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Gauley Season gripes, I get a few

SUMMERSVILLE, W.Va. — Last week the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers turned on the spill gates at Summersville Dam to inaugurate yet another Gauley Season in West Virginia.  Through an agreement with the whitewater rafting industry, the Corps releases the water from Summersville Lake down to its winter pool in a controlled fashion, spreading the drawdown over five weekends.

The result is world class whitewater rafting down the canyon of the Gauley River. It draws thousands of thrill seekers from around the world who want to experience a wild river.  It’s a man made ride, but it works because rafting outfitters can guarantee the trip. Other states and countries may have rafting, but their rivers are at the mercy of Mother Nature. If it’s been a dry season the rapids may not be as robust.

The arrangement is a huge boost to the West Virginia economy and the state’s tourism industry.  But as somebody once said, no good deed ever goes unpunished.

Each year when I do a story about Gauley Season, I’m hit with several obligatory e-mails and messages from fishermen.  They complain the great whitewater rafting comes at the cost of some great fishing on the other side of Summersville Dam as the lake draws down.

They have a point.  Lowering water levels have a tendency to turn off the fishing. The timing couldn’t be worse. We’re moving out of the hot, humid summertime patterns and into cooler days when fish begin to feed in preparation of winter dormancy. Summersville is a lake which has a big smallmouth bass population and the fall is an incredible time to fish for them.  The rest of the state’s lakes will not start their winter drawdown for another month or so.  Many grouse to me and anybody else willing to listen, about the loss of good fall fishing at Summersville.

The Professional River Outfitters have also heard some complaints.  Sending a torrent of water down the canyon pretty much eliminates fishing on the Gauley during those whitewater days as well. As a concession, the organization which represents the whitewater industry annually pays for a stocking of  trout which is done with a helicopter.  It’s a mitigation arrangement.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not advocating doing away with Gauley Season–perish the thought.  It’s a time which gets a lot of people very excited and is a huge windfall for the tourism industry. That’s very important and should be celebrated rather than criticized. But, I thought for the sake of those guys who lose a couple months of good fishing on Summersville Lake, somebody should point out their gripes.







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