Caples Lake to be drained starting this week!

[fat_fish]

no holdovers possible if the ponds freeze solid. they should increase the bag limit at caples.

ff

[The_Big_Sinus]

Fish and Game was there and they said most , if not all, the fish would die! All of the big Macs and Browns will die due to the low water. Flows below the lake will continue to drain the lake until it reaches 11 feet deep. Caples Creek will be a trickle after they reach 11' if rains in the fall don't keep the flows up... EID says due to the die off of the fish they will plant mostly rainbows over the next several years, macinaw and brown fishing will be a thing of the past for many years until stocks can grow etc.........Still don't believe me?.....................just wait and see...........it's already dropping 6-8 inches a day right now.........Can you say POND?

I believe that fishermen will take a huge number of fish out of that lake before it ices over... I believe that Caples, like a number of Sierra lakes, is pretty nutrient poor. So, provided that MOST of the fish are taken out of it (and a large number will be with smaller, shallow, lake area), then chances are excellent that there will be some holdovers even if the lake is only 11' deep. I think it will stay deeper in some parts over by the spillway, I could be wrong.

As for EID's motives- there could be some "bad acting". If they can put Voss out of business it'd suit them just fine. One less impact to be mitigated come the next round of relicencing. I find it curious that this "emergency" drawdown started mid-summer, raising the prospect that if the work can't get done on time, there could be 2 summers of low water and more diversions through Jenkinson. EID is not angler-friendly, and is water-poor, don't get me wrong about that.

I just don't think Caples is dead in the water as a fishery. As I noted before, Silver was poisoned with rotenone a little over a decade ago, and some pretty darn big fish still come out of there- some of the macks are certainly left over from pre-poisoning plants.

[ventura920]

I hope F&G can force EID to stop until at least a comprehensive plan to save the fish has been agreed upon. EID was granted the release only because of an emergency order which by passed all the normal channels and impact statements. The problem with the dam is the lower release gates that need to be repaired. Since PG&E which owned the lake never released as much water as EID wants to do, there was never a problem with the lower gates. Isn't it strange that this came as a BIG surprise, and why wasn't it disclosed by PG&E to EID in the first place.

[Captain Compassion]

Fish & Game may decide to try and impose some kind of an embargo to halt the EID draw down until they come up with a suitable plan. *

I'm not sure that the DFG can stop EID from fixing their dam. If they do does the DFG have a plain in place in event the dam fails because repairs were not made?

CC

[ventura920]

We were at Caples Lake today, what a sad sight to see the lake as EID continues to its draw down. There was a meeting their with EID and Fish & Game to discuss the impact on the fisheries. Seems as though EID doesn't have a plan at all as previously reported to safeguard the fish. The owners of Caples resort stated that Fish & Game may decide to try and impose some kind of an embargo to halt the EID draw down until they come up with a suitable plan. This is business as usual for the power and water agency's with regard to our natural habitat. BTW the fishing is a non-starter since the outflow is effecting the natural habitat of the fish, and they are definitely not on the bite.

[hetchy]

Heres a comprehensive article by outdoor writer Pete Ottessen on the Caples draw down that was in yesterdays Record.


By Peter Ottesen
Outdoors columnist
August 06, 2008 6:00 AM

CAPLES LAKE - John Voss has survived 26 years of operating Caples Lake Resort, but this year could be his "greatest test" when the water level at the popular destination is drawn down to 11 feet by Sept. 20. Currently, the water is dropping about six inches a day.

"Will my business and the trophy fish in the lake survive is anyone's guess," Voss said. "People are already canceling reservations in August and September, mainly because of the low water. They are hearing about it and getting skittish."

Caples Lake is set at 7,800 feet along Highway 88, about 100 miles east of Stockton. It is a premier fishing destination.

In spite of facing unprecedented low water in the coming weeks, fishing at Caples Lake is good. Last week, 7,000 brook trout were released to attract sport anglers. Trophies such as 8- to 15-pound mackinaw and 6-pound brown trout also have been hooked - some of the largest fish taken in the Sierra this summer - though they are the exceptional catches, not the rule.

Caples is being drawn down so two slide gates at the main dam can be replaced and other needed repairs completed, said officials from the El Dorado Irrigation District, owners of the lake. The EID declared an emergency on July 1 after an underwater investigation revealed major deterioration of the gates.

"If the gates were to fail in an open position, uncontrolled releases could result in unsafe conditions downstream (into Caples Creek and the American River)," EID spokeswoman Deanne Kloepfer wrote in a prepared release.

Work to replace the slide gates will begin mid- to late-September. Meanwhile, Voss is dealing with the deteriorating water situation by moving his docks and rental fleet of fishing boats, kayaks and canoes to lower elevations as the lake recedes.

"We've got people launching boats and float tubes on the gravel beach," he said. "We've got docks there and will continue to move the docks to accommodate our guests."

Voss said anglers are catching fish in many different ways. Brook trout are responding to Panther Martin spinners and nightcrawlers, either trolled or tossed from the shoreline. Mackinaw and brown trout are striking Trophy Sticks - a new, 6-inch lure that resembles a silver minnow - that is popular in Lake Tahoe.

"Guests can carry their boats or walk down the bank of the lake and go fishing and enjoy a good experience," Voss said. "What will happen to the fishing as the summer goes on, nobody knows. At this point, the lake has plenty of water and is about 50 feet in the deepest spots. As the water goes down, the fish will be concentrated and even easier to catch."

While Voss sounds upbeat, he is concerned about the eventual fate of the trophy brown and mackinaw. He doesn't think they will survive the drawdown and understands it takes 40 years for a mackinaw to reach 26 pounds, the largest taken by sport anglers this season.

EID is proposing to mitigate impacts to the fisheries by constructing a temporary "bladder" dam, when the water is low enough, to store some of the lake's water. Preliminary consultations with the state Department of Fish and Game, however, indicate the amount of water that can be stored behind the bladder dam may not be sufficient to sustain the fishery over the winter, according to a published EID update.

DFG officials didn't immediately return calls about the potential threats to the fishery or the prospects for rebuilding the fish once the work on the dam is completed.

Voss said the resort will remain open through Oct. 31, offering individual cabins and lodge rooms and a store with fishing tackle and sundries.

"We survived the 1986-87 drought when the lake dropped to 35 feet," he said. "This fall should be very interesting."

Information: (209) 258-8888; capleslakeresort.com.

Contact outdoors columnist Peter Ottesen at pottesen@recordnet.com.
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[Fisean]

50' is the norm. It'll all be fine. Road trip?

[atavuss]

Any of you boat fisherman....What's the deepest depth that your sonar has recorded while on Caples??

about 50 feet max is what I saw on the fishfinder Saturday.

[wolfden]

Any of you boat fisherman....What's the deepest depth that your sonar has recorded while on Caples??

[johnbfishin]

I'm mostly wondering how many boats are laying on the bottom.