SAD Willard report ... 8-7-03

[Old_Coot]

[font "Comic Sans MS"][size 2]Went to Willard yesterday with Polokid. Launched at the North marina at about 6:30 PM and came in at about 9:30. Water temps were around 80 in the marina and shallows and about 77 in the deepest. Marina depths ranged from 1 to 3 feet. We only boated one small wiper and lost two others. The deepest place in the lake is 12.1 feet. The lake is about 10-12 feet low now! My fish finder marked a lot of fish but fishing is SLOW![/size][/font]

[font "Comic Sans MS"][size 2]Here are some pictures I took while out there:[/size][/font]

[font "Comic Sans MS"][size 2]There were very few trucks there when we arrived. You pretty much have the pond to yourself ... no skiers or jet skies even.[/size][/font]

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[font "Comic Sans MS"][size 2]There was a bank fisherman out on an island of what used to be the marina.[/size][/font]

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[font "Comic Sans MS"][size 2]Here is Polokid out in the water trying to find the deepest place to drop the boat off the trailer:[/size][/font]

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[font "Comic Sans MS"][size 2]You have to push your boat into the water.[/size][/font]

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[font "Comic Sans MS"][size 2]Going out is a walking trip.[/size][/font]

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[font "Comic Sans MS"][size 2]The water may be low but the mountains are high.[/size][/font]

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[font "Comic Sans MS"][size 2]And the sunsets at Willard are still as peaceful as ever.[/size][/font]

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[font "Comic Sans MS"][size 2]Assumming that the low water and/or hot water at Willard don't ruin the fishing, wipers out to start some good boils within the next 2-3 weeks. We'll just have to see.[/size][/font]
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[whatyausin]

Great pics...I might just have to use my duckboat the next time I go out there. Pray for snow....
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[southernman]

great pics!

sm
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[neveronsunday]

[#ff0000]We were out there from 6-11 am yesterday. We DID have the whole pond to ourselves. We took the row boat out and fished the north dike area. The shad were everywhere, about 3/4 of an inch long. The birds were divebombing the water fast and furious, scattered everywhere, especially from about 8:30 to 10. Didn't see any boil action, didn't have any Wiper action casting from the boat. Tried a bottom bouncer and lindy rig for awhile. Nothing on the bottom bouncer but picked up 9 small catfish on the lindy rig in about an hour and a half. When we left there was a guy trying to launch an 18 foot fiberglass. He walked all over the place convincing himself he could do it and then could never get it off the trailer. By the first buoy going out we were scraping more bottom than water with the oars, calling it a foot deep was generous. Did you see the mud bank about 100 yards straight out from the marina? We beached on it for a little while and it was streaked with prop and skeg marks. I can see getting past the no wake zone, setting it wide open, and heading straight out into open water only to trash your prop right about when you're up to maximum power. Just remember to always veer a little to the port or starboard when coming out of the north marina. [/#ff0000]
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[Kayote]

A very cool bunch of pics and a good report. Sorry your fishing wasn't better.

Good Fishing, Kayote
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[fishinfool]

[]Man I'm pissed,after seeing your pics coot I had to do somthing,There is know way in h#ll there going to let the water get any lower,I have e-mailed the DWR,State Parks,and the weber river water dist.some one has to stop the outflow of water or we will lose all the hard work that the DWR has done to get this lake to wear it is,we all do are part to conserve water and it time for them to save some water,Think about the millions of dollars that was put into this lake for fisherman,the state parks should have never put that kind of money in there if they dont have any control over the water,the dredging did us fisherman no good,all it did is make it so they could pump more water out,I say we go plug off every outlet pipe out there and tell them no more water for you,they used enough,wasteed plenty,and we all put money into that lake so we all should have a say.I recomend we all e-mail the DWR so they know we are serious about saving the lake from a massive fish die off,12 ft of water is not going to be deep enough if we get a good freeze this year,we all lose all the money.and i'm not willing to do that.

JUMP ABOARD,Lets do somthing about this now.

Tony[]
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[polokid]

I agree totally with you FishinFool, but who do we email. Tom P??? After seeing Willard yesterday, the fish have to almost be suffocating in that water. Now the water temp isnt the major concern, I have seen willard that warm in past years, but no circulation of water cant be good. SOme areas around that lake looked like a stagnet pond!!!
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[fishinfool]

[url "mailtohilDouglass@utah.gov"]PhilDouglass@utah.gov[/url]

This is the e-mail address,lets all show are concerns,we have payed out alot of money,and they can do somthing about it,they just need to know how many people are serious about doing somthing about it.

everyone that is intrested in doing somthing about the water problem at willard should e-mail this guy,he is over the nothern reigon.

thanks,Tony
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[cat_man]

Who is he? Is he over the Northern region with the DWR? Or some other organization? I've never fished Willard but I'm definitely interested in helping out. I still need to get up there to catch my first wiper!
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[martymcfly]

I sent an email to our good friend Doug Miller. I would agree that something needs to be done. On a political note, I hope everyone saw the Ogden mayor put his foot in his mouth when he said that he didn't feel like the city needed to conserve water. I hope we can get rid of him soon. It is attitudes like this that put us in this position in the first place. I am not sure the state has any say at all about the water flowing in and out of Willard. If weber basin water controls it we are probably screwed because they don't answer to anyone but the water users...and the biggest users are private.
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[Xman]

weber basin is the demise of the weber river every year. one that i have personallyt complained to endless people about each fall season. i do believe they control some amount of water in willard.

i dont know if any of you realize this but the water in willard is going out!!!! its this low and instead of where the ogden river dumps in and the water moves into the lake. it is going outward. i was in my tube and the water current is so fast you cant even paddle there. its a river but going the opposite direction. and you are right fish we need to do something about this. its bad enough to be this low but to let water out like this during a drought is unbelievable. ill email as well. i hope other people voice about this. if you dont it wont get fixed and you opinions do matter so speak up and say something, and not on just this forum take the time to email and lets get some weight behind this complaint.
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[PREDATOR]

I wish something could be done as well, but one thing you have to realize is that they built the dikes so that they could sell the water rights. The rights are sold so as long as there is water in there, they have until october to pump it out. All the irrigation that comes out of willard and goes down the canals gets used for a wide variety of things. Some people have the water rights for no other purpose than watering thier lawn. Some use it for irrigating crops in thier farm fields.

As far as the ability to stop it goes, break out your check book and buy up all the water rights. There is no other way. People own that water.

We have a huge problem and one solution to fix it was the bear river project. Thank goodness that was defeated. They wanted to dam up the bear river in three spots, and divert the water into willard. BUT, they would then have sold the water rights to salt lake city. That would have meant that not only weber county would be draining willard, but all of south salt lake as well. Plus, we would have completley drained the bear river before it gets into the bird refuges, and endangered the irrigation of all the crops out west of brigham.

The only hope is conservation. And that lies mainly in the residential community. After five years of drought, if you have a green lawn in august, chances are you arent helping. Its a nasty buisness this water issue. But worse than hurting fishing, if there isnt enough water to water crops the local economy suffers.

The construction of more reserviors would definitley help, but to pay for thier consrtuction, you have to sell water rights, and that means you cant totally control the water levels, so it doesnt become a solution.
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[Hellsangler69]

Nice pics and report . Just to see it that low . I was hoping to chase some wipers this fall . I hope it is not dried up by then . Predator , you would be proud of me if you seen my lawn . LOL Just enough water to keep it alive . I haven't even mowed it in a month . LOL
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[petty4life]

my lawn is about dead also id need a goat to get the grass down to where i can mow it. got to save the water for those fishies
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[Xman]

though the reality is you speak the truth. i still believe with voices and opinions some things can be compromised. though this might be a hopeless battle my opinion and i hope others as well will be voiced. the idea of big business and dollars for sell for the sake of the environment will be the unduing of many unforseen things. it is our responsibility to see it before it happens. hopefully that will be the outcome. thought economy and crops are extremely important. so is a body of water regardless of species of fish. this is a large assumption that that lake will fill next year. if not what happens next year if its another drought. if there is no more water to buy. yes willard is 10,000 acres, but given the circumstances i dont see it being too far fetched to see that drained if per say we receive oh half of our regular snow base this winter. all in all its disturbing. i hope for the best out of the whole thing for everyones sake.
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[wiperhunter2]

Thanks for the report Old Coot and great pictures. I had a feeling that it would not look too good by now with all the water they are drawing out. I guess I'll get a chance to see how my tilt boat trailer works on Sunday. I hope my 16ft boat will float with that small amount of water. WH2
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[wiperhunter2]

Hey Guest, we have been trying to find someone for over a year that has some knowledge on the construction of Willard, thanks for the info. We could really use someone like you on this site, have you considered joining? That is some good info on that old ford, I sure would like to know the exact location, I wonder if it is out of the water now. WH2
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[RipNLips]

"Willard Bay" is the Arther V. Watkins Dam ( [url "http://www.usbr.gov/dataweb/dams/ut10112.htm"]http://www.usbr.gov/dataweb/dams/ut10112.htm[/url] ) and was put in place as part of the weber Basin Project ( [url "http://www.usbr.gov/dataweb/html/weberbasin.html"]http://www.usbr.gov/dataweb/html/weberbasin.html[/url] ).

Top of dead storage is 4205 ft and top of active conservation is 4226. I've been trying to get info on the current elevation to see where we're at, but the source I normally use isn't functioning. Anybody got info on the current water surface elevation?
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[Xman]

well one of the spots that has taken all my lures over the years has already been looted. got to be quick when your in the lure huntin business haha.
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