Crappie season is off to a rocky start here in the southwest.

[Jumping Cholla Jigs]

Normally all of our lakes should be starting to come around but this year the only lake that is posting numbers is one that is about to dry up again. When full San Carlos is the largest lake in the state but it has rarely been full and right now is nearly empty, only 10' deep at the dam. With our continuing hot weather there is now a big algae bloom happening and fish are sucking air on top of the water trying to breath. Shot some video of the last few trips and edited into this one.

SC 1.wmv - YouTube

[Crappie Reaper]

Pretty cool JCJ. I wonder if the State might step in with some areators to create some oxygen. That's terrible about the lake going dry. A lot of Texas lakes are in the same drought. I would guess NM lakes are too. This years "la nina" is playing heck with levels all over the SW. Here is Oklahoma, we've had several lakes with the Blue/Green Algae which can make people sick. During the late summer it was almost daily the news would tell people NOT to swim.

You guys had a nice mess. Please give us an update later down the road.

[AZfisherdude]

State isn't likely to do anything. The dam is in poor shape with chunks of concrete falling off of it. You'd think it would be a good time to repair the dam but they are not even doing that so I highly doubt anyone will be trying to aerate the lake. Plus, it is on Reservation property. It is a great fishery and JCJ is right, the crappie action has been slow this year. Bummer too cause I just got into crappie fishing not that long ago.

[Jumping Cholla Jigs]

The dam is actually in pretty good shape, the masonry flaking off the face is just the gunnite that was used to help protect it many years ago when they also did the cliffs above the spillways. Wouldn't matter one bit about it being on reservation land as to their actions to help the fish survive. All of our lakes are for water use only be it drinking, flood control or irrigation. Only the high country trout lakes get real attention toward fisheries because of the big $'s it brings in.

We did what we could to aerate it getting on plane, even touching the 65mph zone in 4 feet of water a few times going to and from the launch spot.

[AZfisherdude]

LOL, I bet that created a nice washing machine effect! I am glad to hear that the concrete falling off has nothing to do with it structurally. I don't know, I would think that the res would want to keep the fishing alive and make money off of the permits. Costs me $18 every time I go. I am surprised they haven't lifted the limits. Were you out there with Franklin? He said the fish were gasping at the surface. They were doing that a few weeks back right before the water level rose a few feet.