Bad News, Boaters

[Stan Wright]

Just to let you know, they started lowering the water level today. It will go down from 66.4 ft. to 60 ft. so that they can inspect the first gate for repair. The boat ramp may be further exposed and closed temporarily till the end of this month or beginning of next month.

Today the water level as we backed the boat off the trailer was 4 feet.
So we may all be shore fishing for a while. Hopefully the repairs will go quickly and we'll soon have our boat ramp back.
Stan

[roadwarriorsvt]

Nut'in wrong with shore fishing! (as long as its temp.)

[BASSTRACKER]

im all for upkeep and repair, however keep in mind the amount of water let out................ for the lake to replenish that amount of water it will take alot of rain! and seeing its summer and all well it may be a kayak only summer, then when the rains do come look for weeks of very very muddy water........ real bummer. oh ya dont tell pegasus!!!!!! poor guy may be forced to longingly look at his new toy as he loads up his yak.

[fish4fun]

I was hoping to go out on Sat afternoon. How will we be able to find out if we can launch, short of making the drive from Niu Valley just to find its shut down?

[Stan Wright]

Chris is going on Friday, I'll ask how the ramp is.
Stan

[fish4fun]

Muchos Gracias!

[Ken]

Yikes! Hope it is temporary for you guys. I really feel for you since it's only a handful of freshwater fishing you have...and one that is always open for fishing.

[Roxy]

Does that mean it'll be okay for us to launch out kayaks, or will they close the ramp period? If anybody goes, could you please post here. I'd appreciate that so much! We only had a chance to kayak out there once on Kam day. We didn't catch anything, but it was a good work out and good practice for me. Still a newbie at this kayak fishing thing!!

Hope you all have a nice weekend!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Stan Wright]

I don't think it's a matter of the DLNR closing the boat ramp....
It's not having any water at the boat ramp to float a boat.

[Roxy]

I don't think it's a matter of the DLNR closing the boat ramp....
It's not having any water at the boat ramp to float a boat.

I'm sorry! I didn't think of it that way!! I hope the repairs are fast then, so you can get back on the water.

I think we met you on Kam day last week. We were the two kayakers paddling back to the ramp, and you asked, "Is that bragging or complaining I hear?" LOL.

[Stan Wright]

Looks like you kayak guys may be the only boats on the water for a few weeks.

[Stan Wright]

Friday, 19 June.

Chris said the water was down several feet from Wednesday. They launched at 7:30 AM and it was even lower when they returned at noon.

It was so shallow at the boat ramp he had to use the electric motor to get to the ramp. Churning up mud all the way. They backed the trailer as far out as possable and then had to crank the boat on. He figured the water off the end of the ramp was about 2 feet deep and falling fast.

Chris said it will be too shallow to launch our boat by tomorrow.(Saturday)

Fishing was good today.... Lots of spawners..... Time to dust off the Kayaks.

[fisher dude]

So does that mean there fixing the dam and there going to keep the reservoir going or is this just a emergency fix that they had to do before they decide what there going to do? I heard the state didnt want to have anything to do with it anymore and pass it off to someone else because the dam was unsafe.

[Stan Wright]

That's what I heard too. It would take lots of money to bring the dam up to federal standards... no one has or wants to spend it. Mostly everyone is afraid of the liability... especially after that dam broke on Kauai.

Dole owns the land and wants to give it to the state. DLNR doesn't have the money or want the liability. The Age Depart wants the lake but is trying to figure if the need for irrigation is worth the price of fixing the dam.

The "fixing" that they are trying to do now is to check and repair the gates on the drain outlet tower. Hopefully it will be all done in a week or two.