how is the bite?

[thomas]

i am planning on going to struble for the first time ever this sunday. just trying to find out if anyone has been out lately and how the bite is. thanks in advance for any info.

[z06]

As far as the bite, average. I was there most of the day thursday giving my bilge pumps a work out. Water is 61 & cooling, visibility about a foot and a half. If it's your first time there, check the weather report, if they are calling for winds from the west at more than 10 mph, you're better off going somewhere more protected. Trust me, a recent check of my Bass fishing log books that I have been keeping since I started my first Bass club in 1963, showed over 890 trips to that mudhole.

On a somewhat related note, and this is strictly my own opinion, I'd say they got a leak in the dam. There were several individuals milling about on the dam breast Thursday morning, a couple I could identify as PFBC, the rest from their dress & lingo , were probably Bureau of Dams and Waterways or USGS, or a combination of both.

They were probing the dam breast, making notes & observations and taking photos. Although they got noticeably silent when I approached, I did hear someone proclaim that they had found a wet spot. That's usually not a good sign.

Several years ago I was involved in the project where the outlet structure was repaired and the emergency spillway was re-furbished, although at the time nothing was said, I suspected a leak.

Then there are the monitoring wells that are sunk into the dam breast, obviously there to see if there is any water migration through the dam. They didn't put them there solely for decoration.

And most recently, the construction of the USGS water level monitoring station by the launch ramp.

My backround is excavation/ civil engineering, I've worked on a number of very large projects involving dams, levees, dredging, dam removals and dam repair. The things I mentioned would lead me to believe it's a leaker.

Earthen impoundments such as Struble have an impervious core made up of clay or clay bearing soils. This impervious core is keyed several feet into the existing ground and extends from original ground level several feet up into the dam. Common fill is then placed on top of the key trench. The seam created where the clay core meets the common fill is usually where the problem lies.

If it is indeed a leak, they will probably just to continue to monitor it. It would have to get pretty bad for them to attempt a repair. There are thousands of dams in this country that have the same problem.

If they ever attemted a fix, it would involve draining the lake, removing the rip-rap, refacing the inside of the berm with alternating layers of bentonite, or clay, and then a common soil cap.

If anybody has any insight into this phenomenon, I'd like to hear more about it. And don't even get me started about those ignorant Beavers up there, that's another rant entirely.

And, God bless all the Carp in there. If they weren't there, as shallow & nutrient laden as that place is, you wouldn't be able to navigate for the weeds. Anybody remember when it used to have lush stands of Curly Pondweed? I do. Anybody remember when you could catch stringer upon stringer of 5-7 lb. Walleyes, but Bass were scarcer than chicken teeth? I do. Anybody remember the drawdown in the early 80's? Talk about catching fish in a barrel!