bruce02
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This season to date, GBRA has generally trended lake level downward whenever it’s anywhere near 910, to 909.3 or so.
Landed at ca. 330 cfs. Lowest in long time. My understanding, at stocking today, it was in even further accommodation of a safe and enjoyable GRTU youth trout camp this weekend for the kids. Thanks USACE/GBRA, and to GRTU people that communicated message to them!
Youth trout camp kids were a major help carrying heavy buckets at first few stocking locations this morning!
Should stay low flow tomorrow (Sunday), as youth camp is still ongoing. But, will be raised, way up, beginning early next week for sure.
I’ll come. Bruce.
I have, for last week+, wondered if USACoE was asleep at the wheel (Gov. shutdown). Expected a discharge increase earlier, because lake has been high for quite a while (significantly over 910). Well, USACoE woke up today.
You’re going to have nice weather….good luck w/ the egg box planting tomorrow!
The seemingly random flow “fluctuations” might theoretically be due to something physically going on at the dam gates. But, it is much more likely caused by measurement flunctuations at the Sattler gauge (1.5 Miles below dam).
Gauge only measures river level, in feet. Real time, Flow in cfs is calculated from a known mathematical relationship of level to flow for this specific gauge.
740 to 700 cfs range (+/- 2.8 %) calculated flow fluctuation corresponds to a much smaller % fluctuation in measured water level at Sattler gauge; 5.85 to 5.81 feet range (+/- 0.34%). There are many reasons why a level measurement gauge reading can fluctuate this relatively small amount.
Yes, talked to my friend in WY…
He 1) unloads kayak at launch, 2) drives to take out and parks truck, 3) bikes back to launch and locks bike to tree. 4) retrieves bike at launch with truck as last thing on way home.
Has tried the reverse way, but prefers to get the bike ride out of the way before rather than after long tiring day. In dry boots. Also, if bike gets stolen, avoids long walk if truck parked at launch. Also, thinks leaving kayak in early morning at launch, when often nobody else there yet, probably safer than leaving it at takeout after float when more people are around.
When does this, he is usually wet wading as base plan. Has light weight wading boots he wears biking. Wears fishing vest, and carries 4 piece rod in a case with shoulder strap on bike. When takes waders, has ultralight pair he rolls up and puts in pouch on back of fishing vest.
But no matter which order you do kayak/bike shuttle, even if all your other gear stays with you, seems there will always at least be some time with kayak left unattended, and a long time left unattended for the bike. We acknowledged that crime, including potentially bolt cutters to cut lock cables, would sadly be more of an issue here, vs. relatively remote USFS gravel road in WY.
Baker, your descriptions of float tubing Guad was one of the most exciting posts I’ve read on Forum. You know the river well, your tube in moving water, and how to avoid trouble.
I’ve a lot of float tube experience from my younger days in Wyoming, but only on lakes. And was almost all with old round doughnut type. Only had a short summer with “new technology” (early 90’s) U type before I had to move to Europe. Might have transitioned to tubing rivers if had stayed there longer. Probably not though, as had drift boat and was fortunate enough to have several fishing buddies good on the oars.
Re shuttle, that’s something that has raised questions in my mind on Guad too. When I was up north, cheap shuttles of your vehicle (and boat trailer) were an “industry” on the major rivers. No issue. Never a need for 2 vehicles.
I’ve a close friend in Jackson WY, 84 yrs old, who has very many (also elderly) wade and drift boat fishing buddies. But seriously struggles to find partner now days re 2 vehicle shuttling for his kayak floats on small creeks in National forests there (no shuttle service). So, he got a mountain bike, chains it to a tree at takeout. Rides it back on dirt road to his truck at put in.
Yes, given high lake level, plus high inflow rate which will decline very slowly even with no further rain, probably going to be awhile before release is lowered much.
However, quite a few people have been wade fishing recently, at many of the sites.
If very careful / conservative / use staff…higher flow is primarily then limiting things like distance from the bank, significantly reduced mobility to travel up / down stream, and to cross the river.
Re float tubes, 2nd Jerry. I would not recommend a fishing float tube on Guad…at any flow rate.
Original round doughnut style with legs through hole, and feet can’t be lifted up very well…entanglement on bottom serious danger. Also, a death trap to escape from if do flip over.
U and V style… most a bit less stable than doughnut style (especially re front direction flip over). Legs still hang down, but can lift feet up better. Still at least some feet entangle risk. If flip, easier to escape from, but some models more than others. Check spreader bar / casting apron above legs…would need to get free from that kind of stuff, probably after flipping over face/chest first.
Finally, probably use fins to have any control. The backward fin walk is awkward enough entering/exiting a lake. But in moving water? Also, in low flows, imagine hanging up in shallow riffles, and needing to stand up (doughnut tube) or get out (U and V tube), then do the backward fin walk, in moving water, to get to deeper water!
I have been intrigued about Dave Whitlock et al’s success on White River Arkansas.
Establishment of a self sustaining population of Brown Trout, that no longer requires stocking. Became one of the top trophy Brown trout rivers in the world. An amazing story.
They used WV boxes and Brown eggs. After very many years of stocking catchable size Rainbows and Browns by Arkansas F&G (and some Cutts and Brookies) failed to do so.
BORN IN THE RIVER clearly was one key. Because years of stocking catchable size Browns did not reproduce successfully. Take careful note of this fact.
But the other critical key, was, nearly certainly: BROWN Trout. Their tolerance of a few deg. warmer water temperature, for BOTH survival and reproduction, was why Whitlock originally selected them for the WV box “born in the river” “test” on the White River.
The Canyon Lake dam outflow is only approx. 4 deg, warmer than the 52 deg F of the Bull Shoals dam outflow on the White River. If BROWNS were critical on the slightly cooler White River, they damn sure are the ONLY hope on the slightly warmer Guad.
As Jimbo said, you never know until you try (BROWN Trout….EGGS.).
Anyway….Good egg planting guys! I would dearly love to participate in planting BROWN trout eggs in WV boxes in Guad. But the “strong backs only need apply” unfortunately eliminated me.
Thanks for good info.
Conventional felt boots I’ve owned were both glued and stitched when new.
But when I replaced felt due to wear, no matter how good a job I did with the glue, felt would eventually start to peel off, that same season. Of course, happens on day 2 of a week trip in middle of nowhere. So, after finished each replacement felt glue job (what a pain that whole job is…would love just to buy new replacement set of Korkers felt soles instead), learned to have a shoemaker stitch it. Then never came loose.
Surprised Korkers doesn’t both glue and stitch the felt to the plastic backing piece. Eliminate the shoemaker stitch step. As I’d never trust a glue only felt, even if new, especially on a destination type trip.
My militant wade fishing was 20-30 years ago, living in Wyoming, when nobody but some duck hunter tourist from Texas wore rubber soles. Felt was it. Never tried studs in felt, damage to drift boat was issue there.
After returning from 20 years in Europe, and learning that my beloved felt was now unethical or illegal in some places, the new (to me) Korkers quick-change sole concept is interesting. Fish in boats (no studs), fish in places where felt not allowed. Same boot. Replacement felt Korkers soles are actually cheaper than most felt replacement kits for conventional felt boots (and a heck of lot less work).
Why doesn’t everyone use these. And why doesn’t Simms etc make a copy? I feel there must be a catch.
For those that have significant experience with Korkers….what’s the catch? Do the soles not reliably stay (and feel) solidly secure on the boot? Other issue?
I’ve observed reasonably narrow range of speed, from flow increases first observered on Sattler gauge (1.5 miles below dam), to time same increase first observed on downstream gauges. For wide variety of flow increases, including last increase to 3000 cfs, it has ranged from 2.5 – 3.5 mph. Average close to 3 mph.
This is time for downstream water level associated with a dam release increase event to first begin to rise, not the peak level reached later. This is the most important time, when one needs time to wade back, possibly with a river crossing, to car.
Times, from Sattler gauge (not from dam), at 3 mph are:
Maricopa 0.5 hr; Whitewater 0.8 hr; 4th Xing 1.4 hr; Little Ponderosa 1.9 hr; 3rd Xing 3.0 hr; 2nd Xing 4.1 hr.
I’m conservative, so would not even consider the wade far / Sattler gauge monitoring every hour thing, on days when I thought a release increase might happen, unless I was at or below 3rd Xing. Probably better to just stay near and same side of river as car on such days.
PS, some have asked, especially when imminent flow increase is possible, how often to check Sattler flow while wade fishing, and others, what source is best….
How often: Sattler gauge data is only updated once per hour. Once per hour is the most up to date data you will ever get. What exact time to check is the only important thing if you want the earliest possible update (see below).
Best Souurce: USGS website is the fasterest source for Sattler gauge updates. This is the horses mouth. Updated 5 to 15 min after top of hour. ALL other alternatives, websites and phone apps, are slower…they are all polling data, 2nd or 3rd hand, from USGS. For example, GRTU site flow typically updates 10-15 min. after USGS site does.
If use USGS site, check it at 10-15 min. after top of hour (verify time stamp increased 1 hour since your last check). If use GRTU site, check it 25 min. after top of hour (verify flow has changed at least slightly since your last check since GRTU display does not include time stamp).
