2023: Pine Creek began on 4-10 ended in late June for about 10 weeks of flow.  4-29: we had one of our main sucker fish spawn display along the shoreline off the jetty and low water ramp….that was really cool to see!  We’re greening up, critters are moving about…everything from bears to mountain lions.  Everybody eats!  Lake elevation on 5-11 was unofficially 5094.24ft from 5093.62ft on 5-1 +or- a tad.  Spalding ramp markers are within 1/2” of the south end which is totally acceptable for checking. However, if measuring it yourself, the specific spot is right between the screws.

2022:  Well, it started out to be a good winter, then pretty much just stopped.  The lake remains over a foot lower than last year at the same time.  Tui chub are once again, showing their masses. 

The petitions were never about anyone wanting the listing of the trout, they were done in order to get Pine Creek restoration moving forward and it was ignored since 1995.  Intent on original petition was to get water back to the lake and to allow the native spawn for the gene pool after decades of manipulation of the fish…all after CRMP screwed things up.  Unfortunately, the scientists are only looking at the trout, creek and lake as different things when historically, it all worked together as one.  We have seen data manipulated as well.  Perhaps, this is where the barrier to restoring anything has been.  As long as the agenda is to graze cattle for penny’s and lose millions in the economy and stress the lake and trout and increase the tui chubs to explosive levels, we are screwed.  The trout have to make it back to the lake and, that has happened but mainly in the same year they went up to spawn. Some, but no large numbers of trout have “possibly” returned the following year but only in single digits.  Other telemetry tags have been found in the dry creek bed after the creek stops flowing.  The more water locked upstream raises the water temps sooner than normal and that in itself stops the fish from moving further up.  Our first tag found was near the A1 bridge, another near the Spalding bridge, two others from fish that returned to the lake the same year they were tagged.  The ones found in the creek were from fish that tried to get back but ran out of flow before making it to the lake.  The newer PIT tags are small capsules inserted under the skin near the dorsal fin so most people who don’t fillet their fish don’t find them until after they cook the trout.  Don’t worry, they are harmless when cooked and actually may retain information so keep them and send them to local DFW, or bring them with you when you get back up, give them to Karen or myself and we’ll make sure they get to the right people.  Getting the the trout back to the lake in the same year is going to require longer flows.  And I have no doubt that will require another study.  LoL.  Personally, I think these fish just want to get upstream, spawn and come back in the same year.  The system worked until grazing came in force in the mid 1800’s.  Perhaps 170 years of that is the problem and not the solution.  Anything that gets above 44 (rarely) would have to stay until the following season….and they might bring the minnows with them rather than head to uncharted waters 20 miles upstream from 44.  The creek needs to flow cooler and longer to the lake.  The minnows need water to survive long enough to make it to the estuary where there would be plenty of protection, food and cover if the lake was back to normal. The water that is slowed down to improve grazing warms up too fast.  Of course the flows are dependent on what winter and spring brings.  That’s a no brainer. If weather manipulation wasn’t occurring, would we have better snow pack in our watershed or at the lake? We’ll never know because the weather manipulator’s won’t be stopping anytime soon.  

At higher water levels, the catch and keep recommendation had been posted for years during summer which was highly supported.  Not posting it in critical times such as blue green algae blooms (since that may become our new normal) I have always believed that we lose fish during certain conditions.  Was DFW wrong then, or wrong now? I have had a lot of other people comment similarly about that.  Personally, I believe it hasn’t been posted just so the numbers of trout are being reduced.  General consensus:  DFW lost support for many things as well as losing respect of many anglers. Most of us have lost all respect for DFW locally.  As long as we are paying high prices for licenses, we are going to catch and release.  I have gone barbless or micro barb hooks and NEVER remove a fish from the water to release it and avoid playing it out and never take a picture of a fish out of the water that I release.  They just don’t do well.  But, DFW doesn’t seem to care what you do and won’t compensate the yearly allotment to compensate for loses.  At one time, with higher water levels, our yearly allotment of hatchery trout was 250,000.  That was reduced to 180,000 sometime in the early 1990’s.  Since the drought, our lowest number was 75,000 and catch rates dropped severely the last few years.  In 2017 (our best water year since 2011) we regained a little at 120,000 but at 3 to a pound for the most part and in 2018 4 to 5 per pound.  So we are still short on the trout population in this lake.  Since it is based on biomass and tui chub population exploded (note that DFW has no clue as to how many chubs are in the lake when assessing “biomass” LoL) more trout might not be the answer.  The answer may lie in the reduction of or culling of chubs. If Oregon can do it, what the hell is wrong with CA DFW?  LoL.  Pockets.

Without the lake at prime elevations (5106ft is considered full, 5100 is considered the lowest for the health of the fish as per all the studies), our watershed and our special trout are put back together, we have nothing. We need to get Stones Landing ramp back online (only water will help) so we can once again see Mariners Resort open up for business again.  We still have impounded water on Pine Creek and the green slime algae hasn’t exactly left.  We would have probably come up an extra 2-3 ft had the impounds and springs been transferred to the lake.  What is it worth to you? It is worth everything to me.  It’s environmental & yes a political aspect as well, one has to be willing to step on a few toes to save the lake and make some waves, press the DFW and LNF on all counts affecting this lake and our trout.  We will step on more than that if we have to & proved that a long time ago. And, we aren’t done just yet.  I have watched the climate change and tracked it since I lived here year round.  It does have something to do with it but 86 impounds and water diversions on our main spawning and feeder creek has had devastating affects all for just one or two ranchers at most for cattle. Headway is slowing being made. Sound familiar IE National Geographic Water and Power series, Monterey Agreement, Agenda 21 and privatizing public resources is here.  Federal Gov might own the lake but the State owns the water.  However PG&E has been manipulating our weather for many decades by cloud seeding for Lake Almanor and Lake Shasta, again, Monterey Agreement and sending every drop of water out.  This has potentially reduced our snow pack as well as our local moisture.  So it’s not all Mother Nature’s cycle.  We have a man made problem.  Regardless of having a fair or good water year, the lake is still below all recommended levels for the health of the lake, vegetation and trout.  Losing Eagle Lake and blaming it on climate change is mute when the climate is being manipulated to begin with.  AND THAT is never a part of the climate discussion.  Eagle Lake isn’t saved yet.  Eagle Lake Guardians are still working on issues and another plan that if we disclose it, the pool will be tainted so we’ll leave it at that.