2010!

Falls Lake - 2010! Trip

Put In - The boat ramp is located in the Beaverdam access park off of Highway 50 above 98. Nice slightly rocky put in is to the left of the dock/ramp. Some people put in on the sandy beach to the right, but this is usually for swimmers.
Distance/Time - 3.5 miles/1 1/2 hours
Difficulty - Above Average because of cold water and rain.
Trip Directions - The frigid weather of the last month broke this weekend and today was in the high 60's, but the forecast was for rain by 2PM and thundershowers by 5PM. Since the weatherman usually gets it wrong, I decided to head up to Beaverdam and just paddle close to shore. Well, when I arrived it was showering and then it stopped. So, I put in and took off towards the dam. Exactly at 2PM the skies opened up and I had to high tail it back to the boat ramp. Had to throw on an emergency poncho and also take my jacket and wrap it around the dog. With the wind and cold air coming off the water the air temperature dropped like a rock. I was at the dam when it hit, so it took me about 15 minutes to get back. A father/son got caught to in their canoe, so we traded stories at the ramp. Dog and I were totally soaked to the bone. Got the dog dry with a towel, all gear stowed and then headed to the shelter to eat lunch. Turned out a family had driven down from Creedmoor and had a fire going and was cooking lunch. I stole some of their heat and ate lunch. My first paddle in 2010, felt nice to be back on the water.
Scenery - When I arrived the lake was totally covered in seagulls, they were on the beach, flying, and swarming everywhere. It took me the longest time to finally figure out that they were eating small shad that were near the surface. And when I went into a cove that was fed by a large stream, it had rained over 3 inches the previous night, the whole cove was covered in dead shad. I actually watched them try and get on high ground and then die. I saw a fisherman and ask about this and he said that since all the creeks had been frozen solid from the previous month's cold, that this warm rain had washed all the ice into the lake and the cold water was causing the shad to die and come to the surface. And I ound this Googling:

Threadfin shad don't tolerate cold water. If your water temperatures drop below 42 degrees F, expect threadfin shad to die. As temperatures fall, these silvery, sleek fish become sluggish, and game fish feed on them voraciously. But, inevitably with cold water, your lake will lose its shad. That's not necessarily a reason not to use thread-fins, but you should be aware of the possibility of complete loss.

Hazards - Cold water and weather.