10-07-2019, 06:33 AM
We're hosting an exchange student this month. This was the only weekend he doesn't have other activities scheduled so we decided to go up to Tony Grove lake. The colors were beautiful on the drive up, and we looked forward to a day of fishing and maybe some hiking with great anticipation. When we reached the parking lot, I got out and wandered over towards the lake.
Admittedly, I have only ever fished the lake once, and seen it 2 or 3 times from a trail head, but I was somewhat puzzled by the lack of water. The lake was down to no more than a third of the normal surface area, and pretty poor shoreline access around most of the lake. The far side had steeper banks, so we could get closer to the water, but even then there were thick weeds around most areas 10-15 feet from shore.
I went back to the car to get fishing rods for the group, and saw a sign stating that the lake was scheduled to be drained on Sept. 20 for dam inspections, and that there might be heavy machinery and a drill rig on site for a week or two after that. That explained the low water. There is a drain at the bottom of the dam, and the water level was about 6 inches below the grate, leaving the water 15 feet or so lower than normal.
As we worked our way around to the far bank, we spoke with the only other angler on the lake at that time. He had just landed what looked to be a 13-14 inch rainbow using worms. He stated that we could catch as many fish as we wanted and that the forest service was suspending limits as the lake is likely to winter-kill. I'm not going to dispute the accuracy of his statement on limits, but neither was I concerned about filling a freezer with trout. I'm just not that interested in trout. For anyone else going up, it might be worth verifying whether limits have indeed been suspended.
Once we got set up, we put lines in the water and waited just a short time before I picked up the first fish using a worm on the bottom. We let our guest fisherman reel it in, and he was pretty excited. A couple of minutes later, I got hit on another rod using a piece of worm 3' below a bobber. He reeled that one in too. After that, things stopped for a bit, and the rest of the family caught up to us, so we got a total of 5 lines in the water.
The next fish was on my first cast with a Jake's, but I only got one bump in the next 10 casts, so I went back to the worm. We had a few hits on jig-heads dressed with garden hackle, but few hookups. I re-rigged my line to drop shot a piece of worm, and the bites picked up enough that we soon switched all 5 lines. Everyone caught fish on their own rod after that, from my grandson, to my daughter, my son, and our guest. At 10 fish, I suggested we had plenty, so we let the last couple go to brave the winter.
After a quick lesson in cleaning fish (entrails were bagged and removed from the lake), we headed back to the car for lunch.
All in all, it was a terrific day. Beautiful views, lots of fun, fishing success, and sharing a passion with a new friend. No pictures today, but I'm sure you've all seen at least as many stocked rainbows as you care to. All fish were between 10 and 13 inches.
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Admittedly, I have only ever fished the lake once, and seen it 2 or 3 times from a trail head, but I was somewhat puzzled by the lack of water. The lake was down to no more than a third of the normal surface area, and pretty poor shoreline access around most of the lake. The far side had steeper banks, so we could get closer to the water, but even then there were thick weeds around most areas 10-15 feet from shore.
I went back to the car to get fishing rods for the group, and saw a sign stating that the lake was scheduled to be drained on Sept. 20 for dam inspections, and that there might be heavy machinery and a drill rig on site for a week or two after that. That explained the low water. There is a drain at the bottom of the dam, and the water level was about 6 inches below the grate, leaving the water 15 feet or so lower than normal.
As we worked our way around to the far bank, we spoke with the only other angler on the lake at that time. He had just landed what looked to be a 13-14 inch rainbow using worms. He stated that we could catch as many fish as we wanted and that the forest service was suspending limits as the lake is likely to winter-kill. I'm not going to dispute the accuracy of his statement on limits, but neither was I concerned about filling a freezer with trout. I'm just not that interested in trout. For anyone else going up, it might be worth verifying whether limits have indeed been suspended.
Once we got set up, we put lines in the water and waited just a short time before I picked up the first fish using a worm on the bottom. We let our guest fisherman reel it in, and he was pretty excited. A couple of minutes later, I got hit on another rod using a piece of worm 3' below a bobber. He reeled that one in too. After that, things stopped for a bit, and the rest of the family caught up to us, so we got a total of 5 lines in the water.
The next fish was on my first cast with a Jake's, but I only got one bump in the next 10 casts, so I went back to the worm. We had a few hits on jig-heads dressed with garden hackle, but few hookups. I re-rigged my line to drop shot a piece of worm, and the bites picked up enough that we soon switched all 5 lines. Everyone caught fish on their own rod after that, from my grandson, to my daughter, my son, and our guest. At 10 fish, I suggested we had plenty, so we let the last couple go to brave the winter.
After a quick lesson in cleaning fish (entrails were bagged and removed from the lake), we headed back to the car for lunch.
All in all, it was a terrific day. Beautiful views, lots of fun, fishing success, and sharing a passion with a new friend. No pictures today, but I'm sure you've all seen at least as many stocked rainbows as you care to. All fish were between 10 and 13 inches.
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