Boyd Lake

[Steve CO]

Fished for the afternoon and evening on Wednesday. One 15.5" walleye and two stocker trout was it. Water is up some from last year but still low. They were not running any in Wed. Fish very scattered - I really found no concentrations. Got a couple of strikes on jigs/minnows, nothing on cranks, all three fish on spinner/crawler/bouncer combo. Water temp 50 degrees. Anybody else try it? If so, how did you do?

[EricCO]

I plan on hitting it maybe on Sunday. You gonna be there?

[MLD]

The couple of times we've been there we were picking up fish on cranks deeper, 25 to 30 feet, although we marked a lot more fish 18' and less. Had the best luck on the west and south side of the south part.

Mike

[Steve CO]

Probably not, Eric. We are putting our house up for sale and need to finish cleaning up on Sunday. Broke ground for our new place a couple of weeks ago so this season is going to be less fishing that I would like, I'm afraid. I might make my next trip up to Horsetooth but will interested in how you do at Boyd.

[Steve CO]

MLD
What cranks were you getting hit on? I ran shad raps and Bomber 24As between 15-20 feet. I did run bottom bouncers at 25-30' with no takes.

[bigvic]

I have been a couple of times throughout this month and last. Nothing too exciting happening. The best reports I have heard, is going an hour before dark to an hour after. Throwing minnow baits to the shore. I have seen a picture of a 10# caught, within the last two weeks, using this method.
The one problem I have had during all my trips to Boyd is the pond scrum crud that gets on your line. I get it just about every cast at any depth, especially on the superbraid lines. No idea what it is.
Anyway, maybe we'll see ya out there. I drive a gray 14 ft Mirro w/ a Suzuki. Going this afternoon. So long, Matt

[Neal/CO]

When do the White bass get going up there?

[Orion]

Went to Boyd early this morning and caught 2 keeper walleye and about a half dozen stocker rainbows (all the trout went back in the water to get a few inches bigger). Most of the action was early in the morning in about 15' of water on the north end. I got both walleye trolling a bottom bouncer with a twister tail, and all the trout were hitting a white twister tail on a small jig head at mid water depth. I got one decent white bass 3 weeks ago, but nothing since then.

Bigvic, that "pond scum" was from all the goose poop in the water over the winter, it's finally all dissappeared, but I was getting that "crap" all over my lines too.

[MLD]

#5 shad raps, shad color, on leadcore just off bottom.

Mike

[bigvic]

GOOSE POOP!? That would explain why my sandwich had a funky taste...didn't wash my fingers too good after cleaning my lines. Well it looks the condition is clearing up, you're right. I went on friday and had no scum at all. Didn't fish that long, got blown away by a T'storm. Maybe today if the wind dies down. So long, Matt.

[Steve CO]

When water levels are normal, I would catch lots of white bass starting in April. Last year and this year with the low water, I just have not been able to find them in any concentration. Used to catch quite a few in the inlet area from the launch to the boat slips but not enough water now to do that.

[Orion]

I had a day off coming to me, so I decided to take it today and hit the lake. I was the only person on the whole lake at 6:00AM, and the water was smooth as glass. I picked up a few crappie on the northeast side, and finally landed a decent 18" walleye and one throwback on the northwest side on orange jigs. The wind picked up from the south and I had to call it quits by 11:00.

The water still hasn't started coming in, but when it does, I have seen the white bass get real hot in the marina area.

[EricCO]

Jigged and pulled cranks. Only caught slimers on them.

Pulled Bottom Bouncers and caught one 15" walleye about 15 feet deep along the south sections west shoreline between the inlet and the marina.


Wishin' for rain in the 303.

[eye4eyes]

Hit Boyd Tues. and got three keepers, two 15" and one 17". Caught them in 18-25 feet on the north. Got one on a crawler and two on leeches using bouncers. Also lost a 7 or 8 pounder. Had a long leader and couldn,t net him. Also caught about a dozen smaller eyes. The lady at the entry booth said that they are going to get little or no water. Hang on to your belly boats. The water in Marina cove is only 6-9 feet. Long tough summer. John B.

[Andy K]

Just got an Email from Tyler (senior ranger) at Boyd. Here is what he wrote:

"Thanks again for your interest in Boyd Lake State Park. We are not yet receiving any water. According to an article on the front page of today's Loveland Daily Reporter Herald, we may not receive any water this year. We have dropped about 2 feet in the past week. The main boat ramp is still useable, with about 6 vertical feet at the end of the concrete."

Sounds like if you are going to go, better do it soon!

[Steve CO]

My understanding from the ranger last year was that they would never drop the water below a certain point and that at the lowest, the ramp would still be usable. I hope that philosophy still holds for this year.

[Orion]

FYI... Here is the headline article in todays Loveland Reporter-Herald... the lake could possibly be drained dry this year :(

Water shortage may drain lakes

By Dave Brendsel
Reporter-Herald Staff Writer

Boyd Lake and Lake Loveland could be reduced to little more than puddles this summer if the statewide drought continues. "I really can see both of those lakes going dry," said Ron Brinkman, general manager of the Greeley-Loveland Irrigation Co. Normally, the irrigation company would be filling its ditches with water now to send to its downstream water users. The company supplies Greeley with drinking water and about 180 farms with irrigation water for 13,000 acres of farmland between Greeley and Loveland. But with spring snowpack and rainfall running well below average this year, the irrigation company has yet to see a drop of water flow through its ditches from its secondary water rights on the Big Thompson River. The company may soon begin draining the two Loveland lakes it owns to supply water to thirsty farms and residents, Brinkman said. Its board of directors meets tonight to decide how much water to use from the lakes and how much can come from water the company owns in the Colorado-Big Thompson diversion project. "We may pull a little from each," Brinkman said. Either way, he said, water levels are likely to plummet in the next few weeks, and the lakes may run dry for the first time in nearly 50 years. "This is the worst we've seen since the drought of 1953-54,"
Brinkman said. Water levels are already lower than normal in both lakes, he said. Usually full from spring runoff by now, Boyd Lake has
dropped from its high of 57 feet to 36 feet, and Lake Loveland is
down to 34 feet from its high of 41 feet. Water levels at the two lakes do not affect Loveland's water supply, and so far the city has not called for water restrictions. Fred Bohlmann, manager of Boyd Lake State Park, said a dry lake would mostly shut down activity at the park this summer and could have far-reaching effects on fish and finances. More than 500,000 people visit the park each year, he said,
mostly in the summer. The park makes money for the state to
the tune of about $500,000 a year, Bohlmann said. The majority of people visiting the park come in the summer to boat and swim, he said. Without water, he said, the park would probably see just a smattering of hikers and campers. "We are a boating reservoir," Bohlmann said.
If the lake goes dry, he said, park revenues would decrease
while park spending increased. If water levels sink low enough,
the park would have to spend money to salvage and restock fish.
"We'd have to start from scratch with our fishery," Bohlmann said.
At Lake Loveland, low water levels could close the city swim
beach and leave lake residents without a place to swim and boat.
The lake's recreation rights are owned by the Lake Loveland
Recreation Club, made up of 114 homeowners surrounding the lake. Club president Jim Grubbs said the homeowners are bracing for a dry summer, devoid of boating and swimming. "It's all part of living in Colorado," Grubbs said. Loveland Recreation Manager Keven Aggers closed the beach in 2000 because of low water levels and could do so again if swimming becomes unsafe. As the water levels drop, he said, swimmers are forced further out into the lake bottom, where sand gives way to mud and other debris that can trap or injure swimmers. "If there's no water, there's no swimming," Aggers said, tongue in cheek. Whether there's water depends on Mother Nature. But so far, she hasn't cooperated. Snowpack for the South Platte River basin is at 33 percent of average and rainfall for Loveland is at 65 percent of average, according to Don Day of Day Weather. Storms that have been rolling into Montana and Wyoming the past few weeks have stopped short of Colorado, he said. Day predicts this week's storm will produce little moisture.
May can be Colorado's wettest month, he said. But whatever
moisture falls from the sky is more likely to get sucked up by
the parched earth than reach the reservoirs, he said. "Sometimes it's hard to catch up," Day said.

[Neal/CO]

This gets scarier every day now! Everybody better fish hard now while you can?

[Steve CO]

OUCH! This does not sound good. Boyd has been a very productive lake over the years as a multispecies fishery. "Starting over" means years before there will be anything worthwhile other than stocker trout. Let's hope for a change in the rainfall patterns.

[Neal/CO]

It was bad enough losing Horsetooth and to a lesser extent Bonny, now add Boyd to list of places to fish for walleye in Northern Colorado is getting scarce. You know North Sterling and Prewitt can't be far behind?

[EricCO]

North Sterling is full.

Wishin' for rain in the 303.

[Neal/CO]

What happens when the irragators take their share and there is nothing coming in to replace it?

[EricCO]

The wipers go nuts. Every single year the reservoir is drained to about 30%. But the reservoir was built for irrigation. Hard to get pissed when it wouldn't even exist without the need. I just hope it stays full enough to get out there in august.

You're right, the year may be short. I sure hope not.

Wishin' for rain in the 303.

[Steve CO]

Eric makes the best point of all. All of these reservoirs were constructed for irrigation purposes primarily (also some like Horsetooth for domestic water supply). We should not be moaning about the agricultural industry "taking" the water. That's what it is for. We can moan about the lack of rain, about global warming and changing weather patterns, about the growth of population on the front range, but let's cut the slack for the farmer who is much more affected than the fisherman by the lack of water. If it's a choice between some farmers and families going bankrupt and my catching a few fish, there is really not much question of which is important.

[EricCO]

The fishing right? LOL.

What seems to really piss me off is homeowners and businesses that wash their sidewalks with their hoses. ##### that pisses me off when I see it.

Wishin' for rain in the 303.

[Neal/CO]

Who's knocking the Farmers? All I said was, what are we going to do once they take their share? I think the article on the front page of the Post today says it all! 19% snowpack and no rain so far?

[EricCO]

This year will affect the average, so future dry winters won't seem so bad. LOL

You know you were blaming the farmers, quite trying to cover it up now. LOL!!!

Wishin' for rain in the 303.

[Neal/CO]

Your right! i also hate Baseball, babies, puppys and apple pie! LOL.