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| r | His Place Monthly Fishing Report - October 2002 Hello! October is going to be a wonderful month! I'm waiting for my eagles to come back. They should return any time now to nest just across the river from the Wildlife Observation deck.
While I've been waiting for my eagles to come back, I've had the pleasure of spending the last couple of days watching a pair of osprey. They have been hunting here, and don't seem to mind the guests at all. Yesterday, one of them swooped down and caught a fish by the dock, and then flew around in circles about three times, just to make sure we all saw what he had! It was really something to see.
I hope you can get out somewhere and take some of it in with your family this year, and, God-willing, maybe some of you can enjoy it with us! October is pretty full, and November is booking quickly, so if you think you may be visiting us here in the near future, give us a call soon.
Welcome to the Newsletter! We hope to see you soon.
Hey - What IS that??? Could it BE??? Is that guy WADING???
Well, it's true... Just snapped this one off the dock this afternoon. Yes, that man is indeed wading in the White River just off the upcreek side of our dock. The Bull Shoals Lake level is down under the magical level of 654', and they have been returning to a somewhat more "typical" (if there is such a thing as typical) water flow. Today is the 6th day the water has been off in the morning. Most nights it hasn't gone up until 5 PM or later. Late at night, it's been running heavy.
Times like these truly DO bring unity on the river...
What do these 2 men have in common? Their love of fishing. Period. Fly fishing and spin cast fishing for trout are kind of like deer hunting with a bow & arrow and deer hunting with a rifle. In the end, you're both out to get a deer, but some people only hunt with a bow, and some people only hunt with a rifle.
With the water on the kind of schedule it has been over the last week, "bow" and "rifle" fishermen alike will have a great time on the White! Our "bow hunter" on the left, Albert Taylor, is pictured here with one of the most avid & experienced "rifle hunters" on the river (right) Elvin Weaver. My husband actually witnessed Elvin buying flies from Albert! Times like these truly DO bring unity on the river.
Greg & Phillip Anglin (above left) Greg & Phillip had a great day on the White. Phillip and his friends are from Trenton, TN. Tennessee beat Arkansas in the football game the other night, so between the game and this 20", 3 lb. 9 oz. Rainbow, Phillip couldn't have had a better vacation! We'll whip y'all next time, Phillip!
Jeana, Delaina & Clyde Baker with Steve (above right) Above right are Jeana, Delaina & Clyde Baker with Steve. They had a great day, too. Delaina really needed a break - after recently graduating nursing school, starting a new job and buying her first home, this girl deserved a day on the river! We'd all be blessed for children that turn out this good!
AGFC - practicing what they preach... Jeff & Jackie Stinnett Here is Jeff & Jackie Stinnett. Jeff and Jackie are brothers, and what does a good brother do for his brother when he has a day off? He takes him fishing! However, Jeff & Jackie forgot their camera, but as always, I had mine!
This was a beautiful Brown - the picture really doesn't do it justice. It had a really bright orange stomach, much more brilliant than the picture shows, and was just a lovely fish. It was 22" long, and approximately 4 lb, 9 oz. Of course, being with Jackie, this fish was never in any danger of being mounted. Just after this picture was taken at the dock, the fish was released unharmed to fight another day... Jeff earned his first Catch & Release Pin and Certificate from the Outfitter's Association for releasing this one.
Many of you who spend any time on the river may have seen Jackie. He works for AGFC and runs the stocking raft, along with his many other duties for the Fisheries Department. The stocking raft is the big raft with 2 blue pontoons, an outboard in the back, and a big umbrella the operator sits under.
What you can't see is the big net underneath the raft. This is where the fish get a ride down the river, while Jackie releases them by periodically opening the net. Most of the stocking is now done by raft, although the trucks still stock locations occasionally. Putting them in the river by raft is easier on the fish, and distributes them more evenly.
As you may already know, AGFC has met their goal of stocking 11" Rainbows in the White. They used to be only 9 inches. When AGFC determined mortality was too high for these smaller fish, they decided to pump them up a bit. Wave at Jackie next time you see the funny looking stocking raft!
October 2002 - What the fish are biting on… Bait - In October, with the lower water, think a little smaller. Use Red Worms instead of Night Crawlers, smaller Crawdads or just the white meat, and small Sculpins, if you can catch them. Artificials - Drop down in size, #5 Count Down Rapalas in Gold/Black and Silver/Black. Smaller spoons - Colorados, both Gold/Copper and Gold/Silver and Bouyants in 1/6th oz., Gold/Red. Fly Fishing - Once again, think smaller with the lower water. Sowbugs, light tan in size 16, small sculpin patterns, #10 beadhead Wooly Buggers, and #18 Copper Johns. We're seeing some dry fly activity - try hoppers and stimulators. We've seen some black caddis as well. Try something imitating these, and you should have some luck.
Fish Story of the Month! - "Greg and The Porpoise - Not Today, Buddy" Some people say trout are stupid. That might just be true for the younger ones, but I really have to wonder about the older, big ones that have been around for awhile. If you think they're not too bright, you may change your mind after reading this story... It was just about this time of year. Greg had the day off, and, like any avid guide with a day off, was out fishing. Greg was fly fishing this day, and he found a very promising spot on the bank near the back of a little island. That's where he saw him. It was a huge Brown, probably about 20 pounds. Like any avid fly fisherman, Greg wanted to land this one on his fly rod! This fish was hanging off the end of this island, in probably only about 3 to 4 feet of water. So, Greg started to cast to him, drifting the fly in front of him. Time after time, the fly drifted by this fish, and still the Brown would not hit it, completely ignoring Greg's perfect casts. But Greg wouldn't give up, continuing to try different flies, looking for the combination of the perfect fly and the perfect presentation that would entice this big boy to bite. Then it happened. The fish started to move - but it wasn't after Greg's fly. The fish came off the back of the island, heading toward the very spot where Greg was standing. Greg watched with amazement as the fish came closer and closer to where he was standing on the bank. As the fish got right in front of Greg, it stopped, and stared right at him! Then, this fish "porpoised" out of the water and splashed it's tail, flipping water at Greg! Then it casually swam up around the front of the island, down the other side, and right back to the spot it had been sitting all the time Greg had been casting to it. Basically, we think the fish was telling Greg, "I see you - Do you REALLY think I got this big by being STUPID??? Not Today, Buddy..." Greg got the message. He reeled in his fly line, put his rod away, and left for home. Better Luck Next Time, Greg... If anyone will get him, you will.
Water Level & River Conditions
(Turbine Release snapshot taken from US Army Corps of Engineers) http://www.swl-wc.usace.army.mil/WCDS/Excel/WEB/bul.htm
What's with the squiggly red lines???
The squiggly red lines... That is the turbine release measured in cubic feet per second from Bull Shoals Dam. Why would any of us care? Well, in a nutshell, it's the best indication I've been able to find that explains exactly what the dams are really doing.
We've all called the 431-5311 number for the dam info a million times. They say, 1 generator, or 2 or 8 generators running. What does that mean to us? Well, sometimes it means a lot of confusion. You see, when they tell you 3 generators are running, that doesn't always mean the same amount of water is coming down the river. Why is that? Simply because the conduits that feed each generator are not necessarily opened all the way. And trust me, they often change how "throttled" these openings are. Why do they do this? I don't really know, but here's how it works.
There are 8 generators at Bull Shoals Dam. The 4 newer ones have a slightly higher capacity than the four old ones, but if you average them - each generator at full throttle can put out about 3300 cubic feet per second. I got this info from the hydraulic engineer at SWPA. I also know from earlier this summer when they ran 2 generators more or less all the time about where "2 full" generators is in relationship to the water level at the resort.
As close as I can tell, at this particular point in the river, you have good wade access from no flow to about 6000 cfs. That's just for this part of the river, I can't vouch for other locations.
Also, keep in mind how fast the water moves from the dam. Zero to 3 units of water moves at about 2.5 mph, 3-6 units moves about 3 mph, and 6-8 units moves at about 3.25 mph or a little faster. To fall out, you divide the distance from the dam by 2. We are 15 miles from the dam. The water takes approximately 7-1/2 hours to completely fall out after they shut off.
For example, take Oct 4th. The water was shut off at about midnight, Oct 3rd. It had completely fallen out by about 7:30 AM on Oct 4th. They ramped it up quickly at noon, and it hit here about 5:00 PM.
What's great about this info is that it's accurate. What could be better is that there is a varying time delay - it's usually 2 or more hours old, sometimes as much as 4 or 5 hours old. When the update is that old, the water is here by the time I can see what it's doing.
I've tried looking at other available info in my search for the "Holy Grail of Dam Generation Logic". There are future projections (a couple days ahead of time) that are available for Bull Shoals Dam, but I have found them to be, well, shall we say - "less reliable than your local weather man". The graph that I've shown you above, however, at least shows a pattern - 10 days available data at any given time.
This kind of up & down flow is, in my opinion, optimal for everyone, including the fish.
If they could keep doing something like this, we could all be happy every day!
In Closing...
In closing, I am continually amazed by the changing beauty of the river and the area in general. As we get closer to Thanksgiving, I am reminded what a truly blessed people we are that our Creator has given us such beauty to enjoy in the greatest country on earth.
My thanks again to all the people who let me use their pictures, and tell a little bit about their lives to our readers! May God Bless you and keep you all.
Until next month!!! Good Fishing! Julie USE YOUR BROWSER'S BACK BUTTON TO RETURN |
