# Senecaville



## Riverrat3

Just wondering when they start dropping the water level? Thanks


----------



## G3guy

yesterday, November 1st


----------



## jarrrj

Water is really muddy. They are pulling water hard in anticipation of the next round of rain. Did get 1- 11 1/2" crappie while hopping vib-e.


----------



## Jim white

How's it lookin over that way


----------



## Dragline

Water High and Muddy. The lake's (Seneca and Saltfork both) filled up again with all the rain.
For sure the gates will open up soon as possible to drop back down. Spillways may be a good place to hit ? !


----------



## G3guy

Seneca is right at winter pool which is 7 ft low from summer pool as of this posting. Spillway was shut off Thursday afternoon. Although with the rain today it will probably be opened back up come first of the week. Water is definitely colored up not chocolate milk but very stained near the dam. Upper parts towards the big island and twin islands is chocolate milk


----------



## Larry Owens

G3guy said:


> Seneca is right at winter pool which is 7 ft low from summer pool as of this posting. Spillway was shut off Thursday afternoon. Although with the rain today it will probably be opened back up come first of the week. Water is definitely colored up not chocolate milk but very stained near the dam. Upper parts towards the big island and twin islands is chocolate milk


Do you when they start to bring the water level back up?


----------



## M.Magis

Refill usually starts mid Feb. The target I think is to have it to summer pool by mid march, but of course that depends on the rain and snow.


----------



## Larry Owens

Thank You


----------



## G3guy

What he said ^^^^^. But there has been years like last year that it was at full pool by late February and the Corp of engineers opened the gates took 7 ft back out in a couple weeks shut the gates and then it was going on late April before it got back up to full pool.


----------



## Larry Owens

Thanks


----------



## Steelheader88

Any updates on water temps? When does the Saugeye action turn on generally, are they up onshallow flats feeding or still deeper water. Thanks for any info, will likely be down there 2 weekends from now.


----------



## Lewis

Water temps are probably still hovering the 30's and probably has skim ice from the past few cold nights. It will quickly go away next week though. Seneca is not typically an early lake as far as turning on like some others. Fish will be deep until later in March.


----------



## Steelheader88

Thank you.


----------



## kickinbass

Im guessing the boat ramp can be used now with the lake being at 828.68? Little over 3' above winter pool. Not sure of the level that using the main ramp gets sketchy, anyone who can confirm that or add input I'd appreciate it


----------



## G3guy

Boat ramp is usable. I can launch my 17 ft deep v when it’s at 5ft low. But at 5.5 it’s a no go for me and I will use the gravel bank next to the ramp. Summer pool is 832.2.


----------



## kickinbass

Yeah i know about the gravel ramp im just hesitant to launch my fiberglass boat on it. Thx g3


----------



## threeten

What about the new ramp by the beach?


----------



## kickinbass

Never thought to try it... main ramp though is usable... had a skim of ice that covered close to half of boat ramp area when i got there at 1p... was all gone by 2 probably 

Water was 35 to 37 degrees and had some color... only fished about 30 mins so i dont really have a fishing report. Mostly just got the boat out and looked at the graphs


----------



## threeten

Haven’t been down in a few weeks. Looked at almost summer height when I was there last. River was at crest too. 
As I was reading the reports I thought about the new ramp. Hope they had the foresight to make it long enough? Used it in the summer last season and it was nice. 
I think you have to get a day pass in season though


----------



## Steelheader88

What is the location of the new ramp? Thanks.


----------



## G3guy

I’m not 100% positive but I think the new ramp is only usable when lake is at or near full pool. As of this posting the lake is still 3 ft low and is currently holding back water until full pool. The new ramp is located down from the beach on the south side of lake in main campground. I was through the campground beginning of last week and I would not have used it then. Also there is only about 6-8 parking spots for vehicle+trailer.


----------



## Jim white

Y build a new ramp if ya cant use it in the winter. I thought that was why they lowered it alot more a few years ago to work on things like that


----------



## threeten

Jim white said:


> Y build a new ramp if ya cant use it in the winter. I thought that was why they lowered it alot more a few years ago to work on things like that


You would think!!
They sure didn’t cut any corners making new spots for an army of trailers in the campground. But as stated they didn’t make much room to park a rig there.


----------



## Jim white

Yea it's all about summer time that's for sure


----------



## G3guy

Jim white said:


> Y build a new ramp if ya cant use it in the winter. I thought that was why they lowered it alot more a few years ago to work on things like that


To find out for sure you would have to ask MWCD. But the ramp was built in the middle of a newly revamped multi million dollar campground. MWCD with their infinite wisdom probably designed it with just the campers in mind. It surprised me that they didn’t double the parking lot size at the main ramp. Any more it’s crazy how many more boats are using Seneca in the warm weather months.


----------



## Dragline

Here's my 2 cents on Seneca.
Still the only public ramp/launch is at the dam. After dozer's working moving dirt almost all last summer,,, there's no improvement or bigger or better. Just a bunch of dirt pushed around.
The Dam launch has no change to it. Maybe future ? Yes they have spent millions on new camp grounds that very few long time campers seem to like. 
There's no room to park by your camper for a friend to visit.


----------



## Steelheader88

Does anyone know why they moved all that dirt by the launch and ripped all of the shoreline vegetation out, alders and everything? It was a nice spot to fish, minus cars thumping past you and guys in jacked up diesels doing 60 out of the restaurant like Id(*ts.


----------



## G3guy

The word is MWCD is going to re do the boat ramp and parking lot in the future. Not sure why they moved dirt last winter and never did anything with it this winter. Although maybe they needed dirt for this summer. MWCD started on phase 2 of the marina campground. Last week they were cutting the rest of the trees from middle of marina campground back towards SR 313.


----------



## ducky152000

Thought it was kinda dumb taking all the trees out of camping area. No shade now, I feel bad for all the campers in August.


----------



## Jim white

Well you know Gov. An money they think their doin good lol.


----------



## threeten

ducky152000 said:


> Thought it was kinda dumb taking all the trees out of camping area. No shade now, I feel bad for all the campers in August.


It sickens me to see what they did. I never realized how many big oaks and hickory trees were in the area between the beach and the campsites till I drove through it after they dropped them all and they were laying down everywhere. I remember when there was only primitive camping and pit toilets in there. The vacation cabins and the beach have been there since the ‘70’s too


----------



## Dragline

Yea, well that's what I really wanted to say above but didn't . Millions of dollars spent and very few happy with what was done.. Do you mean to tell me after 640 hours of dozer / backhoe work at the public launch and it's not any better or bigger. Hay guys - It's sad.sad sad.
Who's he genius blowing all the gas and oil money ?

Heck me and a few good ol boys could add in twice the boat launches and double the parking in a 1/3 of the cost.


----------



## Steelheader88

Dang. Yup. Have a lot of good memories at seneca, im sure jothing compared to the guys who grew up with it, but what a peaceful, clean lake. I feel like all this camp clearing may ruin that. Well see.


----------



## matticito

I almost always see cutting trees down as pretty senseless if there isnt a point to it. Strip malls and cookie cutter homes are the worst for me. There us vacancies all over that should be filled first before they make a new development which often something just relocates, leaving yet another vacancy.


----------



## maynard

City-fied yuppie disaster, in my worthless opinion.


----------



## BuckeyeFishinNut

Isn't MWCD upgrading all (or most) of their campsites? I have camped at most of those lakes and never thought there was anything wrong with the campgrounds. 

I tend to agree with Maynard, they are trying to cater to a certain group of people and that typically doesn't work out well.


----------



## G3guy

They have to do something with all the oil and gas money.....


----------



## Steelheader88

Heading down this weekend, wil be shoreline fishing, I carry a small aquarium thermometer, will try and post-up surface water temps from various spots I visit and times I was there. Hopefully somethings biting. gonna drag a jig and crawler, float deep for crappie and put a minnow on the bottom.


----------



## Steelheader88

Alright, checked temps this morning, after a cold clear 27 degree night. 43 by dam, 44 at boat launch across from dockside, 42 east 9f haunted horse, i caught 1 largemouth, about 5 boats out, quite a few guys fishing the few pools below spillway, most fish were coming in sideways or by their tail down there. Caught two bluegills down there.


----------



## kickinbass

Yeah with all the trees gone I'll probably camp somewhere else.. pretty stupid to take all those out. I can see if some had some dead limbs from the cicadas or something bc my trees in yard suffer from that still. I can't imagine that they all needed cut down though. 

I'll be out thursday im hoping I'll post a report if so


----------



## Steelheader88

Was on north bay by 313 launch, wayer temp 52, seems like things were getting active.


----------



## Drm50

They should use some money to dredge the upper end of the lake. I grew up going to Senecaville and Piedmont mostly. I bet upper end doesn’t average 4’ when water is high. How long has it been since you could take a boat up Wills Creek from lake? From causeway Wills Creek channel looks like a line in the mud bordered by a few old Hedge Apple stumps.


----------



## G3guy

Drm50 said:


> They should use some money to dredge the upper end of the lake. I grew up going to Senecaville and Piedmont mostly. I bet upper end doesn’t average 4’ when water is high. How long has it been since you could take a boat up Wills Creek from lake? From causeway Wills Creek channel looks like a line in the mud bordered by a few old Hedge Apple stumps.


MWCD did do dredging all last summer. They did move a lot of mud and got it out of the lake but not anywhere near enough. It would take a dredge 24/7 for lots of years to move the amount needed.


----------



## Saltfork

Went to spillway today. Water is up to the top of bank and partially over it. Flowing very fast. I’ve never seen it that high. There’s today’s report.


----------

