Phil Lilley

Wading- should be no different than it is now. Boating- about the same below the dam. Levels are lower from about Fall Creek down but still moving water no faster than it is today. No different in actually fishing really. Should not affect fish at all. Should be back to "normal" by Friday at the latest. Past that- it's anybody's guess.

Tom Snider from Empire contacted me to tell me that they are going to draw Taneycomo down 4 feet at the lower end to work on the splash boards. The draw down will start about noon on Tuesday. They will shut Table Rock Dam down and let the lake drain to power pool, then draw it down further using the turbines at Powersite. At some point Wednesday morning, the Corp will start running some water to keep the upper end "watered" so the gravel bars won't be exposed to the sun and heat. This will continue into Thursday until the work at Powersite is done.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers wants to raise Bull Shoals Lake by 5 feet to improve trout fishing in Arkansas. The lake’s normal pool level of 654 feet feet above sea level would hit 659 if the effort is ultimately approved. “We are working toward making this happen at the direction of Congress,” said P.J. Spaul, public affairs officer for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Little Rock District. “We did not initiate this legislation.” The Corps is nearing completion of a study on the impact raising Bull Shoals Lake would have. The new minimum flows are intended to sustain the trout fishery. “It is solely to support the trout fishing industry,” said Mike Biggs, a water resource manager with the Corps. “(Trout fishing) supports a lot of jobs and it creates a lot of spending. People literally travel from all over to trout fish.” Spaul said raising the lake could, at times, limit the amount of storage for flood water. But that wouldn’t always be the case, he said, because the water would constantly be flowing. “If, in fact, we went into this spring, if minimum flows would have been in effect, the lake would have been lower because they would have been releasing,” Spaul said. Biggs said that even though it’s a 5-foot increase, because of the constant water flow, on average, Bull Shoals will be 2 feet higher. Before the plan could be implemented however, some changes would have to be made. “About a mile stretch of Slough Hollow Road (in Taney County) will have to be raised,” Biggs said. Biggs said Shadow Rock Park would not be affected by the additional water. “You won’t notice any difference at Shadow Rock Park,” he said. Biggs said it will probably take several years before minimum flow goes into effect. Currently the Corps is holding its final public comment period on the project through Nov. 3. Printed copies of the draft environmental document are available for review at several locations. Copies can be viewed at the Corps’ Table Rock Project Office on Missouri 165. Copies are also on hand at the Forsyth Public Library and Taneyhills Community Library in Branson. In addition, the document can be viewed on the Internet at swl.usace.army.mil/planning/wrminflow.html. The project began when Water Resources Development Act of 1999 and the WRDA 2000 directed the Corps to provide minimum flows. The White River Minimum Flow Study has been examining both the good and bad impacts that could result from reallocating storage in Beaver, Table Rock, Bull Shoals, Norfork and Greers Ferry lakes to maintain minimum flows to improve trout fishing on the White, North Fork, and Little Red rivers. Issues that were considered in the study were flood control, hydropower, water supply, fish and wildlife, and recreation in each lake and in each river downstream. As part of the study, the Corps is also preparing an Environmental Impact Statement, or EIS, that will be part of the final report. An energy and water resources development act in 2006 authorizes the implementation at Bull Shoals and Norfork lakes with no implementation at Beaver, Table Rock or Greers Ferry. The impact statement must be completed and congress must appropriate funds for the needed construction and funds for Empire District Electric Company, for loss of energy production. The storage at Bull Shoals and Norfork must be captured before minimum flow can be implemented.

Our flies are tied in tandem just like when fly fishing. Tie them inline about 12-18 inches apart. The scuds are the same as used by fly fishers wading below the dam. Nothing fancy.

Boated up this evening about 5 with Randy Waggoner and friends. To the dam and made a couple of drifts. All throwing jigs, mainly white 1/8th oz. Lots of rainbows below the boat ramp to KOA in the channel. Another hot spot was against the bank at Point Royale. Then caught them all the way to the Narrows on the bluff side. No skinny rainbows. All were 14-16 inches and nice colors, good bodied and fought good. Quite a different story from what we've been hearing. Good numbers, good fights, good quality.

Exactly right. In trouble??? "PHILLIP!!"

Looks like we need some more Crooked Creekers on the forum... it's a famous place it seems but not fished much? Not sure.

Who knows where she got "Phillip"... may be my mom put her up to it. I knew the gal would flub up on getting the story right- she puts Table Rock and Taneycomo all together in the article and makes it confusing. Oh well... wish they'd have a outdoor person who hunts and fishes write their outdoor articles.

Congratulations!

Great idea- I'll get you some flies.

Vince had 2 clients out all day today. They drifted from the cable down to Fall Creek. Fly fished, set their floats to the first fly at 9 feet, with the second fly set 2 feet from the first. Pinched a 3/0 split shot on the line above the first fly about 18 inches. Vince said he thought he was getting down but it didn't seem to matter too much. Too much bottom bouncing and they'd pick up a bunch of moss. First fly was a #12 tan scud and the second was a #12 red san juan. Fishing this am was a bit slower than this afternoon and the fish seemed to be a bit more scrappy this afternoon. Vince said his clients were keeping track of how many fish they'd catch on one drift- one guy caught 12 and the other 6 on one particular drift he remembers and another one caught over 20. Vince thought this was a very good day of catching trout. I asked him about dead trout. He fished Sunday and said he noticed a couple of dead trout on the bottom. Today he said he didn't see any. Seems there are differing reports of seeing dead trout. I scouted the area between Lookout and Fall Creek the other day pretty good and didn't see any dead trout on the bottom. But it's not unusual to see a few any time of the year up there. Remember, we have low DO every fall and browns die from being handled, a prolong fight or even from sitting in a pocket at bad water too long. This year, our high water temp has compounded the problem. Fighting or over handling a trout, esp a big brown, will kill it unless you take extra precautions.

Beads working?

no

While supplies last!

Buy 10 floats - $2.00 each.

I came across a bunch of thin, long floats I'd like to get rid of. Wasp is the brand, Class Tackle. Cabela's carries at least one kind and they retail for $9.99 each. Some are shorter. Also have some plastic hook removers, same company. $3.00 each for the floats. $2.50 for the hook remover. More images to follow.

If you're catching them in the outlets, I'd think these fish would be in good shape cause they're in good water and there is scuds and hatchery food there in the outflow. I've also caught some rainbows out in the lake that fight good and are in good shape. Vince said some of the rainbows he's cleaned this week are full of moss.

Rich- did you work the bluff bank, middle or shallow side?

Describe what it is on youtube and I'll find it and fix the link.

Nature’s Mysteries @ the Fish Hatchery Saturday, October 25th 7-8:30pm NO RESERVATIONS NEEDED Have you heard any unusual stories about animals that live outside? Are these stories real? The Shepherd of the Hills Fish Hatchery will have a non-scary Halloween hike on Saturday, October 25th. The program will involve a short evening hike to listen to stories about several mysterious animals or plants in our area. Your job will be to decide if the story is real or a myth. Hikes will begin at 7pm and then take off at intervals. Last hike of the night will take off at 8:00pm. After the hike, there will be snacks in the auditorium. This program is for all ages and does not require reservations. Dress for the weather and bring a flashlight. For more information call (417) 334-4865 ext 0. Cheers! John Miller Naturalist Program Supervisor Shepherd of the Hills Conservation Center 483 Hatchery Road Branson MO 65616 (417) 334-4865 ext 0 John.Miller@mdc.mo.gov

I figured so much... What about the Rams??!?!? They looked pretty good.

I understand Beaver BUT everytime I call to see what Table Rock is running, Beaver isn't running anything.

Logging in under your mom's name now? Funny. Hope you catch a bunch!!

I'm the one who usually is answering this question but right now, Sunday morning, I'm asking WHY? With Table Rock almost at power pool, history tells us that they usually don't run water on weekends in the fall. So why now? It's not to add O2 or they'd be doing that at night when DO levels are the lowest. Yesterday they ran the minimum amount all day it seemed. Looks like today is the same. I'd like to see the water off and see what the upper end looks like with no water running.