Hagg Lake - proposed 40 ft increase

[sjack]

Recent minutes of the Hagg Lake proposal to increase the irrigation water supply, by increasing the height of the dam, had some disturbing aspects - http://www.trwc.org/minutes03_03.htm
First - there appears to be no one representing warm water fishing interests at the meeting and the impact on warm water fishery [during dam construction] appears not to be a consideration.

If someone has simular concerns after reading the minutes [above] I would like to know. Warm water fish were not approved or managed by ODFW for Hagg Lake - and I would thing that they would look for any excuse to rid the lake of them [in favor of planter trout].

[marko]

Some years ago at the Oregon Bass & Panfish club an ODFW guy spoke anout the warm water fishery in Oregon. He said that if you imagine a pickup truck load of sand as the budget for fisheries as a whole, then one grain of sand is the warm water budget.

[Dave Smith]

I don't know if this fact makes it better or worse, but it seems like warmwater fish can do alright without our help or dollars, but we seem to go way out of our way to make sure they have a struggle in every fishery. I wish the ODFW would just accept the fact that Hagg has an unbelievable potential for giant Smallmouths and even take credit for it if that helps. I thought they were kind of getting on that track for a while? That lake has so little cover it's unbelievable, but what is more unbelievable to me is seeing what little there is, get cut out on low water years becasue of "boating hazards". Now THERE is a guy with too little to do!!
One thing I would wonder is, since every lake goes through cycles of fish growth, would expanding the size of the lake necessarily be bad? would it spark a new cycle of population and growth? I want to believe some good could come from it.

[sjack]

I think that the enlarged dam would - create more rapid water level decline but it would supply more water, more vegatation potential [food for fish] and more shoreline.

But during construction? will they drain the lake? will they expect that the warm water fish are expendable [they can always replace the trout]? and It seems that a warm water fishing club or group should at least attend the meetings so some consideration is given to the existing fishery. Any officialk volunteers?

[foxer]

I dont think they would need to drain the lake. They would be adding on to the current dam / bank. I would guess that they would close the lake however. This lake was created for irrigation as its first purpose, recreation second. I agree about the bass fishery, although I think that the trout and bass can live together easily. There are some trophy sized trout in that lake, you just have to find them.

[marko]

Regarding the cover at Hagg Lake. About ten or so years ago, Jack Webster lead a project for the Oregon Bass & Panfish club to put old Christmas trees in buckets of mud (or concrete I don't remember) in the far end of the lake (from the dam) to provide cover for the bait fish. I expect that may have born fruit.

[snowball]

has it ever been considered to stock walleye in hagg lake?

[duck-boy]

foxer is right on in this 1 remember guys this lake is and always was an irrigation lake, and is maintained with T.V.I.D. money from farmers. i am a farmer that uses that water, and so i'm dependent on it for a living but i also fish it so at 60 to 120 dollars an acre for water the district has the ball in their court, but i agree this is a great bass fishery and i hope they treat it right but that id thier call in this since it's irrigation first recreation second so think of all of us farmers here when you post thanks
duck-boy

[duck-boy]

foxer is right on in this 1 remember guys this lake is and always will be an irrigation lake, and is maintained with T.V.I.D. money from farmers. i am a farmer that uses that water, and so i'm dependent on it for a living but i also fish it,so at 60 to 120 dollars an acre for water the district has the ball in their court, but i agree this is a great bass fishery and i hope they treat it right but that is their call since this is in their court it's irrigation first recreation second so think of all of us farmers here when you post thanks
duck-boy

[foxer]

How about Tiger muskies? That would be a fishery. Help control the perch as well and wouldnt effect the trout.

[lost_sailor]

Phone (503) 648-3174 x 116 · Fax (503) 640-1332 · Email: tualatinwc@yahoo.com

You should ask to be invited to the next meeting.

[gottafish]

I hate to say this guys but they will drain the lake,during construction and when they refill it they will plant stocker trout, that is the way of the west every one thinks of warm water fish as trash out here it makes this Michigan Native sick

Foxer,

How about Tiger muskies? That would be a fishery. Help control the perch as well and wouldnt effect the trout.

<font size="2" face="verdana,arial,helv">Wrong!
I wouldn't mind seeing Tiger Muskies in some places but fish in the pike family are cool water fish and will feed heavily on trout.

[Born to Fish]

Foxer, I agree with Keta - the muskie are an opportunistic predator, as most are, and the trout will not be immune from the muslie's feeding activity.

Several years ago the Idaho F&G decided to introduce tiger muskie into Idaho's Cascade Lake to help reduce nothern pike minnow populations that they thought were adversely impacting the lake's perch population. Don't know where the biologists got their education/information, but it was their belief that the muskie would concentrate on the pike minnows and not affect the others, including Cascade's trout and coho populations. WRONG! [img]graemlins/1zhelp.gif[/img]

It didn't take long before we were hearing local angler reports of trout being caught with scars that could only be attributed to you-know-who.

From what I understand, the F&G folks are now working on environmental compliance papers so they'll be able to draw down the lake in preparation for poisoning out what's left. They'll then restock the lake with the trout and coho, perch, and probably other warmwater species.

Hagg Lake does not support much of a trout fishery. Sure there are some holdovers from past plantings but I think Hagg is better suited for bass, panfisn etc. They were illegally planted years ago and have thrived with some state records coming from Hagg Lake. As far as I'm concerned you bass guys can have that slimey mud hole.

[Dave Smith]

Slimey mud hole? that lake is CRYSTAL clear for most of the year. I am die-hard trout fisherman but I would prefer to catch real trout- wild trout or at least fish from a sustainable population. I don't mind traveling to where they are- I don't want to take a lake that is more suited for Bass and force it into a put and take trout fishery- even though this is what the masses want. Hagg Lake is an incredible fishery for those who know how to fish it. Once you catch a 6 pound Smallmouth on 8 pound test line, you will thank God for that lake and maybe even think of trout as slimey.

[Row for Fish]

Sjack and Others: If you are interested in more information on the potential of raising Hagg lake, look at www.cleanwaterservices.org under Tualatin Water Supply Feasibility Study. I am working on the Study. The lake is allocated to Tualatin Valley Irrigation District (50%), three cities and Clean Water Services. Washington County manages the Park and ODFW is responsible for the fisheries management. I believe that Hagg Lake is where the State Record smallmouth bass was caught. Herb Doumitt, President of Oregon Bass and Panfish has been involved in reviewing the management of Hagg Lake.

Thanks

[foxer]

??? I believe that Lake Merwin has a healthy trout population as well as muskies? I was always told that the Muskies hang in the shallows and around the lake edge whereas the trout are in the deeper water?