies. Drinks and chips will also be provided.  We ask that you bring a dessert and a guest. We will provide updates on the many activities the LLA Board is involved with and have a guest speaker to do a presentation on Dock Electrical Safety. There will be door prizes and opportunities to buy calendars and T-shirts. We look forward to seeing you there. 

Roy Kelley

President LLA

NOMINATING COMMITTEE

Happy New Year to all our LLA members! The Nominating Committee is in search of members who may be interested in volunteering on our board. We have open director positions as well as a need for those who would be interested in serving on a committee.  The board meets monthly in Altavista, where we discuss our lake and what can be done to make it even better.  If interested or for more information, please contact Teri Thomas at 703-895-0256.



CALENDAR

The 2025 LLA Calendar is available for purchase online or from Teri Thomas (703-895-0256).  The calendar will also be available for sale at the January 11^th general meeting.   

Remember you can upload photos throughout the year so don’t miss sending in those beautiful fall and winter pics for the 2026 calendar! Photo size should be at least 1Mb and can be uploaded at Picture Upload – Leesville Lake Association.

Teri Thomas

BEAUTIFICATION DAY

As we begin 2025, it is time to start preparing for our June 14^th, 2025 Beautification Day. Many thanks to all who participated and contributed to our 2024 Leesville Lake Beautification Day. It was a VERY successful event because of you, our volunteers. Please mark your calendars (if you have a LLA Calendar it is already on there) and begin recruiting your team of family members and friends to participate in this incredibly impactful event.   

Once again, we’ll need volunteers in their boats, and ashore with their front loaders and chainsaws to help us remove debris from the lake. As a reminder, we pulled over 55 tons of debris from the lake on our 2024 Beautification Day. 

We need your support again in 2025.

Roy Kelley

TREASURER’S REPORT

As we welcome the new year, our finances are strong. We may be shrinking in size, but our members are great at supporting our efforts. Thanks to our financial strength, we were recently able to reupholster and repair our work boat to ensure it is safe and usable for years to come. Our taxes have been filed for this year and we continue to remain a 501(c)3 Association. For any who itemize their deductions, donations to LLA, including annual dues, are tax deductible. If you need a letter itemizing your donations, please drop me a request at treasurer@leesvillelake.org .

Edwin Hanson

NAVIGATION COMMITTEE

In the final months of 2024, the Navigation committee has been focused on two issues:

1.    Responding to a request from TLAC for a map to serve as a guide for boaters doing recreational towing on Leesville Lake.

 After the Leesville Lake Association meeting last October, the Navigation Committee was contacted by Kristina Sage, the Executive Director of TLAC asking us to create a towed water sports map showing the best and least desirable areas for towed water sports. Smith Mountain Lake has a map available through TLAC to guide boaters there. Subsequently the Navigation Committee consisting of Glenn Coleman (Chair), Joe Humphrey, Dick Grabowski and Gary Dalton, studied the map and reviewed Kristina’s request. The committee initially decided that if we were to prepare the requested map, then it should be reviewed and approved by the Board of Directors of the Leesville Lake Association. In addition, the committee composed a list of questions directed to Kristina concerning the proposed map.

After some clarification, the Navigation Committee met and produced a map with color coded recommendations. The map was then presented to the LLA board for comment and recommendations. The Board approved the map with the caveat that the map should include some cautions to potential boaters concerning issues such as the fluctuation of the depth of Leesville Lake due to releases from Smith Mountain Lake and the Leesville Lake dam. In addition, it was hoped that the map would show that Leesville Lake is relatively narrow overall and prone to having debris at times.  After approval, President Roy Kelley took the map to the next meeting of TLAC. The process continues with TLAC.

2.    The repair and maintenance of the pontoon boat owned by Leesville Lake Association.

During the late summer the LLA Pontoon boat was renovated. The Navigation Committee extends a hearty thank you to Pam and Gary Mcmillan, Debra Kiraly, and others who renovated the pontoon boat and returned it to the LL Marina looking great. Well almost; in the transition it was observed that the pontoon boat was listing a little to one side. Joe and Glenn removed it from the water for winterizing and repair and agreed that it needed to be taken to a welding shop for repair. The pontoon has since been repaired.

Also, during the winterizing inspection Joe Humphrey found that there was water in the lubricant of the lower unit of the motor. Joe will take it to a repair shop soon to have the lower unit resealed and any other mechanical issues addressed.

Glenn Coleman

DEBRIS COMMITTEE

Looking back on 2024, we have more than a few things to be grateful for:

1- Leesville Lake escaping several major storm aftermaths and potential flooding from the Pigg River. Years of consistent debris loading into Leesville since the 2016 demolition of the Pigg River Dam in Rocky Mount has been a challenge under normal circumstances let alone after a high flow incident.  As of mid December, the lake is currently in good shape.  

2- For the hard work the Crew of AEP and Contractor have accomplished throughout the extremely hot season. Naturally, our committee will always call out the need for more hours, especially in the upper miles, but we are thankful for what we get. As of AEP’s last report (9/30/24), the crew had collected a total of 2,705 Tons of debris since January 2024. 

3- Appalachian’s announced plans last spring for a proposed debris collection/containment (aka boom) device, for placement at the confluence of the Pigg River and Leesville Lake. The engineered plans along with LLA and TLAC’s enthusiastic endorsement, were submitted to federal agencies for approval. Patience is definitely required at this juncture but our hopes are to hear something by this coming spring.  

4- Plan changes to Myers Creek off-load ramp and debris storage. Originally, this public boat ramp located at MM12, (owned by Appalachian and grounds maintained by VDOT), was to be modified and expanded to store off-loaded debris until dry enough for chipping. Unfortunately the property itself is not big enough or suitable for such alterations due to storm water runoff. Instead, Appalachian purchased a large tract of land not far from the off-load site that will serve this purpose.  

We should consider this good news as an alternative and positive commitment on AEP’s future intentions. 

5- Appalachian received its new skimmer over the summer!

Registration delays, training, mechanical considerations and transportation to and from SML, were part of the learning process over the second half of the season. We hope to see it up and running throughout Leesville Lake more regularly in 2025.  

6- TLAC (Tri-County Lakes Administration Commission) Executive Director Kristina Sage who not only has the daunting task of monitoring the Smith Mountain Shoreline Management Plan and APCo’ licensing compliance, but has also proved to be a strong advocate for the health and safety of our lakes. Also Senior Administrator Christina Matrangola who, among her responsibilities, is the main processor and follow-through for our submitted debris reports. TLAC and its dedicated staff are one of the most critical components to the success and future of our lakes. 

7- And finally, most importantly, we are grateful for those who go the extra mile when it comes to debris. Whether members submit reports, collect and remove on their own, tie up logs for crew, help out a neighbor with a log jam, or participate in Beautification Day,- those who do so help create a safer lake for everyone. We must do all we can to improve this beautiful jewel, in this neck of our woods, for generations to come.  Thank you.

See you in the spring..

Pam McMillan 

WATER QUALITY REPORT

Holidays from the LLA Water Quality Committee!

Leesville Lake water Quality is Good.

We have seen an increase in the Bryozoan Species around the lake: the jelly-like blobs

attached to docks and partially submerged trees. At first glance, they appear to be brown fish egg sacks, but in fact these are a colony of the freshwater bryozoan Pectinatella magnifica. Freshwater bryozoans are microscopic aquatic invertebrates that live in colonies that can form into jelly-like clumps, and are often found attached to docks or sticks. Bryozoan colonies can be as big as one foot (30 centimeters) in diameter. The base of each tiny bryozoan is attached to a surface. Its body has an outer sleeve-like structure called the cystid, and a mass of organs called polypide that moves inside of it.

Bryozoans live in colonies, and they’re filter feeders, so they eat algae and other small

creatures. They’re native to our region – and even better, they require clean water, signaling that we have a healthy aquatic environment.

Continued thanks to Debbie Oliver, Kathleen Giangi, Leanne Hanson, Tony Capuco, Dave

Waterman and Tom Shahady (University of Lynchburg) for their efforts to maintain Leesville Lake Water quality.

Charlie Hamilton

Bryozoan Pectinatella Magnifica

FISHING REPORT

WHITE PERCH fishing, with occasional Crappies mixed in, has been very good this summer and fall, but has become spotty as the weather cools and the White Perch concentrate on the small Threadfin Shad, who became lethargic as the water gets colder.

Some good catches have come from the mile marker six area by Mill Creek and around the west side of the Leesville Lake Marina dock area. The best baits for White Perch continue to be pieces of nightcrawler and small minnows for Crappie. Small pieces of nightcrawler will out-fish minnows 3:1 on White Perch, and the reverse is true with Crappie. The outlook for spring Crappie fishing is very good and, as the season progresses, will shift towards White Perch being the dominant catch.

BASS FISHING continues to be “good” …..with Leesville Lake requiring no special techniques.

STRIPER fishing this fall was quite good with several days with 3 to 5 fish a day. Many of these fish were over 30 inches! Most of these fish were caught from mile marker six up to Toler Bridge. Gizzard Shad continue to be the successful bait.

The outlook for 2025 looks even better!

The Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources, under the leadership of Dan Wilson, Fisheries Biologist, whose responsibilities include Leesville Lake, have been aggressively stocking the lake with Striped Bass and Walleye (57,000 Striped Bass, 64,000 Walleye). The last couple of years they’ve been stocking larger size STRIPERS ……and that is showing up in both the catch rates that we fisherman are experiencing and in the net sampling data. The last 4 years have shown good numbers and growth rates….accounting for why so many caught fish are over 30”. So, 2025 STRIPER FISHING SHOULD EVEN BETTER!!! Consult the chart below.

WALLEYE Note: YES! There IS a LVL walleye population!… Walleyes (WAE) tend to hold near the bottom and have specific locations where they hang out in Leesville Lake.

The few people that know these spots are keeping it a secret!  THAT Leesville Lake DOES produce a lot of Walleyes is proven by the fact that Staunton River is a PREMIER

Walleye fishery in Virginia and that SOURCE OF THOSE BIG WALLEYES is Leesville Lake!

Please remember….SHARING IS A VIRTUE 

GOOD FISHING…..

JOHN KESE 434-942-1553

THE LLA BOARD EXPRESSES ITS APPRECIATION TO JOHN KESE FOR CONTRIBUTING THESE INFORMATIVE REPORTS EACH QUARTER. AS JOHN, REGRETFULLY, WINDS DOWN HIS FISHING CAREER, THIS WILL BE HIS LAST REPORT.

THE LLA MEMBERSHIP INTEREST SURVEY LISTED FISHING REPORTS AS A PRIORITY FOR THE QUARTERLY NEWSLETTERS; HENCE IT IS TIME TO RECRUIT A NEW REPORTER. PLEASE EMAIL NEWSLETTER@LEESVILLELAKE.ORG OR COMMUNICATIONS@LEESVILLELAKE.ORG IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN FILLING THIS NEED.