# Electric 5/28



## Moostickles (Mar 11, 2010)

Fished Electric Lake over Memorial Day. Though the weather was great, the fishing was pretty slow. We hit the water around 6:45 and trolled and/or casted pop-gear, jakes, and rapalas. We only caught nine between 4 of us, and all of them were really shallow. "Long-lining" a rapala or jakes w/o weight behind the boat was the most successful.


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## Tylert (Aug 6, 2008)

Thanks for the report. That's to bad it was slow for you guys. I left that lake plenty of times skunked until I understood the different tactics to use throughout the seasons. I'm headed up next week for 5 days. Thats about the only lake i usually ever fish but I now know it really well. Can't wait to get into the tigers again.


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## 73elkhunter (Mar 1, 2012)

I have a question is the lake worth dealing with the mussles that attach to everything that touches the water. I thought about going but I dont want to deal with the drama of cleaning the boat. I am not saying any thing bad just have wondered. thanks


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## Tylert (Aug 6, 2008)

I have had my boat on that lake at least a hundred times over the years and never once found any trace of a mussels.


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## 73elkhunter (Mar 1, 2012)

My father in law works for the water dept and the mussels are destroying all the pipe lines it is really bad for the water dept.


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## Tylert (Aug 6, 2008)

They usually have someone there with the dnr that will pressure wash it for you on site. If not just make sure you wash your boat before you put it away. Thats something i always do and never had a problem.


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## Moostickles (Mar 11, 2010)

The lake tested positive for zebra mussel spore about 5 years ago, but just yesterday, the guy that is stationed there to decontaminate boats said they have yet to see any mussels.


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## 73elkhunter (Mar 1, 2012)

I know for a fact that Castle Valley Water has had many problems and the pipes coming from the lake are being plugged up and it cost them lots of money. But I was just curious as to how they are dealing with the recreational side of it.


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## LOAH (Sep 29, 2007)

That's the first I've heard from anyone stating anything about actual mussels in E-Lake. Last I heard was that the trace of spore or whatever was likely a false positive.

Are you sure that CVW isn't just griping about something else clogging the pipes (dead elk? LOL) or are talking about what the possible results would be?

I haven't heard any "official" answers about them in the lake from people authorized to give a statement. So far it's all rumors. Sorry to doubt, but rumors spread like wildfire and don't do much good.

Would you care to expound about "knowing for a fact"? Or is this just something you've heard from someone you know? Again, I'm not trying to discredit you, but I'm hesitant to just believe something from a name on a forum. I'd love to hear something valid and certain, from someone involved with the DWR or the water district.

I miss floating by the dam, that's for sure.


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## 73elkhunter (Mar 1, 2012)

yes I know for a fact as in a fact my Father in Law is one of the Head Guys there but your right he only does it for a living and you must know more than he does LOL


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## 73elkhunter (Mar 1, 2012)

OH yeah is my father in law like I said has worked for the water District for 30 years. and just one more thing they have had problems with the pipes for years. I would think after working for them and being one of the head people I will believe him


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## a_bow_nut (Feb 25, 2009)

Dude it was just a question.


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## Chaser (Sep 28, 2007)

If your father in law is such an expert on the place, how come you are coming on here asking strangers about how much of a hassle it is to deal with? Go fish, have fun, and decontaminate when you are done. It's free, and only takes a little while. Simple as that.


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## LOAH (Sep 29, 2007)

73elkhunter said:


> yes I know for a fact as in a fact my Father in Law is one of the Head Guys there but your right he only does it for a living and you must know more than he does LOL


 :roll:

Hi, my name is LOAH and I really like fishing Electric Lake. Those of us who have spent a lot of time on these forums over the YEARS have read plenty of second-hand information about this or that.

What it comes down to is that for every "official" story, there are a great deal of unofficial stories that have no real credibility and a wise person will question something before blindly believing it.

I'm not sure how much more delicately I could have asked you to expound, but I meant you no offense. Your statement is still second-hand and the fishing community is still not answered as far as Electric Lake is concerned, regarding mussels.

They've had problems with the pipes for years? So that doesn't mean they're from mussels, necessarily. Pipes get old. I'd love to read something from someone who is directly involved.

I haven't heard any positive confirmation that any mussels have actually been found in the lake, yet you claim the pipes are already clogging from them? Of course I'm going to question that.

Get your FIL to join the forum and make an official statement.

Sorry I wasn't so delicate this time.


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## Grandpa D (Sep 7, 2007)

I have sent an email to the DWR and asked them to respond to this thread. 
They will be the right people to tell us what the conditions are concerning invasive mussels. 
I hope to get a response back from them soon
Thank you,
Grandpa D.


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## 73elkhunter (Mar 1, 2012)

Well first I may have taken your post the wrong way and I am sorry. I know they are there and what trouble it causes the water dept. I am not an expert on them by any means obviously. I took a class to get the annual certification and they made it sound they could and would attach easily to any thing if put in a lake with them. So when I saw this I was wondering if it did and and how hard it was to deal with it. I am glad people use it and are enjoying it. I have been afraid to even mess with it and may be it will keep alot of people out so the people who do use it may have less traffic. I hope it doesn't get spread to other lakes but who knows.


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## Moostickles (Mar 11, 2010)

Grandpa D said:


> I have sent an email to the DWR and asked them to respond to this thread.
> They will be the right people to tell us what the conditions are concerning invasive mussels.
> I hope to get a response back from them soon
> Thank you,
> Grandpa D.


Great idea Grandpa D. I look forward to hearing what the official word is.



73elkhunter said:


> Well first I may have taken your post the wrong way and I am sorry. I know they are there and what trouble it causes the water dept. I am not an expert on them by any means obviously. I took a class to get the annual certification and they made it sound they could and would attach easily to any thing if put in a lake with them. So when I saw this I was wondering if it did and and how hard it was to deal with it. I am glad people use it and are enjoying it. I have been afraid to even mess with it and may be it will keep alot of people out so the people who do use it may have less traffic. I hope it doesn't get spread to other lakes but who knows.


Elkhunter, you won't notice anything different at Electric Lake from any other lake. Even if there are mussels in that lake, they won't do anything to you boat if it's in there for a day or two. The DWR's fear is that the _microscopic_ mussel spores will attach to boats and be spread to other waters if proper pre and post)-cautions are not taken.

Go enjoy Electric Lake, it's an incredible place!


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## HunterGeek (Sep 13, 2007)

The DWR found evidence of zebra mussel veligers at Electric Lake in 2008. (A veliger is the larval stage in a mollusk's life cycle, like a mussel.) Since that time, their sampling has found no further evidence of either quagga or zebra mussels in the lake, so the DWR recently reclassified the lake to a "not detected" status. See for yourself at http://wildlife.utah.gov/dwr/affected-waters.html.

I don't know anything about clogged water pipelines in the area, but I do know that if they are clogged that they aren't clogged with either zebra or quagga mussels. In areas where these mussels become established, they do clog water distribution and treatment facilities, and it costs many millions of dollars to deal with them. To date, however, no adult zebra mussels have ever been found in Utah waters, and only a single adult quagga mussel was found at Sand Hollow Reservoir in May of 2010.


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## 73elkhunter (Mar 1, 2012)

So why was it ever listed and why not get rid of the designation. I could care less if you belive me it really doesn't matter i just figured ignorace is not bliss and Castle Valley water has proof of it. I am done with this. Hey I got an Idea why dont you go tell Castle Valley water district they dont have a clue what they are doing or what they look like. LOL
Have a good day I hope this post wont ruin the rest of your year.


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## 73elkhunter (Mar 1, 2012)

Thanks Utahhunting direct all i was wondering was what you answered. I appreciate your response


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## kochanut (Jan 10, 2010)

ill add soem hear say to this! after talking with the DoW in CO when getting my red toon inspected last year at Sanchez Res, the zebra/quagga muscles have not established themselves well in most western bodies of water because a majority of them freeze over during the winter. 

just what i was told is all, only thing i know to do is clean, drain, dry!


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## 73elkhunter (Mar 1, 2012)

Sounds good I hope they all die and don't get back to any of the utah lakes.


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## Tylert (Aug 6, 2008)

After reading the previous posts and taking the time to research the information that has been provided I have come to the conclusion that the information we have shared with you is useless in your eyes. We were never intending on picking a fight or degrading anyone. I go to that lake to seek serenity and get away from people like yourself. I express that with no offence what so ever. Although all we were trying to do is help you understand your concern on the issue so you would feel secure with taking your boat to the lake. I understand if the water dept has problems with the pipes. We take our boats there for a day or two at a time and never have had any issues. I also understand that the water dept could have issues with the mussels because the pipes in the lake are a permanent fixture. However the boaters who come and go everyday don't have an issue with the mussels at this point after three years of documentation that has been reported. You are taking the situation out of context from the information that has been provided.


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## Larry Dalton (May 31, 2012)

Hi, I'm Larry Dalton, Aquatic Invasive Species Coordinator for UDWR. I was made aware of the Electric Lake discussion and I would like to set the record straight. Everyone's interest in the quagga and zebra mussel issue is appreciated.

1. Electric Lake was confirmed to have zebra mussel veligers in fall 2008 using microscopy (saw the veliger--larval stage for the mussel--in a microscope) and DNA testing. The DNA was performed via three independent methods. To date no juvenile or adult mussels have been observed; in fact no more evidence for veligers has been detected. The same information would be true for Red Fleet Reservoir, too, except at Red Fleet Reseervoir it was quagga mussel.

2. Electric Lake and Red Fleet are managed under authority of a control plan, which means that you have to decontaminate your boat upon leaving. Decontamination is not a simple wash job. It is a wash with 140 degree F water (scalding hot) applied as both low and high (3,000 psi) pressure. It takes 5 seconds of the scalding water to kill an adult quagga mussel and 10 seconds to kill an adult zebra mussel. Another decontamination method is to Clean, Drain & Dry the boat. Dry time is 7 days in summer, 18 days in spring and fall, and 30 days in winter.

3. The initial innoculation of mussels has been defeated by simply placing sufficient resources (personnel and decontamination equipment) at Electric Lake and Red Fleet Reservoir to ensure that no more mussels are added to the sytem and that all departing boaters are compelled to decontaminate. The mussel velligers must settle with several inches of each other in order to breed once they are adults. If they settle several feet apart they live out a three year life, but breeding cannot be accomplished, since it is open water broadcast spawing for quagga or zebra mussels.

Please visit UDWR invasive mussel web site (http://wildlife.utah.gov/dwr/invasive-mussels.html) for more details.

4. The Emery Water Conservancy District, Central Utah Water Conservancy District, Uintah Water Conservancy District, U.S. forest Service and PacifiCorp are all aiding UDWR in the fight against the mussels at both water bodies. Many other partners are helping out across the state. They each provide sufficient funds to UDWR to carry out the fight. Boater aid us too, by properly decontaminating their equipment.


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## LOAH (Sep 29, 2007)

Thank you for the first-hand knowledge of the situation and taking your time to explain it to us.


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## Moostickles (Mar 11, 2010)

Thanks for the update Larry, and welcome to the forum!


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## Grandpa D (Sep 7, 2007)

We appreciate your time to educate us about these invasive mussels.
It's great to see that The DNR sets these high standards in the fight against invasive species.
Thank you for setting us straight,
Grandpa D.


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## DallanC (Jan 13, 2009)

I hope they are also decontaminating the waterfowl thats flying from lake to lake during their migrations.

Seriously though I worry we spend so much money and effort concentrating on 1 segment of water users when so many other ways for cross contamination exist, and are ignored or unpreventable. 

Government at work I guess...


-DallanC


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## muysauve (Jan 7, 2008)

73elkhunter said:


> I have a question is the lake worth dealing with the mussles that attach to everything that touches the water. I thought about going but I dont want to deal with the drama of cleaning the boat. I am not saying any thing bad just have wondered. thanks


I was up there on 5/26 and there was a DWR person up there was a high Pressure to spray down your boat.

Too bad that weather wasn't good for us. It was 36 * snow flurries and windy.


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## 73elkhunter (Mar 1, 2012)

I am glad to hear they have it under control.


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