Pike in Lake Davis

[J.R.]

I was just on the DFG website and was remnded of the pike problem. :( Is the lake open at this point or is it closed becuase they're are trying to solve this problem, because I figured I could have a little fun with these monsters while trying to help get rid of them. 8) If that is possible?

[Adam Grace]

J.R. - I too would like to have some fun with the "monsters" :twisted:

I have tried one time to catch pike in Davis with no luck. My buddy and I boated over to cow creek, I think it is cow that had the net accross it. My buddy threw conventional bass hardware and I threw large streamers and divers tied to a wired leader with my 8wt, I was fishing hard core. Unfortunately neither of us caught or even saw a pike. We fished for trout in the morning and pike in the afternoon.

If you get a chance to fish for the pike let us know how you do.

[Rick J]

The lake is open to fishing though I expect much of it is iced over right now. There is talk that DFG will again try to poison the lake but maybe two years off

[J.R. Hubbard]

Great idea, because last time they did that, it worked!

[Darian]

I heard that DFG was considering draining and refilling the lake recognizing that poison was ineffective.... :? :? :? Not sure what the locals think about that but the state hasn't much given them much respect anyway.... :( :( From what I've been told, Pike fishing is best in the early spring. :) :)

There's some interesting requirements associated with Pike Fishing up there. Better read up in the Regs. :roll: :roll:

[J.R.]

So, the DFG is basically saying, "If you catch a pike, please don't put that s.o.b. back in the lake, just kill it and put it in an ice chest and let us have it."

[SullyTM]

...have the Davis Lake Pike caused the problems everyone expects them to cause? What has been the impact on the indigenous fish population?

Maybe it's time for the DFG to just let nature take its course? Just my 4 cents worth. Thom

[Rick J]

It wasn't nature that put the pike in there. They are not so concerned about what the pike will do to the trout population in Davis - and I think it is declining. If the pike get into the Feather and get established, they could play hell on salmon and steelhead populations. Look what the squaw fish has done to the Eel!

I kinda hope they can get rid of them - Last time, the trout fishing was awesome afterwards.

[SullyTM]

Rick...Have they gotten into the Feather? I would drain the lake. Any idea how long this would take? Is it possible to do this and save some of the "regulars"? Or, would DFG have to re-stock the entire lake? Later. Thom

[Rick J]

Hi Sully,
Not sure if they have or not - seems I read somewhere that they have found a few in the Feather. I think DFG would drain it down as far as they could over a season and poison the lake. Doubt they would make any attempt to take out fish before hand to save them. Last time they did a major restocking program with a number of big fish included. I am not sure they would do this again but would restock to some extent and those fish grow alot in a season so within a year and a half I expect it would be back with screaming 18-inchers.

My main concern is the possible impacts to the damsels and blood midges!

The damsels were in there strong after the first poisoning and so were the blood midges but last year according to Don Rotsma, the blood midge population seemed to take a down turn which would be a real bummer if they disappear!

[Darian]

I've heard rumors of Pike being caught as far downstream as in Lake Oroville.... :roll: :roll: Mostly urban legend stuff (maybe rural legend :?: :lol: ). There may be some in the Feather, somewhere But it's, apparently, not enough of an issue to poison the river, yet. (....tongue in cheek)

I'm not surprised that insect and fish (trout) populations in Davis are in decline. First the lake was poisoned, netted and then periodically blown up. Ultimately it was ignored in order to decide what to do since every other "solution" failed miserably..... Those fish must feel like they're living in the Middle East. :paranoid:

If there ever was an example of how not to manage a fishery, municipal water supply, removal of Pike from this lake by DFG is it. This situation is a monetary disaster and continuing drain on DFG funds. ](*,)

Draining the Lake will take some time in order to protect communities downstream so that may not be a viable solution. It looks to me like we'll have Pike as a new non-resident gamefish. Trout and Pike have co-existed in the norhern regions longer than the US has existed. Why not recognize and learn to live with it :?: :?:

Sorry for the rant, guys.... :oops:

[Mike O]

Let me get this straight....they are worried about pike getting into the Feather, so they are going to drain the lake this time??? exactly how do you keep EVERY SINGLE PIKE from entering the river when you drain the lake?? :roll: to my understanding this may not even fix the problem. I thought DFG said that the reason pike remain after the last poisoning is that there were some up the tribs, or there may have been eggs laid up in the tribs, and they repopulated...wouldn't the same problem exist?? AHHH heck. lets just bring some minnisotans in who know about pike, and have them fish them out for us. :lol:

[Darian]

I'm not actually sure they have settled on draining the lake but it is being considered. :? Escapement of Pike or their eggs is the least of DFG problems with draining Davis lake. :? Since the lake is a water supply for surrounding communities, a safe alternative has to be secured. Then there is the consideration of what is an allowable flow during the drawdown to avoid downstream flooding. Then how to avoid escapement. :? :?

After all of that is considered and satisfied, DFG must set aside some indefinite amount of money for settlement of potential claims that result if anything goes wrong (....and we already know the track record for that eventuality). :roll: :roll:

Finally, what's to keep the same guys who illegally planted Pike in Davis from replanting Pike in that or any other body of water in California :?: :?: :(

The way things are going, kinda looks like a no win situation to me. :x :x

[HC]

Hi, First, I got two things. Are there any good motels at or near Lake Davis? May as well go see what the fuss is all about. Use a bite leader. My son's brother inlaw is from Canada, He says they are very hard to get rid of once pike are established in a lake. I guess its job security for the DFG. Harley

[Darian]

Hey Harley,.... I'm with you. When life is dealing you lemons, make lemonade..... :lol: Head up there and catch some Pike on a fly. 8) Can't help you with the motel situation, tho. :? :?

[SullyTM]

Harley...Take some Lefty Deceiver type flies! Pike like the flashy stuff! Purples, yellows, reds...you get the picture! If you hook into one, hang on!!! I fished them as a youngster in Michigan...

Darian, in the grand scheme of things paradise lost is paradise gained :D BTW...your Baja trip sounds terrific. Thom

[Cal]

The problem with illegal pike planting has not been limited to Lake Davis. Frenchman's Reservoir just up the road has also been treated, twice I think, for pike eradication.

So, the Unapiker has been very busy. They ought to put out a reward equal to the next round of treatment and maybe they could nail the guy, otherwise it may go on until the guy dies or gives up.

Maybe they should monitor which local guys are fishing for pike, although you hardly hear of anyone catching them. Buddy of mine caught a 13" pike while trout fishing last june on a woolly bugger and killed it.

[bolden]

Where are the best places in davis to fish for pike and what structure do they like to be in?

[HC]

Darian, Green with envy about your Mexico trip, and its been a while since I caught a pike! No trips planned until springtime though. Sully I hear you on the big flashy flies, I am taking the 9 wt. Bolden, hopefully as the lake warms into springtime the pike should move into the shallow weedy areas to set up ambush. Pick them up behind the head use long nosed pliars to remove hooks. I am thinking about taking a canoe if its not too far to the shallow places? Harley

[Digger]

politics is more the culprit here, than DFG itself.
the surrounding communities that need the revenue from anglers, naturally wants minimal disruption, the enviromentalists won't allow certain chemicals, etc. etc. So DFG with one hand tied, does a minimal job to at best 'control' the population.

Need to bite the bullet and nuke it then start over.

[Darian]

Digger,.... wasn't that what got DFG in trouble the first time around :?: :?: From everything I've been told and read, DFG insisted on the poisoning route and did so in spite of objections by local communities, environmentalists and fisherman. The major concern at that time was the potential pollution of the locals water supply. DFG disregarded that concern and suffered payment of damage settlements.... :( :(

I guess I agree with DFG most of the time and they seem to be taking the time to properly analyze the situation this time. Their jobs are made difficult by all of the things you pointed out but, at times, I think they're their own worst enemy. 8) 8) 8)

[Tracy Chimenti]

DFG wanted to drain it last time, as the chemical applicaton would be at it's peak efficiency. Problem was, the the Plumas DA filed an injunction preventing the lowereing of the lake, then roadblocks were thrown up to block the treatment. So the treatment was carried out in less than ideal circumstances, when it was colder and the chemical had to get down through a 60-foot water column. A cold spring meant it would take longer for the chemicals tro break down, so fishing was delayed.

DFG was permitted to carry out their desired plan at Frenchman several years prior-- per the rotenone programatic and project EIR's-- and it worked. So far no pike.

I'm in favor of a proper treatment, and I believe, so is the community. The pike have hammered the trout and are due to explode in population this year. The fishing isn't what it was before the pike, I don't care what anyone says. Merchants have noticed the lack of fishermen and this is why they and the residents are coming back to the table. If DFG would have been permitted carry out the treament when and how they wanted, the lake would now be a world-class trout fishery again and everyone would be happy.

Just say no to pike. We don't need a bunch of stunted broomsticks taking over our fisheries.

[jayclarkflyfishing]

I am against putting more chemicals in Portola's water supply.DFG used strong armed tactics the last time and once again are going to do what ever they please.I also think DFG has exacerbated the Pike problem by planting over 70 thousand catchable trout(pike food) during the last two seasons.Most people I know and talk to up here(I live 20 minutes from the lake)are not in favor of more chemicals being used in the lake.As far as draining the lake,my concern is the length of time it will take to refill.Big Grizzly Creek (the main inlow) is not very large and a few dry winters could be disasterous.I don't know what solution will work the best but chemicals are not the answer.Jay

[Darian]

Hi Jay,.... I'm not a resident up there but the people I know who do all share the same opinion with you.... I'm not sure there's any acceptable solution to this. :)

Draining the lake appears to be frought with problems for communities downstream due the amount of time required to make it happen without the occurance of flooding and the loss of water supplies. As you point out, it could take many years to refill the reservoir; also impacting the availability of water for the area negatively.... :) Kinda seems like the cat's out of the bag. Now what do we do :?: :?:

I think DFG used poison to eradicate Pike from Frenchman's Reservoir (....can't recall how long ago that was). In those days, there didn't appear to be any objections from the community (that were published).... Does that mean Frenchman's wasn't part of the local water supply :?: :?: Could Frenchman's be a potential alternative source of water for the communities up there :?: :?:

[Anne Vitale]

Harley

The town of Portola is the gateway to L. Davis. I'm sure if you do a google search on PORTOLA you will come up with several places to stay.....Anne

[jayclarkflyfishing]

Darian,
Frenchman's was poisoned in 1993 with great success.As far as an alternate water supply Frenchmans is not a viable option.Portola is scheduled to have new water system online in 2007 with Davis as it's main source.
As far as catching pike my biggest (26") was taken on a size 12 olive wooly bugger while fishing for trout.I don't target the pike cuz they don't fight well and are a pain in the arse to dispose of.Jay

[JD]

Good grief is this thread filled with a lot of disinformation. Davis is no one's water supply right now, and rotenone is a safe proven means of controlling fish populations, despite what some environmental types would have you believe. The original DFG plan was scuttled by local interests who were too short sighted to see that their futures were at stake. Yes, the DFG might have done better, but there is plenty of blame to go around.

Now that the DFG and local interests have agreed on a course of action, it will only take one environmentalist law suit and a sympathetic judge to set the whole project back another couple of years -- e.g. what happened on Silver King Creek. What a mess...

[Darian]

JD,.... Respectfully, I have to disagree with your characterization of the info in this thread.... :? Much of it is speculation so, takes the form of an inquiry.... :? I admit that I don't know if the lake is currently anyones water supply. Score one for you. :) :)

In stating that rotenone is a safe, proven method of controlling fish populations, I find it's always dangerous to make a general statement about safety and effectiveness of toxins as there is always an exception..... In the case of Davis Lake, It was a municipal water supply at the time of the poisoning and DFG insisted that the project be completed over the objections of many more than just locals. The original project was not cancelled (as you state....) as the poisoning was carried out and economic damage did occur to the surrounding communities. All of this was published over taped in print and video media. Furthermore, the poisoning was unsuccesfull as Pike have repopulated the lake (contrary to your general assertion that rotenone is an effective method of controlling fish populations).

Finally, planning a project of the nature of draining a large body of water upstream from a number communities lying within the flood plain of the run-off area would require a consideration of how fast the water levels may be reduced in order to avoid potential flooding. Another consideration has to be whether draining the lake can be completed before onset of the coldest part of winter and in reverse, the time required to refill. If, as you say the lake is not, currently, a community water supply, than the cost of maintaining the alternate water supply must be considered for whatever time it takes to restore Davis to it's former status. All of these ideas (while not a comprehensive list) are reasonable for completion of a project at any lake including Davis.... And, I'm giving DFG credit for actually considering these points as I've heard that locals have agreed to proceed with whatever DFG will do next.

If there is an "environmentalist" law suit, and it has merit, what's wrong with that :?: :?: :?:

I concur that you have a differing perspective than I and, apparently some others, in this thread.... 8) But, again respectfully, you don't appear to have supported your point.... :(

[HC]

Anne, Thanks for the bit of info, I'll check into it. I may have passed through there once before, on the way to someplace else.Back then there was no controversy, hence the lack of wonder on my part I'll do a google. Tight Lines, Harley

[HC]

Darian et al, I guess everyone has something right to say about this rotenone stuff in the water. You know; when to, how to, where to and so on. But before support is given credible evidence must exist that Johhny Pikeseed and his kind are under control. Otherwise it's just a repeat cycle. Bear in mind no experts live at my house, but I know the costs for a draw down and poison-out are high in terms of dollars and loss of use as well. I hope the DFG has a plan to deal with the pikeseeders too. Harley