Weston?

[wombat1947]

Was wanting to take the tube up to Weston this weekend. Can I still do that or is it closed to tubes? I called the idaho Fish and game and they said I was good. But not sure who I talked to. I know it's the irrigation company's that are doing it. Any knowledge on this would be greatly appreciated.
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[gstott]

You should be fine to take your tube to Weston. Weston has remained open to float tube access throughout this whole mess. Now whether you're going to have much water in that place is another matter. I haven't been up there lately, but with how hot the summer has been and with it not filling all the way this spring, I would guess it's down at its minimum pool again like the past few summers.
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[wombat1947]

Thanks for the info. Hope there is some water left in there. Went up about a month ago and it was way low. Tried to fish from shore which was a bit tough. Did manage a dozen or so bass. Hope to get a few on top water. Thanks again.
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[Pharticus]

[quote wombat1947]Hope there is some water left in there.[/quote]
It can't run dry. The drain is several feet above the lake bottom. I fish it at minimum pool every year. Though, without a tube, that vegetation makes shore fishing pretty prohibitive.
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[gstott]

Like Pharticus said, it won't go dry, but when it's all the way down it doesn't get any deeper than 5-6' deep. It's a long and sloppy slog down to the water with your tube then. I'm just hoping it doesn't turn that nasty burnt orange color like last year. If it stays clear you can have some pretty fast fishing if you hit things just right.
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[wombat1947]

Yeah it's not much more than a puddle. We're able to get on it with all the moss. Was able to find some fish. I don't know what's going on with that place? Seems the large mouth are not growing. Been fishing that lake for over 15 years and it seems . The bass are the same size. They put that slot limit in place . But not sure if that's gunna help. Sure the low water won't. The trout seem to grow quick but not the bass. Any ideas why?
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[gstott]

I honestly think they should get rid of the slot limit up there. There aren't any bluegill for them to eat so they're mostly just eating each other and invertebrates. Trout grow fast eating snails, leeches, scuds and such, but it isn't enough to grow big bass. I actually used to catch more big ones 6-7 years ago. No monsters but I caught some 18-19". I know there are a few really big ones in there now (probably eat the planters), but I think the low water hasn't helped overall. I don't see all that many small ones either probably from poor spawning habitat the past few springs. Almost everything I catch up there is right in the slot. The perch aren't what they used to be either because of this imho. It's still a fun place to fish, especially in the fall when it starts cooling off and there are some big bows thrown into the mix, but I'm not sure what's going to happen to that fishery with the ongoing drought.

BTW, how was the water clarity up there?
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[wombat1947]

The water was fairly clear. I bet 3 to 4 foot visibility. Alot of floating moss and small pieces floating around. Talked to a guy that was there. He was from Weston. He said they were still watering there fields. Don't know where they are getting there water tho. Unless they getting it from twin. Stopped at the water craft check point before Malad. And they were up and operational. Not sure who is funding them . They told me they didn't know if they need to check out tubes . But they did anyhow. Hope we have a good winter to fill it up. Looked like deep creek was in a world of hurt also. Probably the last time up there for the season. Tell the hard deck hits.
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[gstott]

I'll likely hit it once or twice when the water cools down a little. There can be some fast action on suspending jerkbaits when the water is low and clear in the fall. That's fun stuff.

I hope it fills too, but I'm not feeling too optimistic. We're shifting into a La Nina pattern which means we'll likely have a warm and dry winter. The problem with Weston is that it isn't fed by any canals, just a few small creeks and springs, and the mountains that they get their water source from are fairly low elevation so they just don't get the snow pack that some of the other watersheds get.
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