Willard Bay crappie

[fishwriter]

Just wondering if anybody knows what effect the low water will have on the crappie fishing in the Willard Bay north marina as soon as the ice is gone.
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[Theekillerbee]

If they lower the level much further, there won't be any water in the marina for the Crappie to be in! I think most fish will have a poor spawn this year due to the low water conditions, and lack of structure for them to spawn in.
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[wiperhunter2]

TKB is so right, as low as it is now. it don't look good, another foot and it's lights out. Here is a picture I took last Saturday. WH2
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[fishwriter]

I just talked to the engineer from the Bureau of Reclamation that is working on the project and he said the level is as low as it will go. He said if they go any lower it will stop the siphon and it is a nightmare to get it working again. He said it would take an extreme disaster for them to lower it past the siphon. He also said the level would stay the same until the first of May when they expect to complete the repairs.
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[catchandrelease]

Would it be feasable to create some structure? Throw some X-Mas trees in, clippings, ect so it isn't a total wash? Do that in a few dozen locations (with the DWR's blessing of course) and you might save something.....any opinions?
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[BigBuck3333]

you still have your christmas tree?[sly]
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[CROSSINEYES]

THE LAND FILL STILL HAS HUGE PILES. BUT THEY GRIND THEM UP AND SELL THEM FOR FLOWER BEDS.
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[maniac]

Christmas trees are almost a total waste of time, they rot out in just a few years. If you want good cover in the form of trees then you need to use Cedar, [Juniper] or oak, they last for years!
Just my two cents!
James
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[CROSSINEYES]

THATS WHY XMASS TRE,S AR SO GOOD FOR IT. THE RES WILL FILL BACK UP AND THE SNAGING XMAS TREE ROT AWAY.
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[Troll]

Go to Willard Bay, park at the beach and begin to walk the shoreline south. There is a pile of christmas trees there that is about 6 years old. Still there, still providing cover and spawning habitat. I'd waste my time if you don't mind.

Wood that is submerged rots very slowly. The greener the wood, the slower it rots.

White pine logs submerged in Michigan for 100 years are now being reclaimed. When they cut them open it's like they were cut yeaterday. The sap keeps water from intruding and the wood dosn't rot.

Willard is opening up. The entire North Marina should be ice free tomorrow. I would bet by Mon you will be able to toon from the marina to the outlet. Check the web cam for updates.
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[maniac]

Out of that six years how much of that time have those trees spent out of the water? I know where the trees are!
The older and bigger the trees are the longer they last.
There was Christmas trees planted in willard bay and Mantua many times, I helped put some of those trees in. Most of them are gone or they are just a stick, in the span of 5 to ten years. I am not trying to start an argument I'm just saying that if we could get cedar or other harder, older trees they would last way longer than a small christmas tree. Planting trees is a good Idea, we just need better trees!
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[Troll]

I'm just saying if we can't get cedar or other harder older trees then use christmas trees. Some habitat is better than no habitat.
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[maniac]

I was hoping that you would say you know where we can get all the trees we want. I agree any cover is better than no cover, even if it is short term. I would think that the DWR, or Forest service would have some property that they were going to clear for replanting, that we could all get together and go cut Cedar trees for use as a good cover planting project.
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[Troll]

Have saw, will travel.[]

If we had been thinking we would have gathered right after christmas and hauled them on the ice to sink. Now we will need boats to get them out in the water.
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[Out4Trout]

[cool]Wow, well, since the ice season is crapping out on us early this year I guess I know where my first tubing trip of the year will be to...
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[ocean]

Hey i agree with you about the older trees. They did the same at yuba and they only lasted a couple of years and they spent most of the time out of water. But i dont think it would hurt if they planted a couple thousand trees deeper in willard .It would help some for a while and they would be mulch or burned anyway. The DWR should have a tree collection for waters that dont have structure for the bait fish to hide. Some waters are a desert under water except for a few structures here and there. I guess the republican guard found out how important it is to have a place to hide in the desert in DESERT STORM!!! []
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[CROSSINEYES]

if they put the tree in 3 gallon plastic buckets and filled them with dry mix. they will sink. lol. i saw it in infisherman yrs ago. a few yrs later deer creek got low. found some along a structure less bank. thought to myself some body been reading in fisherman.lol
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[wiperhunter2]

What siphon are they talking about and where is it located? I know there is one in the SouthWest corner, they use it for flooding the area West of Willard, I think it is called Harald Crane. WH2
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[TubeDude]

[cool][#0000ff]Probably referrring to the "outlet" at the NE corner. See pics.[/#0000ff]
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[catchandrelease]

So back to the original question: Is it feasable? With the low water, some structure is better than nothing. When the willows and other brush is flooded, cover isn't that big of a concern. Just try to salvage something this year. Cedars, oak, anything. Christmas trees are just easy way to do it. What say you?
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