your opinions please

[paul.]

this year, i am going to start fishing a little lake that i used to catch some nice bass out of a couple of years ago. i stopped fishing this spot when they halfway drained the lake to fix the leaky overflow pipe. when this happened, i knew there were going to be a couple of things to go down. first, i knew there would be a few jerks who would come in and take advantage of things and basically rape the place while it was low and all those fish were jammed up into half the water. and i was right, one day day when i went out to take some pictures of the exposed bottom contours, i saw a couple of guys out in the middle of the lake catching fish after fish. they had a 6 foot long stringer almost completely full, so heavy they could barely pick it up out of the water. it made me sick. after that, i didn't even bother to go back for a while. and i never fished the lake while it was low.

i also knew that grass and weeds would quickly take root in the mud, and that there would be a pretty thick growth on the lake bottom by the time the water came back up. i was right about this too. when i finally did go back for another look, there were weeds about a foot tall growing where the bottom of the lake used to be.

finally, i knew most the standing timber would fall down. now that the lake is back up to full pool, you can see only a fraction of the trees that used to be there sticking up.

during the 2 years that i didn't fish the lake, i had a friend that did, particularly last year when it was back at full pool. he said that nothing was the same as it used to be. still plenty of fish, but the things that used to be money before they drained the lake no longer worked at all, particularly for big fish, which now seem to be few and far between. the fish and the fishing had completely changed.

here are my guesses about this.

1. i suspect that the idiots who took advantage and overfished the place while it was down took a toll on the bass numbers. however, this might actually be a blessing in disguise if they did not catch and keep very many big fish as this "thinning of the herd" will eventually result in more big fish.

2. i suspect that the dying vegetation (producing co2) relocated a lot of the fish.

3. i suspect that with the lake being so low for so long, the fish were forced to learn new patterns and routines to survive. with no long term memory to fall back on, and with the landmarks/geography of the lake totally changed when the lake came back up, the fish had to again learn new patterns/routines.

4. with the lake being low during the hottest months, this could have stressed and killed some fish.

these are my thoughts and ideas anyway. has anyone else had experience fishing a similar situation? if so what were your experiences and what worked for you?

despite having fallen on hard times, i think this little lake still holds some big fish, so i'm going to give it a shot. just looking for some answers that might help. again, your input would be very helpful if you've faced a similar circumstance. thanks.

[SeanW]

The lakes in California fluctuate up to a couple hundred ft a year. The weeds are no big deal, bass love weeds. The fish will come back from the pillaging. No standing timber? Is it now laying down? Rocks and grass are huge in Clear Lake California, we also have tules(I think easterners call them reeds). You can also put in some wood or other cover.

[Bassn Blvd]

I suspect the fish would have moved to the deepest part of the lake when the water level went down.  This location may or may not have been a "hang out" for them prior to the drainage since they had other cover to hide in.

I'm not so sure the grass and weeds that grew in the dried up area are going to have that much of a negative impact, unless of course it has all died out and turned the bottom into a thick bed of slop.

The bass would have gone back to their normal habitat when the water level went back up, or at least move in from deeper water to feed on baitfish, which I assume are probably minnows, bream and bluegill.

[Bankbeater]

Is this lake managed by the Conservation Dept.?  They might have relocated some of the fish to other lakes.

[Lund Explorer]

Unfortunately, we have a local lake here that has been managed for waterfowl and suffers these draw-downs every once in awhile.  It is a combination of a half dozen small lakes that becomes about five times larger at full pool with most of that water under 5' deep.  You also get the same assortment of folks that push across the mudflats to reach the surviving pools every time.  They pound these "fish in a barrel" relentlessly. 

The only good news is that the meat fishermen never return when the water comes up.  It usually takes a few years for fishing to return to its prior productive self, but it does return.  It also seems like you don't catch as many dinks when it first comes up either, which is most likely because they have been without heavy cover to grow up in.  I figure we lose a couple of year classes due to predation from the bigger fish.

Hopefully it won't take too long for you to be back on productive water.

[Uncle Leo]

I experienced this in a Lake in NW Indiana it is a shallow lake that was drained and dredged but not much. A lot of brush grew during the couple of years that they keep it low. They did remove the fish and locate elsewhere. This lake was and still is a Bluegill factory. It took some time maybe 7 years but the bass have rebounded along with Northern Pike. I have had 100 keeper days there and have caught Pike up to 36 inches. The bass did not seem to change their behavior much but the lake was much better for it. 25 years ago you could catch good Northern Strain Bass there buy just prior to the drain down nothing but dinks. Now 4-5 pound bass are readily available and have had 20-25 pound bags on good days. I believe your lake will rebound also.

[Big-O]

1. i suspect that the idiots who took advantage and overfished the place while it was down took a toll on the bass numbers. however, this might actually be a blessing in disguise if they did not catch and keep very many big fish as this "thinning of the herd" will eventually result in more big fish. I agree that thinning was the outcome and the fish will be healthier because of it.

2. i suspect that the dying vegetation (producing co2) relocated a lot of the fish. Yes, but the new growth from draining and re filling will be an advantage in the long run. As well the fish will probably stay close to the original bottom structure contours as before and be on the closest new growth.

3. i suspect that with the lake being so low for so long, the fish were forced to learn new patterns and routines to survive. Small lakes are very easy for the fish to quickly understand with no long term memory to fall back on, and with the landmarks/geography of the lake totally changed when the lake came back up, the fish had to again learn new patterns/routines. I feel they should relate to the same types of structure and vegetation habits as usual before depending on the water conditions and time of year

4. with the lake being low during the hottest months, this could have stressed and killed some fish. Very possible, but hopefully not to a large extent

these are my thoughts and ideas anyway. has anyone else had experience fishing a similar situation? if so what were your experiences and what worked for you? Your understanding of the lake structure and the previous fish preferences will give you an advantage to find and catch what fish are available. Hopefully you will see in short order both the short and long term affects. What fish survived will probably be hungry and aggressive so Beginning with quicker shad and craw patterns would be a start. 

despite having fallen on hard times, i think this little lake still holds some big fish, so i'm going to give it a shot. just looking for some answers that might help. again, your input would be very helpful if you've faced a similar circumstance. thanks. Bet you get it figured out and are pleasantly surprised... Hope I'm right  

Big O

www.ragetail.com

[WRB]

The adult bass are going to survive OK, it's the recruitment or survival rate of the spawn that will be impacted with low pool conditions. For baby fish, including baby bass, without cover they become prey quickly. The result is a loss of a few year classes. After the lake refills, the recruitment explodes with the new cover and small aquatic creatures to feed on.

Over harvesting a small lake is a big problem for the larger adult size bass, there are only so many the lake can support and it will take time for those bass to be replaced by mid size bass; 2 to 3 years.

Up and down cycles are normal and your lake should be good again soon.

Tom

PS; does this lake have cormorants? Cormorants can really impact a small lakes fish population at low pool and should not be allowed to stay around for long time periods.

[CJ]

Paul, I wonder more about how well the bait survived. Just as well as the bass were easy targets for the fisherman, the bait was easier for the bass to eat. But even worse, some baitfish are very vulnerable to the conditions. Just a thought.

[paul.]

thanks guys.  to answer a few questions.  bankbeater, to my knowledge, no fish were relocated except those that ended up in somebody's frying pan.  i am sure the lake lost quite a few fish to greedy folks just trying to take advantage.  but none of the

fish were moved anywhere that i know of.

Tom, this lake does have cormorants.   they were always there when the lake was full and healthy, so i'm sure they stuck around when it was drawn down and the fish more more vulnerable. 

Steve, it's interesting what you said about the survivors being hungry and agressive.  Again, i only have my friend's reports to use for a reference, but he is a VERY good fisherman.  in fact, he's fished this lake for a lot longer than i ever did and much of what i've learned about the lake and how to catch the big fish in there, i owe to him.  so he's a very reliable source.  but based on his reports, it seems that since the lake came back up to full pool last spring, the bigger fish have been anything but hungry and aggressive.  i attribute this to decreased numbers of bass with the same amount of forage as they always had.  to my knowledge, nothing happened to forage populations when the lake was drawn down.  so my thinking is less bass w/ ample forage = well fed bass = harder to catch bass.  i could be wrong though.

i do really appreciate y'all's input. 

 

[Catt]

It's all about breaks & break lines; the structure is still the same but the breaks & break lines have changed. It's the same ole lake to the bass cause they adapted while the lake was changing.

Problem is it takes the angler a lot longer too adapt.

[Big-O]

If the bait in all age classes made it through successfuly, then the bass should have as well.

I'm thinking that the young and medium aged bait fish got chewed up pretty good during the extended low conditions since there was less area and cover to hide in and possibly the remainder are adults or the larger models. When the lake came back up, there's much more area and cover to scatter and secure the bait that survived. The bass that remained were probably the healthiest and the best feeders. Less bait in substantially more area will make the bass prowl more to fill their bellies. The prowlers are generally aggressive.

I'll bet that you will see wolf packs of bass rounding up whatever bait is available in given areas... A healthy creek flowing in could improve the situation quickly as well. The mouth of it could be Game on!

Big O

www.ragetail.com

[bmadd]

Some good memories at lake ? Paul. I'm sure you'll have that place figured out before too long I'm sure those fish will still be around the same structure, the cover may be different which might take some time to locate but you'll be showing some nice pictures again before too long.

[paul.]

good memories?  you know it bud.   (see avatar ;D)and hopefully some more good memories to be made.  bmadd, are you down to take a few trips out there this year and help me figure this place out?  hope so.  i still believe there's some bigguns in there.

[bmadd]

Paul if you've still got my number give me a call whenever you're ready. I'll try and help you the best I can

[WRB]

A tidbit about spawning bass; they tend to go back where they began. It's a common belief that bass just move up and spawn at whatever convenient location that suits there needs, not always true.

If the water has returned to the levels where you caught your big bass before, they should be nearby, if they are still in the lake.

I tagged some bass years ago and to my surprise they returned to the exact bed site year after year.

Good luck!

Tom

[RoLo]

Maybe it's my blind faith in Mother Nature, but I see events such as these

as a blessing in disguise and a golden opportunity. The blessing in disguise':

in a word pruning. When a herbaceous plant is cut-back to the ground,

the short-term negatives are ultimately offset by long-term positives.

Maybe the young fellows don't recall, but for years Lake Erie was dubbed the Dead Sea.

The 'golden opportunity' is the chance to see and feel the bottom.

I've been exposed to severe drawdowns too few times in my life.

But the few times I have, it was always the same. Some crazy nut

was trekking the lake floor with a handheld GPS and notepad.

Yeah you guessed it, that crazy nut was me.

A severe drawdown gives us the opportunity to quickly acquire valuable coordinates:

> The steepest bottom drop-offs (A#1)

> Changes in bottom composition (e.g. mud to sand)

> Isolated cover such as blowdowns, brushpiles, gravestones, roadbeds, you name it.

Roger

[WRB]

Maybe it's my blind faith in Mother Nature, but I see events such as these

as a blessing in disguise and a golden opportunity. The blessing in disguise':

in a word pruning. When a herbaceous plant is cut-back to the ground,

the short-term negatives are ultimately offset by long-term positives.

Maybe the young fellows don't recall, but for years Lake Erie was dubbed the Dead Sea.

The 'golden opportunity' is the chance to see and feel the bottom.

I've been exposed to severe drawdowns too few times in my life.

But the few times I have, it was always the same. Some crazy nut

was trekking the lake floor with a handheld GPS and notepad.

Yeah you guessed it, that crazy nut was me.

A severe drawdown gives us the opportunity to quickly acquire valuable coordinates:

> The steepest bottom drop-offs (A#1)

> Changes in bottom composition (e.g. mud to sand)

> Isolated cover such as blowdowns, brushpiles, gravestones, roadbeds, you name it.

Roger

Older GPS = sketch pad and triangulate landmarks and take a few pictures. I am still amazed when low water conditions allows me to see what was actually underwater verses what I thought that good spot looked like.

Example; before lake Sherwood was drained to repair the dam, I knew where one large oak tree stump was located in the middle of the lake near a channel break, my secret honey hole. I was shocked to see that my stump was actually a row of 5 stumps about 50' apart and the break had baseball size rocks for about 100 yards and explains why I didn't have trouble finding that stump. Before refilling the lake, the bottom was re contoured and the stumps removed....I fished Sherwood over 30 years not knowing what was actually underwater and now it's gone. Today we have excellent sonar and GPS to help see underwater.

Tom

[RoLo]

I am still amazed when low water conditions allows me to see what was actually underwater verses what I thought that good spot looked like.

Boy, you said a mouthful Tom!

Back in the 70s, Spruce Run Reseroir, NJ underwent a drastic drawdown (wing dam repair)

I walked to all my favorite hotspots and was stunned by what I learned.

Every holding site exhibited what I already knew plus a lot of stuff I didn't know and why.

One of my old waypoints was chosen because of a steep but isolated bottom grade.

In person, it turned out to be a small bottom crater with a large boulder

forming the sidewall and an old rotting log laying along the other side.

There was also a broken trail of chunk rock leading away from the crater.

Even with today's esoteric electronics, I doubt that I could ever decipher

the ambiant features of that site while floating 15 ft in the air on an opaque water layer.

Even with the combination of side-imaging and 3D platinum charts,

I'm afraild I'd be looking at a time-consuming isometric hodgpodge. 

Roger