No sense in bickering amongst ourselves...the real issue is what is the ACOE going to do to rectify their heinous error?

anzomcik
Lets hear your plan, please dim it down for my sake since your backhanded vague comments are way above my head. 

Not asking for a plan. Just saying you would think the fish commission would try to do something. Since we pay a lot of money for those fish. Not saying they have to go swim for the fish.
Now my real plan is having to find another lake to fish.

outasync
The gauge froze and for 24 hours the lake was 3 ft lower. According to eyewitness accounts in news stories the lake was almost back to winter pool and no dead fish were visible. The lake didnt drain totally out

These " eyewitnesses " obviously didn't see what I saw a week ago when I drove over. I'll give them that the lake didn't "totally" drain out. The creek channel looked to still have water. Probably just 20ft or so lower than winter pool, based on many years of fishing the hardwater.

eyesandgillz

outasync
The gauge froze and for 24 hours the lake was 3 ft lower. According to eyewitness accounts in news stories the lake was almost back to winter pool and no dead fish were visible. The lake didnt drain totally out

Wrong, wrong, so wrong.  Just asking, did you even look at the pictures that were posted in this very thread?  

I saw pictures on other sites where they had the kids playing around in the middle of the lake bed pretty much. That’s why I was just thinking how much B.S. that there are blowing around. The funny thing is weren’t there supposed to be ice fisher people fishing. Could they have fallen threw the ice if it collapsed. They could have killed them.

You do understand that those areas in the pictures are waterless during winter reguardless? The areas that have water were all frozen over. They always bring it way down for winter pool. The lake drained out over night. Pictures from people that live there showed the ice cap which hid the lake draining. The ice also hid what the exact effects of the draining would be.

outasync
You do understand that those areas in the pictures are waterless during winter reguardless? The areas that have water were all frozen over. They always bring it way down for winter pool. The lake drained out over night. Pictures from people that live there showed the ice cap which hid the lake draining. The ice also hid what the exact effects of the draining would be.

So you really think those pics are normal when there should be a lake but it is a creek just running threw. So they open the dam up at night and thousands of gallons of water just drain like that.

outasync
You do understand that those areas in the pictures are waterless during winter reguardless? The areas that have water were all frozen over. They always bring it way down for winter pool. The lake drained out over night. Pictures from people that live there showed the ice cap which hid the lake draining. The ice also hid what the exact effects of the draining would be.

I know what your saying, and for a very long time people have shown concern to see woodcock at winter pool. I know the point your trying make...
 
However this is different, the lake was drained to the extent that most if not all the major game fish swam out the dam. From the people I personally had phone conversations with in the PAFC they fear the lake is starting from scratch. Like hitting the reset button.
 
I live 20 minutes from the lake, walked the lake bed right after the reports came out,  I will not be fishing there for several years

Don't worry there's still a few fish left and boats are already on the lake ! It's fine .....
 

Outasync, nice fish....is that an Ohio or PA fish?  I understand some of what what you are saying. And I guess, now thinking about it, if it was froze over at the time, I guess I can see where the water under the ice could drain & the ice obscure it. But it still pizzes me off, because SOMEBODY had to notice it before it got as bad as it did. If anything, someone downstream. You drive over a bridge everyday that is barely a crick & all of a sudden its the Monongahela river flowing by, should be a clue, there's something wrong.
 
Anyway, I'm more pizzed at the Fish Commission; only because of their 1947 management style that they won't change for anything. For instance, can anybody tell me the reason for drawing the lake down in the winter anyway? At Canadohta they draw it down every winter, which I think is also bull$h1t. At Canadohta, they use the excuse to protect the million docks around it. Bullcrap! Pull your dock for the winter or repair it every spring if it gets damaged. There are lakes in every other northern state, with docks, that don't get lowered. They all survive!  So what is the PAFC saying? Its better to pull the water out away from shore, the weedbeds, & into the center of the lake. The cereal bowl (bathtub) portion with NO structure/protection for bait-fish/food-chain/food source. The bigger fish gorge themselves all winter on the "no-where to hide" food source. BUT, the food chain takes a HUGE HIt, is decimated every winter & the PAFC wonders why Canadohta's nickname is the dead sea.
 
Can't use the "dock" excuse at Woodcock. Not a dock to be found. So yinz are saying, its drawn down every year anyway, leaving a thousand Tiger muskie free range over the food chain in a much smaller unprotected area (just the main channel).... In this case, with the frozen gate, EVEN if a single fish didn't wash out, the food-chain will be decimated and an up the chain reaction & consequences for years to come.
 
And in the spring, isn't it about the same time they close the Gates to slowly fill the lake back up again, then for 40 miles downstream they have 30 trout fisherman azz to azz fishing around every 8 FT pothole they can find, instead of spread out over a nice wide, slow, deep flowing stream?
 
Wait till all those "drain holed" Tiger Musky gorge themselves on all those PA fisherman bought 9 inch trout they try stocking, this year, below Woodcock. Wonder whose gonna get to the trout first, the Tiger Musky or the kids?
 
Don't even get me started on their 1947 game fish management style. You would think they never leave PA or never read/learn about other states successful programs for their game fish. After traveling around & fishing around the United States while in the military, you wouldn't believe some of the awesome game-fish programs that are out there. And none of them decimate a lakes food chain every winter. Yinz all have to Google the "Texas Big Bass Program" if you don't know what it is. You'd be amazed at what that program accomplishes. And they get it mostly paid for thru corporate donations.
 
 Enough venting for tonight. We all have to get the PAFC on a 2021 track, is all. Who knows, maybe there is some fabulous reason they do what they do that out weighs good fish management. Their trout program is A+, but PA fisherman deserve better than some 11 inch trout and a handful or 12-14 inch dink bass per year.

Wonder if they will report their findings this year when they do the surveys.

I was there that day it drained and all I saw was the creek channel. The ice was laying flat on the lake bottom. It’s June already and can’t find any info about what they are going to do.

snagr
any reports on the impact of this to the fishing in the lake this spring and summer?  
 
my boys and i have fished the outflow a few times in the past month and have had some fun there.  a really diverse fishery to say the least!  i have no plans to fish the lake, but was just wondering if the drawdown had a bad impact on fishing there.   

I thought you were supposed to use your sarcasm font when you posted something like this!  

Well, I would think a complete drain down of the entire lake would have impacted it significantly...if not totally destroyed it for the near future....downstream is probably the best bet for sure.