Fin and Feather Annual Banquet held Saturday at LPN

By Shane Goodman | Times Vedette

The Lake Panorama Fin and Feather Annual Banquet and Fundraiser was held Saturday, May 10 at The Captain’s Pick.

Fin and Feather was formed in 1984 by a group of LPA members who wanted to improve fishing at Lake Panorama. The dam was completed in 1970, and the lake filled from the flow of the Middle Raccoon River. At that time, the naturally occurring species of fish in the Middle Raccoon were largemouth bass, crappie, catfish and carp. Members wanted to expand fishing options to include walleye, which are widely considered the best fish to eat.

The group has continued ever since and experimented with various fish stocking strategies, which has led to stocking just shy of 303,000 fish in the lake. Walleye do not naturally reproduce in Lake Panorama, which is why annual stocking is undertaken. Fin and Feather will continue to look at ways to increase the fishery, such as completing an electrofishing audit to determine the health and numbers of different species of fish in our fishery.

The formation of this independent group has provided a significant boost to fishing conditions at Lake Panorama. Fin and Feather’s efforts extend not only to Lake Panorama but also to the section of the Middle Raccoon River that lies below the LPA dam. This area represents some of the best river fishing that can be found in central Iowa.

Fin and Feather is the sole sponsor of the Panorama Days Kid’s Fishing Derby. In 2024, 105 kids participated and received trophies, cash prizes and general raffle prizes in excess of $2,000.

Galen Redshaw and Lane Rumelhart

Lake Panorama Fin and Feather members Ben Hayes, Galen Redshaw, John Rutledge, Doug Hemphill, Damon Crandall, Jacob Bendickson, Rich Schumacher, Lane Rumelhart, Ted Reave, Scott Stanley and David Bendickson.