His Place Newsletter - November / December, 2004

          Hello! 

Summer has been so busy!!!  :-)  We want to thank you all for visiting us, and hope you'll be able to join us this fall and winter...

Beak Up, Wings Out, Tail Back, That's it!

And 1, and 2, and 3...

Our Bald Eagles, Isaac and Rebekah successfully reared two chicks this summer.  They appear to be (based on size and body shape) one male and one female.  

We thank you for your suggestions for names for the chicks, and have decided on Jacob & Jael (pronouned "yale"). 

(For you history nuts...  Jacob was the son of Isaac & Rebekah in the Old Testament, and Jael was the woman that killed the evil General Sisero with a tent stake, while he was being pursued by Deborah, Barak and his army.)

Watching these chicks grow this summer was one of the neatest things I've ever been able to witness.  From learning to fly, bathing, learning to hunt, and even fighting with one another over food...  I never knew what I was going to witness next! 

Even on the relatively benign White River, there have been many challenges for these chicks.  For example:  We had a microburst storm with 75 mph winds that knocked Jael into the river three times.  It didn't help that 8 generators were running, either.  The third time she was knocked in, she actually went under, and I thought we'd lost her.  But she is very tough (hence her name) and came back up, literally "swimming" back to shore by paddling with her wings.  Trust me, it wasn't pretty, but she made it.

Or the time when Jacob was hanging upside down from a branch by his talons.  He was screaming bloody murder.  He let go with one talon, hung on with the other, and continued to screech and flap his wings.  We thought the one talon was tangled in fishing line for sure, and as high as he was up in the tree, there would have been no way to get to him.  We thought he was a goner.  

Turns out, he had just gotten himself upside down, somehow, and was totally unwilling to let go.  (Maybe in his panic, he forgot he could fly?)  He quickly tired of hanging on, and eventually lost his grip.  He bounced down quite a few branches before he was finally able to right himself.  He then sat in the tree, looking around...  as if to say, "Dang, I hope no one saw that!"

At any rate, it's October and the chicks have moved off on their own.  They still stop by from time to time, but Isaac & Rebekah lead them off, and come back without them.

Anyone can hook 'em,

but can you lasso 'em, buddy?

Yup, I have a good one for you.  Bet you didn't know we had some genuine "Trout Cowboys" that come visit now and again, did you?  Keith Hinson, and some of the boys from the Cargill - Nutrena group were here just a couple of weeks ago to do a little relaxing and fishing.

Keith was fishing with Greg, and he had a good fish on.  When he brought it in, the fish wasn't hooked, though.  It was lasso-ed.

Sometimes, when a fish takes the bait and wants to reject it, they'll roll like a little 'gator and spit it at the same time.  I know I've pulled fish to the boat, only to have them do the "death roll", spit the bait, wave a fin and go bye-bye...  :-)

Anyway, that's what this fish had done, but not quite successfully.  When it rolled, the line wrapped around the lower jaw several times and pulled tight.  

So when Keith pulled it in, he had the fish alright, but it just wasn't hooked.  So that's the new joke around here...  Anyone can hook 'em, but can you lasso 'em, buddy?

And yes, it did too happen...  :-)

November / December

What the fish are biting on… 

Fly Fishing - Streamers - various sculpin, minnow patterns, and good ol' 56'ers, olive wooly buggers.  Additionally, Hank's Wooly's on overcast days, big cream & green flashback scuds, and gold or burnt orange streamers are really starting to work well, too

Bait - Powerbait in white & yellow, Belgian redworms, and shrimp are all the rage for this season!!

Artificials - Countdowns & Rogues - silver/black, and brown trout patterns are working well.  The Colorados in the new "watermelon" colors are also working, too!.

Would that be 70, or 71???

Now, I know all y'all think that from time to time, I tend to spin a tall tale or two.  But, really, I'm here to tell ya - this really happened just the other day...

Had a couple of guests out with Greg.  They'd had a great day, and were getting ready to head back to the dock.  They'd caught 69 fish so far...

It seemed a cryin' shame to have 69...  70 would be better!  "C'mon, Greg - we can't stop with 69!!!"  Well, Greg made one more pass right by the boat dock, and our guest got a small rainbow on.

As he was reeling it in, Greg, as always, was looking down into the water where he could see about a half dozen fish moving in the same vicinity.  Then, all of a sudden, those fish spooked and were outta there fast!  Greg immediately knew what to do...

"Flip the bale open!"  "What?"  "Flip the bale open - HURRY!"  Greg reached over and hit the bale of the rod, so the small rainbow on the hook started taking out line.  Greg just said, "Wait."  A few seconds went by...  "Now?"  "No, wait."  A few more seconds pass in what certainly seemed a small eternity...  

"OK, reel in now!"  Sure enough, there was still a fish on the line.  But, it wasn't the same fish.  Well, it kind of was the same fish, but at the same time, it really wasn't.  So about this time, I bet you're wondering...  well, just what was it then?

It was the same fish - in the belly of the 6 lb. Brown that just ate it.  On the line, with the Rainbow in it's stomach, the line was coming out of the Brown's mouth as it was reeled into the boat.

No, I'm not kiddin'.  I guess it just wasn't the Rainbow's lucky day, now was it?  :-)

So, now for the great philosophical question of the day...  Does that make 70?  or 71?

Love those kids...

"Grandpa...  Hey, Grandpa!  

Since I caught the fish, how come YOU get to hold it for the picture???"

Cassidy Blevins, HER 16" Cutthroat, and her Grandpa, Harold Beck.

We love this family!  :-)

What's going on with Minimum Flow these days?

Well, that's what we've been wondering, too.  First of all, thank you for all your support, and if you haven't filled out our on-line petition, please be sure to do so, as we are still collecting signatures.

Several things have happened over the past few months.  First of all, the Minimum Flow Summary Report was released.  (It's only a year late, but hey, who's counting?)  If you'd like to download this report in .pdf, click here  It's an interesting read.  For example, there is a 77 to 1 benefit to cost ratio for implementing this program on Bull Shoals Dam.  77 to 1.  It's kind of hard to figure how anyone can be against this thing, isn't it?  :-)

With as much as I've written on minimum flow in the past, and all the information on the hot issues page, I won't go into any detail on the scope of this project.  But, the real question is - is anything happening?  Suffice it to say that the wheels of bureaucracy turn slowly, but at least they still seem to be turning.

First of all, let me give my sincere thanks to Mike Biggs, who is in charge of the minimum flow project, for stepping up to the plate, performing an unbiased study in the face of major political opposition.  And second, to Congressman Bozeman, who has also worked tirelessly to get this initiative through.

Now, what's the real hang up?  A couple of things:  

1.) The "Payment For Water Storage" theory.  Southwest Power is a quasi-governmental agency.  They have to pay for water storage below 654 feet in Bull Shoals Dam, for example.  They think that if water is allocated for minimum flow, someone (they intially proposed AGFC) should also have to pay for water storage.  They know AGFC can't do this, and had hoped this would kill, or at least stall, the initiative.  To some degree, this tactic has been successful.  They have managed to give validity to this theory.  So, now, to get the water storage money, the U. S. Senate would have to approve funding for the water storage...  to pay themselves back...  

To my simple mind, this is pretty silly.  Pass an appropriations bill to take money out of our government to pay another branch of our government back for water that is just sitting there.  No one pays for storage above 654' in Bull Shoals lake because it rains, do they?  The Corps just dumps the excess water.  Now, I know there are some actual costs associated with a higher base lake level.  But seriously, SWPA generates major revenue from the water below 654'.  I can see why they would have to pay for this "storage".  But AGFC is not going to generate revenue directly off this 5' of storage water in Bull Shoals Lake.  You know, if someone has to pay this water storage - I have a great idea!  Since there will be a 77 to 1 benefit to cost ratio, how about SWPA paying for it???  :-)

2.) Setting a precedent.  Them gummint' boyz are skeered....!  This is the real basis of all resistance to minimum flow.  If this initiative passes, they're afraid of what it might mean for Corps Dams all across the country.  They don't want to lose control elsewhere.  They don't want to be forced to retrofit other dams, or have to take in other considerations to generation of their electricity.

So, finally...  What says my crystal ball?  The good guys are going to win, it's just going to take awhile.

Here's a recent Arkansas Democrat Gazette article that touches on this a little bit:

Members of the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission appealed to U.S. Sen. Mark Pryor Friday, asking him to support a plan that would release water from certain White River reservoirs to improve trout fishing and boating.
   Game and Fish officials say minimum flows — the release of more water from reservoirs that feed tailwater trout fisheries — could pump millions of dollars into the state’s economy.
   For example, if more people buy fishing licenses and travel to trout hot spots, the state could see a significant economic impact, said Scott Henderson, director of the Game and Fish Commission.
   Ultimately, Congress must approve the minimum flows. The Game and Fish Commission has no authorized standing in the operation of the White River dams.
   Commissioners hope strong support from Democratic Sens. Pryor and Blanche Lincoln can push a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers appropriations bill — including federal money to help the commission pay for water storage — through the Senate.
   "The real deal killer is the cost of [water] storage," Henderson said. "We simply could not afford to do it."
   For the Game and Fish Commission to receive federal funding for water storage, Congress would have to approve "recreation" as an authorized use in the operation of the White River dams.
   Pryor said it will be difficult to gain the Senate’s approval.
   "Are we setting some precedent now?" he asked. "Will it adversely affect us in the long term? It seems to make a lot of sense in Arkansas, but I’m not sure what it means nationally."
   Originally, the commission asked for minimum flows on the White River below the Beaver, Table Rock, Bull Shoals, Norfork and Greers Ferry dams. Henderson said the commission now is focusing on Table Rock, Bull Shoals and Norfork because those areas are most in need of minimum flows.
   Without minimum flows, the commission said, trout growth and survival is hampered, causing fish kills during the summer. It also impedes boat navigation.
   Per federal law, there are three uses for all water storage in the lakes: flood control, hydropower and public water supplies. If minimum flows are approved, storage water would need to be taken from one or all of the three uses.
   "We certainly understand that power supply and drinking water supersedes us," Henderson said.
   Some say taking water storage space from Southwestern Power Administration, the federal agency that markets electricity made at about two dozen federal dams in six states, could lead to rate increases.
   Pryor said that he thought Game and Fish and power officials are inching closer to a compromise on water storage.
   "It seems like they’re coming very close to a win-win situation," Pryor said. "When all the local folks agree, we want to go to Washington and get this through."
   The federal Water Resource Development Acts of 1999 and 2000 authorized the following amount of water storage: 1.5 feet in Beaver Lake, 2 feet in Table Rock Lake, 5 feet in Bull Shoals Lake, 3.5 feet in Norfork and 3 feet in Greers Ferry.
   Game and Fish officials plan to meet with Lincoln and U.S. Rep. Mike Ross, D-Ark., next week to discuss minimum flows.

This story was published Saturday, August 28, 2004 Ark Dem Gaz

The following relates to minimum flow and is taken from the September minutes of the Game & Fish Commission:

MINIMUM FLOW UPDATE

At the request of Chairman Wood, Mike Armstrong highlighted some recent events concerning the minimum flow issue. He advised that, with the help of Congressman Boozman, some tentative agreements had been reached with Southwest Power. He said Congressman Boozman wants to move the minimum flow issue forward through Congress as quickly as possible, hopefully during the current session.

Mike reported that meetings had been held with most of Arkansas' congressional members during the last few weeks, with all of them being positive and encouraging. He said he had met with three marina operators on Bull Shoals, with plans to meet with the rest of them as soon as possible in order to dispel any rumors and listen to any problems they might have as a result of implementing minimum flow. Mike advised that the next step would be to draft legislative language with Congressman Boozman's office, addressing from which pool the water would be drawn, and making sure that this project is not seen nationwide as a precedence setting situation for reallocating water storage in other COE reservoirs.

Chairman Wood asked Mike to let everyone know who is writing the legislation. Mike explained that Susan Bodine, chief council with the Water Resources Sub-Committee in the House has been instrumental in helping David Manns write the language.

Fish Story of the Month! 

The one that DIDN'T get away...

Bet you're wondering how I'm coming up with all these fish stories in this newsletter?  Well, when you've been so busy that you haven't done your newsletter all summer, these stories just multiply!

Well, now we have another really good one to share with you.  Carl (our guide on the left) and Ken Freeze are the focus of our Fish Story of the Month.  

You always hear about, (or worse, personally experience for yourself) "The Story of the One That Got Away."  Well, if ever you'd think that a big one would get away, it'd certainly be this fish of Ken's.  I still can't imagine how he managed to land this fish.  Let me just tell you the story, and I think you'll be equally impressed...  :-) 

So, another beautiful day on the White River, and Carl has Ken fishing up above Hurst a little ways, by some private docks.  As they were drifting by, Carl told Ken to keep his rod tip low, so he wouldn't hang on the docks they were passing.

They were drifting some shad, and as they passed a dock, Ken told Carl that he was hung up on it.  Well, it felt like he was hung up, anyway.  Just at that moment, Carl saw this huge female Brown jump up out of the water above the dock, and someone had her on the line - must be Ken!  Since they had already drifted below the dock, the line was actually caught under the floats of the dock.  It was amazing that the 4 lb. test didn't break!

So, Carl moved the boat back up toward the front of the dock, but the Brown headed down river this time, under the dock, and then jumped again, this time in one of the empty boat stalls!  That 4 lb. Trilene was really hanging tough!

Then, Carl moved the boat back around the dock, and that Brown jumped out of the water one more time before finally being brought to the boat.  Now, lemme ask you...  How many 11 lb. 8 oz. Browns are caught on 4 lb. test after running line under a dock not once, but twice???  Not too many, my friends!

Of course, after the photo op, she was released...  :-)

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