Upper Lake Water Conditions Revisited

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:-(

A couple of weeks ago I wrote a report on water conditions at and above Holiday Island. In that report I made it clear how much I was looking forward to my spring break from school and to the onset of Spring.

The weather gods must have heard my remarks.

Can't tell you the water temp this time. The debris the wind blew into the Holiday Island marina blocks putting my boat in the water. Unlike most marina operations, this one is not owned by anyone. The Holiday Island District owns it and leases its operation to a concessionaire April to October. That means no one has been there the last two days to drag off floating timber, bottles, cans, and other material floated into the lake on the water rise. The Northeast winds of the storm blew that raft into the marina cove. If you need firewood, there are enough floating logs between my stall and clear water to survive the next winter, even if the only heat in the house is wood burning. Only good thing is someone is paying attention to the dock lines. However another 4 or 5 feet of rise will flood the parking lot and put the walkway out of reach from shore.

The water clarity is nonexistent. The color is not chocolate milk. Instead it looks like heavily creamed coffee. The muddy water lakes of Oklahoma like Eufala are redder and darker than the current upper end of TR. If I could get my boat out tomorrow, I would be digging through my gear for the spinner baits with #5 or 6 cupped colorado blades. In water this color and early in the year, a bait needs to rattle or thump and move slow to get bit.

Looked at the lake levels for the White River chain. At 7 feet over power pool, TR is the lowest. Beaver is at 8, BS is 10.5, and Norfolk is 12. That is a lot of water. Despite the fact all the dams are discharging, the levels are still rising. Makes you wonder what it would have been like before the dams were put in. Also makes me wonder how many already have water in their homes or businesses. Even thwarted from fishing over my Spring break, I am lucky compared to those souls.

This afternoon I'll go down and take a picture of the flooded forest and then later I'll post them.

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Camera didn't work - dead batteries. Took the pictures today, but posted them in SKMO's thread about the upper White.