# DWR Farmington Conditions and J Dike



## OPENCOUNTRY (Jan 25, 2009)

They finally posted the conditions for Farmington Bay. They also said that the "J Dike" was completed this summer. Anyone have more info on this unit/pictures of it?

http://wildlife.utah.gov/waterfowl/forecasts_2016/farmington_bay.php


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## LostLouisianian (Oct 11, 2010)

There was not many folks there for youth day. There was plenty of water in the the WMA but the numbers of birds on Unit 1 & Unit 2 was much lower than in previous years. I've seen unit 1 so thick with ducks you could barely see water. This year on youth day I believe we saw as many pelicans and seagulls as we did ducks. Luckily the grandson shot very well and he was able to get his limit.


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## fish-n-fool (May 26, 2009)

The J dike unit is just south of goose egg island overlook on the west side of the road. you can't miss it going in the north entrance. Hopefully the water is flowing into it by now.


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## Fowlmouth (Oct 4, 2008)

LostLouisianian said:


> There was not many folks there for youth day. There was plenty of water in the the WMA but the numbers of birds on Unit 1 & Unit 2 was much lower than in previous years. I've seen unit 1 so thick with ducks you could barely see water. This year on youth day I believe we saw as many pelicans and seagulls as we did ducks. Luckily the grandson shot very well and he was able to get his limit.


Get used to it. I'm afraid most of the migrating ducks will use it for a rest area for a short break, then they will be off again. Without any water in the GSL the migrating birds won't stick around long.

I took my daughter to Farmington in the afternoon for the youth hunt. It was disappointing to say the least. I would be surprised if we saw 40 ducks all afternoon. Way more horseflies than ducks.:x

This year is going to take a lot of effort to consistently shoot birds at FB.


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## Fowlmouth (Oct 4, 2008)

fish-n-fool said:


> The J dike unit is just south of goose egg island overlook on the west side of the road. you can't miss it going in the north entrance. Hopefully the water is flowing into it by now.


Looked pretty dry still Saturday.


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## OPENCOUNTRY (Jan 25, 2009)

So the J Dike is completely different than the 4 wheeler trail that headed out west towards the lake? I'll have to go out there to take a look.


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## JerryH (Jun 17, 2014)

You can see it on Google Earth. It was dry Sunday


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## Critter (Mar 20, 2010)

JerryH said:


> You can see it on Google Earth. It was dry Sunday


Do you know that Google Earth is not on real time?

The image of Farmington Bay is from 7/8/2016 and I am surprised that it is that recent.


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## dkhntrdstn (Sep 7, 2007)

OPENCOUNTRY said:


> So the J Dike is completely different than the 4 wheeler trail that headed out west towards the lake? I'll have to go out there to take a look.


that trailer will be under water once they get the water going in there.


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## johnnycake (Jul 19, 2011)

Yeah yeah...the ducks aren't there. What I REALLY want to know is, where are the COOTS?!


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## fish-n-fool (May 26, 2009)

Fowlmouth said:


> Looked pretty dry still Saturday.


With as low as Utah lake is, I highly doubt it will be filled this year. Farmington's water comes from the Jordan river and they have stopped pumping water already. the surplus canal is still full though so hopefully the flow will keep coming. one can only hope. but once it is gone plan on some low water conditions. even in the units.


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## LostLouisianian (Oct 11, 2010)

fish-n-fool said:


> With as low as Utah lake is, I highly doubt it will be filled this year. Farmington's water comes from the Jordan river and they have stopped pumping water already. the surplus canal is still full though so hopefully the flow will keep coming. one can only hope. but once it is gone plan on some low water conditions. even in the units.


At this stage I would like to see them drain Utah Lake and then get in there and deepen it but we all know THAT ain't gonna happen.


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## Critter (Mar 20, 2010)

LostLouisianian said:


> At this stage I would like to see them drain Utah Lake and then get in there and deepen it but we all know THAT ain't gonna happen.


But then were would they get the water to fill a deepened lake if they don't have enough water to fill it now? Not to mention what the environmentalist would yell about.

Starting back in the 40's when they first built Geneva Steel they should of been dumping the slag all the way across the lake east to west. This would of then could of become the base for a road to the west side and the new development. And with the slag being porous it wouldn't of affected the lake levels at all. I have also said that they need to dredge the lake from one end to the other, just look at all the top soil that is sitting on the bottom of the lake. But then as I said before where would they get the water to fill up a deeper lake?


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## JerryH (Jun 17, 2014)

fish-n-fool said:


> With as low as Utah lake is, I highly doubt it will be filled this year. Farmington's water comes from the Jordan river and they have stopped pumping water already. the surplus canal is still full though so hopefully the flow will keep coming. one can only hope. but once it is gone plan on some low water conditions. even in the units.


 Farmington's water does come from the Jordan. If you look at how the J dike is laid out on Google Earth it appears it captures water coming from Farmington Creek and unit one.


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## LostLouisianian (Oct 11, 2010)

What's so special about the J dike, is there supposed to be better hunting in that area?


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## Fowlmouth (Oct 4, 2008)

LostLouisianian said:


> What's so special about the J dike, is there supposed to be better hunting in that area?


The J dike got wiped out in the 80's due to flooding. The footprint was still there. Back then it wasn't impounded, it only went out in the lake so far and did a J hook. With the reconstruction, it is fully impounded. Since the lake disappeared in that area years ago there hasn't been much water there. Nobody knows yet how the hunting will be.

I wonder if parking will be a problem now.


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## LostLouisianian (Oct 11, 2010)

Thanks for the heads up FM...with as few birds as was there Saturday the last thing hunters need is more places for the ducks to hide. :shock:


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## Fowlmouth (Oct 4, 2008)

You WILL see more birds show up in the next several weeks. I believe that J dike area will be a great benefit to birds and hunters alike. The birds will have a safe area in the middle of the unit, not because you can't hunt it, but because there isn't a lot of cover to hide. I don't know how deep they will fill it, or if it will be a sheet water area. I'm assuming a shallow area because the dike isn't very high.


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## OPENCOUNTRY (Jan 25, 2009)

Would someone be willing to show me a picture from google earth of the J dike. For the life of me, I can't see it.


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## Fowlmouth (Oct 4, 2008)

fish-n-fool posted this one up a while back.


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## woollybugger (Oct 13, 2007)

We hunted the J dike on the opener, and well... it was drier than a popcorn ball fart! My 13 year old said "in Utah, even our marshes are deserts". We got one bird for 4 youth hunters. They said it had water flowing into it. Not. Dry dry dry! The boys did shoot at a few ducks passing over on their way out west. We had the place to ourselves. Now I know why. If it had a 20 cubic feet per second flow for about a month it might be worth a try. Maybe next year or in the next few years. But right now it's a better bet for pheasants.


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## woollybugger (Oct 13, 2007)

And the horse flies!!! /**|**\\
TERRIBLE!!!


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## Goshawk (Sep 7, 2007)

From what I can gather the schedule for the J dike is as follows:

2016- the dike is in place and they will hold back a little water to help the dike settle. However any water they do hold back will be lost under the sea of phrag that currently covers the unit. 
So there wont be much in the way of hunting opportunity this year.

2017- In the summer the unit will be dried out and the phrag will be sprayed and either mowed or rolled down. In the fall they will start fill the unit.
Again probably not much hunting opportunity, we'll have to see what it actually looks like come hunting season.

2018- The unit should be finished and full. The fall of 2018 will be the first year the unit will be ready for hunting.


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## LostLouisianian (Oct 11, 2010)

Goshawk said:


> From what I can gather the schedule for the J dike is as follows:
> 
> 2016- the dike is in place and they will hold back a little water to help the dike settle. However any water they do hold back will be lost under the sea of phrag that currently covers the unit.
> So there wont be much in the way of hunting opportunity this year.
> ...


Since it was dry this summer they should have bush hogged it and sprayed it this year so it would be ready next year to hunt...oh well.


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## dkhntrdstn (Sep 7, 2007)

if im right they have already sprayed it this year and last .


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## fish-n-fool (May 26, 2009)

I was there Monday and there is water about half way accros the south end. Only a few inches but they have the flow going in so it might be huntable 3 weeks after the opener.


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## LostLouisianian (Oct 11, 2010)

fish-n-fool said:


> I was there Monday and there is water about half way accros the south end. Only a few inches but they have the flow going in so it might be huntable 3 weeks after the opener.


How much water is flowing in, must not be much if it's going to take 4-5 weeks to get it in there.


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## fish-n-fool (May 26, 2009)

LostLouisianian said:


> How much water is flowing in, must not be much if it's going to take 4-5 weeks to get it in there.


You are right it isn't much hopefully these storms will help.


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## Fowlmouth (Oct 4, 2008)

That's the first time I have seen water flowing in the first canal from unit 1 in years.


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## LostLouisianian (Oct 11, 2010)

fish-n-fool said:


> You are right it isn't much hopefully these storms will help.


The radar and weather reports last night showed quite a bit of rain up in that neck of the woods. We missed most of it here on the west side of Utah lake.


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## hunting777 (May 3, 2009)

johnnycake said:


> Yeah yeah...the ducks aren't there. What I REALLY want to know is, where are the COOTS?!


Here's your Coots!! maybe about 60 of them. Not the best pic, but I thought that you would enjoy.


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## LostLouisianian (Oct 11, 2010)

Were those coots at FB today?


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## johnnycake (Jul 19, 2011)

The cootastrophe draws near. May Satan welcome then into his warm embrace and Cthulhu have mercy on our taste buds and stomachs


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## APD (Nov 16, 2008)

Goshawk said:


> From what I can gather the schedule for the J dike is as follows:
> 
> 2016- the dike is in place and they will hold back a little water to help the dike settle. However any water they do hold back will be lost under the sea of phrag that currently covers the unit.
> So there wont be much in the way of hunting opportunity this year.
> ...


i hope the plan works. all my spots back there are dried up due to the new impoundment. this will be a tough opener for me.


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