Pineview Reservoir DRAWDOWN: Will the Fishery Survive?

[00:00:00]You're got one?

[00:00:02]Oh, nice. You think we get the net on this one? This is a good one. When you heard about this drawdown, what was your first reaction?

[00:00:09]Oh, crap. Oh, crap. Yeah, right.

[00:00:12]Little smallmouth. It's actually a pretty good one.

[00:00:20]Yeah, nice fish.

[00:00:23]Nice healthy smallmouth.

[00:00:27]Good looking fish.

[00:00:29]Well, you've probably heard that Pineview Reservoir is going to be drawn down this year to repair a pipe so that 120,000 people in Ogden can have clean drinking water. So, what's going to happen to the fishery here? I'm Adam Eakle and thanks for tuning in. Yeah, we're going to head out with my buddy Chris Penney. He's a aquatics manager here in the northern region. We're going to talk about the fishery, what they are hoping happens to the fishery, and how they're going to recover this fishery once the water comes back up here at Pineview. What they expect at least.

[00:01:01]So, we're just trying to catch some [music] fish. What should we go go target? Well, it seems like smallmouth are doing pretty good right now. It's a good time of year. Let's see if we can get in on it while the while the rocks are still in the water and in some of the good spots. [music] It's down a little bit, but not really down that much yet. It is down. Yeah, right now we're kind of at fall level.

[00:01:20]That's what it seems like. Reservoirs at about 60% [music] full. So, got quite a ways to go before they get down to that drawdown level to do the work they want to do. Okay. Let's go see what we can find. Okay.

[00:01:33]>> [music] >> The drawdown at Pineview has already begun. They're dropping the level about 4 in a day.

[00:01:39]>> [music] >> It's estimated that the ramps here will only be available for about another month. Our best estimate is that Anderson Cove ramp's going to be out by about July 30th. And then Cemetery Point ramp's probably going to be out a few weeks later, like around mid-August.

[00:01:52]That's the best estimate and it it's subject to change, but it gives people a little bit of idea what to expect.

[00:01:58]>> So, we're going to go after some smallmouth. I'm going to try just a Ned rig. Something I love using at Lake Powell and other places, but I've got it on a swivel head that allow [music] my hook to swivel a little bit more. And I'm going to try these Z-Man Fuzzy TRDs. They look cool in the package. They sold me.

[00:02:16]>> [music] >> There we go. Nice.

[00:02:20]Hit it right as it touched the water, didn't you?

[00:02:22]>> Yep.

[00:02:23]I don't think we're going to need the net for this >> one though.

[00:02:26]>> [laughter] >> With the impending drawdown, the DWR decided they no other [music] choice but to issue an emergency order at Pineview to increase the daily fishing limits.

[00:02:35]From now until the end of the year, you can keep a total of 12 bass, >> [music] >> one tiger muskie over 40 in, and there is no limit on all other species.

[00:02:45]>> You make that look really big.

[00:02:47]>> [laughter] >> Right next to the [music] lens.

[00:02:49]>> Yeah.

[00:02:53]>> We did that out of an abundance of caution. [music] I mean, one one of our strategies here is we we think we know what's going to happen, but we're also in the business of reducing risk and making sure that we're going to come out of this with the best fishery possible.

[00:03:04]And so, we didn't do that because we thought the fishery was doomed or that we'd given up on it. Our goal is as this water gets drawn down, fish are going to get concentrated. And depending upon the kind of summer [music] we have, that water can get pretty warm.

[00:03:18]And so, whenever you're able to thin out the [music] numbers a little bit, that just makes for less stress for the remaining fish.

[00:03:24]>> Got one.

[00:03:25]>> It's good smallie.

[00:03:25]>> Oh, nice.

[00:03:26]>> You better get the net on this one.

[00:03:27][music] This is a good one.

[00:03:28]>> And we want to make sure people are going to be able to enjoy those fish, too. Uh we do anticipate some might get flushed out the outlet works. Uh but we do think that with the [music] more gradual drawdown that the reservoir is going to experience this year, we're actually hoping for a little bit better.

[00:03:40]>> Nice fish.

[00:03:43]Nice healthy smallie.

[00:03:46]Good-looking fish.

[00:03:48]We're going to let him go.

[00:03:50]Just cuz he's a good one.

[00:03:53]Nice bass.

[00:03:57]>> One of the things we anticipate is as water gets warm uh you know, outcomes for large fish go down, you know, especially if they're not handled properly. And we anticipate some of that's going to happen. So, one of the things we're preaching is anglers pre- please bring your best game. Make sure you're using uh heavier to gear that you don't play fish out and that you get them released pretty quick.

[00:04:15]But, we also, like I said, want to give people the opportunity to keep some fish, especially if if outcomes don't look good for those species.

[00:04:24]>> Doesn't feel as [music] big, but it's >> You got the net?

[00:04:27]>> Uh no, it's a good one, though.

[00:04:31]>> This will also give you guys an opportunity to check some of the habitat you guys have done over the years.

[00:04:36]>> It will, yeah. So, we've been pretty aggressive in uh increasing deep water habitat in this reservoir um over the past 4 to 5 years.

[00:04:42]>> [music] >> And uh on several different years, we put in about 400 structures total. There are some in each arm of the reservoir.

[00:04:49]We've got an opportunity [music] to check on this habitat, make sure the structure is the way we want it in terms of placement and configuration. Um and we're hoping to make the most of that.

[00:04:57]Not only that, but we're we're working with partners like Ogden City to see if we can put together some money and actually do even more habitat. So, that Pineview can not only bounce back quicker, [music] but just continue to be a better fishery overall.

[00:05:09]>> That'd be about the size I'd eat if I were going to keep a fish.

[00:05:13]All right, back in the water you go, bud.

[00:05:17]>> You get that guy right off the bottom in this spot?

[00:05:19]>> the bottom.

[00:05:20]>> Okay.

[00:05:20]>> Yep.

[00:05:21]>> You get one more, I'm switching.

[00:05:22]>> Okay.

[00:05:25]>> Chris is a slow learner. That's two now.

[00:05:26]He needs to borrow a a jig. I got one.

[00:05:29]>> I got lots.

[00:05:30]>> [music] >> Step right in.

[00:05:33]>> Yeah.

[00:05:34]>> How you doing?

[00:05:34]>> Pretty good, yourself? How's fishing?

[00:05:36]>> Oh, we caught a few smallmouth.

[00:05:38]>> Joining us is Blake Millet, the president of Mountain West Muskie, Chapter 65.

[00:05:43]Mountain West Muskie is a chapter of Muskie's Inc., a national non-profit organization. Chapter 65 has helped with the production, stocking, and management of tiger muskies in Utah, and they've been a huge [music] help in making Pineview a world-class tiger muskie fishery. When you heard about this drawdown, what was your first reaction?

[00:06:02]>> Uh oh, crap.

[00:06:03]>> Oh, crap. Yeah, right.

[00:06:08]>> At first, I was pretty upset. I probably went through the stages of grief pretty rapidly. But, when I when I accepted that it's happening and that it has to happen for vital infrastructure, I started looking to the future.

[00:06:20]>> Oh, there we go. I'M ON.

[00:06:24]>> RESEARCH IS A BIG AND BLAKE AND HIS CREW HAVE BEEN really instrumental in helping us get some information that we wouldn't have been able to grab on our own. Um and that includes a large-scale long-term project to tag tiger muskie and conduct age and growth investigations on them. And so, they're really able to help us get information that we wouldn't have. And And by doing that, that helps benefit them and the fishery overall. And so, it's been a wonderful partnership.

[00:06:47]>> This is a map that shows what Pineview will look like in mid-September. It's expected that the depth of the dam will still be about 10 to 12 ft. Chris says this isn't the first time that the reservoir has been drawn down for repairs.

[00:07:01]>> There's a fish.

[00:07:02]>> The '90s are probably our best example.

[00:07:04]Supposedly, it got even lower than the '70s.

[00:07:06]>> Look at the crappie. That's a crappie.

[00:07:08]>> And it was pretty much as low as it's ever been during that time. And so, we've [music] seen it. The fishery is resilient.

[00:07:14]>> We're not going to sugarcoat it. There are going to be some impacts uh to quality of the fishing is what we think. But, we we really think based on the data that we have from from the last time that this happened >> That's a good one.

[00:07:24]>> that a lot of species are going to bounce back pretty quick. And that we'll be back to um really where we want to be within about 5 years on most species and maybe 10 on others.

[00:07:35]>> Fish on.

[00:07:35]>> Nice.

[00:07:37]>> All right, nice crappie.

[00:07:38]>> Nice crappie.

[00:07:40]>> You.

[00:07:41]That one's suspended?

[00:07:42]>> Uh no, I think it was pretty close to the bottom.

[00:07:44]>> You won't have to restock or anything like that. Maybe I mean you'll obviously keep stocking tiger muskie, but you anticipate that there'll be enough >> There he is.

[00:07:51]>> crappie, perch, >> A bullhead.

[00:07:53]>> bullheads in here that you won't have to restock it.

[00:07:55]>> Absolutely. A lot of these species are are really adapted to the ups and downs and they've been coping with it for a number of years. And so this this will be a little bit different for them, but not by much.

[00:08:04]>> Well, that's not a muskie.

[00:08:06]>> [laughter] >> Our data has shown over the years that the smallmouth and the yellow perch in particular and the bullheads will bounce back really quick. The crappie will as well. They'll just take a little bit longer to go into that grow into that quality size where we want to see them.

[00:08:21]>> There's a fish.

[00:08:22]Ooh, another crappie.

[00:08:23]>> The DWR did consider trying to salvage some of the fish and move them to another fishery, but they discovered they just didn't have the manpower or the [music] time to get the fish health certification done. So in the end they decided to go with the liberal limits to allow anglers to harvest more.

[00:08:40]>> And do you think the division's plan sounds I mean they have to react to what's happening. So >> They have to react.

[00:08:46]Uh but overall I think the division has been the fishery's biggest advocate for this.

[00:08:51]Chapter 65 wasn't invited to the room and the division really fought for keeping water in here.

[00:08:58]Ultimately that wasn't the decision, but the DWR is the organization that really fought for the fishery when none of the angling groups were present.

[00:09:10]>> Perch. Perch, there's a different species.

[00:09:13]>> We're just using a little clam jigging spoon. It's actually a tungsten jigging spoon and very small piece of nightcrawler. These fish are holding steady right on the bottom. Can see them on the two-day 2D. They pretty much just filled the screen. So get them down there. It's not a hot bite, but a little nightcrawler on there they they get hot real quick. This isn't going to stop chapter 65 from doing [music] their work. You guys are just going to reboot, just like everybody else and >> Absolutely. We'll we'll spend some time this fall learning some of our other waters. [music] We've worked hard with the DWR to expand muskie opportunities.

[00:09:45]So, we'll target those, get them some data from those other reservoirs, and we'll be back here when the fishery is rebuilding.

[00:09:52]>> There's a one.

[00:09:53]That was a pretty good hit.

[00:09:55]>> I think it's important to note that the hatchery system that we've developed uh and the breeding program for tiger muskies >> [music] >> is completely isolated from what's happening here at Pineview.

[00:10:07]>> Chris has got one.

[00:10:07]>> So, we'll be able to restock as early as the lake is refilled.

[00:10:12]>> Oh.

[00:10:13]That was a quick release.

[00:10:14]>> That counts.

[00:10:14]>> That counts.

[00:10:18]>> Well, it's a shame that this has to be done, but the Port Ogden people, they need water. [laughter] >> They need to make sure they have reliable water. So, we we get it.

[00:10:25]>> I get it.

[00:10:25]>> Yeah, we'll make most of the cards that are dealt us.

[00:10:28]>> Cool.

[00:10:28]>> something truly special here, and it'll come back. We got to preserve it.

[00:10:31]>> Yep.

[00:10:32]>> Yep.

[00:10:32]>> Preserve what we can, rebuild what [music] we can as well. So, we'll get up here, take advantage of the new limits, and uh man, like the rest of us, let's just hope we get a big snowpack [music] this year. Yeah, I'm Adam Eakle, Kissel Outdoors. We'll see you next weekend.

[00:10:45]Good night.