Wednesday, May 20, 2015

I Can’t Believe I Fish This Water

I had to want to fish really bad Tuesday to wet a fly in this messy slim and brown film cover water on Walker Lake. I drove up to the bait shop to get my fishing permit and really didn’t pay that much attention to the lake water, because I had big bull bluegills on my mind. The caretaker told me that he had fertilized the lake fourteen days earlier, so I thought surely it had cleared up some since my last visit the week before, man was I wrong. As I approached the launch I saw that the water looked a little cloudy, but that didn’t alarm me so I proceeded to launch the Pelican and troll to the east side of the lake as I always do. As I approached the east side I kept noticing the slim was getting thicker and the brown film was covering much more water surface, in fact the entire east side of the lake was completely cover with the brown film. With no wind the film would only move if it was broken with the fly, fly line, paddle, or the boat moving. In fact after I got home I had to wash both lines in soapy water to remove the slim. One would think fish would not hit anything in this slimy miss.
This would be the only bluegill I would land in the 20 minutes of misery I would spend in this place today. This is killing my bluegill quest!!!
It takes a dedicated fisherman to endure fishing in this over fertilized water. I will not wet another fly in this place until the lake is clear.   

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19 comments:

  1. cofisherMay 20, 2015 at 11:17 PM

    Wow Bill I've never seen anything close to that. What a mess. As a side note, it looks like the rains are starting to subside in Colorado. Sunny days ahead and clear water for you.

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  2. Rivertoprambles.wordpress.comMay 21, 2015 at 5:48 AM

    I admire your determination Bill, what what the heck does that "slim" consist of, and what is its purpose, enriching the water?

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  3. Feather ChuckerMay 21, 2015 at 9:04 AM

    That sounds almost like the pollen we get here. It gets pretty nasty and sticks to your fly line.

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  4. BrookfieldAnglerMay 21, 2015 at 11:05 AM

    Definitely some nasty looking water! Not sure what species are in there but if there are bass, I'd be relishing in frog fishing glory

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  5. Mark KautzMay 21, 2015 at 11:59 AM

    Why would they fertilize a lake?

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  6. Bill TrussellMay 21, 2015 at 2:10 PM

    Howard
    Glad to hear you guys are over the worst of the floods. Thanks for the comment

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  7. Bill TrussellMay 21, 2015 at 2:11 PM

    Lester
    No smell, but plenty of slim, thanks for the comment

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  8. Bill TrussellMay 21, 2015 at 2:16 PM

    Walt
    The management of the lake actually dumped too much fertilize in the lake this time. The fertilize is used to increase the insect growth in the lake, thus giving the bluegill and bass more food to feed on. I am not against fertilizing a lake, but why do it when the spawn is about to occur. The best times is late July, August, and September. Thanks for the comment

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  9. Bill TrussellMay 21, 2015 at 2:18 PM

    Kevin
    I had so much slim on my line, that it kept rubbing off on my cloths. I had to wash both spools of line when I got home. Thanks for the comment

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  10. Bill TrussellMay 21, 2015 at 2:29 PM

    Brook
    Plenty of fish in the lake, but over fertilizing has caused them to become inactive. It will take a couple of weeks before the lake is fishable again. Thanks for the comment

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  11. Bill TrussellMay 21, 2015 at 2:31 PM

    Mark
    Long story, mainly to increase the insect population, which in turn crates more food for the fish. This time they really over fertilized the lake to the point where the fish settle to the bottom of the lake to escape to slim overhead. Thanks for the comment

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  12. looknfishyMay 21, 2015 at 3:02 PM

    Looks like a water treatment plant. I'd be afraid it would damage my fly line. No question, you gotta love fishing to fish in that.

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  13. Bill TrussellMay 21, 2015 at 7:26 PM

    Drew
    Water treatment plant is exactly what I thought I was fishing. Thanks for the comment

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  14. JuanMay 22, 2015 at 11:50 AM

    but it looks so bassy! I would love to fish that haha

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  15. AnonymousMay 22, 2015 at 12:00 PM

    Sorry, Bill, late getting here with my comments. Just catching up with my favorite bloggers.....

    Anyway, indeed that is a mess to try and fish in. I sure hope that over utilizing the fertilization material won't cause bigger or longer damage to the fishery.

    In addition, just an update, it is Friday and raining to beat the devil outside in Northern Colorado.....

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  16. Bill TrussellMay 23, 2015 at 9:52 AM

    Mel
    When will the rain ever end for you guys? You got to have a break soon or most of you prime fishing time may be lost. Over fertilizing will not kill the fish but will cause them to become very inactive for a longer period of time. thanks for the comment

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  17. Bill TrussellMay 23, 2015 at 9:53 AM

    Juan
    There are bass here, but all are really sick at this time, including the bluegill. Thanks for the comment

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  18. UnknownMay 24, 2015 at 2:41 PM

    I love the tenacity Bill! I know you will hit the mark with your gil quest!I had not idea part of some lake management they fertilized the lake...Hmmmm! So question I have, with the amount of growth in the lake will it be detrimental to the fish population or will it clear fast enough to not cause a problem?
    Tightlines my friend!

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  19. Bill TrussellMay 24, 2015 at 7:46 PM

    Noco
    Over fertilizing can kill the fish by decreasing the oxygen content in the lake. I saw some dead fish last year in this lake as a result of over fertilizing. I hope the same thing doesn't happen this year. I am still waiting for the water to clear. Thanks for the comment

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