By Steve Weisman
Ask people why they go fishing, and you’ll get a lot of answers, but it’s pretty obvious that fishing is an extremely popular pastime. There is little doubt that fishing can be a stress reliever. Just being out on the water on a nice day like we had last Sunday can give a reprieve from the troubles people are experiencing. That is especially true right now! A break for even a few hours can mean so much!
As I drove around the Iowa Great Lakes this past Sunday, I saw boats scattered across East Okoboji, West Okoboji and Big Spirit. It was kind of cool. No run and gun, nope, not with a 5 mph No-Wake limit, which we so much need.
So, I decided to take an assessment of the boat ramps on East Lake, West Lake and Big Spirit. Most were flooded, but there were a couple that were pretty much dry. Here they are from worst to best!
The worst was the Triboji Boat Ramp on the northwest corner of West Lake. It was totally flooded, and water was up to the houses across the road.
The Upper Gar boat ramp docks were like islands with several feet of water leading up to the walk approaches to the docks themselves. There was a single pickup/trailer in the lot.
The Marble Beach boat ramp dock on the west side of Big Spirit was pretty much unusable with water up several feet on the ramp itself.
Templar Park on the southwest corner of Big Spirit was nearly as bad with the docks being cut off from shore with several inches of water. A handful of vehicles/trailers were in the parking lot, but the boaters had to wade through the water to get up on the top of the dock.
Meanwhile, the spillway boat ramp on the south end of Big Spirit had the north ramp blocked off by cones, with the south one open but with water between the dock and the ramp. There were no vehicles/trailers in the parking lot.
The docks at the HWY 9 bridge were also surrounded by water, and there was only one vehicle/trailer in the lot.
The Emerson Bay Boat Ramp parking lot had a dozen or so vehicles/trailers, and a couple of rigs were being launched while I was there. The anglers just chose to walk through several inches of water to launch their boats.
The Hattie Elston boat ramp East Lake across from Kum & Go was one of the two drier accesses. The ramp was dry and only a couple feet of water between the ramp and the dock.
The best of all was the Mini-Wakan ramp/dock on the north end of Big Spirit. There was no water to walk through out to the dock. Plus, there were a couple dozen rigs parked on the grass north of the ramp.
Be careful of being in the shallow waters
The DNR is warning people not to swim or recreate in the shallows of the lakes in the Iowa Great Lakes. The runoff from the flooding is causing issues, especially along the shorelines. The large amounts of nutrients have begun to cause algae blooms, even on West Okoboji, which is extremely unusual. This type of water can be especially dangerous for both humans and pets.
In addition, with the wastewater bypasses going on, people need to be even more cautious in these shallow waters. People should be avoiding that contact.
Yes, fish are biting
That makes it even more fun…when the fish are biting! I’ve talked One word of caution, however. Watch for floating debris. Lots of dock posts, planks, tree branches, etc., are out there.
Yes, we must go slow, but the fishing spots are still the fishing spots! Check out Facebook posts by local guides. They are still taking clients out and catching fish!
Check also the bait shops, either in person or their Facebook page.
Continue to help out family and neighbors as they recover from the recent disasters. Take time to enjoy the 4th of July and the freedoms we have in our country!
(photos by Steve Weisman)
Triboji
Emerson
Upper Gar
Kum & Go
HWY 9
Templar
Marble Beach
Mini Wakan
Spillway
