gary2400

Stopped Friday in Springfield and met Howard at Michael's store to get some of those Blood Red Leaches they were talking about. Too much water running Friday night (2 units until midnight) to use it so I tried the PMS and did fair above #1. After the water shut off, wow, did much better on the PMS. I tied on the red leach when the water dropped a little and did just as good as the pms. Saturday night, no generation, bright moon, perfect for what Howard told me about that leach....wow, every other cast for about 40 minutes below #1. Around midnight the clouds rolled in and covered the moon so I moved up above #1 and used olive pms, pine squirrel and caught around 15 up there with the largest being around 19". Great night! Thanks Michael for writing and Howard for sharing the info. That is now my moonlight fly. I haven't been doing too good in the full moon phase except with white micro jigs and rust colored micros. gary

Fished between outlet 1 and the cable from about midnight until 2am Friday night. 1 generator was running and we did very well on a PMS and #6 olive pine squirrel. Probably caught 20 fish mostly in the 14-18" range. I heard somebody from down below #1 catching fish....Leonard? Saturday night we was on the flats from 9:30 - midnight and it was a lot slower with no generation. Only caught 7 fish and I threw everything at them. I did have a first for me as I caught an 18" bow that had a yellow jig (1/80) in its upper lip. Whoever he broke off would probably like to know that your knot was still intact, he broke it right above the knot. It's yours and if you want it back....well, maybe the same will happen to me...or you can ask and I'll give it to you. Gary

Got to the water just before 10pm. The water was scheduled to be off by 9 but found 3 units running from 4 the previous hour. Started out just above #1 and caught 2 on olive pine squirrel. At 11pm they went down to 1 unit. I switched to white micro jig and had a ball catching 12"ers as the water fell. Switched to a light brown/olive micro jig with an orange head with black specks on it (I think I picked it up at Lilleys last year) and caught several more with 2 bows right at 20". Camera batteries were dead (darn the luck). At midnight it went to zero units so I moved down below #1 to stay in some current and caught fish all the way down to the big hole. Everybody else that was in the water left right at midnight so I was the lone duck in the water. Left a little after 2am with over 20 caught mostly around 12". Caught all bows on white micro, olive micro, olive pine squirrel, PMS, and black wooly. Very satisfying night on the water. gary

Hey duckydoty and MC I thought that was your truck I seen in the lot. You two didn't waste any time moving downstream after you put in and I did hear one of you catch one right after getting into the water. I was up closer to #1 when you put in. It was painfully slow for me, I threw everything but the empty fly box at them and only had one good hook up. I got in the water at 12:20 and left at 2:30. It was really good to wade again though.

Hey Don that was me you talked to in the lot and thanks a bunch for helping me when I had to put the parts back on my truck. I hit the water about 7 pm just below #1 on the flats with 1 unit running and only picked up a handful on olive pine squirrels and PMS's. They shut the water off at 9 and that's when things really took off. I was just above you on the flats when you got there and then I moved up just above #1. When the moon came out bright I switched to a white micro jig and killed them. The biggest fish was about 18" and several in the 14" range. For about an hour it was a fish about every 3rd cast. I heard a lot of spashing from your direction as well. I then moved back down below #1 and they blew the 2 horns....darn. I was surprised there wasn't more people there as warm as it was. I tied my first patterns ever and caught fish....sweet....now I really am hooked. gary

Had brother-in-law with me and got to the water at about 10:30pm. The parking lot was covered with ice and snow and after a little thaw that day it was the hard crunchy snow with lots of ruts. Started up by #1 on the flats and noticed 2 guys in the water above the outlet. The last unit was shut off at 10 pm so the water was still dropping a little. We caught several on streamers, me with olive, brother-in-law with black. Tried the BFE, and other colors with little to no success so I stayed with the olive streamer. I caught about 15 and he caught 7 or 8 by midnight. The night was memorable for two things. .. we were standing out there and enjoying the quiet when all the sudden the most horrible sound came from the dam. It sounded like one of the flood gates was breaking apart and falling. I looked at the dam in the dark expecting to see a wall of water but nothing happened. One of the guys above us yelled out that it scared him too and then we realized it was one of those big snow plows going accross the dam about 30mph pushing that crusty snow. I needed a break after that one so we went to warm up and then brother-in-law tripped and managed to get completly wet as he fell over. We went up to his room, dryed him and his waders out, managed to get stuck in the motel lot with my 2 wheel drive truck, and finally made it back to the water at 2am. We caught just a handful after that and called it a night. We fished from #1 to down below #2. Biggest fish was about 18", all bows but some were full of eggs and fat. I thought the taney squid had attacked the dam! gary

Maybe he thought you was a big beaver!.... nothing rattles you more than knowing you're the only truck in the lot and having something come right up to you in the water....been there.

You had better get some of those BFE's ready Michael. After reading Duckydoty's report from last night I think my BFE has been out of the water too long already. I'm envious of the fish...but not the ccccold.

Stopped at Backcountry Outfitters and met Michael to get one of those big eggs he had pictured from Thursday night. It was great to meet you Michael. It's always nice to meet the people you read about and learn from. Got in the water just below #1 at 8:15 as they turned off the water at 8. The bite was awesome! I started with olive streamers and almost every other cast was a hook up. I kept thinking about that egg but kept throwing what was working....caught close to 30 fish when I could see the lightning in the far distance. I knew the cold front was coming so I thought I'd better try that egg. Caught lots more on the egg! Michael, I used the technique that you suggested and those bows tried to swallow it! I never made it to the location you told me to try as I was hooking up regular. I never made it down to #2 either like I usually like to do. All the fish were bows, no browns with the largest being about 18". The front came through about 11 so I put on rain jacket and kept at it. There was lightning so I thought better of holding a 9' lightning rod in the water so I went up to the pavilion and met Duckydoty for the first time....great to meet you too! I don't care what they say about the eggs.....I'm keeping and using mine! gary

Phil, We've never met but I like your place and I'm grateful that when I was there Friday and asked about the PMS the lady in the shop called you and then went and got Leonard's flies for me to look at and get a few. She said you were taking pics of them. I needed some of the PMS in a bad way as the bows about ate mine up Thursday night at the rebar. I tried some of those other ones Leonard had in there and did really good down toward KOA Friday night in 68 degree air all night...it was perfect weather. The best was still the regular pine squirrel though...sometimes the older ones still work really good Leonard.... Gary (from Carthage)

Arrived at the dam at midnight Sat. night. There were two guys leaving from #2 and said they did fair but didn't get any details. According to the schedule the water was to be off at midnight but it never shut down. Tailwater stayed at 705 all night. Fished above #1, the point above #1, and below #1. Caught about a dozen bows with none of them being over 13". Landed one 18" brown below #1 on PMS. Caught most of them on olive pine squirrel and PMS but tried several other colors and patterns with little to no luck. All the fish were very active and fought well. I didn't have to hold them and make sure they didn't float off upside down, these guys literally jumped from my hands. Left at 4am..... Gary