Need Every Fisherman’s Help!!

Guys/Gals,

I’m requesting your help. There is a situation in my home state of SD that has weighed heavy on my conscience for some time. I know this may not affect most/any of you, but I’m calling on you as conservationist, neighbors, and most importantly…Fisherman.

The Missouri River in SD, ND and Mt continues to be drained at an alarming rate for a few industries. Irrigation and barges!! Recreation on this stretch of river is estimated at a 100 Million a year, well, it used to be.

I’m copying some links from Tony Dean’s website. You may not like Tony or his shows, but the man has went to bat for us on many occasions. Please view these pictures.

http://www.tonydean.com/photopages/tonydean/photos/7581

http://www.tonydean.com/photopages/tonydean/photos/7575

http://www.tonydean.com/photopages/tonydean/photos/7574

http://www.tonydean.com/photopages/tonydean/photos/7573

Please take the time write your congressman/woman, asking them to put a stop to the draining of our reservoirs!!! Also, if you have an extra minute, write the governors of Iowa, Nebraska, Missouri asking them to help stop this horrible assault on this wonderful body of water!!

Thanks for your time!!!!

John

Thanks for the heads up, Kooty. Being raised on the Minn/SD border, I’ve fished Whitlock Bay many times but not in the recent past. Amazing how much water has been lost! I’m in.

I am in. Bush is the worst thing to happen to our environment since we have been a country.

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I am in. Bush is the worst thing to happen to our environment since we have been a country

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Don’t start kev, that statement is almost perverse it’s so untrue.

Just to give you the other side of the story…not all of the water is going for irrigation and barge traffic. (Although quite a bit of the problem is due to these two…further down the river.) There are some people, myself included, that would just like to have some water released from the dams further up the river so we, too, can fish, boat, ski, etc. on the same waterway. South Dakota is not the only place/state that benefits from the Missouri River. I’m all for conservation, but let’s not limit it to certain areas deemed “more important.”

jd

Just stop. One more factually inaccurate or blatantly deceiving post by you and I think I’ll hurl. This situation has been taking place so long it spans several presidents… both republican AND democrat. Kooty asked for HELP, not someone to start the blame game that in the end accomplishes NOTHING.

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I am in. Bush is the worst thing to happen to our environment since we have been a country.

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I completly agree JD!! This affects the river from the mountains to the Mississippi! I only hear from the SD side because of my close ties to home. We(people) have to be careful with mother nature and unfortunately we haven’t been at times.

We all remember 97, the reservoirs were at an all time high, now an all time low. Sad what can happen in such a short time. I can remember standing at the spillway in Pierre when they ran a bunch of water to help take some pressure off the dam intakes. It was an amazing sight. My understanding is those intakes are now virtually out of the water. We used to catch salmon over there, I think I remember it being in 50′ of water??? I know we hooked a cannon ball on them one time and darned lost a downrigger.

Thanks for everyones help on this matter!!

John

Just a thought.
Growing up in Colorado and still having family there I go fishing the quite frequently. Over the last several years some of the mountain resevoirs were drained completey and many lakes looked very similar to Ohae now. This is or has occurred all the way down the platte and Colorado rivers. Lake powell is also way down and in a similar situation. What I’m getting at is some lakes were built for water supply and gave us the opportunity to fish, but there is not much you can do when Mother nature deals you a bad hand. The good news is many of the lakes in CO are filling or filled back up do to a good winter, and I’m sure in time Ohae will to. The drought out west has affected alot of states and hasn’t helped the fishing at all, it is unfortunate, but I don’t know of any politician that can make it rain.

John,

Thanks for posting these pics as well as starting this post. The pictures are disturbing to say the least. I do not fish Oahe or visit the area much, but as an fellow fisherman I cherish the thought of someday going here to fish. Taking it for granted that it will always be here is something that an “outsider” like myself has come to believe and trust. But as I see this, obviously things are changing and unfortunately we are among the numbers of people who are affected by such a political action. I will make a point of it to voice my thoughts and concerns here.
Just goes to show you that these resources can be exhausted and in the long run….destroyed.

One of my best friends owns land right near Busch’s landing(pic 3). We used to go up there fish a bunch and hunt geese in the fall. I don’t get in on that trip anymore, but my buddies tell me I wouldn’t recognize the river anymore. All our old fishing spots are long high and dry. I learned a ton about walleye fishing on Oahe, it’s really sad to see her in such poor shape! I hope mother nature will forgive us and bring a bunch of snow to the mountains the next few years!!

Kooty, I used to fish the Missouri (Bismark, ND)back in college and a few years after (94-2000). I remember in 97 and prior, the water was high and the fishing was unbelievable. From 97 on it went down hill and down hill fast. I remember the last time we went there, very shallow (2000) and the fishing went form catching many Piggies (97 and Prior) to boating a million 12-15″. I know they had a forage problem back in the late 90’s that caused this, but also we used to fish areas that were 17′ deep, a couple of years later were rocks above water . I did not totally understand the big picture, although this may halp clear it up some. I would love to go back there someday and enjoy this resource again.

I also see JD’s point and I do not have enough information on the subject to form an opinion either way. But, I do know that we as Sports man/women have to pull together and do what is best for the land and the resources. They have to much outsude influence and pressure to take care of themselves any longer. I will write something next week and encourage everyone else to do the same. Even if you do not fish this fishery, it is a unbeleivable resource when managed properly.

I got this reply from the president:

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In addition to [email protected], we have developed White House Web Mail, an automated e-mail response system. Please access http://www.whitehouse.gov/webmail to submit comments on a specific issue.

Additionally, we welcome you to visit our website for the most up-to-date information on current events and topics of interest to you.

Can somebody tell me how having a resevoir in South dakota effects the water in Missouri. Is it that having the water damed up in SD couses less flow and the water drops in missouri. If that is the case I can see both sides of the deal. Even so i pesonally would like to see the lakes filled back up.

They let water out of the dams in SD to maintain a navigatable channel on the Missouri River between Omaha and the Mississippi River so barges can make it to and from Omaha(or that area). From what I have read there is limited barge traffic in that area and many people in the Dakotas are being adversely affected. Every time we go to Oahe it is lower than the time before. It is only a shell of it’s former self right now. I’m sure it is a very complex problem and Mother Nature is dealing some bad cards right now to boot but Sportsman are again getting pushed aside by not being listened to. The recreational dollars being lost surely outweigh what is coming in from the barge trade. I know that people that are knowledgable about this subject are shaking their heads as I have left out many parts of the equation(such as irrigation,run-off issues,etc.). I’m not sure there is a right answer but it sure seems we have stumbled upon a wrong one.

I fish SD several times a year and it is a sad site right now. Why don’t the DNR or whoever is in charge of the $63.00 the state of SD rips all of us out of state fisherman for a license; put some of that money towards a hiring a lobbiest so the state of SD can be heard.

Kooty, I would like to help…can you put together an email template as to what to send?

We are all in this together.

Man, do I hear you on this. I’ve lived in Williston, ND since 1978. This community lies in the area where the Missouri River ends and Lake Sakakawea begins. With the advent of the Lewis & Clark expedition’s huge following locally, the Sheriff’s department even had to buy a special boat to help remove stranded boaters because of the lack of water to get between the lake and the river.

It’s been terribly low for years and now it’s just insanely low. There’s only 14 operable boat ramps on the whole lake! We used to have 7 within an hour drive of Williston. Now there are none. I haven’t even got my boat out of moth balls this year.

If congress, the states, and the Corps could have worked together and saved even 10% of the water during this drought period, we’d be in fine shape. It’s just very, very sad…

Putter

Welcome to IDA Putter 1!!!

I am on board John I will send out some letters as well!

Brian,

I’m working on gathering the list of congressman/woman for the states directly involved. I hope to have something put together by the end of the week.

John