Cove Bass Club competes at O.H. Ivie Lake
Tue, 2016-07-19 05:00
News Staff
By JACK JOHNSON
Special to The Leader-Press
This month’s club tournament was a two-day tournament held at O.H. Ivie Lake near San Angelo. The club stayed at the Elm Creek Village and launched from their ramp. Jerry Hunter, manager of Elm Creek, and his fellow associates were exceptionally friendly and assisted the club in every way possible to make out outing enjoyable and comfortable. If you are ever headed that way give Jerry a call at 325-357- 4776 and make your reservations. You will not be disappointed.
Due to the Corps of Engineers doing repairs to the O.H. Ivie Dam the water level is still down to 1517.48, 34.02 feet low. Even with all the rains earlier this spring the Corps has maintained the lower level to help with the repairs. However with the increase in water level it placed all the salt cedars, as the locals call them, under water along the shoreline. These cedars are now decaying and placing their rotting toxins into the shoreline waters. Due to this the shoreline fishing is not producing any Bass because they have all had to move out in deeper water to get away from the toxins.
This tournament the club members were faced with extremely high temperatures, 102 on Saturday and 103 on Sunday, and hot dry south winds and gusts up to 20 on Saturday and 15 on Sunday. Because of the daily heat index it was decided to shorten the daily fishing from first light – 3 p.m. to 5-11:00 a.m. each tournament day, probably the best decision we have made in a long time. Another thing the club was faced with was the slot limit requirements at O.H. Ivie. Only two largemouth bass could be taken in the 14-18” bracket, the remaining three must be above 18”. Smallmouth had to be at least 14” as did Guadalupe Bass based on the club’s tournament rules.