netboy

I just tried again and it is now working. Let's keep our finger crossed.

I just tried it again and I can get the new page, but when I select the day, the schedule doesn't appear. It did work earlier this morning.

It is the SWPA Generation Schedule page that moved to the DOE website that isn't working. The actual flows, which is on the USACE (Corp of Engineers) website hasn't changed and is working.

It worked this morning, but not working now.

My link for the generation schedules wasn't working yesterday. I did some searching and finally found the new link. Looks like they moved it to the Dept of Energy website. Generation Schedules | Department of Energy

Had that many times in my travels to the Basque region of Spain and also when I worked in Angola and the catering contractors were from Portugal. Very tasty... good stuff.

As an update, the river is at minimum flow again this morning, so I guess that was the plan. I still think they should have lowered the water at a slower rate the first time after months of high water. I imagine the fish get used to the fluctuation of water level after a few days.

I was surprised to see unscheduled minimum flow at Bull Shoals dam when I got up this morning. I went to the dam and got there at 7. I caught a couple of nice rainbows and then about 20 minutes later the water came up (with no horn). I left there and came back to Cotter access and hiked up a bit. It was a fun morning using a small sulphur crackleback. Fish were rising in the deeper holes up there and I probably caught 50ish and missed about that many more. For a while it was a hit or a hookup on every cast. I caught quite a few just letting it drift on the surface. Nothing big, but lots of fun. It was like fishing in a hatchery. I noticed that they only ran water for 3 hours at Bull and then went back to minimum flow. Looks like Norfork was also at unscheduled minimum flow as well. I remember they did that last year to help a rescue team trying to find a body of a guy that drowned around Calico Rock. That may be what was going on today, but I haven't heard of any drownings. Hope that wasn't what happened. Also wanted to mention that some trout were killed by the sudden drop in water flow. While wading up from Cotter I found a couple dozen rainbows stranded in potholes. I took the time to net the ones I could catch and release them back into the river. The herons were having a feast and some of them were so full they could not get airborne when I walked up on them. Also, lots of dead and dying sculpins in those potholes. I hope that the COE had some justifcation to reduce the high flows over the last two months in such short order. Seems like common sense to reduce the flows gradually to let the fish adjust. No pics today as most were stockers. Who knows what they will do tomorrow?

Just buy what you need or want. It all equals out over time. The key to retirement is... don't worry about a budget. You both worked all your lives, and I am sure you are financially comfortable and have a good financial planner, so just enjoy.

The water level this morning was just right for wading a weed bed that has been holding some nice trout. I started out stripping a sulphur colored crackleback and never changed. Right off the bat, I hooked a real pig and it made a run that almost spooled me. I finally got it back on the fly line and then it made another run downstream and almost spooled me again. Well after a few more runs and about 10 minutes of holding on, I felt a headshake and then the hook pulled loose. Never saw it so I can't say how big, but I think it was a good one. Ended the morning with 11 nice rainbows and a golden rainbow. Here's a few pics... biggest was 21".

Never heard of a golden smallmouth. Cool looking fish.

Took the boat out and fished a grass bed in some semi protected water. Had a few fish coming up early and caught 3 and missed a couple more on a sulphur dry fly. After the surface action slowed, I switched to an orange and dun crackleback and had fun watching them come up and chase it and sometimes take it and sometimes not. Ended the morning with 11 rainbows, 1 cuttie and 2 brookies. Got off the water at 10 as it was getting really hot. Here's a couple of pics...biggest rainbow was 23" and the cuttie was 20". I noticed the rainbow looked like it had a bad case of hemorrhoids, but it swam off strong.

I think with an 18 year old boat, condition is going to be the major factor in your asking price.

Went on a wade fishing trip this morning just to keep cool in the waist deep cold water. Caught a few on a crackleback early, then switched to a tiger tail and caught a few more. Finally went to a midge behind a Y2K and that worked great. Ended the morning with a dozen rainbows, 1 nice cutthroat and a couple of brookies. Here's a few of the better ones....

I know I had a brother-in-law surfer that lived on north shore of Oahu and died from "Soaking up that sun" at age of 42.

Well to add to this conversation, I have had many basal cell cancers cut out as well as a couple of squamous cells and one melanoma on my shoulder Trust me, that is no fun as he kept cutting deeper and deeper until he thought it was clear. About 2 hours of cutting and looking at the results and then cutting some more. Two years ago I had a basal cell cut out of my nose and that one was with the mohs surgery. That one lasted 5 hours with the surgery and 3 more cuttings to get clearance and then another hour with the plastic surgeon to "clean things up". I go the dermatologist every six months and fortunately he only freezes a few pre cancers off these days. Bottom line... cover up and use that sunscreen.

I caught a few small Yellowstones back in 2019 when they first stocked them. They have the larger spots like the Bonnevilles, but are more golden colored.

Took the boat out this morning and anchored above a weed bed that has been producing a small sulphur hatch early in the morning. It is nothing like the evening hatch, but much cooler conditions to fish. Fish were coming up after the bugs until around 8:30 and I caught 6 on a size 16 sulphur dry. Also lost 3 or 4 others due to setting the hook too soon. After the hatch slowed down, I switched to a sulphur colored crackleback and caught a few more stripping it in the surface film. Mostly rainbows today along with one 16" brown and a 10" brookie. Here are a couple of the better rainbows...

Nothing better than watching those browns take a dry fly. The sulphur hatch was great this year, but the caddis hatch was even better. Problem with the sulphur hatch is that it starts in the late afternoons and SWPA has been opening all 8 units around noon, making it hard for us old guys to get more than 1 or 2 casts at those pods of browns. We had lots of low, wadeable water during the caddis hatch, so it made for easier fishing.

That one was a Snake River (aka fine spot) cutthroat. The Bonnevilles have fewer spots and are lighter in color. Here is a pic of a Bonneville caught at Rim Shoals earlier this year...

If you are looking for waders, neoprene waders are hot as hell in the summer, but good in the winter. You can't beat Simms GoreTex products for year around comfort and durability. You can find some great deals on Ebay and Facebook Marketplace.

Nice fish. I avoid the boat ramps on the weekends this time of year. It sure can raise your blood pressure.

I didn't want to fight the Saturday boat ramp crowds, so I went to an area that has some wadeable water with the higher flows. Started the morning with a tiger tail and caught 3 pretty quick. Then I switched to an olive/brown sculpin imitation bounced off the bottom and had good luck with that. After the sun got up, I switched to a double midge combo (ruby and P&P) under an indicator and had steady action until I left at 11. Ended the morning with a dozen rainbows and 1 decent cutthroat. Here's a few of the better ones. The biggest rainbow was 21", but pretty skinny.

I took Tina out this morning for a quick fishing trip in the boat. We started with tiger tail buggers and each caught a few rainbows. When that slowed down, I switched to a sulphur colored crackleback stripped just under the surface. We caught a few more and missed more than we caught. It is hard to wait a second or two for them to turn before setting the hook when you see them follow and take the fly. When that action slowed, I anchored above a grass bed that usually holds some nice rainbows and set up indicator rigs with a Y2K and ruby midge dropper. We had steady action on that combo until we left at 10:30 as it was getting pretty hot. We ended the morning with around 20 between us. Here's a couple of the better ones...

Went to the same area, same MO and another good morning. This one was also 23" but quite a bit fatter.