PLEASANT LAKE

[Swimjim]

The Alwives tend to school up and come close to shore when the water warms up from about mid july to august. Of course you have to be there the right day to catch a school.
I took my boat down to Harrington Beach state park in Belgium and dove the pier crib last summer just to do it. I live close to this area and dive the crib to test gear or practice stuff or just to get wet. Anyway, on that particular day I anchored right off the end of the crib and a huge alwive school came in. All fish were about six to eight inches, adults. There were millions of them. I just sat under the school for about forty five minutes. They would come towards me when I inhaled and go away when I exhaled. I wish I had my nikonos along.
I was hoping to see a big Chinook or a coho working the school, but I wasn't that lucky.
Harringtons point can be done as a shore dive. Its a bit of a hike from the parking lot though. If you have a small boat and a four wheel drive you can launch from Hwy D which is the northern border of the park. Just look south and you will see the point about 1/3 of a mile away.
By the way, the wreck of the Niagara also lies off the point and is bouyed during the diving season. It pretty easy to find with a hand held GPS. This wreck lies in about 50 fow and is the remains of a paddle wheel steamer that burned to the water line and sank in 1856. The engine and lower hull are still there and there is usually a line you can follow to the boilers about three hundred feet off the main wreck.

Dive safe

Jim