Loch Lomond report - 3/1/08

I took my 17 foot SIK out on Loch Lomond today to paddle all over the lake and scout the situation. Here's the report:

Conditions: The lake is looking great. The level is all the way up to the top waterline. Pretty good visibility and cold. The two inlets at the end of the lake are full and easy to navigate.

Boat inspections: There is an inspection area on the left in a parking lot above the launch ramp. You pull in there and get inspected before going down to launch. They said that on weekdays they might do the inspections up at the entrance gate. They're still working it out, so things may change as the season moves along. I blundered in without getting inspected, but that was just dumb luck. I would definitely count on getting inspected. They are looking for wet boats, standing water, and mud. The ranger told me that they turned back 9 people today, but they also said it was the busiest opening day they have seen in a long time, so that might not be a large percentage of boats that showed up. Just make sure your boat is clean and dry before heading up to the lake to avoid getting turned away. They also said that on days when it is raining in the morning, they won't allow any boats on the water at all that day.

Fishing: I was only paddling, but I saw some big fish that were caught, and they looked like holdovers. A couple were around 18 inches and 3 pounds. I typically estimate on the low side, so they were probably bigger. Lots of people caught limits. The guys with the big ones were trolling nightcrawlers behind a dodger. I'm wondering if artificial worms might work just as well?

Thanks for the report!  It really sounds like it was a great day for an opener!  Last year, I think there were no fish at all on opening day, most people looked pissed!  NOW I am really looking forward to Monday!   Nice to hear they have a sane solution to the inspections!

Great report ganoderma!  I really had hoped to make it to today's opener but it wasn't meant to be.

They definitely don't plant large fish so the bigguns you witnessed must have been holdovers.

Michael

Thanks you so much for the report. I can't wait to get up there tomorrow morning.

-FF