Water Release at Stockton

[MSeery]

Just another FYI,

 

I spoke with the Corps this morning.  They are releasing 1/10' water per day.  So the math is:  17 feet above normal pool.  If no more rain and not taking into consideration evaporation, then it will be 170 days to get to normal pool.  They do not have any plans to increase release volume at this time.

 

 

[Walcrabass]

MSeery,

  There might be a Silver lining to this situation. Lots of decaying vegetation to help nourish the lake? Spawning sites??

 

Wally

[Dutch]

When the Mississippi goes down and LOZ and Truman drop, I'd bet they increase before spring rains but that is just my guess.

[MOPanfisher]

I would expect to see them generating as much as possible.  Same for Truman and LOZ, Pomme is already at max release.  With the late year flood I don't know how much decaying veg there will be.  Soon enough levels will be back down and I will.be one of the hopefulls throwing a rogue near the dam trying to entice a toothy critter to bite.

[stickbait]

If I'm not mistaken decaying vegetation uses oxygen and is not really a good thing for fishing.

 

[Walcrabass]

MSeery,

  There might be a Silver lining to this situation. Lots of decaying vegetation to help nourish the lake? Spawning sites??

 

Wally

Stickbait,

  Not up front..... but you need fertilizer to make the garden grow.....

Wally

[MOPanfisher]

Anytime you get a big runoff rain it washes in a lot of nutrients, which provide the base for plankton, minnows and on up the food chain.  Every down side has and up and every up has a down .  The lake has had it happen many time before and will again, just part of the cycle.  O2 levels usually aren't a worry unless you have high water in summer and a lot of vegetation decaying to eat up the oxygen. 

[Jas Long]

Crappie spawn is gonna be messed up then.

[Walcrabass]

Jas Long,

  You could be correct. It has always been a concern to the fishermen when they start dropping the water lever during spawning times in anticipation of more Spring rain entering the lake. You need to keep one thing in mind though....... fishermen don't really count...... or the fish......... it is all about floods, water levels, and generation. Fishing is just a by product of these events I am sorry to say.

Walcrabass

[MOPanfisher]

Walcrab what you say is true, although the COE does work with MDC and coordinate as much as possible to avoid rapid changes during spawn time, unfortunately we have never found a way to get Mother Nature to the meetings.  The Fisheries Biologist that works on Pomme (Craig Fuller) usually says as long as it is not a rapid rise or fall it is fine.  If the water level is slowly dropping the fish will instinctively spawn a little deeper give the eggs time to hatch and fry to move.  Honestly probably beginning with a flooded condition and slow drop allowing the eggs to hatch and fry to seek shelter in flooded bushes etc. would likely be a very very good spawn.  Assuming the weather is normal (whatever that is) Stockton should be relatively normal for the crappie spawn.  And when folks here at Pomme tell me that changing lake levels is what kills a crappie spawn I always point out Truman, it seems to flood with a heaby dew, and goes up and down like a yo yo, dirty water etc, but there always seems to be a good spawn.  In the end, as a fisherman I too just have to take it as it comes, but the fisheries are considered in the equations where feasible.