WESTERN WATER WOES
“ Bass anglers on Lake Mead typically catch and release their catch 90 percent of the time , but we expect to see a decrease in harvest simply because there will be fewer anglers fishing the lake now ,” she says .
NORTHERN CALIFORNIA ’ S WATER WOES
California lakes Shasta and Oroville are the two largest reservoirs in the state and fluctuate yearly . But lacking adequate snowpack to replace water taken out of these two popular fisheries , both Shasta and Oroville have continued to drop . During the spring of this year – when the lakes are typically at their highest points – they sit over 100 feet below full pool , with Shasta at 40 percent and Oroville at 55 percent of capacity .
Kent Brown , a longtime tournament angler and host of Ultimate Bass Radio in Sacramento , confirms that water is low , but that it could have been much worse if not for some winter storms .
“ All boat ramps were inaccessible until around the first of the year on Lake Oroville ,” Brown says . “ The thing that saved us was record rains in the fall and big snow storm right after Christmas . The problem is that we started so low that the winter precipitation only helped for a little while . There ’ s a great deal of draw for the water for farming in the state .”
California is the nation ’ s leading agricultural producer , including waterthirsty crops like almonds and pistachios . This has increased the draw on resources and , in turn , added to the low water levels in the reservoirs .
According to Brown , even though Shasta ’ s and Oroville ’ s water woes are well known , popular fisheries like New Melones Lake , Don Pedro Reservoir , Clear Lake – and even the tidal California Delta – have been noticeably affected by the drought .
“ New Melones and Don Pedro have been hit hard ,” Brown says . “ That impacts everyone because they ’ re losing tourism dollars in the Mother Lode area , and nobody wants to go camping and have to hike way down to the water .
“ Clear Lake , California ’ s largest natural lake , is the one the bass anglers are talking about most . It doesn ’ t have
While not as dramatic as Lake Mead , fisheries like California ’ s Clear Lake will also suffer from diminished access due to low water .
any major rivers feeding it , just smaller creeks , and the water levels are entirely based on rain and what rolls downhill into it .”
While it hasn ’ t seen the extreme depth changes as other lakes in the West , Clear Lake is down far enough to make a difference to anglers who are likely to experience diminished access by late summer .
“ There ’ s a good chance that all the paved ramps will be out of water by Labor Day ,” Brown says . “ Clear Lake is a very popular venue for year-end championship tournaments in the fall , and all those tournaments are in danger of being moved elsewhere . The fishing is still good , but it ’ s changed , and the shallow water has pushed grass further away from the shoreline than I ’ ve ever seen .”
The California Delta is a legendary bass fishery and fed by the Pacific Ocean , but all the lakes that pour into the Delta system impact its water , even though the tide keeps the levels regulated .
“( Multiple creeks and rivers ) flow into the Delta , and it affects the fishery when there isn ’ t enough water , “ Brown says . “ It affects the salinity of the Delta when there isn ’ t enough ( fresh water ) inflow . It also encourages weed growth , which in turn creates more grass control with spraying . It ’ s a trickle-down effect .”
EVEN A LITTLE WATER WILL HELP
While low water levels throughout the West are understandably troubling to residents of the area and anglers alike , Murry and Brown both remain hopeful that Mead , Shasta , Oroville and the rest can and will rebound quickly with an influx of water . Weed growth around the lakes during low water can quickly become excellent bass habitat when the water eventually rises .
“ It doesn ’ t take much of a rise to give the bass a good spawn and create better fishing ,” Murray posits . “ The lakes in the desert that drop and stay down for a year or so and come up can give the fish a ‘ new lake effect ’ because of all the shoreline cover that grows . The cottonwoods , willows , and salt cedars grow very quickly . Water doesn ’ t have to come up much and you can have a boom . That ’ s what we ’ re all hoping for .”
Brown points to the winter influx of water to Lake Oroville that boosted the water level enough for boats to launch . That gave way to excellent fishing for anglers targeting bass that had been unpressured for months .
“ Guys caught some phenomenal numbers when they first got back on it ,” Brown says . “ The lake has been fishing good all year long .”
PHOTO BY ROB MATSUURA
52 MAJORLEAGUEFISHING . COM | AUGUST-SEPTEMBER 2022