Chris Kelsay’s Nebraska lake project shows what a Fishiding habitat plan looks like when the layout comes before the water reaches full pool. The lake was just over six acres. The owner wanted to develop a trophy bass fishery, and the plan used 350 individual habitat units with different roles across shallow, mid-depth, and deeper areas.
The April 2012 project account follows the work from a custom drawing to a completed installation. Shallow cover began near the spawning flat, with larger structures carrying the plan into mid-depth and deeper water. The crew installed the layout while the lake was still low enough to reach the placement areas.
The drawing above is the actual Kelsay layout preserved in the Fishiding design gallery. The product photos within this article are current model references, not photographs of the historical installation. All current Fishiding products include free shipping.
The project brief: cover for more than one life stage
The original Kelsay project account describes a lake near Gretna, Nebraska, with a well, a water-level system, aeration, and a stocking plan already part of the owner’s preparations. Habitat was one part of that wider plan. Fishiding was asked to provide a varied artificial-cover layout alongside planned aquatic plants, wood, and rock.
That context matters. The owner was not simply adding a fishing spot to an established lake. This was a chance to arrange spawning-area cover, intermediate cover, and larger deep-water structures before the lake filled. The goal was a connected sequence of places fish could use, rather than a single pile in the middle.
The source describes 75 Cradles for shallow cover, 100 Safehouse units for mid-depth areas, 100 Keeper models for deeper structure, 25 Stakeout units, and 50 smaller prototype stake structures for shallow areas. Together those quantities total the reported 350 units. Those model names and counts describe the 2012 project; today’s product specifications should be checked separately.
Placement began at the spawning flat
The 75 Cradles were placed in the pre-designed shallow spawning flat. The intended job was fine cover close to where young fish would first need shelter. Safehouse models added a different profile farther out, while Keeper units provided larger structures in deeper areas. Stakeout units and shallow prototypes added another type of upright cover.
The useful decision is the change in cover along the route. Fine shallow material, a broader mid-depth profile, and larger deep-water structures were assigned different jobs. The project did not depend on making every piece look the same or placing every model at one depth.
For a smaller water body, use the bluegill nursery-cover guide to think through the shallow end of that route before deciding what belongs farther out.
Installation was organized around the plan
The account reports almost 7,200 pounds of habitat transported from northern Illinois over a 475-mile trip. The team arrived on Friday, unloaded the units, and positioned them around the lake in line with the plan. Installation was completed by sundown on Saturday with help from the owners, family, and other participants.
Approximately two feet of water was present during the work. That is a very different installation setting from lowering structures into a full lake from a boat. The exposed or shallow bottom made it possible to organize the larger layout before the final water level concealed the placement areas.
The accompanying bending and installation demonstration shows how flexible limbs can be shaped before placement. The pond habitat layout guide explains how to turn model choices into purposeful groups.
Watch Fishiding artificial fish habitat bending and installation video on its video page →
What the record proves, and what remains unmeasured
The documented outcome is a completed installation: 350 units placed in a lake just over six acres, with a planned mix of shallow, intermediate, and deeper cover. The owner’s statement in the account expresses satisfaction with David and the crew and confidence in the future fishery.
The available record does not include later fish surveys, bass growth measurements, or catch-rate comparisons. Its confirmed result is the completed habitat installation, rather than a measured improvement in the fishery.
The completed layout shows how cover types can work together. The shallow flat, intermediate groups, and deeper structures each had a planned place before the lake reached full pool.
Apply the sequence, not the unit count
A six-acre lake with very little existing cover is not the same as six acres of water already full of healthy vegetation, wood, and rock. Do not divide 350 by six and treat the answer as a stocking rate for habitat. The source describes one custom project with its own goals and a particular installation opportunity.
Instead, identify the missing role in your water. Is there shallow refuge near spawning areas? Is there useful cover between that refuge and deeper water? Is there a larger structure with open outside edges that can be found and fished? Compare those needs with the transition-zone habitat guide and the Wonder Lake installation case study.
Keep swimming areas, access lanes, intakes, and other working parts of the lake clear. Record the intended full-pool depth at each location, rather than only the depth on installation day. Save the drawing and final placement notes so later observations can be tied to the actual cover.
Build a plan for your own water
Fishiding’s value in this project was the relationship between the cover types and their placement. To start your own plan, bring a map, acreage, normal and low-water depths, existing habitat, target species, and the places that must remain open.
Explore current Fishiding habitat options, all with free shipping, then call David at 815-693-0894 for habitat-plan inquiries. Ask which gaps need attention first and which existing habitat can be kept as part of the layout.
Frequently asked questions
How many Fishiding units were installed at Chris Kelsay’s lake?
The 2012 project account reports 350 units: 75 Cradles, 100 Safehouse models, 100 Keepers, 25 Stakeout structures, and 50 smaller shallow-water prototypes. These are historical installation quantities, not a recommended package for every six-acre lake.
Was the Kelsay habitat installed before the lake filled?
Yes. The account describes approximately two feet of water in the lake during installation, before it reached full pool. That made it possible to position cover with the bottom still accessible.
Does this case study show a measured increase in bass growth?
No. The available account documents the plan, model quantities, installation, and owner’s expectations. It does not provide a controlled comparison, later bass growth measurements, or a catch-rate study.
Can David help plan a smaller pond?
Call David at 815-693-0894 with the pond’s size, depth information, target fish, existing cover, and access needs. The useful lesson from this project is to match each habitat group to a specific job, rather than copy its 350-unit count.
