Bistineau Drawdown

Mike Noble · January 13, 2006, 07:37:30 AM

Saw on the news this morning that Wildlife and Fisheries has decided that this past drawdown worked well and the drawdown for 2006 has been cancelled...any drawdown this year would be "minimal". I guess the lake front folks will be happy.

Railroader · January 13, 2006, 07:41:32 AM

well since we will never get any rain maybe they feel that future drawdowns won't be necessary..

Lipripper · January 13, 2006, 07:48:34 AM

Eye think we all could use some of that wet sutff

and we arn't even getting much snow this winter either

Ron Fogelson · January 13, 2006, 07:50:26 AM

Quote from: Mike Noble on January 13, 2006, 07:37:30 AM
Saw on the news this morning that Wildlife and Fisheries has decided that this past drawdown worked well and the drawdown for 2006 has been cancelled...any drawdown this year would be "minimal". I guess the lake front folks will be happy.

Thanks god, now it will only take about 3 year to get back to normal fishing. I say this because most of the bass from the northern to the shallow flat areas have moved down south to deeper water. If you doubt it, just drive across the state park bridge, a once full lake is now nothing more then a small creek. If you think all them bass are still in the same location that creek would be so full ans stacked up you could see fins carving the water serface.

Quote from: Railroader on January 13, 2006, 07:41:32 AM
well since we will never get any rain maybe they feel that future drawdowns won't be necessary..

I hope this is the last one for many, many years. Fishing was just starting to turn back on strong from the last draw down in 2000 or 2001 when they again drained it last year. I don't believe the lake was fished out by any means, just that it will take a while before the bass ever move back in to the state park area like they used to be.

I hope the draw down has cleaned up the mucky bottom as was the goal, maybe with the desired firmer bottom the spawn will be better then years past and we will see a boom of spawning areas and growth.

Besides all that, I can fish with comport again & not cringe at the thought of STUMPS!

Chris · January 13, 2006, 08:05:23 AM

Fogy , I opposed the drawdown at first but think it is going to be good for the lake over the long haul. Bistineau holds some good fish ...and hopefully a good bit of them will get to spawn this year. My step dad and I each have a lot on the south end that we may keep if the fishing gets good enough again. We bought them when the Florida strain was introduced to the lake ........ thinking the fishing was going to be come great. Hopefully it will sooner than later

Ron Fogelson · January 13, 2006, 09:45:03 AM

Chris, I moved here in 1998 and by 99 had my 2nd boat, 1st bass boat. Fishing on Bistineau was fantastic. Then the drew it down and I couldn't hardly go to the lake any more. They did it 2 fast the a bunch of fish were stuck in the shallow pockets in the trees, once that water dried up the stench was horrible. Good gad that lake stunk of dead fish forever. Once they brought the lake up, most of my schooling spots were gone, no more fish. They may have died out, moved on to new water to been caught, all I know is most of those areas I found in 99 and 2000 have never been the same.

Good thing is it made me find new spots to fish & I learned a lot more of the lake, bad thing is that I used to just launch at the park and troll away fishing from the ramp but now I have to run a ways.

I can't believe that dropping the lake as low as it is, will make for much good fishing around the park for a few years. I mean its a field now, with a small creek down the middle. I know the bottom needed to be dried up for better spawning. Maybe had they worked the ground rather then letting it just get over run with weeds would have helped, because now when the water comes back up, they will die off ( we all know fish don't like to be around dieing plant- depletes the oxygen) and then it will settle back to the bottom & then it will be full of muck again, so what was the point?

I'm sure the Fish & Game know more then me, just wish I had a better understanding, maybe I wouldn't be so negative of with they have done.

Justafishaman · January 18, 2006, 08:59:27 PM

Fogy, there are a few good things i can say about the draw down. first all those hyacinth that i couldnt get throught up near shelly slough and crane lake are dead and thats good. second i rode all over the lake on four wheelers. there are a lot of places that have growed up into beautiful grass flats. and third it really gave me time to study the actual layout of the lake that yuou cant see from a graph. me and mikeV went sat and scouted and pitched a jigfor a bit. in no time we boated 3 fish. a 3 1/2 a 4 and a 4 1/2. I also got to really look at areas that i didnt really think of fishing when the lake was up that showed me a nice slow rise hump near a point at the channel. found several nice big shallow flats with a two foot ditch right throught the middle. all in all it helped me better understand the Structure of the lake bed. the draw down in my opinion may not be good for fishing this week but in the long run i think it will help a lot.

Ron Fogelson · January 18, 2006, 09:16:51 PM

Thanks Justafishaman you are right there is alot for us to learn during this time, & I know some good can come out of it if its work smartly. Sure not trying to bring down something that I'm not in the KNOW. I just wanted someone that was to help me/us understand what the State of LA wanted/hoped to gain and what kinda steps they were taking to reach that goal, rather then just dropping the lake and seeing all the folks in PeeRows culling 4lbs bass for 5 to take home for the plate. I do take fish home, but to see folks out there for the past 2 years and the during the last draw down bringing in 10 fish stringers filled with 3lbs bass or better kinda makes me sad.

As I said I don't know jack about this, just come away with impresions of what I see on the water, and the hard times that came after the last draw down. Maybe this time will be different and we will have a great re birth of the lake. I sure hope so as it is my favorite place to fish and just spend the day with my family.

I guess I will have to have faith in the GOV and just learn what I can about what I can see without all the water covering everything up.

Elwood · January 19, 2006, 08:48:13 AM

Does anyone know if they have shut the gates on the dam yet so that the lake can refill? The last itime I drove accross the dam they were open. It would be nice to know that the little rain that we are getting is helping.

Elwood

Ron Fogelson · January 19, 2006, 09:24:26 AM

I was told they were going to close on the 16th, but someone here posted that they closed them on the 15th. So maybe when you drove over the dam and saw water they closed it off but had not stopped all flow. I don't believe they will stop all water from the lake, but slow the drain so as the lake can build back up without drying out the river!

Justafishaman · January 19, 2006, 12:19:45 PM

Fogy, the biologist i talked to said that the two main reasons for the drawdown was to kill the hyacinth that has taken over the north end of the lake and to help the vegatation grow up in the lake. Since you live right up the street any time you want to go ride the lake before the water comes back up call.
Justin

Ron Fogelson · January 19, 2006, 12:38:30 PM

Thanks Justin we might should do that be for it fills back up.

Fogy