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Pike County Lake is scheduled to be reopen this weekend.

The lake, closed since Dec. 23, will open on weekends only beginning this Saturday.

Pike County Lake was temporarily closed by the Alabama Department of Wildlife and Fisheries for maintenance.

During the five weeks it was closed, Pike County Lake’s water level was lowered six to eight feet to help control the excessive aquatic plant growth around the bank fishing areas.

“There was a lot moss and weeds growing around the banks,” Adult Sports Coordinator Brian Meadows said. “It was making it hard for the fisherman to get their lures in. It was really just upkeep. What the state will do is drain the lake six to eight feet to expose the moss and let Mother Nature and the freeze kind of kill it. It’s more environmentally friendly. They don’t want to use chemicals when they can feel better about letting Mother Nature do it the way that she does.”

It took a little over a month for the lake to drain the necessary amount of water needed to kill the moss and weeds on the bank and to fill the lake back up.

Pike County Lake will open on weekends only until the State of Alabama completes its work.

Until the water level rises, no boats will be allowed on Pike County Lake.

“It’s a safety concern because when they dropped it that low it exposed the bottom of the boat ramp,” Meadows said. “Dropping your trailer off, if there is a hole there and you fall into that there will be issues. It’s just going to be fishing off the pier and the banks until it fills back up.”