Friends Of Douglas Lake

04/11/2026

Hello friends! It's been a minute. Just a quick post to let you know we just finished another shallow water project on private property. Our volunteer land owners have been so generous and accommodating. We have installed hundreds of donated Christmas trees all over the lake. By repurposing these trees we have created many "fish nurseries" to help young of the year fish to survive the first year of life. This habitat helps increase the fish population overall, whick as you know, is our goal.

We want to thank our good friend, and co-host of Woods & Waters Toby Cameron for helping complete this project. You can learn more about Toby on his page - https://www.facebook.com/share/1B1BELWnHj/?mibextid=wwXIfr

We are working on some exciting new projects for the fall of 2026. We will need our Volunteer team to help us. So if you have not signed up yet, and you want to get involved with our mission, go to our website and click the link.

03/27/2026

Buddy and I have been very busy since our last post. We have placed many more brush piles and other types of fish habitat in Douglas Lake. The water continues to rise as it does every year at this time. And that means our time to get our work done for the spring of 2026 is coming to end. But our work does not stop there! We will be doing appearances at various shows, festivals and events throughout the spring and summer to share our message and grow our organization. We will also be working with our partners at the TVA and the TWRA, along with private land owners, to develop bigger and better habitat projects for the fall of 2026. So stay tuned, we will have lots of exciting information to share over the coming weeks and months.

03/06/2026

We have reached 100 Followers!

The support we have received from our community and region has been oustanding. And we appreciate it more than words can express.

We have many exciting projects and events on the way for the 2026-2027 season. We will continue to share our work with all of you here on our FB page and on our You Tube channel.

02/23/2026

We wanted to take a minute to recognize, and thank, our FODL Team. With their help, guidance and cooperation we are able to accomplish our goals. So we when you see a TWRA or TVA worker or officer, please thank them for helping us and for protecting Douglas Lake and the rest of our region.

From left to right: Buddy Bumpus (co-founder FODL), Russ Young (TWRA), Alan Beach (TWRA), Steve Hixon (TWRA), Mark Gromlovits (co-founder FODL), John Hammonds (TWRA), Darrell Henshaw (Bucks n Bass).

Not in the photo unfortunately: Mike Nelson (Bucks n Bass), shannon O'Quinn (TVA) and Toby Cameron (FODL pro staff).

02/20/2026

Buddy and I were fortunate to meet another generous land owner that gave us permission to place some brush piles.

We always look for gravel beds, points, drop offs, ledges, and feeder creeks or springs to place habitat in or near by. If we find one or two of these key elements we are happy. To find them all in one spot is rare. And that was the case in this location.

We placed 25 trees across this secondary point, adjacent to the feeder creek at an ideal elevation for the young of the year fish to use as a "nursery".

We will be visiting these brush piles and others we have placed over the spring and summer. We hope to capture under water video to show the small fish thriving and surviving as a result of this effort.

Remember, you can do this too. One small tree placed around your dock will creat a micro eco system that the fish will use and benefit from. If you need our help or advice, reach out to us. We will be glad to help.

02/14/2026

We took advantage of a break in the winter weather to put in a few more brush piles this week.

Private land owners have answered our call for permission to create new fish habitat on their property. And we are super grateful to all that have reached out to us. We will do our very best to get as many projects in this year as we can.

Buddy and I worked with some new friends last week to install brush piles on a rocky creek channel edge with gravel beds above it. This is going to be a great "fish nursery" in the coming months, and for years to come.

We are currently working on several large potential reef projects with private land owners. We hope to share our plans within the next few months. Very exciting stuff! So stay tuned!

02/03/2026

We appreciate the support of our friends at Fanchers Campground. You are like family to us and we know you share our passion for the lake, which is clear through your family legacy. It is with support from friends like the Fanchers family that we will reach our goals and make Douglas Lake the premier fishing destination it once was and can be again.

Here at Fanchers, we provide a place for fishermen and fish to stay comfortably. 🎣🐟

We’ve seen firsthand the habitat work happening on Douglas Lake—reef balls, old Christmas trees, and brush piles all being used to create nurseries and provide cover for young fish.

It’s exciting to see TWRA partner with Friends of Douglas Lake to continue enhancing fish habitats and strengthening the lake’s fishery for generations to come. As a family-owned business on the lake, we truly appreciate the care and stewardship being poured into this special resource.

We also look forward to expanding our existing fish habitat on our land as opportunities arise. A healthy lake benefits everyone—from anglers to families making memories on the water.

📰 Read the full news story:
https://www.wvlt.tv/2026/01/26/twra-partners-with-nonprofit-enhance-fish-habitats-douglas-lake/

👉 Learn more about Friends of Douglas Lake and how to get involved:
https://www.friendsofdouglaslake.com

02/02/2026

A quick post as we wait for the snow to melt so we can get back to work on our habitat projects.

A big FODL thank you to all of our Friends and Followers. Your support has been fantastic.

With your help and support, the organization has grown by leaps and bounds in a very short time. We have completed several habitat projects, received monetary gifts and donations which help with our operating costs, and built a Volunteer team to help get the job done.

Our partners at the TWRA and TVA, along with Friends Of Reservoirs and Angler Magazine have been instrumental in our success. We are very proud to have the support of our fine sponsors as well. Please go to our website and visit all of these great organizations and businesses.

With all of that said, we are just getting started! We need all the Friends, Followers, Volunteers, Sponsors and new Partners we can get. There are projects on the schedule for this season waiting to be completed. Any donations or gifts to help us get these done will be greatly appreciated.

Please visit our website and share our page with your friends and followers. Lets grow FODL and make a difference togeher.

www.friendsofdouglaslake.com

Join us in restoring and introducing new fish habitats at Douglas Lake, increasing fish populations, and fostering a vibrant community around our lake and conservation efforts.

01/30/2026

We made the front page of the Standard Banner newspaper! We are so grateful to have the support of our local community and the local media. Together we can make a difference and improve the fish populations, and fishing opportunities in Douglas Lake.

Click on this link to read the entire article.
https://www.standardbanner.com/articles/featured-stories/gamefish-nurseries/

01/28/2026

WVLT Channel 8 Knoxville press release for TWRA partnering with Friends Of Douglas Lake.

TWRA said the partnership will help existing fish habitats and introduce new ones safely and effectively, which will provide cover for young fish and increase survival rates.

01/15/2026

The FODL Fish Habitat Team is still hard at work. We take advantage of the low water levels to get docks brush and brush piles in the lake as quickly as we can. With just a few months to work with, we have to act fast.

We appreciate our private landowner friends that grant us permission to install brush piles and "brush in" their docks. Our new friend Randy allowed us to put Christmas trees around his dock supports and install a good size brush pile as well. This dock is at the back of a small feeder creek. It is an excellent spot to put in a brand new "fish nursery" for the young of the year fish to hide and grow.

We still have plenty of Christmas trees left to bring to your property and create more much needed fish habitat. Please reach out to us via Messenger, email or comment on this post if you would like to make a difference. We will respond.

www.friendsofdouglaslake.com
email [email protected]