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Angling for a catch
Weather fails to quell ardor for fish on opening day at Howard Prairie By DAMIAN MANN With a flick of their wrists, anglers cast off on the first weekend of the spring trout season, crowding the shores of Howard Prairie Lake like spawning salmon. "When I came up here yesterday (Saturday), I couldn't even find a place to stand," said Doug Noyes of Phoenix, who chose the leeward side of a jetty to protect himself and his wife, Sara, from the persistent wind. Chris Johnston, assistant manager of Howard Prairie Lake Resort, agreed with Noyes' crowd assessment: "Yesterday it was our normal zoo. It was a great day. It was one of two or three of our best opening days." He estimated that 3,000 people visited the resort Saturday, jamming the parking lot and lake shore. "People were fishing really hard Saturday," he said. "Then they came in again strong on Sunday morning and by that afternoon most of them were gone." Johnston surmised that about 95 percent caught their limit of five fish. The only cloud hanging over the fishing frenzy was the weather, which was a combination of freezing winds, rain, sleet and a tease of sunshine. Johnston said inclement weather is a staple at Howard Prairie for this time of the year, and he only remembers about two or three times when it was sunny and warm. Lake levels were still noticeably low from the recent drought at 17 feet below capacity. "We're still recovering from last year," said Johnston. Howard Prairie is only 55 percent full, he said, though he remains somewhat hopeful that more rains could bring lake levels up. But with only 11/2 inches of rain in March and April compared to the normal 5 to 6 inches, Johnston said it would take a lot of late spring rains to fill it. "Most lakes, when they're at 55 percent, are dead in the water," he said. "But ours is a big enough lake that you can still use it." Docks, which sat way below the parking lot, still allowed boaters to set out into the lake, which is stocked with about 400,000 fish annually. Low water and stormy weather didn't seem to bother the fishermen. "You get the same amount of fish, but with less water," said Noyes. Ramon Vega of Medford said. "It's still low water, but we caught six today in a couple of hours." His son, Joshua, caught his first fish. "Here's my fish," said the four-year-old, pointing proudly to his catch. David Grimes of Seattle came a long way to go fishing. "I always have more fun coming to this place than up at home," he said. "Up home you can walk across from shore to shore - it's that packed." Even so, Grimes found the crowds a little daunting Saturday, so he decided to stay warm in his motor home. "I figured I would wait it out," he said. "I've seen a lot of fish coming out and a lot of fish being cleaned." His wait seemed to have paid off. After catching his first trout, he said, "I've only been here 15 minutes." Reach reporter Damian Mann at 776-4476, or e-mail dmann@mailtribune.com |
