With duck season a couple weeks away, does anyone have any current info on water level in the local marshes? It's been really hot and dry in most of south central and I suspect a lot of our smaller water bodies are dry, or close to dry.
Hay Flats water levels
- Thread starter akcarv
- Start date
I went to Duck Lake on Saturday about 1200. My first time out there. Water was extremely low in DL. I tried to get into the deeper water but gave up after about 500 yards from the portage channel. My longtail was grinding up mud at best. Water anywhere from ankle to below knee depth. Lots of mud showing. With the high winds understand water gets blown out of the marsh. I dragged boat back quite a bit. The channel after the portage was very low, had to drag boat.
I couldn’t resist checking it out myself so went out last night and thought I would share what I saw. Duck lake was the lowest I have ever seen it (been hunting out there for about 8 years) and there was only a couple of inches in the channel that is at the portage that you use to get to the main lake. It was also only about 24-36” wide for most of it until you go past the first big mat of bulrushes. It is going to take a couple ambitious/dedicated hunters with a lightweight setup that drafts very little water and has a powerful mud motor (to bad there is the 20 HP limit) to have any chance to move around out there.
The weirdest past for me was that the slough leading to the portage was crystal clear all the way down. It was also very shallow and there were many places the last mile or so that you could of walked across with knee boots. The substrate was relatively hard and my 18 HP copperhead had a hard time in this section as it was slow going and couldn’t get up on step. This was during high tide yesterday, but it was a very small tide compared to the 37 foot swing we are supposed to get this weekend so things may change, but that will present its own problems for newbies not familiar with how the tide affects things out there.
Hopefully this report is useful to someone. Hope everyone has fun and please be respectful/patient Sunday so that everyone has a good time. Only a few more days
The weirdest past for me was that the slough leading to the portage was crystal clear all the way down. It was also very shallow and there were many places the last mile or so that you could of walked across with knee boots. The substrate was relatively hard and my 18 HP copperhead had a hard time in this section as it was slow going and couldn’t get up on step. This was during high tide yesterday, but it was a very small tide compared to the 37 foot swing we are supposed to get this weekend so things may change, but that will present its own problems for newbies not familiar with how the tide affects things out there.
Hopefully this report is useful to someone. Hope everyone has fun and please be respectful/patient Sunday so that everyone has a good time. Only a few more days
Cutter
New member
id be interested to hear about anyone trying the East End portage, and Lake Level from Knik. Its prob bone dry. I'd be careful camping, couple bruiser tides going to push over the tops and deliver some much needed water into the ponds...and tents.
Cutter
New member
Decided to go check the East side of DL and check the portage from the Knik River at 3m for myself too, forget it! its dry, and a longer run that the RS side, maybe 6 inches of water about halfway down for 100 yards b4 you get to the lake proper. Once there you will find sludge and weeds too thick to get through. The entire east end is mostly dry mud and dry ground with a few pools of mucky water. Those that go down and camp will find their tents wet from the big tides coming on the opener. Any kind of light wind is going to push alot of water over the banks and the lake definitely needs it. I doubt it will even make a dent though - the ground is so dry it will simply soak it up before it can flow in. I went down on a high tide, I doubt the crossover is doable in anything other that a light inflatable raft with dragging and that is not a section to mess with outside of your boat. I agree with MartinBow from above, please respect others and be patient. Those that fight the mud and low water should have a good shoot, but its going to be a physically demanding hunt from the moment you get where you are going. Respect the tides and watch the wind...the 33'r on Sunday AM could swamp your boat or worse - leave you high and dry on the bank for at least 12hrs maybe more. We will be down there somewhere, the where part is still being determined. in the last 12-15 years or so we've hunted down there i've never seen such conditions, reminds me of hunting in SoCal in the 80's on the dry reservoirs and Bakersfield water projects.
