skeeter

Unfortunately, the ones that will live are the ones I would like to see gone or reduced and those are the Sycamores.

Hey I'm a little bit Swiss ( hate to admit ) and this positively sucks ! Aren't these the same people who kept all the gold and valuables the Nazi's stole during WWII and were just forced into returning ? What does that say about these people and their government ?

I heard some bad things about those pythons the people are releasing down there after they grow too large. Another bad news species. Hope folks are using their vehicle tires to " slice and dice " the things lying on the roadway. That's enough to keep a guy from wade fishing and you sure better look up at any overhanging limbs. What's next ?

Owners had 80 or so loads of gravel brought in Friday and graded into a higher road so you can access the tiny little bit of the parking lot that is still above water. Looks like they added about 150-200 feet of ramp so you can walk out to the dock now but it's so long they need a rest area complete with porta-potty about halfway Big effort by the Pollards and appreciated by all the frustrated boat owners. Adjacent campround is now open too but ramps are still under water. They think they will open the services on the dock about midweek with gas then becoming available. The Lake actually came up a bit between Saturday afternoon and Sunday morning jeapordizing the new road !

Was reading in the St. Louis paper lately where MO Legislature discovered they shot themselves in their foot when they passed this moronic "mandate" about ETHANOL content of gasoline. It seems that some of our "Esteemed" lawmakers that voted for the "mandate" are cattlemen and they have discovered their feed prices doubling and tripling due to higher corn prices. Talk about poetic justice The newspaper further reported there was a move to repeal the "mandate" but since the session ends Friday 5-16 and there are many more important issues that have not been acted on I don't know if the "repeal" will take place. We can only cross our fingers.

Maybe the darn things will eat the Asian carp since they are both of Chinese origin ! Seriously, this presence in Arkansas waters is very bad news especially with all the high water. I can't recall where I saw it but there is an experimental program to process Asian carp into some sort of animal feed. Let's all hope it works. Anyone else hear about this ?

Champ 188, You may recall when MDC instituted the 15" limit back in the late 70's the howls of protest that went up could be heard in China they were so loud but, as you say, it worked out for the best in a big way. Here we are about 30 years later and this old geezer has observed the fishing pressure to have about tripled with hardly a week going by without some sort of large tournament(s) drawing many more boats to the lake. IMHO it's time for MDC to be doing some additional management to this fishery and something to encourage or even mandate "Boat-Side" release when angling in a tournament would be very beneficial. Of course the tournament organizer$ wouldn't be happy with that because you then couldn't have the hoopla at the "weigh-in" holding fish in plastic bags and hoisting them into the air for pictures and media coverage would be eliminated.

Techo, Certainly agree with you about not having to pass another law. However, it's obvious that since an association the size of FLW doesn't provide a boat that there is no choice. Folks don't, and most won't "do the right thing" especially when the ALMIGHTY DOLLAR is involved as it has to come out of someone's pocket or someone's budget reducing their profit and THAT is what it is all about !!! You may have read mine and another member's postings and outrage about "bed-jerkers" and what that is doing to the future of our sport.. You think these big tournament organizations care about that I have a bridge in Brooklyn for sale.

Phil, Quite sure there are many of us who would greatly appreciate it if you would keep posting those Corp reports especially during this high water period. Understand your frustration but any information those of us who aren't on the scene can get is very interesting and we are grateful for the time you spend on updating us all. Sounds like the COE makes predictions like the weather forecasters and are only right part of the time which is because they too are dealing with Mother Nature and are now in reaction mode and can't really plan ahead. Thanks much.

No one can really answer this or even make a semi-accurate guess including the COE. We're in the wet season and everything depends on how much precip we continue to receive. All these lakes were sold to Congress as "flood control" projects in the 1950's not just for the White River but the lower Mississippi too and that is precisely what they are now being used for. Power generation was # 2 and a distant third place was recreation. This time of year with the typical clash of warm humid air from the Gulf meeting cold air from the North it all depends on whether fronts are fast movers like yesterday's or if they get hung up on the MO-AR border and then low pressure centers move along them. Fast movers typically yield far less precip than the fronts that stall out and hang around for days acting like a railroad for low pressure centers. The concern most experienced folks have now is the tri-lakes are full to capacity and have no flood storage capacity left. You couple that with the intense political pressure coming out of the Agri-business interests in Arkansas and the flooding potential along the lower Mississippi in Louisiana and I personally don't see the water levels getting anywhere near "normal" until after Labor Day but again that all depends on what is to come. This is the Midwest where any type of weather can and will happen. The region just came out of a protracted period of drought and now the pendulum has swung the other way. The bright side is it's gonna' be a helluva' spawn

And a BIG AMEN to that, Brother.

Perhaps if the Corp wouldn't shut down three generators at night ( see latest outflow report ) they could hold the lake level without resorting to the floodgates again. And while I'm thinking of it, I sure hope all the electricity generation caused by the high waters is being used in the grid and not just run into the ground. It sure would save a lot of CO2 emissions from the coal fired gen plants. As for beer prices and rice growing on the Arkansas Grand Prarie region.....the last three years the rice growers have been screaming about lack of water in their "tanks" for paddy flooding due to the ongoing drought and the decline of the aquifer they pump out of . So they were building a pumping station on the White to remedy that situation. Then some guy swore he saw an Ivory Billed woodpecker right in the region where the pumping station was going in. Guess what happened....all construction was stopped by the Feds due to the noise from the electric powered water pumps might disturbed the "phantom" woodpecker.....that has never been seen again. Beer and food costs in general are rising and will become a major concern due to increased costs of oil/diesel and the Ethanol scam. Less land planted in barley in the grain belt up North due to high corn prices has resulted in doubling and tripling the per bushel cost of barley, the world hops supply is at an all time low vs. demand and now rice is going through the roof. MO State legislature is considering repealing the law requiring 10% Ethanol in all gas sold in the State. Seems like some of the legislators raise livestock and have seen their feed bills increase drastically because of their "mandate".

Nice Fish ! Even more nice, he released it. Must have been a pretty good fight for a man of 84 ! I'm wondering if the taxidermists do a better job with the "Silver Kings" these days ? I've yet to see a mount that does justice to the beauty of these fish. Understandably, they just cannot seem to capture the reflectivity of their scales and when you get one alongside the boat they are almost mirror-like they are so bright. The 150 I had done in 1983 was a huge disappointment when it was uncrated. Thanks for posting.

Mr. Babler, with utmost respect, you sir, have hit the nail squarely on the head and this problem needs to be addressed in the worst possible way. This is ruining sport fish populations all over the Country and not just here. How utterly asinine to pull a spawning female off a bed and transport for miles to the "weigh in " to be supposedly released alive. There is big money involved here and anytime you encounter that it seems to always go their way. Only when the fishery is ruined or seriously depleted will the pressure ease up. Stupid, stupid greedy people. Measure the length and girth of the fish, if you must pull them off their beds, at the boat, record it and let them go right there and require a digital picture be taken, those cameras are inexpensive enough now, to control cheaters. And a hearty thank you for speaking out on this issue.

Strongest quake since the 5.2 in 1968. If memory serves that one was epicentered in S. Illinois also. The rumbling noise was pretty strong too. Reminded me of when the military used to break the sound barrier over STL in the 1950's and the resounding BOOOM that shook everything, this one just lasted longer and was a lot deeper. Odd this should come from the Wabash fault zone when all you hear and read about is New Madrid.

Just Wondering.....any relation to Charlie ??

It appears the lake " MAY HAVE " crested at 0400 hrs today at 933.25 which is a new all time record. Beaver is finally dropping slightly too so maybe the worst is over. MAYBE!!! _________________________________________________________________________ Table Rock Lake Top Flood Pool: 931.0 White River Top Power Pool: 915.0 (TRZM7) Bottom Power Pool: 881.0 Turbine Time Elevation Tailwater Release Generation Date CS/CDT (ft-msl) (ft-msl) (cfs) (mwh) __________________________________________________________________________ 10APR2008 1800 929.08 718.13 14576 227 10APR2008 1900 929.25 718.17 14591 230 10APR2008 2000 929.40 718.14 14599 229 10APR2008 2100 929.49 719.31 14572 229 10APR2008 2200 929.49 720.83 14627 229 10APR2008 2300 929.50 721.55 14717 228 10APR2008 2400 930.02 721.84 14716 231 11APR2008 0100 930.23 721.92 14716 227 11APR2008 0200 930.48 721.95 14725 230 11APR2008 0300 930.72 722.08 14717 228 11APR2008 0400 930.92 722.08 14752 230 11APR2008 0500 931.11 722.14 14707 230 11APR2008 0600 931.38 722.17 14718 228 11APR2008 0700 931.60 722.16 14713 ---- 11APR2008 0800 931.75 722.17 14730 ---- 11APR2008 0900 931.94 722.16 14605 ---- 11APR2008 1000 932.03 722.19 14581 ---- 11APR2008 1100 932.27 722.23 14599 ---- 11APR2008 1200 932.48 722.30 14600 ---- 11APR2008 1300 932.61 722.28 14560 ---- 11APR2008 1400 932.73 722.34 14588 ---- 11APR2008 1500 932.88 722.33 14572 ---- 11APR2008 1600 932.92 722.36 14599 ---- 11APR2008 1700 932.95 722.42 14597 ---- 11APR2008 1800 932.98 722.36 14577 ---- 11APR2008 1900 933.05 722.36 14587 ---- 11APR2008 2000 933.09 722.39 14601 ---- 11APR2008 2100 933.13 722.39 14582 ---- 11APR2008 2200 933.14 722.31 14583 ---- 11APR2008 2300 933.17 722.45 14587 ---- 11APR2008 2400 933.19 722.41 14587 ---- 12APR2008 0100 933.20 722.33 14575 229 12APR2008 0200 933.22 722.41 14582 ---- 12APR2008 0300 933.23 722.36 14599 ---- 12APR2008 0400 933.25 722.33 14614 ---- 12APR2008 0500 933.23 722.31 14588 ---- --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Nope, I saw it too. For a split second I was thinking the worst.

The last hourly level recorded by their automated recording and reporting system was at 0100 hours 4-11-08 and it showed 930.23 msl. Can only assume their equipment broke or got jammed up with driftwood or something similar. I'll bet they have it repaired later today so their hydrology guys can do their much needed calculations. On a good note I see where they have successfully begun to lower Beaver, not much, but any amount helps.

Anyone know if the other Public Marina's on Table Rock are closed and inaccessible like Baxter is ? Been over two weeks now and gonna' be a lot longer. Thanks.

The reason for the "ominous music " on the National Geo program is these Snakehead fish are nothing but bad news. If you think the Asian or Bighead Carp is a problem in our major rivers the snakehead is about 1000 times worse. All the Asian Carp eats ( we think ) is plankton and algae, the snakehead is a carnivore that is voracious for anything else that swims. They can breathe or gulp air like certain gar species and have this nasty ability to be able to cross short distances of dry land by using their pectoral fins to sort of "walk" or "slither" across the ground. If they get into our waters you can kiss your fishery good-bye as they will out-compete and out-eat anything else. The morons who released them should be prosecuted and locked up.

OK Phil, having let the cat out of the bag about a problem at Beaver how about sharing with us what that problem is ? I've heard many stories about the "leaks" at BS coming out of the bedrock downstream but never heard anything about Beaver. You would think that would be the most researched and safest dam on the River chain as it was the last one built. Thanks.

NWS Springfield office is warning that a dangerous flooding event is setting up. Saturated ground, creeks full to banks and more heavy precip. coming. Look's like Capt. Don's long range weather info. is coming true with heavy rain Thurs/Fri and more Sun/Mon. It all depends on where it falls and for how long. Makes you appreciate why the Govt. built the White River chain of Lakes back in the day.

Patfish, Well, that would be OK except the water running on the top of the shelf rock under the yard hasn't quit yet and if you try and walk in the yard we're sinking over our shoe tops, it's that soggy. Can't recall the last time I saw this and I think a lot of it is from previous owners importing topsoil. We're just hoping that with the continuing rainfall the topsoil doesn't slide right off the underlying shelf rock and do a mudslide down the hill. We need some of those sunny, warm windy days with winds out of the SW to help in drying out and warming up the lake. More rain coming today and tonight and Wed. into Thurs. but it looks like results of frontal passage(s) and not a stalled out front with overrunning moisture aloft like the big one(s).

Patfish, I was riding my ATV through Baxter Campground last Saturday and the Park gatekeepers had just arrived for the season. The lake was almost three feet higher then and the lower sites on the West end of the point, and the sites on the North edge of Hwy. "H" were under water. The metal poles the Corps installed for campers to hang their Coleman lanterns on on the North side of "H" had about one foot visible above the water level and all roads leading to the water's edge were blocked with narrow orange plastic sawhorse barriers with signs on them stating " keep out " signed by the Corps of Engineers. It didn't matter whether the roads were in the campground, Hwy "H" itself, or leading to the dock or steep launch ramp, all were blocked with those barriers. The road to the launch ramp was about four feet deep and completely impassable, the road to the boat dock was about two feet deep and only the very last row of parking in front of the dock's gasoline storage tanks was out of the water. The public dock was inaccessible with the end of the access ramp about 70 to 80 feet from the shore. While I was there, two local fishermen with an 18' jon boat set up for fishing drove in and kicked the boat off their trailer at the end of "H" and went out fishing. That's a very gradual slope to the water there and even though they had a flat bottomed aluminum boat had to submerge the rear axle of their pickup to get into deep enough water to float the boat. I rode back down about three hours later and noticed those guys had a citation from the Corps under their windshield wiper ! Why the entire campground would be closed is beyond me as the sites with electric are well up the hill and should never be affected by high water. I'd keep checking with the Corps before giving up hope for the middle of May. I read Capt. Don's post about a long range prediction of 6- 10 inches more by next weekend and can only hope that forecast is incorrect but short term we are supposed to get several inches more Sunday and Monday with light rain coming down as I type this.