Mdc's Trout Habitat Project

[Bman]

Time to get a jet sled, and a trolling motor with a break away.

[Phil Lilley]

Your jet guides are completely wrong. I have been up there and standing there when the rocks were placed. At 3 units there will be a minimum of 5-6 feet over the largest rock. That means even less than 3 units you have plenty of clearance. Less than that you better know where they are.

As for fishing them, I again think you're wrong. They're big enough I don't think you're going to get your junk snagged on them.

Bank fisherman- you're right there. They said and planned one way and did it completely different. One problem is they aren't fishermen and don't wade and fish down there. But the rocks will serve the purpose they were put there for- to create holes and pockets to hold fish.

The rocks weren't put there to create more fish.

As for cutting off boaters - I don't understand the sense of this mindset. People who wade and don't fish out of boats hate boaters cause... ?? They're too fast. They make wakes? They have access to water that waders don't? That may be it. Jealousy? Come on guys... count the total days the water is running and on those days most waders stay home and if they go fishing they only have access of 1% of the fishable, catchable water below the dam. It's only fishable by boat when the water is running. Why not allow boats up there to fish? Why restrict them? There's no viable reason to- period.

As for placing rocks to stop boating up there- that's absolutely crazy. Why would MDC do that?

Has MDC placed the rocks where I wanted them to? No, not really. Some of them, yes but they bought too many rocks. I think they are way to far in the boating lanes and I believe this will come back and bite them.

[Phil Lilley]

Do the math-

Top of rocks are at 702 feet.

2 units - basically is 706 feet.

3 units - 708 feet.

4 units - can be as high was 710-11 feet.

That's 4, 6 and 8 feet over the rocks.

These are conservative levels.

[Phil Lilley]

I'm going to back off the jealousy statement. I know that's not the reason. Sorry.

But I still don't understand why so many people hate boaters up there.

I was talking to someone up there yesterday and they made that statement- about boats flying up and down. I asked him... would you rather them go slow and throw huge wakes? He said, no I guess not.

I would venture to say that there's generation 80 out of 100 days on Taneycomo. That again is conservative. I think it's probably more. That would mean virtually no one could fish up there when there's generation when the water is running- only the waders close to the outlets. That's a poor usage of public water.

[ColdWaterFshr]

Phil,

Its not jealousy. And I don't fish down there often enough to where my comments should hold much weight. But I have in the past and I'll say this at the risk of sounding hoity-toity -- its about solitude. If you're bank fishing, wade fishing or whatever, and a boat comes ripping up -- on plane or off plane, big wake, or almost no wake, makes no difference -- its a peace disturbance. Multiple times during a fishing trip, and it gets annoying. Here comes another one, and another. Would be nice to have a half mile of none of that nonsense. I know its a semi-urban environment, and that concrete dam isn't exactly natural, but at least create the illusion. Out of those 80/100 days of generation, how many of those are borderline wadeable up there at some point in the day or night, if not multiple times? And how long does it take the water to fall out even if it pulses on/off several times a day. Thats a LOT of overlap between wading and boating. A 1/2 mile section of motor-boat free water out of 20 some-odd miles isn't a lot to ask, and you drift out of there in 5-10 minutes anyway, do you really need that half mile. Put in big sharp pointy 12 foot high boulders I say, and I don't think I would be alone in that sentiment.

[Brian K. Shaffer]

but Phil, they are making money anytime that water is running

Sorry Bill.. but me thinks this has been a long time coming.

Us waders up above have been fishing in crappy conditions at low water for too long.

again - this is just my opinion.. take it for what its worth

Brian

what the hell happened to the opening of the sluice gates idea

[fshndoug]

Phil,

Its not jealousy. And I don't fish down there often enough to where my comments should hold much weight. But I have in the past and I'll say this at the risk of sounding hoity-toity -- its about solitude. If you're bank fishing, wade fishing or whatever, and a boat comes ripping up -- on plane or off plane, big wake, or almost no wake, makes no difference -- its a peace disturbance. Multiple times during a fishing trip, and it gets annoying. Here comes another one, and another. Would be nice to have a half mile of none of that nonsense. I know its a semi-urban environment, and that concrete dam isn't exactly natural, but at least create the illusion. Out of those 80/100 days of generation, how many of those are borderline wadeable up there at some point in the day or night, if not multiple times? And how long does it take the water to fall out even if it pulses on/off several times a day. Thats a LOT of overlap between wading and boating. A 1/2 mile section of motor-boat free water out of 20 some-odd miles isn't a lot to ask, and you drift out of there in 5-10 minutes anyway, do you really need that half mile. Put in big sharp pointy 12 foot high boulders I say, and I don't think I would be alone in that sentiment.

[fshndoug]

If you want solitude while you are fishing,please consider picking a steam or lake that does not get 6 million visitors a year.you might want to look at the Upper Peninsula in Michigan or The Wind River area in Wyoming.While you are against boaters,you might want to ban the Ducks rides and their loudspeakers.Oh how about those noisy helicopters.

[Phil Lilley]

Dallas- I understand what you're saying. We're now in the flight path of the Branson Airport... but I love having the airport here in Branson!

[Bill Babler]

I really think there has been a change of the water levels and sea levels acessments since the flood. 701 to 711 for instance is not even near what it used to be and has no relevence.

Did talk to a boater that had been doing some photography up there this past week. He simply said it pretty much will close the area to him, on any generation level.

As far as the guide boats, our area was pretty much defined. Some guides would boat into the upper zone on zero to 1 generator using jets, but for the most part the boat guides stayed out at those levels, leaving it pretty much to the wade guys.

There is now going to be a new mind set as I am seeing guides going to specialized boats and jets just to get into the restricted zone. More and more of us thru necessity are buying jets.

What this is telling me is that even now on zero or 1 unit, the jets will have the ability to access the area, and will. This is completely going to change the dynamic of the area.

Boats will be manuvered in and out and around wade fisherman in much greater numbers than in the past.

I believe this will truly be a very interesting evolution.

Good Luck