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.

Summer pool for woodcock is 1180 winter pool level is around 1160 so yes those pictures are what you find there every year during winter.
What happens sucks but no one has any idea what exactly is going to happen once the lakes refilled. Alot of fish could of survived in the remaining pool at the dam or went up the channel as it was still intact. The only positive is french creek should be on fire this year with the abundance of fish if the acoe is correct in the fish being swept out. If not it will be restocked along with tamarack and be fine in short time

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

I havnt fished it in a few years. The kayak takeover made me go elsewhere. When 20+ kayaks launch at once and not a single one has a life vest even on board yet the pfc boat seemed to ignore them but checked us twice that day. And the lovely aroma of the illegal substances they were passing around wasnt a issue to the pfc either.

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

outasync
Summer pool for woodcock is 1180 winter pool level is around 1160 so yes those pictures are what you find there every year during winter.
What happens sucks but no one has any idea what exactly is going to happen once the lakes refilled. Alot of fish could of survived in the remaining pool at the dam or went up the channel as it was still intact. The only positive is french creek should be on fire this year with the abundance of fish if the acoe is correct in the fish being swept out. If not it will be restocked along with tamarack and be fine in short time

I think anzomcik clarified better than I could.  There was NO pool at the dam....drained, completely......
starting from scratch.....

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.

Woodcock is an army corp lake, not owned by the FC (the fishery is managed by the FC). its #1 soul purpose is flood control. The same as UC Dam and Keystone lake. The draw down in the fall is to prep for the spring run off. The dam is operated by a gate to control flow, WC gets instruction from pittsburgh on what to set the gate at on a per instruction basis. 
 
The FC has no control on the lake level, so your issue with the FC on lake levels is misguided. Lake level is based on public safety down stream, sometimes that means way down stream like the mississippi. 
 
Also there are only pure breed musky stocked in WC and the stream, i knew what you were trying to say with tigers. 

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

And that fish is actually from woodcock. Late october fish on the point straight across from the boat launch.