Watr levels on Vermilion compared to normal?

[cherokeeref]

Wondering what water levels are compared to a normal year? Will be up early/mid September. Thx in advance.

[tarpon6]

According to the latest reading on the MN DNR Lake Finder page it's about 2 ft low as of 8/15. https://www.dnr.state.mn.us/lakefind/showlevel.html?downum=69037800  Hopefully the guys here can add to that. I'll be there about the same time as you.  Hoping some  of the rain predicted over the next week comes through.

[CLOTAGAMES]

Been going there for 53 years. Lowest I can remember.

[StillFishin']

You’ve got me beat by 10 years!  Lowest for this time of year for sure.  Might have been this low in late September.  Anybody know if water is going over the dam?

[redlabguy]

Not the outlet dam. River is pretty much dry.

I’m only a twenty year vet but lowest I’ve seen. Keep your sonar on. I found rocks where I never suspected them last week.

RLG

[jeff_s]

It seems we’re still about 6” from the record low set in 1976. I find that hard to believe 

[cherokeeref]

Thanks everyone!

[CigarGuy]

Hey Skunked, how's navigating Black Bay with the low water? Wondering if there's going to be much of a fall bite going on this year with the low water.

[delcecchi]

Let me just add...  Low as I have seen.   Be careful folks

[CigarGuy]

1 hour ago, delcecchi said:

Let me just add...  Low as I have seen.   Be careful folks

If I remember correctly, at the beginning of the narrow part the water was only about 4'-5'+/- on a normal year.

[PSU]

Tagging onto this thread, I was wondering if folks could alert others to potential rock problems. Our island (locally referred to as Scrubb) has a point that juts into Frazer Bay from Smarts Bay. We see Retreat Lodge from our dock. I was doing some "shoreline bear looking" going slowly and bumped a rock (2.5') just after 20 feet of water about 40 yards off shore. Luckily I was going slow.......just an FYI 

[SkunkedAgain]

On 8/25/2021 at 12:19 PM, CigarGuy said:

Hey Skunked, how's navigating Black Bay with the low water? Wondering if there's going to be much of a fall bite going on this year with the low water.

Sadly I haven't been up for a few weeks. My neighbor texted yesterday. He warned me to come off plane before entering the bay. He said there are lots of hazards emerging below the surface and to not go fast anywhere in Black Bay.

 

I know the bay like the back of my hand, but it is only 5-6' deep in the middle in normal conditions. It's shallow where the river narrows into the pinch , shallow where it opens up into the bay, and shallow along the edges where you would expect and near the islands. Where it would normally be 3ft deep it's now only 1ft deep so logs and rocks are now a thing. 

 

Memorial Day of 2020 the water was low. We lost power that weekend for about 8hrs. The power company called the next week to say they were taking us off-line for a while so the crews could repair *multiple* propeller hits from the previous weekend. People were fishing in shallow areas to the right (southwest corner) where the bay first opens up. Rocks and logs aren't the only hazards. Underwater power lines are everywhere on this lake as well. 

 

Everything is low. I won't be diving off of my dock next week!

Edited August 27, 2021 by SkunkedAgain

[mtheis]

Of course I believe all of you.  But everyday I watch the weather channel and notice HUGE storms going through the area.  THEY must not be dropping the rain like I think they are.  Or it's evaporating because of warm temps?  I don't get it!  Like today for instance.  It looks like to me your getting a monster storm in the area.  Is the rain coming down just for a few moments?

 

[SkunkedAgain]

Never believe meteorologists....or their radar.

 

Green on the radar just means moisture in the atmosphere but not necessarily water making it to the ground.

[delcecchi]

7 hours ago, mtheis said:

Of course I believe all of you.  But everyday I watch the weather channel and notice HUGE storms going through the area.  THEY must not be dropping the rain like I think they are.  Or it's evaporating because of warm temps?  I don't get it!  Like today for instance.  It looks like to me your getting a monster storm in the area.  Is the rain coming down just for a few moments?

 

I watched that stuff from my cabin on Wunderground.    Seems like much of it just flat missed us.   As of the beginning of the week, we basically hadn't had more than an inch or so total since late June.    When we left to take care of some medical issues for my wife, my boat barely came off of the floe lift at the end of my 60+ foot dock.    Looks like there was a couple tenths at the personal weather station down from me.   

 

If you bring up Wundermap on the wunderground.com site and zoom in, and check personal weather stations and precipitation it will show you all of the weather stations people have that are linked in and their rain data.    I use "westendlakevermilion".  

https://www.wunderground.com/wundermap?lat=47.85&lon=-92.69&zoom=8&radar=1&wxstn=0

[CigarGuy]

On 8/27/2021 at 12:20 PM, SkunkedAgain said:

Sadly I haven't been up for a few weeks. My neighbor texted yesterday. He warned me to come off plane before entering the bay. He said there are lots of hazards emerging below the surface and to not go fast anywhere in Black Bay.

 

I know the bay like the back of my hand, but it is only 5-6' deep in the middle in normal conditions. It's shallow where the river narrows into the pinch , shallow where it opens up into the bay, and shallow along the edges where you would expect and near the islands. Where it would normally be 3ft deep it's now only 1ft deep so logs and rocks are now a thing. 

 

Memorial Day of 2020 the water was low. We lost power that weekend for about 8hrs. The power company called the next week to say they were taking us off-line for a while so the crews could repair *multiple* propeller hits from the previous weekend. People were fishing in shallow areas to the right (southwest corner) where the bay first opens up. Rocks and logs aren't the only hazards. Underwater power lines are everywhere on this lake as well. 

 

Everything is low. I won't be diving off of my dock next week!

Thanks for the update. Guess, I won't be heading back there anytime soon. Just trying to avoid any lower unit damage anywhere on the lake until water levels recover...

[mtheis]

Today (8/28) looks like a HUGE storm is going through your area.  But you continue to get just droplets.  Amazing!

[JerkinLips]

I've owned my boathouse on Lake Vermilion since 1980 and this is by far the lowest the water has been during that time.  The 2nd stall where I keep my square stern canoe is completely dry at the shoreline, where normally I can barely fit it under the 2" thick deck in the picture.

 

I do recall 1976 when it was very dry by the end of summer.  There was a serious wildfire 2 miles south of Tower that fall that briefly threatened the city.  I believe that the duck season was delayed a couple of weeks due to the fire danger that year.

[Tominator692]

[SkunkedAgain]

Sounds like a great time to fix/level boat houses.

 

Does anyone know how the west side boat launches are looking? Are people able to launch out of The Landing or are most trailers going over to Wakemup?

[delcecchi]

On 8/30/2021 at 3:05 PM, SkunkedAgain said:

Sounds like a great time to fix/level boat houses.

 

Does anyone know how the west side boat launches are looking? Are people able to launch out of The Landing or are most trailers going over to Wakemup?

We went to Pedersen's landing, aka wakemup.      The landing looked pretty dicey.    I'm thinking it is worth the extra 15 minute boat ride and drive.   

[SkunkedAgain]

Thanks del

[delcecchi]

4 hours ago, SkunkedAgain said:

Thanks del

De Nada.   Had dinner at landing.   food was good.  But looking at the ramp,   ... pretry marginal d

[Muskyhunter73]

This photo was taken 2 weeks ago of the hazard by Arrowhead Point/Isle of Pines. There is normally 2-3 feet of water over the closest rocks to the camera.

[SkunkedAgain]

I ended up launching at The Landing. I had to go barefoot and "walk" it out to deep water. Crazy times.

 

The storms last night did drop some rain. It rained steadily from 10pm-midnight with lots of neat lightning flashes as the initial storm moved through. As I walked out of the sauna and was enjoying the cool rain, a bolt of lightning flashed bright followed quickly by a large boom. I heeded the storm's warning and got inside quickly!

[TomWehler]

Hi

Just 4 fun.....North dock pic's from 1997..

Barney Toonder was a pup n Bailey was into teaching him everything bout island living, the good n bad.  Loved n miss those two Marauders.

Same spot last Friday Sept 2021...with my Max Power & Fred Tug'r Bear who simply love it all.

Most the rocks under water or just peeking out in regular times.

Pulled Big Lund but still able to cheat with Pontoon but pulling her this weekend.

Crazy Fun junk ya deal with as she sure can change,  every year is different.  Love it..

Big Smiles n Keep on Rocken!

T

 

[SkunkedAgain]

Same old smile but the beard looks more distinguished!

[StillFishin']

Good, Tom to show water drop in same place.  It is normal for water level to go down in fall but this is the lowest, and soonish I can remember.

[StillFishin']

In addition to low water level,  it has occurred to me that this maybe the windiest year also that I can remember.  Hard to fish and I didn’t go out for lots of days because of the wind.  It’s no fun fighting the wind- ok for awhile but it gets old quick.

[mtheis]

The wind was crazy when I was up for the week.  And talking about lake levels, I had to adjust my Humminbird down 1 foot to make the water level the same as the lake map depth.  Just an FYI.