August 26 - 28 Fishing Report

Fishing Reports and Lake Conditions Only. Ask your questions and post remarks in the General Forum Please.

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Line Wetter
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August 26 - 28 Fishing Report

Post by Line Wetter » Mon Aug 29, 2016 2:53 pm

Well, the perfect storm occurred for our annual pilgrimage to Black Lake:
Mostly stable weather conditions, a turning lake that I can only describe as "pea soup" in color and visibility, warm temps, and a slightly low lake level all added up to a very poor weekend of bass fishing with numbers too embarrassing to mention.

It's always a risk when coming up this time of year, but this year....."we hit it bad". Hopefully things settle down in a few weeks when my father, grandfather, and uncle plan to make a visit.

Until next year Black Lake........our fault not yours..........we'll plan better next year.
Keep those Lines WET!

GuidedBassTrips
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Re: August 26 - 28 Fishing Report

Post by GuidedBassTrips » Tue Aug 30, 2016 10:12 am

Thanks for an honest report about the fishing. Guys have a tendency to only put up a report when they do well. The lake has been fishing difficult because of the type of summer we've had. But it doesn't mean you came here at a bad time of year. Late August can be really good. The algae bloom is already starting to show signs of clearing and should help the fishing. This years bloom is just more intense than normal and it does effect the fishing. Mostly in terms of specific methods you need to use to be successful....Good luck in a few weeks.
Give a starving man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach him how to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.

Fishpro
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Re: August 26 - 28 Fishing Report

Post by Fishpro » Tue Aug 30, 2016 12:18 pm

Black Lake is Black Lake. All lakes react,in the same way, to the on-going changes of weather and time of year. Man's influence on the environment is also a vital area that provides us with some control as to what happens to the fishery. Obeying the current laws and regulations should be of up most importance. This includes turning in of those who don't follow the program of Sportsmanship and Conservation. As we go into the Fall season we will see where the fishing will get better as the turn over of the lake ceases. Catch & Release!!

RochNY
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Re: August 26 - 28 Fishing Report

Post by RochNY » Wed Aug 31, 2016 10:08 am

Hello all,
Just a minor point of correction. Black Lake does not turn over in the traditional sense of the term. We're much too shallow for that and we have no thermoclines due to fairly good flow and a long fetch allowing the prevailing winds to cause mixing. Scientists have reported that we have almost 100% oxygen saturation, again in large part due to the shallow nature of the lake along with abundant aquatic plant growth.

We do however have a widespread and long lasting algal bloom this summer. We get blooms every year, but this year, the bloom has been constant and the cyanobacteria (blue green) portion of it has been problematic. The chlorophyll a numbers are very high indicating a Harmful Algal Bloom (HAB). Normally these are localized and driven by wind/waves the HAB will pile up along the shoreline or in a cove or bay. Due to the widespread presence of HAB this year, it's pretty much throughout the lake. There are at least four genera of cyanobacteria present, each of which is capable of producing toxins (to humans and animals). Follow-on toxin testing however hasn't shown high levels of those toxins. Still, caution is advised according to the NYS Health Department and DEC. One should avoid contact with HAB waters which most commonly have a blue-green appearance (though not always). That means don't swim/waterski or fish in those waters. Being out in open water as opposed to in quiet, sheltered bays is preferable when HABs are present.

This is NOT a Black Lake-ONLY condition! There are thousands of lakes across the U.S. that are experiencing extreme algal blooms this year. The DEC has a HAB webpage where you can see the status of those lakes that do get samples submitted. With over 8,000 lakes and reservoirs in NYS, obviously not all get sampled nor are there resources to do so. As with safe boating, the responsibility for one's well-being lies with the individual being observant and careful. If you do contact a HAB, wash off with fresh water as soon as you can. Here's the link to the DEC HAB pages: http://www.dec.ny.gov/chemical/83310.html .
You may have to cut and paste or copy that link into your browser. Further question? Feel free to message me. I serve on the Black Lake Association BOD, am past president and a microbiologist.
Preserve, Protect, Enhance Black Lake Every Day

mitchr
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Re: August 26 - 28 Fishing Report

Post by mitchr » Thu Sep 01, 2016 9:55 am

Hey Guys,

I have a trip scheduled up to Black Lake on Friday the 9th. Is it safe to fish on the lake currently and are conditions with the Algae Bloom getting any better? I'd like to know if I should try to cancel and reschedule to later in the month or October.

Thank you,
Mitch

RochNY
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Re: August 26 - 28 Fishing Report

Post by RochNY » Thu Sep 01, 2016 12:25 pm

Hello mitchr,

I cannot speak to the probability of your fishing success...as you have read on this site, it varies with weather conditions, time of the year and phases of the moon. I'm no angler, but I have great appreciation for those who have the patience, talent, skills and time to pursue the sport.

I'm sure Black Lake has plenty of safe water for you to enjoy on your trip. It's a pretty big lake with almost 11,000 acres. The dialog on here has centered around low water levels compared to other years, though we're at about the same level as last year at this time. We have had (as many many NY lakes have had) significant and large area algal blooms, some of which are HABs (Harmful Algal Blooms)--not actually algae, but types of bacterial cells that contain chlorophyll to produce their food energy.

Reports I'm hearing are that significant areas of the south end of the lake that just a few weeks back were thickly populated by HABs, are starting to clear up. The main body of the lake is basically free of dense blooms and has many areas that are regularly fished, some with great success. I've seen fishing folk out there, quite happily anchored and fishing away!

The weather for Labor Day week is supposed to be warm and sunny so weatherwise, you will have a good experience. I think just getting out on a boat with friends and/or family is great fun; add to that, some together-fishing time and one can't have a more fulfilling vacation. By next week, we may even be surprised with the HAB disappearing completely. It's happened before. These bacteria can disappear as quickly as they appear. Sometimes moving down in the water column, sometimes being blown up against one shore or another and sometimes simply dying off because they've lived their expected lifetimes. Good news is, from sample results I've personally run as well as mid-lake samples that we submit to state labs, the toxin levels that could have materialized from these HABs did not do so except for a couple of sheltered bays where we think toxins built up. Testing of one of those bays that had very dense cyanobacteria populations (HABs) at one point did NOT show elevated toxin levels. This is not an exact science and as I said above, many NY lakes as well as lakes in other states experienced high levels of HABs this summer, but folks have had a good recreational season and with awareness and appropriate avoidance when a blue-green bloom is seen, there is no reason not to enjoy Black Lake.
Preserve, Protect, Enhance Black Lake Every Day

mitchr
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Re: August 26 - 28 Fishing Report

Post by mitchr » Tue Sep 06, 2016 8:32 am

Thank you for the reply as well as your PM RochNY, it is very much appreciated. We're heading up Friday morning this week and will report back after the trip on how we did.

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