Drano Lake ... the place to be this spring?

Here's a question regarding spill and the dam. From my understanding when they release more spill (like they started doing yesterday) they have to open up a spillway.  Can the fish make it through the spillway itself (meaning the count is an underestimate)?  What about fish coming through the locks?

Anyway, in a few more hours they should update todays count.

Brian

 

I'm glad everyone is gunning for Zee and not me.   

-Allen

I don't know Allen, it sounds like they must think Z is the better fisherman 

Actually, you're probably the better fisherman.  I know your track record.     Nothing against your skillz Z ...

-Allen

None taken bruddah. I'll have to go w/ Pole on this one. B's got a way of pulling off amazing catches when it counts. Hint, hint, other NWKA'rs... I'm not saying who... but bananas go in the OK Caper!!

Z

Hmm, maybe I need to bring my Cobra Navigator and use my OK Caper as a decoy/banana gathering device.

Brian

Here's a question regarding spill and the dam. From my understanding when they release more spill (like they started doing yesterday) they have to open up a spillway.  Can the fish make it through the spillway itself (meaning the count is an underestimate)?  What about fish coming through the locks?

Anyway, in a few more hours they should update todays count.

Brian

 

There's a thread on this subject on ifish.net.  Apparently fish regularly use the locks to move up.  As I recall, people were reporting springers caught at Drano before they showed on the counts and I guess it's a regular occurance that the up-river shad counts are higher than the Bonneville counts due to this.
As for going up the spillway, I don't think so.  Water comes blasting out at the base. 

Curious on who is actually going to be there tomorrow morning to fish?  I'm leaving Portland tomorrow around 7:00am ish, gonna try and launch from the ramp, but if busy will go 'a looking'.  I'm drivin a mid size black chevy truck, and paddlin an Orange Big Game, say hello if you see me.

Bringing bare basics camping gear, but made no reservations or plans so not sure if Camping.

Good luck to all, and let's all be safe.

-= SB

Jesse, Zee, and I will be there tomorrow morning.  Not sure when, but sometime in the morning.  I'll look for you on the water, or I'll have my radio on 69.  We'll be the 3 kayaks catching fish.   

-Allen

Latest count from Army Corp..

1373
Here's the updated plot.

Any guesses on the counts this weekend?
My guess Sat 3432 and Sunday 5872

Also any guesses on the boat count at Drano this weekend?
My guess Sat 3432 and Sunday 5872 

1373!!!   "We're gonna need a bigger boat...."

I'll be showing up tomorrow afternoon.  May fish in the evening if the winds aren't howling.  With the fish counts going thru the roof, I'm really glad I planned to stay thru Monday!  I know there are a bunch of people at work counting on me to bring in more smoked springer. 

1373!!!   "We're gonna need a bigger boat...."

I'll be showing up tomorrow afternoon.  May fish in the evening if the winds aren't howling.  With the fish counts going thru the roof, I'm really glad I planned to stay thru Monday!  I know there are a bunch of people at work counting on me to bring in more smoked springer. 

I won't be staying overnight, but if the bite is on, I'll be back on Monday. I was thinking of Multnomah Channel on Monday because low tide is about 10am, but Drano may be calling. Especially if the stinky boats aren't out in force.

Btw, anyone thought of a time to launch in the morning?

Jay

Well sunrise on Sunday is around 6:30 am so I plan on getting there around 5:30-5:45 am and I'll launch when I have everything ready.

Does anyone know the status of the dirt pull off on the west side and/or the ramp on 14?  Do either require a WDFW parking permit?

Brian

Okay last update before tomorrow.  Today's count over the dam was 1475.

Here's the updated plot.

I made it to Drano Lake this morning about about 5:30 am, on the water by 6:00 am.  I towed around an orange Brad's magnum wiggler and then a prawn spinner for about 5 hours.  No fish for me and I didn't see any of the other boats or bank fisherman do any better.

In total there were 9 of us NWKA members and about 40 powerboats fishing Drano today.  I left around noon and the only action at that point was that Jay "Steelheadr" had managed to catch and land a small trout of some sort while everyone else was having lunch.  Most everybody else headed back out into the wind after lunch, hopefully they did better in the afternoon. 

Oh and I just checked the count at the dam today.. it's down a bit but still over a thousand..1293.  I think in a week or two I'll try hitting it again mid-week.  Turns out it's only a little over an hour's drive away for me and I now have a WA season license.

Anyway, here's a plot update.

Brian

thanx guys,
good company on a gorgeous but a bit windy weekend dodgin stink pots. [ almost got run over by a guy backing off the beach. his buddy grabbed him and told him to stop and look more often  ]

saturday there was like 40 boats on the lake.. 5 of us yakkkers, and a whole flotilla of folks spending way more money than they should have been on gasoline.

sunday was a show of force , we had 9 or 10 out there sloggin thru the wind, trolling everythign we could think of. and, yeah, i still can't belive you guys paddled 20 miles in the process.

i'll let some one else fill in the answers to all the questions of who got what.

great to have met each of you finally. hope my inexperience wasn't too much of a wet blanket.

oh, and, brian, [alkasazi,]  thanx for the tip on timberlake campground... nice little place there. even saw deer, turkey and sunday morning, a bear and her cub as i was headed for the lake

 

Windy!!!   Saturday we spent 8 hours on the lake for no fish.  There was a nice warm wind coming from the east. The fish checker said 3 fish for 40 boats.  Sunday the wind switched directly opposite, coming from the west and cold.  No salmon for any kayak anglers.  Jay caught a trout right in front of where we launched.  Heard of only one salmon caught by a bank angler.  As we were leaving we saw another being netted, by another bank angler.  Darn.

The water was C-O-L-D, 47-48 in the morning with the surface layer warming to ~50 by mid afternoon on Saturday.

Good times driving with my boys Zee and Esp.  Nice to spend some time with Richard and Scott (slbrow) over dinner and the fire.  Then good to see Brian, (bsteves), Mark (spot), Rob (yakker), and Jay (Steelheader) for shore lunch on Sunday.

We stopped by Bonneville on the way home and checked out the new recruits pushing through the dam.  Hope someone can make it back and take revenge on them.

-Allen

-Allen