I was thinking about going out there this week and tearing it up again w/ Rat-L-Traps.

Hi Jason,

The dam at Deer Trail blew out after one of the big rains we had in December.  The bad news is that this means the lake will not be available to fish for 3 or 4 years. The good news is that when it comes back it will be better than ever. The lake and habitat will be reworked and optimized for fish growth and angling. Once this is done, the dam will be repaired, and we will wait for the lake to fill back up. When the lake is full, we will restock.

Too bad,, i feel for the owner... makes me think of John (the original owner) great guy, and Dear Trail and Timber Lake were his babies.. miss ol John and sorry to hear about Deer Trail,, first lake i fished when i joined the club back in 2005...

Hey, sad day for sure. But, honestly, it is a mixed blessing. We have an opportunity to make it a real show place. Given the right resources and a little luck we can make this lake wayyyy better than it ever was.

yep steve i can see yall making it out to be quite a place, it always was a great location and very scenic,, and the best burgers in sulpher bluff... Hey while yall at it can it be made into an even larger lake? good luck and will be eagerly waiting to see the results of yalls expertise,, thanks as always

So did Deer Trail empty into Timber? Was it the overflow pipe that eroded away causing the collapse?  Or did the Nutria do the damage? Just wondering. That was going to an unbelievable spawn with all that new water in the east pasture.  Ya'll know the old saying " if you build they will come"

Deer Trail does not feed Timber lake, but the overflow runs downstream through that giant culvert as you enter the Timber Lake property. Those that have been there know that massive culvert you cross just 100 feet after you enter the property in the tree line.

The lake was approximately 50 years old and the overflow pipe rusted out at the 90 degree turn at the bottom. Corrugated metal pipes in lakes have about a 50 year life span. A lot of private lakes were built in the 1970's, so expect to see more of it. About 20 years ago the more progressive lake builders started using plastic.

I got a call from the owner minutes after she found out. I brought a lake builder with me to offer advise and consultation on how to rebuild two days later. We have a plan and it will take about a year to re-build. Most of that time is waiting until summer when things dry out. Re-working existing lakes require a waiting period for the muck to dry a bit. You simply can't get equipment into the lake until the lake bottom firms up. 

Good info, Steve. Deer Trail has been our go to lake for the novice anglers in the family. After a poor 2014 it was awesome in 2015. Lots of 4-pounders and some larger. Very scrappy and healthy too. I look forward to seeing what you folks do there going forward. 

And thanks for all you do for the club to improve our fishing experiences!