BASS LAKE – For the first time in four years, there is no construction happening at the Crane Valley Dam which forms Bass Lake, and local businesses are shouting the news from the roof tops.
The Bass Lake Chamber of Commerce has embarked on a large marketing campaign to let travelers know that things are back to normal at Bass Lake.“We’re telling everyone that ‘Bass Lake is full of it; fish, water and family fun,'” said Leslie Cox with the Forks Resort and President of the Bass Lake Chamber of Commerce.
“The water is up, the lake is stocked full of fish, and we’re truly looking forward to an exciting spring and summer,” she said.
PG&E just completed a large seismic retrofit of the dam, a project that has been dubbed “The dam project” by locals.
“We really appreciate PG&E spending so much of their resources making sure the dam is as sound as it can be,” said Cox. “They were also great partners, working as hard as they could to mitigate impacts to business.”
Water levels have been low in previous years to facilitate the work. But this year the lake is expected to be within a few feet of full, meaning there will be plenty of water to go around.
A host of events are happening at Bass Lake, such as the annual Bass Lake Fishing Derby taking place May 4 and 5. There is a total of $55,000 up for grabs, including three “Grand Prize Fish,” worth a total of $25,000.
Applications for the derby can be found on the chamber’s website at www.BassLakeChamber.com.
Other events coming up this summer include arts and crafts fairs, the Bass Lake Farmer’s Market every Wednesday starting May 15, the Antique and Classic Wooden Boat Show May 17-19, the 3rd annual Bass Lake Classic Triathlon on June 1, the 3rd annual South Shore Car and Boat Show on June 2, and many more.
If dead and missing kokanee salmon is normal then you have your shoes on the wrong Dam feet! I’ll be driving 1- 1/2 hours now just to catch a kokanee thats big enough to keep. Good thing I moved so close to Bass Lake 🙁 That Dam Project really blew it for all us kokanee fishermen. Hell, even with a good guide ya just cant find any adult kokanee. Kinda embarrassing for the guides I’ll bet. It just made me mad. Should I blame DFG or PGE? We all paid our license fees so its definitely not the anglers fault. Didn’t I read something about compensation? Just who is getting compensated? Will I be compensated for the extra time and gas that I’ll have to cough up in order to catch adult kokanee salmon at a different lake? Sorry, just had to rant for the injustice