16 March 2010
"Greeting Anglers,
You might have noticed that I haven't been sending out many fishing reports for the past month or so, and there is a very good reason why. The water level in has been falling at a record pace, and the fishing has fallen off at a similar pace. As of today, the lake level is down 65 feet (21.5 m), and it is now falling at a rate of 8-10 inches (15-20 cm) a day. For example, if you find a good fishing spot, stop to tie on your favorite bait, and then draw back to cast, the spot you found is now dry land.
Added to the unprecedented fall in the water level, the river current has been remaining not on the surface as is normal, but rather down below 15-20 feet. This has caused there to be little or no oxygen in the water from 15 feet deep up to the surface. This lack of oxygen more than anything else has caused our fishing to be spotty at best. Top-water action has been virtually nonexistent for the past two months.
Knowing that our rainy season is still two months away, and the water from Guri necessary for the production of electricity, I saw no other option available to me than to temporarily close down Headwaters Fishing Club for the first time in 21 years. It was not a decision taken lightly, but I feel sure the correct one. HFC prides itself on giving our customers consistently good fishing trips where each client has a better than average chance of catching a quality fish. Current conditions dictate that you are lucky to catch a cold, much less a fish on a consistent basis.
HFC will reopen July 15, 2010, when I expect the seasonal rains to have arrived and brought the water level up to a point it is safe and productive. If there is a good side to this announcement, it would be the fact that the past two times the water level fell to critical levels in 1995 and 2001, the months following the returned rise in the water level were marked by fishing of the type dreams are made of. Virtually all of the fish from up the La Paragua and are now out in the main lake, since the rivers are now nothing more than huge rock gardens. For the next 3-4 years, all a person need do is go to any cove, rock point, or island within 10 minutes of the HFC base camp, and absolutely phenomenal fishing for both peacock bass and payara will be yours.
There are already several weeks reserved in July and August, but other quality dates remain available. Get your group together and contact me, so that I can help you plan the fishing trip of a lifetime.
As many of you know, I usually come up with a funny story or two in each of my reports, but this time humor is conspicuously absent from my thought process. This is the first time in my 36 year commercial sportfishing career I have given myself a vacation, and I'm not happy with the idea.
You folks have a GREAT few months, and I will be sending out updates as the conditions chance.
Regards,
Steve Shoulders"
Headwaters Fishing Club
All around the world I hear problems with the climate.
