Phil Lilley

Need to varify but we've been told all 10 gates are open at Table Rock Dam. Bill is headed up and will call to let me know.

Well now we've heard that they have all 10 gates open at Table Rock. Will check back.

Just heard they are not going to open flood gates unless they have to. They're afraid there's no place to hold the water below which is scarey because Bull Shoals is usually the "bath tub" and holds all the access water. That means they're afraid BS won't hold it all. They are going to run 4 full for as long as it takes. BUT they are expecting Table Rock to crest at 931 ft! That's basically at the top of the flood gates. I've seen it at 928.5 one December in the late 80's. If we get anymore rain in the next several weeks, they'll have to open the gates I'd think.

Gonna look back at this remember the flood of 2008... may be.

Bill and I were talking... James River is out of it's banks and people are being evacuated. Galena is not much better. Roaring River is flooding. NW Arkansas is getting it too. Table Rock is shooting up and we think it'll pass 920 tonight. If it gets too much past 924-925, they'll open the flood gates. Also depends on what Beaver Lake does. Everytime they open flood gates fishing below the dam get really, really hot. We see white bass and crappie head up too. Big browns.... chances are we'll see some shad.

Just had a cancellation for this weekend in an off lake single - $59 per night. 2 twins or one king non smoking. 800-284-2196

Heard 3 inches in Springfield and 4+ in Ozark last night. It continues here but don't know how much we got- not as much as up north I don't think. Lake continues to run which is a good thing.

It's 57 here so I'd say the rain is warming up the lake.

They've kicked it up a notch this morning after the rains last night. The here is colored up a bit but not bad at all. Usually when we get this kind of rain they shut the dam down for a day to let the lake drain but not this morning. This way it keeps flushing the upper end so out water will stay fishable. Problem is you have to get out in a boat to fish- dock fishing is tough. Get out your night crawlers and san juans... it should be that kind of day!

Thanks JL for reporting... glad you're feeling better!

Just curious... does your group prefer to release the big cats? I've heard a cat at 48 pounds could be as old as 30-35 years old. Seems like killing something that takes that long to grow to that size would be a detriment to catfish angling. It's one thing to kill a 6 lb smallmouth- it only may be 5-6 years old and that's about as big as it's going to get. Your 48 pound cat could keep growing for another 10-20 years theoretically. I think the age of these cats is a pretty new discovery, isn't it? Has it changed the thinking of avid catfishermen?

There was a question about the bass, and may be other fish, in Bass Pro's aquariums. I believe also the tanks in question are located in Springfield, although other shops may have the same issues. The question was what causes fish's eyes to bug out. I enquired and got the following answer from MDC fisheries pathologiest Devona Weirich, DVM The answer to your question is: yes, one of the most common causes of pop-eye is nitrogen supersaturation of water. This is common in water sources that are spring or well fed as well as below dams where gases are compressed due to falling water. In these instances, along with bulging eyes you may see pockets of gas under the skin or in gill tissue. Now the other very common cause of pop-eye is a bacterial infection. With these you may also see a reddened fin base, a distended abdomen, or frayed fins. If you cut the fish open you may also see fluid in the abdomen or other hemorrages on internal organs. It is best diagnosed by a bacterial culture. Determining the cause of pop-eye is sometimes not easy. I have taken bacterial and tissue samples from aquarium fish with pop-eye and found neither a parasite, bacterial infection nor gas supersaturation. My conclusion at that point was that the tissues around the eye were permanently damaged by some prior event that is now undetectable. If the fish are eating well and do not show external signs of disease, this may be the most likely situation.

I like "That_Guy"... Thanks for the reports!

Not familiar with the LN but it looks like they've gotten alot of rain today. You might consider waiting till the last minute and see what fishery would be best to fish as far as levels and conditions.

Flysmallie(39) - you're catching up with me. Murdoc(47) You've almost caught up.... jcoberley(50) and you did!!

I love fishing dock houses... used to be one at Cricket Creek Marina on Table Rock but they replaced it with stalls. None on Table Rock now that I know of. Thanks for the report.

Looked through the whole site... some incredible photos. Really enjoyed, esp the flies.

Don't mind it all... welcome.

Darn------ I meant to say Lurkers AREN'T bad people. I need to proof my posts more often.

Cool- didn't know photobucket did vidoe. I want to too.....

Lurkers are bad people... just friends who don't talk much Welcome!

I'd love to see that!

You've grown a bit since I saw you last... and that was yesterday? I saw the pic on the phone- I'd say 6+. Glad he's still swimmin' unless it's the same fish Mike caught.

Grubs and swimming minnows and jigs work great too. Don't let the fly boys intimidate you.

They don't shock up in Swan. They shock the main lake from the dam to Barker but if they're getting their allotment early, they may not be cover that big of area.