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Caples Lake: Back in business this year BIG TIME, CSPA plays major role in arranging for adequate stream flows for Caples Creek and for restocking mitigation for damage to fishery during lake draw down

 

April 22, 2009 -- The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission has approved a streamflow plan for Caples Creek for 2009, and a large scale fish re-stocking plan for Caples Lake will begin implementation in May.
 
The streamflow plan will allow project operator El Dorado Irrigation District to maintain the streamflow regime in Caples Creek that would normally apply in a Critically Dry year, even though the final water year type for Project 184 for 2009 will be Dry or Below Normal. As stated by FERC, “The proposed modifications to the licensee's interim minimum streamflow release plan will maintain aquatic habitat in Caples Creek while allowing Caples Lake to begin refilling. The proposed modifications should be approved.”
 
Chris Shutes, CSPA’s FERC Projects Director, proposed the streamflows for 2009 as a compromise measure to meet the interests of both lake and stream fishermen. “Caples Creek, which was held at 2˝ cfs over the winter, suffered considerably from the repair,” said Shutes. “It was important to get it back up to normal winter flow, and then to have at least some increase in spring and early summer for rainbow trout spawning and to improve fishing opportunities.” Shutes, who guided on Caples Creek over a number of summers, recommends giving the creek a try as snowmelt subsides. “The creek should fish well for about a month in June and early July,” he added.
 
Caples Lake, which stores over 22,000 acre-feet of water when full, was drawn down in the summer of 2008 to a storage level of about 900 acre-feet to allow repair of the outlet works. CSPA and the Sac-Sierra branch of Trout Unlimited assisted the California Department of Fish and Game in moving over 6,000 trout from Caples Lake to Silver Lake and Red Lake in August and September. The repairs were completed by EID in October.
 
Fortunately, there was significant inflow to Caples Lake over the winter, and most of the fish in the reservoir appear to have survived. There were numerous reports of successful ice fishing in Caples Lake over the winter. The fish that were caught appeared to be in very good condition.
 
As of today, Caples Lake contains over 4,000 acre feet, and is rising. While it is likely that this scenic high mountain reservoir on Highway 88 will not fill this year, snowpack is sufficient for it to recover its height substantially in 2009 and be back to normal annual operation thereafter. EID’s re-stocking program, which was designed to replace all the fish in Caples Lake if necessary, will begin in May and continue over the summer. “There’s going to be an awful lot of fish in the reservoir this summer,” says Shutes.