MOPanfisher

Thought I would post some quick information about a recent test done to detect the presence of zebra mussell in Pomme de Terre, Truman, and Smithville Lakes. The results were negative!!! Which means that no larval stages of Zebra Mussells (veligers) were found during the sampling. Obviously since Lake of the Ozarks still has a healthy population it is imperative that as anglers we all take precautions to prevent their spread.

Again not being a very good bass fisherman my favorite jig has always been a brown jig with a green pork chunk. Since pork chunks aren't as common anymore a greenish plastic trailer, but I always had a soft spot for the real pork trailers. Also like a dark green or brown 4-5" tube or chomper.

While I don't bass fish much, one of the old tried and true methods in late summer on Pomme with the huge schools of small shad around is to throw crawdad crankbaits to the shore at any log or stump in the water. I guess they just want something that doesn't look like a shad.

We have finally been able to post the water quality reports we collect throughout the year on all the Kansas City District Lakes. Its kind of neat to see the thermocline develop. Feel free to add to any othe other KCD lake links (Truman, Stockton, and North). http://www.nwk.usace.army.mil/lakes/WaterReport.cfm

You are welcome. The Biologist did e-mail me right back, they hadn't heard of any reports so it was news to them. They generally are pretty quick to check it out. If I hear more back from him I will post it up.

I dropped an e-mail to the MDC Fisheries Biologist who works Pomme advising him of the reports. It certainly isn't unusual this time of year until cooler weather returns to have some to a lot of dead fish floating around from various causes ranging from stress, to bacterial infections, fungal infections, protozoan infections etc. There is nothing much that be done about it, except wait for cooler weather and a nice rain. (doesn't look good right now for either of those things).

Yep all ramps that are on the lake must be open to the public. The licensee does pay a licensee fee to have and must maintain it at their expense but it is required to remain open to the public. We get a LOT of complaints from those folks who pay for and maintain those ramps but the fact remains they have to let everyone use it. Doesn't mean if you use one a lot and would like to donate to the upkeep of it that you can't you just have to find the person or organization who licenses and maintains it to give some money to. The biggest problem at most of them is parking, they are mostly designed for vehicles accessing the boat docks, and often have little room for parking of boat trailers, but some are better than others. Always leave it a little better than you found it, pick up some trash and bag it up, and be polite. Good advice no matter where you launch. I will add a quick note that while the launch ramps are public the docks are not, they are private property and while most are not signed they still are. Some of the docks nearest a launch rammp get used as courtesy docks, please remember they are privately owned docks and not courtesy docks, however if you do happen to see that owner on the dock a friendly chat and a few crappie fillets might go a long way. BTW Pomme has NO FISH left in it, so there is no reason to try to catch any!! Honestly I have heard some tremendous reports but missed out on most of it as I was deployed to Joplin for 6 weeks and just came back last week in time for the typical July weather, I will get my chance soon, have a hankering to try trolling crankbaits for crappie, never done that before.

I have sent DChhance a couple of names to contact for replacement cost iformation. I apologize for not putting it out for everyone, but to be fair I would have had to list them all. But for his needs the two I sent him will give him a good reasonable price for his needs.

TR dam can move way more than the amount it has ever released. Numbers fail my brain right now but thinking somewhere in excess of 500,000 (for some reason 650K CFS is in my mind)CFS with all 10 gates maxed out. Nobody wants to see that happen to Branson. Plus the emergency spillway which even more so nobody wants to see open. So the dam can release lots but the price would be heavy in downstream flooding.

There comes a point where all they can do it release enough to break even. Gonna be the same all the way downstream to the gulf. Haven't heard much about the river levels along the bootheel for a while, have they dropped? If so it will give a little room to release depending upong downstream conditions. Fortunately the recent rains haven't been the "ark events" with 10-20 inches, but it ain't over yet and the storm paths just seem to be targeting the mo-ark line. Once the lakes get as big as they are now, it takes more rain to raise them, but rain doesn't seem to be in short supply.

I doubt you could get a covered, slip dock, metal frame, completely replaced for 15k. Quickest way to find out is to contact one of the dock builders on the lake you are interested in and ask them a ballpark figure. Several things will impact the final cost. If you have to replace the anchors and anchor arms as well, plus cost of removal of the old destroyed dock, electric installation will add to cost, as will concrete decking. have seen lots of folks pay more than they intended to by the time they were done with a replacement.

I short check everything. Having dealt with a lot of homeowners over the last 20+ years i will add a few specifics. Septic/Sewage, be sure you know what you have, where it is and what condition it is in. Lots of folks very surprised when they discover they don't have room to properly replace failing septics. Roof, lots of folks neglect the roof. And if there is a dock or other permits with the COE check with them to see what the last dock inspection results were and what you might be allowed to do. I would highly reccomend if you find a house you are interested in that you hire a professional to check it out. A few dollars spent early on will pay you back later.

A lot of the levee building and river maintaining is Political, note the capital P. The COE is given a task by congress, then if it gets funded it gets designed and built. Political clout is a major factor. The rivers are supposed to carry away excess water, but not ever flood in the event of huge amounts of rain over the basin. They are supposed to be able to allow barges to pass through and along the entire length regardless of rainfall, and not need to be dredged continuously, (thats what the wing dikes do). They are supposed to protect cities and farmlands regardless of what mother nature has in her plan. Well it can't all happen. Someone complains to their congressman, and if he has enough political clout he inserts into a bill an authorization to raise a levee by say 6 feet so that it protects 100K acres of prime farm ground, even though it may be considered as the first levee to be taken out if the river gets to flood stage. Now that levee is higher than the one across the river or down stream so they begin to lobby for an increase, and the cycle goes on and on. The Corps being a military led organization will when given orders like (go paint all the low lying land so that it looks like crops are planted, (tongue in cheek)) will simply salute and go do it. Depending on the commander they might question it but when push comes to shove they will salute and do what they are told. Don't like it, ask your congressmen why they send down the authorization to do those things. My opinion and it is worth nothing, is concentrate on the cities as that is where the people are, build good levees around them, and remove the others allowing the Mississippi, Missouri, Ohio etc. to have room to spread out, it will leve some silt on the fields and flood prone areas and increase their fertility over time. It is much cheaper to provide crop loss insurance to the farmers than it is to build, repair, blow up, re-build levees. And the cost to rebuild a city is far far far more than what it is to pay farmers for lost crops, its not even close. We as a nation have already gone down the road of building into our floodplains and every so often Mother Nature reminds us that she truly owns them, and sends the rivers to collect the rent. Even with a levee it is not a permanent thing, water will find a way under, through, over or around given any chance whatsoever.

Dang I was all set to come on and defent the COE a little bit but its already been done. I will say from having seen more than a few lake level forecasts there are a LOT of variables that go into the forecast and the decisions to release, generate etc. There are best case, worst case and "historical averages" on rainfall that go into it, there is down stream conditions all the way to the gulf right now, there are considerations for reguirement of electricity generation there are other lakes all the way up to Gavins Point that are at record pool and are releasing heavily into the Missouri which of course empties into the Mississippi and then the Ohio, white river etc. etc. The lake was built to control a flood all else is secondary. The fact that it backs up into yards etc. is unfortunate but I believe that Table Rock has the right (flowage easement) to put water up to the 936.0 level(not 100% sure on that level, but it is close). There is always going to be a record level, could be this year, could be 10 years ago. And yes there were rainfall predictions even up to 10 inches I heard prior to the "EVENT" but there is a huge amount of difference between 10 and 20 inches of rainfall. I haven't checked Bull Shoals level lately but they will hold as much as possible to avoid making the situation on the lower Mississippi worse, and it backs up the line. What will happen if we get another 15" rain event, then all bets are off, the safety of the dam will come first, dumping a sustained 5 feet of water into branson homes is MUCH better than a wall of water 100 feet high removing the town from the map. Water backing up into lift stations is a fact, happens many places that are not on a lake also, lagoons overflow, septic fields run, non point pollution from fertilizer, chicken farms, cattle in pasture all run downhill. Lilley you have my sympathies and I know you are in touch with the COE folks often, I am sure they appreciate your support.

Well let me add a couple pennies worth. The levees that were blown in the wyatt area were originally designed to fail at a certain river level, however that didn't happen, so they were blown. The area that was flooded is part of a designated floodway and that is included in the legal instruments of the property owners. Is it wise to live there, maybe as a farmer knowing that I could be flooded and the occurance may be once every 5-15 years or more I would choose to be close to the land I farmed. It would be foolish not to farm those lands when possible due to the quality of the land it produces a lot of grain. It will ALWAYS come down on the side of saving people over land, if for no other reason than people vote and farmland doesn't. The COE didn't come up with the idea of levees, dikes etc. that was mandated by congress and the COE was charged with constructing and operating them. Personally I would love to see the river return to its normal course, no levees, no dikes etc. However there would be a lot of people have to move and cost Billions and Billions of $$. There was a proposal by the Fish and Wildlife Service after the 93 floods that reccomended the COE purchase all the floodable land along the Missouri and allow it flood naturally, unfortunately there are a LOT of folks living in some of those areas and the COE can't purchase land without much higher level authorization and funding (think congressional). There are some places where it would actually be cheaper to purchase the land that is protected and allow it to flood than to rebuild the levees repeatedly. Something along the lines of the 115K acres flooded around Wyatt MO, the Federal Government would purchase the land then rent it back to farmers to farm, there would be some times they could get a full crops other years they wouldn't get a dime. Then you get into everyone yelling about the Federal Gov't buying land from private individuals and there is all starts again. The land immediately below dams is a little different, while there are those who propose dam removal you will not see that happen for a lot of reasons. I

Hav;ing been around more than a few Conservation Agents in my life, I can assure you they are for the most part good folks who have a tough job to do. Some times there is a problem area such as below Spfld lake where paddle fish are often intentionally snagged and kept illegally. As for hiding in the woods being entrapment not even remotely close to entrapment. Its called surveillance, and they can have another agent issue the ticket on their information and it will be solid as concrete. The issue on your case is whether or not you you broke the law, personally I would say no you didn't,y mabybe roughed up the spirit a little but didn't break it. Sometimes on those grey areas the Agents write a ticket and let the judge decide the issue especially if its in a problem area like below Spfld lake. Trust me an agent doesn't like grey areas either, it makes their job much easier if its in clean black and white print.

Just to change the question a bit, how did the other guy get a larger ticket for reeling in a fish you had snagged.

It will depend on a number of things. Is the lot large enough to put in a septic system, if not you will have to put in a holding tank or a small treatment plant. I would talke to one or two of the guys in Hickory County that install them, and before you buy a lot check with the county health Dept. to see if they would even approve a septic system on the lot. Several folks have bought small lots intending to put in an RV spot or small cabin only to find out there wasn't enough room, or enough soil to put in a septic field, and had to put in a holding tank that has to be pumped regularly or a few that have had to install a small treatment plant for their home and that isn't cheap. Some of the subdivisions have a septic system you can connect to (for a fee I am sure) and a lagoon or maybe a treatment plant but unfortunately that isn't the norm, there are literally thousands of small septic systems installed decades ago that are only "functional" because they get used only on weekends or a few times a year. They can support a small transient load but not a continuous use load. Always spend a little money up front to know exactly what you are getting into.

If only they could generate that much and pay it off.

I took a quick look at Table Rocks lake level when they were generating just before the rains started, you could see the tailwater levels jump up but it had almost no effect on the lake level at all. Beaver being a smaller lake might have gained a few inches at best by generating, and would have made a few dollars worth of megawatts however the basic concern would still have been let the system work the way it was designed, and don't add water downstream that would worsen the impending flooding. A rain of 10 inches is very bad, but double that amount and it is very very very bad. Is it sad that the clean electricity created by generating with the water instead of losing it was lost yeah, but the value of the electricity pales in comparison to the attempts to control the flooding event. Just as an aside a few minor pokes have been taken at SWPA, while they do have control over the water to a certain extent, for instance on TR I believe they make the call when the lake level is between say 898 and 922 (not sure on the exact amounts), above that level the COE can make the call to open one or all the flood gates depending upon the circumstances above and below the dams. Beaver is the same however with different levels obviously. Also while the electrity generated cannot be stored efficiently it can be sent through the grid to nearly anywhere, the cheap electricity is available for use and negates the need for an coal or nuke plant to go on line, although you can't really ever shut those plants down as it takes a while to them back it full production as opposed to a hydro plant which is usually on line in a very short time, which is why they are normally used for peaking demands and not long term generation, however all the lakes in the White river will be generating with as much water as they can for quite a while. It looks like both Beaver and TR are both beginning to fall BS will continue to rise most likely as it stores as much as it can and generate with it through the summer. It would be interesting to know at the end how many megawatts worth of electricity will be generated with the water from the massive storm system.

Just about all of the "improved" ramps will be useable. Lightfoot, Wheatland, The Harbor, Herm. State Park, Nemo, and Pittsburg Landing (not state park) should be useable. You may have to use a little more skill because the maneuver areas are in the water so you have to back further, like from the parking lot down, but launching is still not a problem. Have not heard any fishing reports lately sorry. Lower end of the lake around the dam is pretty clear not sure how far down the muddy water is.

I would guess that the communication is through something like a LEPC Local Emergency Preparedness Committee. Its like an old fashioned calling tree. Someone from the COE contacts the head of the LEPC, the Sheriff, EMS and a few select others, those folks in turn start calling thier folks and passing the word on down the line. If a COE person had to personally make contact with everyone along taneycomo there would still be someone going around from 2008. Using the media is a good way to get the word out to a large number of people quickly, also a system like KY3 uses for storms that sends a text message to cell phones would be a great idea, anyone along Taneycomo (or anywhere else) could sign up on the internet to receive a text message any time a change in generation or release rates is in the offing. Having been fishing below the dam when they started generating before I would have loved to have had that few minutes advance notice in a text message. Sadly at the rate TR was rising there wasn't enough time for an official to make the trips into town to talk with the businesses even, throw in the road closure across the dam and well it would have been tough. All in all it was not a good situation, could things have been done better, sure any situation could be handled better if you knew at the beginning what you know at the end.

The mayor must be a psychic, I don't remember anyone predicting up to 20 inches of rainfall in a few days. Would a big rain of 4-6 have brought it up of course it would still have been high but not like now. Beaver would have held what it could and released into Table Rock, at a certain level TR would have started releasing water and Bull Shoals would have groaned and swallowed it all. I can guarantee that the folks in Little Rock or anyone with access to a computer can get onto the USGS website and see how fast the lake is rising and what the inflows are. Even if they had started generating full tilt when the first raindrop fell it would not have made much difference, SOP is when the basin downstream is in flood conditions you don't add water too it unless you have no choice. It will take quite a while to get the lakes back to a semblance of normal. Even as far up the Missouri as Gavins Point dam in South Dakota, that resevoir I believe is at record pool and is releasing a heavy flow down the missouri which reduces the amount of water than can be released from other dams that eventually flow into the Missouri and then into the Mississippi River. Trust me the Corps of Engineers whether in Little Rock District, Omaha District, or St. Louis District or wherever do not want to have conditions like this EVER, unfortunately they are not in charge of precipitation. There are regulations set down on paper for the Corps that dictates what steps to take in such events unfortunately as I mentioned before Mother Nature still has the overall power. 1993 half the midwest was flooded it seemed like, the Missouri was over and through levees all along its length, even once the water made it to the Mighty Mississippi it changed the rules on how much water could be released into the system. Overall not a good situation, I hope and pray that no more rain falls in the near future and the levels can get closer to normal as quickly as possible both to alleviate the damage to private property and to provide some storage should it rain more.

Roy the only thing I might debate about your comments are that I think they were quite a ways from opening up the auxillary gates. Until all 10 gates were wide open I don't think you would see anyone make the decision to take out the hatchery and all the associated "stuff" downstream until all other options were exhausted. NOBODY wants to see the auxillary gates opened. While it would be better than a dam failure it wouuld be unbelievable how big a volume of water that could be released though all 10 regular gates wide open, the flooding in branson, hollister and powersite area would be of record proportions. IF the lake were at current level and there was another big rain event that all 10 gates couldn't keep up maybe but it would strictly be a "better to loose the hatchery, and maybe the switchyard below than lose the dam". I read on another thread that all 10 gates open fully could pour out something like 650K CFS or roughly 10 times the amount going through them (I believe they wer at 60K but not sure). Absolutely phenominal that amount if correct would be closer to the Mississippi river at St. Louis flow right now. http://waterdata.usgs.gov/mo/nwis/current/?type=flow&group_key=basin_cd

Please understand that I am not trying to be argumentative but am merely try to explain how the system of dams operates to reduce flooding. My heart and prayers go out to those whose homes and property are being flooded but that doesn't change the physics of the situation. A dam doesn't prevent a flood upstream it is meant to control flooding downstream from the structure. If the rivers all over the basin are running at flood stage the last thing you want to do is dump water from the dams and make it worse, (whether it is through generation or floodgates doesn't matter, its still water going downstream into an already flooded area, which is exactly what you don't want). It gets held back and released in a controlled manner, yes in many circumstances there will be flooding down stream but not as much as would have been if water is dumped the instant the lake starts to rise while the rivers below are already at flood stage. Again Mother Nature will always have the ability to win a contest of strength. If some area has to flood it is always preferable to flood it with standing water (such as upstream of a dam in the "lake") to flooding with moving water which causes much more damage and destruction than standing water. Could the lakes in the white river system or osage river system be operated strictly for flood control only, sure they could but nobody would like the results, Table Rock would start the rainy season out at no higher than 900 msl, preferably lower to provide more storage for flood waters. Ask the folks at Bull Shoals Lake or Harry S. Truman Lake about being on the end of the chain of flood control lakes. Bull Shoals if I remember right has something like 41 feet of elevation between normal and full flood pool. FLOOD CONTROL is the #1 purpose of the white river dams, the fact that they generate hydropower is a bonus.