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Can anyone tell me when the Corps of Engineers normally brings water levels up to summer pool. I was there Saturday and Sunday and got a taste of how dangerous the lake is right now when you stray from the channel. It was a scary experience. I was very fortunate to bring my boat home with both lower unit and prop in tact.
They start raising the lake in April and it will be at Summer Pool by the end of April. I don't know at what rate they raise it but this is what I was told this past weekend. I survived with motor and prop in tact as well but was missing some paint off my prop from a stump in Barkley, luckily I was idleing at the time. You are absolutely correct in that when you get out of the channel you are taking a huge risk. My first time navigating on Barkley was this past weekend and it is a hell of a lot more dangerous than navigating the East Side of Ky that I am used to traveling.
Tight Lines
I normally don't head to KY or barkley until mid April every year but I moved my RV to Southern Komfort this year and I expect to be there alot more often. I had a gentlemen tell me, fortunately, that I should be very careful when leaving the marina and crossing the lake to the LBL side. If it were not for that conversation I could have been in real trouble. I also had real problems locating the channel markers due to the wind creating real choppy conditions Sat and Sunday.Navigation will come with experience but I am thankful the lake did not hand me my back side on a platter this weekend.
march 15 to april 15. you can look at this on the corps. web sight.
Actually it is April 1st thru the end of April. Here is the url for the corps projection:
[url]http://www.lrn.usace.army.mil/hh/resplots/bar_a.html[/url]
You can get the same information on the TVA website about Ky Lake.
Barkley is only as dangerous as you make it. Barkley IS very SHALLOW this time of year and does deserve your respect but a really good set of maps and talking with locals and a couple of trips with a knowledgeble guide like Dave Stewart will enable you to travel around on Barkley very safely. There is some great fishing on Barkley even when the water is down this time of year but you do need to understand that unless you are equipted with the right kind of boat, like a smaller jon boat or perhaps a jet boat like you'd use on the shallower rivers, there are some places you just can't go while it is all the way down. There are many places I'd like to get to but I just try to be patient til the water comes up a little. I sure have GPSed a lot of really good looking brush piles and other cover in the past 2 or 3 weekends though!
Happy Fishin'
Leave your Mark...Not a Stain!
Water levels are based on the rainfall forecast for the month. Usually the corps. leaves a buffer of low water throughout March and April. The water only begins to rise with the heavy spring rains. Usually by May the heavy rains of spring have brought the lake up to summer pool. It is only after the heavy spring rains that the water level is maintained. If the heavy rains continue into the month of May, it can cause very high water levels much like in the spring of 2004 during the FLW tournament. High water levels mean more bank erosion and downstream flooding, therefore the corps. makes every effort to prevent it.
The key to lake levels is flood control; fishing takes a backseat to it every time.
Yes, 361 is two feet over summer pool, but I've a magic spot when the water gets to that level. I will not share this on the board, or through emails, as a friend showed me this spot, and it has never failed.
Sometimes I'll fish it even at summer pool, and the fish are usually still there, but the extra two feet make a huge difference. I'm talking one morning I was in a tournament, and I caught or got bit every cast from 6:15 am until 7:30 am. At that time, the sun shown brightly on the spot. It was a bluebird day.
So what seperates a pro from me?? Besides the obvious, it is that I fished that area for the rest of the day. I tried everything I knew at that time, and targeted every single piece of cover I could find.... nothing. Pros would have still caught them... even old hated IKE would have.
Kyle, don't worry... if you and I ever do manage a tournament this spring, and the water is up enough, we will check it early.
Danny
haha Just kidding.
I've never had a problem in the winter/spring, but I do have trouble when they start the draw down in the summer/fall. I beached my old stratos in a creek one day that I had no problems with a week earlier. Taught me to check the water levels before I leave the house.
I can attest to the fact that you need to be careful when the water is down. About ten years ago on KY I was coming out of the channel at full bore. Lost a $300 prop and had lower unit damage. Ever since then I've made sure I know the water level and pay attention to exactly where I am on the lake. VERY EXPENSIVE MISTAKE!