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Sounds like a great fishery for this year. Wish it were a little closer. Thanks for posting.
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[quote wormandbobber]
Could be a banner year for Minersville....with the low water totals on the mountain and low water level at the reservoir, anyone who likes big wipers, smallmouth, and rainbows should really give the place a good try![/quote]
Glad to see all the fat fish, but wouldn't the low lake water level and poor water totals upstream mean tough fishing and fish mortality down the road?
Sounds like the message ought to be "come down and get them while you can!".
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[quote doggonefishin][quote wormandbobber]
Could be a banner year for Minersville....with the low water totals on the mountain and low water level at the reservoir, anyone who likes big wipers, smallmouth, and rainbows should really give the place a good try![/quote]
Glad to see all the fat fish, but wouldn't the low lake water level and poor water totals upstream mean tough fishing and fish mortality down the road? [/quote]
Fishing could be really, really, good....but fish mortality is a real possibility down the road. Come late July and August, fish might be really struggling....unless we get good rains and much more water!
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Glad to see all the fat fish, but wouldn't the low lake water level and poor water totals upstream mean tough fishing and fish mortality down the road?
{quote]
The ones that are going to have tough times are the farmers.
they need to leave so much water in the Res. to keep the fish alive.
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Thanks, wormandbobber. I love that pond! The smallies especially are awesome.
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[quote liketrolling]
"The ones that are going to have tough times are the farmers."
they need to leave so much water in the Res. to keep the fish alive.[/quote]"
Minersville holds about 25000 acre feet of water when full. The reserve pool set aside for fish survival is 2500 acre feet. If it stays real hot in Aug. and Sept. with only 2500 acre feet of water in it,, the whole lake could very easily go belly up. Or at least the trout.
Even if they don't die from the water quality, the plelicans come from far and wide for the big low water party.
If that does happen it won't be the the first time.
It has been close the last couple of summers.
Maybe next time they rebuild they should go with LMB, Catfish, Bluegill, and Crappy.
Irrigation is what Minersville and most other catch basins in the west were made for. Fishing is just a fun by product.
Pray for rain for the farmers and the fishermen.
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[quote castnshoot]
Maybe next time they rebuild they should go with LMB, Catfish, Bluegill, and Crappy. [/quote]
interestingly, LMB have been put in Minersville in the past, along with Sacramento perch. Neither species ever did anything at all. (thank goodness!)
[quote castnshoot]
Irrigation is what Minersville... [was] made for. Fishing is just a fun by product.
Pray for rain for the farmers and the fishermen.[/quote]
While the above is true, I think many minds are slowly starting to realize the importance the fishery is to the community. Case-in-point: last year when the gate was broken, and the irrigation company wanted to drain the lake to fix it, the county stepped in (along with the DWR) and said "no! we'll help pay for the repairs. We won't drain the lake!". Money was found and divers were employed to make repairs without draining the reservoir.
Beaver County has been more than impressive with their support of the fishery in recent years. They have realized what State Parks never could: when fishing is good, money is to be made! Fishing is only good when there is water in the reservoir.
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Crap you just had to post this...I was just down there in Beaver skiing the Tushar Mtn. Range and doing a little bit of fishing in beaver canyon last weekend...but I was too lazy to try Minersville out.
It was my first 10 casts since my September wrist surgeries and I was greeted by the skunk on the river.
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With the conditions being what they are it won't take until August for the lake to be in trouble, I'd guess by late June we'll see problems. I wouldn't be surprised to see them take the slot, artificial only restrictions and limit off by mid summer to let people harvest what they can other than let them just die off. (The trout that is.) It's happened once before that I can recall years ago. Once it gets to the conservation pool oxygen levels are so low the trout don't survive well at all. The past couple of years the quality of trout has dropped off from what I've experienced. The smallmouth, however, are greatly improved. I just hope we get some serious rains throughout the spring and summer for the fishing and farming.
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