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Lake County Banner
Local News and Information
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Blue Basin area of Reelfoot Lake
October 2010
Reelfoot At Lowest Level in
Decades
A persistent and extreme drought in Northwest Tennessee has dropped
Reelfoot Lake to its lowest level in more than two decades and with duck
season right around the corner, it threatens to impact hundreds of
hunters, both professional and recreational.
Thousands of stumps have been exposed and crappie fishing has been
excellent for those with the persistence and skill to navigate the low
lake.
Three tombstones belonging to pioneer Lake County families were revealed
by the low level of the Washout and were recovered by the Lake County
Sheriff’s Department.
Native American artifacts, which are illegal to be picked up, have been
exposed in some areas of the lake.
Reelfoot Lake level was 10.31’ in October. That's about one foot above
the lowest level ever recorded 9.30’ on November 20 and 21 in 1953
according to the U.S. Geological Survey.
The lake dropped to 9.59’ during the state initiated drawdown of 1985.
The gauge used by the USGS is located at Middle Landing on the south end
of Reelfoot Lake. On Upper Blue Basin, where there is no gauge and the
lake is much more shallow, levels may be very close to the drawdown
levels of 1985.
Many boat slips are dry with boats sitting on the ground. A few Reelfoot
Lake boat ramps are closed by the low water but most are open, although
fishermen are struggling to get their boats out to water deep enough to
run their outboards.
Pontoon boat cruises were suspended by Reelfoot Lake State Park in
August and remain so for the foreseeable future. “Our pontoon boats are
sitting on the ground,” said ranger Jerry Hall of Reelfoot Lake State
Park. “We are using this time to mark some of our boat trails. We are
using lobster buoys to mark them. We received permission from the state
to use them.”
With no rain in the current seven day forecast, the possibility for an
even lower lake exists although the USGS chart showed the lake dropping
only 04/100s over the past seven days.
It is of note that the lowest level of the lake recorded since they
began keeping records in 1940 was an early winter recording in November.
It could be a repeat performance this year without significant rainfall.
The two-day split season opens on November 27-28. The regular season at
Reelfoot Lake opens on December 4.
Many parts of the lake, especially the cut-grass holes and other shallow
areas, are completely dry.
Jeremy Seals, a guide who hunts in Cranetown, says that area is
completely dry with pigweed about knee high covering the entire area.
Little Ronaldson, another of Reelfoot’s famous duck holes, looks like a
meadow according to brothers Tim and Chris Naifeh.
Although launching and loading their boats is often a complicated chore,
fishermen are venturing onto the lake and finding success around the
thousands of stumps that have been exposed.
Many just use trolling motors to run from the ramps to their fishing
location rather than risk damage to their motors.
Seals, who is an employee of Cypress Point Resort, said they are renting
boats to persons who purchased the fishing packages only. “We have a
boat shed that is too low to use and the one we are using we are digging
out daily,” said Seals. “But the ones that go out are catching fish.”
Seals wonders if even the open water duck blinds that are still able to
be reached by boat will still be that way by November without some
rainfall. “The way it is out there right now, I’m not sure a lot of
those guys could hunt their blinds.”
A four or five inch rain could change everything in a matter of hours.
Right now, that is not on the horizon.
Evan Jones, Banner Editor
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