Water Levels

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FinsNFeet
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Water Levels

Post by FinsNFeet » Fri Aug 22, 2014 6:59 pm

I will be visiting the lake in October, the 11th to be precise. I was wondering if the water level on the lake ever drops to levels that would cause concern for safe boating. Also when do they remove the buoys from the lake ?

Tori
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Re: Water Levels

Post by Tori » Mon Aug 25, 2014 12:44 pm

Water level is the highest it has been since the spring! No concerns about low water in my opinion.
Tori

FinsNFeet
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Re: Water Levels

Post by FinsNFeet » Mon Aug 25, 2014 10:09 pm

Thank you for the response. Lets hope it remains that way for October.

492VS
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Re: Water Levels

Post by 492VS » Tue Aug 26, 2014 9:50 am

The navigation buoys are pulled and replaced with smaller unlighted white/red striped ones. That is done much later than Columbus weekend. The hazard buoys stay year round.

There must have been significant rainfall in the areas that flow into the Lake as the level the last few days rose at least a foot and half. Almost at spring levels right now. Lake level really dependent upon local rainfall, so prediction of lake level is a crap shoot.

One word for navigation around lake which is marked (buoy) all year round is to give them a wide berth. Don't cut them to close or go between them and shore. Fishing a few of the shoals by woods island I tend to believe the markers move a little over time and should be relocated, placing the hazard back in the middle of the marked area. One of them had the hazard (2 feet) right on the line of sight from one buoy to the other. Honestly lake is marked really well. Watch for a few large logs stuck in the bottom usually breaking the surface of the water, those tend to be real close to shore and really you should not be under power that close to land.

FinsNFeet
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Re: Water Levels

Post by FinsNFeet » Tue Aug 26, 2014 3:06 pm

Thanks 492, I hear you loud and clear about cutting the buoys. The buoy system was a little confusing when we were up in July but after getting use to it and how they put them out everything was good to go. I appreciate the information on the water level. I wasn't sure if they (the lake) had a winter draw down.
Thank you....

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Re: Water Levels

Post by Phil » Tue Aug 26, 2014 6:09 pm

FinsNFeet wrote:Thanks 492, I hear you loud and clear about cutting the buoys. The buoy system was a little confusing when we were up in July but after getting use to it and how they put them out everything was good to go. I appreciate the information on the water level. I wasn't sure if they (the lake) had a winter draw down.
Thank you....

There is no "control" at either end of the lake. Black Lake is/was a natural glacial flow. It is fed from the indian River and the Indian River Chain of lakes. Watershed is mostly Jefferson County. At the outlet is at the Oswegatchie River, between Heuvelton Dam and Eel Wire Dam. When the water is very high in the Oswegatchie (mostly spring-time flows) the water at Edwardsville can be observed flowing towards Hammond. It is at these times that the lake "fills" up and floods - as it did this past spring. During a dry spell, the lake is very susceptible to low levels. There are always dangerous areas of shoals no matter what the water level; just fewer with higher water levels. As was mentioned - heed the markers, slow down and be on the lookout.
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Curt7234
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Re: Water Levels

Post by Curt7234 » Tue Aug 26, 2014 6:22 pm

I'm up here at black lake now and the water is very high. We starte today on the oswegatchie river fished that for about 3 hours the. Ran back up black lake fished around the causeway fishing mostly topwater frog baits an spinnerbaits. Made the run up fish creek, then from there down to Rossi and the falls were rippin so hard down there it looked like soap suds from the foam. Extremly high, water all through there, the one land owners yard was flooded out. Fishing as a whole has sucked for us. We boated 3 bass 1 was about 2 1/2 pounds the other 2 dinks, the pike was close to 28 inches. We normally get a ton if strikes in the weeds with the frog baits and today they were far and few between. The water will probably only get higher as more rain is forcasted. I wish I could say fishing is great, but this is the worst I have ever seen it. Also one other note the north side of the lake is literally fluorescent green in areas. The algae bloom is horrible on that side. I wish I had better news. Hey a bad day of fishings better than a good day working right?!!!! C&R is how I roll!!!

FinsNFeet
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Re: Water Levels

Post by FinsNFeet » Tue Aug 26, 2014 7:45 pm

Thanks guys for the information. Slow is the only speed the boat has. I will coming up with a 18.9 Lund pushed by a 90HP E-Tech fully loaded the best I get is 34 MPH. (GPS). Hopefully by October the water will cool down enough where the green monster will be gone and the water levels back to normal. The last visit in July we had a lot of fun with the frogs. The vast majority of the fish missed the frog but the explosion was great. I lost my favorite frog to a monster pike or muskie. It cut through #50 braid like hot butter. Again thank you both very much, enjoy and be safe.
John

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Re: Water Levels

Post by Curt7234 » Tue Aug 26, 2014 8:26 pm

John if you use a 6 inch coast lock steel leader that won't happen. I use to get bit off all the time by pike while frog fishing... Not anymore. I use that with a. 5/0
Gamakatsu hook and my frog of course.

FinsNFeet
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Re: Water Levels

Post by FinsNFeet » Tue Aug 26, 2014 9:15 pm

I will have to pick some up. My home waters do not have pike or muskie and the waters that do have those toothy critters you never have issues in the shallows during the summer. I have become so use to just dealing with the bucketmouths I never tie on any leaders. Thanks for the tip.

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