I Think My Lakes Are Broke

[Tuckahoe Joe]

Heres the situation. I have 3 lakes close to me that I go to and Im fishing from the bank/dam. One is about 20 acres and the other two are about 50. According to the Maryland DNR website, the lakes range in depth from about 3-8 feet with the deepest water being right near the dams. Ive been fishing these lakes since July and this has seemed accurate. However, since the hurricane in October, the bottoms seem all moved around. Now I can see the bottom about 2 and a half feet down, even off the middle of the dam where the water should be deepest. The surface of the water is at the same level (right up to the edge of the dam) but the bottom is about 5 feet higher than it should be. From what I can feel when Im fishing, its now a long shallow flat as far as Im able to cast. It wouldn't be a problem if it were the middle of the summer but with the water temps dropping, 2 feet of water isn't really cutting it. Has anyone ever expierienced anything like this? Im trying to firgue out whats happened here and why. Also is it going to eventually get back to the way it was and if so how long will it take?

[Shane J]

It may or may not ever go back to the same countour as it was. I fish a river system that doesn't stay the same for a whole year... ever. All it means, is that you have to replicate those spots that were productive before, elsewhere, wherever that may be now. Use a 1 oz tungsten on a C-rig to feel your way around the new layout to learn it.

[Thomasmgp]

When you say Dam are we talking a real dam or just dirt? If its just dirt then it might have broke. Same thing happened at one of my uncle's ponds. The dam broke by the spillway and he started losing water real fast. They had to come in and redo the entire dam. Cost him a ton of money.

[Tuckahoe Joe]

Were talking legit concrete dams. I hope its not permanent. Theres only so many many spots on these lakes where you can get down to the water and I can't afford a boat.

[Surveyor]

Was there a lot of erosion caused by the storm. I'm not familiar with the damage caused in Md. There was-is always a lot of sand, soil moved during storms. It could have possibly "filled in" the ponds. If so its not gonna get better by itself. It will take dredging most likely.

Hope this is not the problem.

[Tuckahoe Joe]

Not really sure. I suppose its possible but the banks of these lakes are mostly rocky. I do know that the water was flowing pretty heavily over the dams since the hurricane until about a week ago. So Im guessing that anything that did get into the water most likely got piled up against the dam.

[Surveyor]

Sand-silt usually fills in the upper parts of an area first. The sand settles out when the velocity of the water can no longer suspend it. but----IDK.

Maybe they are goberment owned, maintained and will get fixed.

[Tuckahoe Joe]

Hopefully they'll get fixed. It shouldn't be a problem when it gets warmer and the bass go shallow but it's kinda shut down the end of my season. Ive still been able to get pickerel and trout fishing the exit stream below the dam but I haven't seen a bass in about a month or so now.

[Traveler2586]

You could write up your findings and email it to the MD DNR for study by The Maryland Biological Stream Survey (MBSS). They are good about answering emails and may already know about this, if they do they will tell you more.

Check out this web page: http://www.dnr.maryland.gov/streams/pdfs/Hurricanes.pdf

[Tuckahoe Joe]

You could write up your findings and email it to the MD DNR for study by The Maryland Biological Stream Survey (MBSS). They are good about answering emails and may already know about this, if they do they will tell you more.

Check out this web page: http://www.dnr.maryl...s.asp#Hurricane

Excellent! I may just do that.

[webertime]

Sand-silt usually fills in the upper parts of an area first. The sand settles out when the velocity of the water can no longer suspend it. but----IDK.

Maybe they are goberment owned, maintained and will get fixed.

This is where I'd put my money.

[WRB]

If the stream was running at extreme high levels for several days a shhollow small lake could silt in entirely, however the upper end should be a delta area only a few inches deep, if the dam end has 3' of silt. Natural aging process of man made lakes, your just aged over night!

Tom