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Certainly not a fisheries biologist but I can "assume" this isn't beneficial to the bass and musky fishery. Cruised out today (Nov.15 2014) and snapped some pics. The majority of the lake is bone dry. I, along with many other anglers are in regular contact with WDFW about the overall status and well being of Lake Tapps. Apparently Cascade Water Alliance has rules about trespassing on the lake bed. These pics are from public roads. (Hi Leatherface) I suppose we won't know the real damage until Spring/early Summer. We knew it was coming but this seems excessive. I should have purchased more raffle tickets.

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Pretty incredible, only thing you can hope for is a rebound like Banks Lake had when they dropped it 30 feet.

Panic Minnow - back in those days, Lk Tapps didn't have tiger muskies now was the bass fishery near what it is today. It would be a darn shame to lose one of the best smallmouth fisheries in western WA because of nearsightedness on CWA part. AS it is, we will probably lose a year class of bass since it'll get filled throughout the spawning season.

I am re-posting this from the bass group:
I just looked at the Cascade Water Alliance page and the projects appear to have been going well. It looks like they will begin filling the lake around mid-March. We may actually have enough water for the bass spawn. I think this will be good for the tigers as well - if any survived!
A link to the CWA projects is here: http://cascadewater.org/project-overview.php
I don't know Craig. There was a segment on KING 5 last week on Lake Tapps. Homeowners for some reason didn't know why the lake was still dry..go figure..i think the ospreys had something to do with it..just kidding..meterologists say there may not be a enough snow pack..possibly the lake could be filled with a "high flow" by the end of April but a "low flow" the end of May..just in time for Memorial Day..!! Yeah!
My opinion..CWA has screwed the fishery for a few years to come. May wanna ask the DFW to put a emergency,mandatory Catch and Release on all Tigers and bass for this year on Tapps only?. Utah did it a few years back for tigers on Pineview Reservoir when the Virus hit the fishery remember?

Todd,

I think if they start slowly filling the lake in the next few weeks, there will be enough water to aid in spawning for the bass.  However, the continued filling may cause problems with the beds being too deep.  I don't know enough about fish other than how to catch them occasionally! All we can do is hope for the best.  I think this may be an opportunity for a lot of the smaller bass to get eaten leaving a larger population of big bass.  Who knows?  As far as the tigers, whichever ones survive the winter drawdown should be fine.  I think there was a large die off last year and when the lake gets stabilized, the WDFW needs to make the next 3 years a priority for higher stocking numbers.  Just my 2 cents!

Who knows, Todd and Craig, you both have valid points. I'm not a bio but I feel that this fishery will be on a decline for a bit but eventually through the assistance of WDFW stocking efforts, it will rebound. As for snowpack levels. This is an area of concern, from a professional standpoint, regionally, fire departments are already being informed to expect a heavy fire season for western Washington (very rare in my experience), from a frequent mountain climber's perspective. This is the 1st time ever that I've seen "Ice Climbing Gear Required" rules lifted. Not sure if that is as rare as western Washington projected fire concerns but something that has my attention. I hope that Tapps will rebound quickly but I look like I might actually have to do what I say every season. "I want to fish Mayfield more"

March 6, 2015

Lake Tapps closes to fishing

Action: Closes Lake Tapps to fishing.

Effective Dates: March 10, 2015, until further notice.

Species affected: All fish

Location: Lake Tapps (Pierce County)

Reason for action: Water levels in the lake have been drawn down and fish are concentrated in small pools. Leaving the lake open would be detrimental to the fish communities in these small pools. The lake is being closed to prevent excessive harvest of the fish in the lake and to improve the quality of the fishery after the lake refills. The lake will re-open once lake levels are sufficient to sustain a fishery.

Information contact: Tara Livingood, WDFW regional fish biologist, (360) 628-4223

Gayle and I stopped at Mayfield today to see what a lake with water looks like..rather blue and looks very nice by the way. Hitting it tomorrow with Ryan. We then ventured over to Mayfield Resort. Talked to Danny. Funny he got the email from the WDFW about Tapps on Friday. We were surprised to say the least. Just driving by the lake everyday irritates the shit out of me. No way their gonna get it filled by the time CWA says on their timeline. NO water coming in from the flume yet! Pisses me off!

Anyway Danny said there was a meeting last week with Tacoma Power. They are concerned that Riffe Lake will not be at full pool anytime soon. Danny was concerned about Mayfield and if Tacoma Power has to lower it to produce power there is going to be problems on that lake too..

And so that puts Merwin in a bit of a problem also. They already have had issues with the dam's structure so its going to be tough all over here on the "wet" side..

There was a kid on Tapps last week that got a nice 8 lb largey fishing from one of those pools..

think I'm/we may be going east more often than we thought this year!

Again...Thank You Cascade Water Alliance.

Looking at the website today, it looks like Tapps is about 20' low still.

Just a quick update from the Cascade Water Alliance:

May 5, 2015

An Open Letter to the Lake Tapps Community

For the first time since 2007, when Puget Sound Energy still operated Lake Tapps, the reservoir will most likely not be filled to recreational levels by Memorial Day. As the owner and operator of the reservoir since 2009, we value our relationship with the community and we take our agreements with you seriously. However, this is an extraordinary year, and we appreciate your patience.

Cascade purchased the century-old 12-mile long White River /Lake Tapps Reservoir project that takes water from the White River, brings it into the reservoir, and back out to the White River. Many parts were failing. The following facts provide you with an update about the system, its fixes and its future.

FACT: For the next 30 to 40 years, Cascade will be operating this system to provide recreational reservoir levels solely for your benefit while meeting regulatory and operational requirements.

FACT: The system included a failing timber flume and headgates. The facilities that release water from the lake needed to be assessed and repaired. A dike required a seismic retrofit. The Washington State Dam Safety Office requires that Cascade be able to take a certain flow rate from the reservoir and we could not assure that we could do that to protect homeowners in case of earthquake or emergencies.

FACT: If Cascade had not planned for and undertaken these projects, and if the headgates or timber flume had failed, Cascade would not have been able to divert water into the reservoir for a minimum of 18 months, resulting in the likely loss of two complete recreational seasons.

FACT: The design, planning and bidding for the 16 project $15 million upgrade began in December 2013 and was successfully completed March 16, 2015 ensuring long-term viability of the reservoir.

FACT: There has been historically low precipitation, which is required to fill the reservoir. The situation is so severe that the Governor has declared a drought emergency in many areas of the state, including east Pierce County.

FACT: Since April 1, the available flows in the White River have dropped far below even the lowest historically recorded levels. Average historic flows have been above 1,500 cubic feet per second (cfs) above Mud Mountain Dam. This year the White River flows are at about 700-750 cfs, the lowest flows in 22 years of record keeping.

FACT: Cascade is legally permitted to only take water from the White River, the source of Lake Tapps, when flows exceed the minimum flow required in Cascade's state issued water rights. This year's historic low flows limit the amount Cascade can divert into the reservoir. Our new flume can take up to 150% of what is allowed. At present, there is no excess water to divert.

FACT: Projections that the reservoir would be filled by Memorial Day were based on assumptions of less than average flow conditions, but nowhere near the extreme conditions now being experienced. In a normal year, the reservoir would have been filled by May 1.

FACT: We have our crews available 24 hours a day to divert as much available water into the reservoir as fast as possible. A typical day includes four to six diversion adjustments, many taking place between 9 pm and 4 am. Unfortunately, the weather is not cooperating.

FACT: Such potential occurrences were even considered and included in the Cascade's 2009 agreement with the Lake Tapps Community, which states "... operational variances may be required due to forecasts or available precipitation, under the terms and conditions of the Water Rights."

FACT: Cascade is in constant discussions with regulatory and other partners to determine if there is any other option available for filling the lake. This includes working to restock the lake with fish once the reservoir is full. The drought has affected everyone.

FACT: Cascade will continue working hard, and do everything we can to refill Lake Tapps.

We value the friendships and relationships we have built with the Lake Tapps community over the years and ask for your continued patience and support.

Looks like it will be a tough year unless we get some rain - a lot of it and soon.  At least they are letting the public know the situation and why.

KING 5 News reported yesterday that Tapps may stay closed all summer. The problem is not only lack of rainfall but also lack of snowpack in the mountains. The Olympics have 4% of the snowpack normal for this time of year, and statewide the snowpack is about 17% of normal. The water in Lake Tapps comes down from the mountains via the White River, and unless we get some rain, there may not be enough water to refill the lake. 

http://www.king5.com/story/news/local/2015/05/08/lake-tapps-closed-...

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