I don’t know about the rest of you but I am pretty tired of fishing high water. Every day I go on the computer and check the lake levels and generation report. I carefully study the graphs and columnar data to try and note any change or trend. What I have noticed is that the lakes are coming down fast. It is about time!
When I checked this morning (I write this article on Wednesday) is that Bull Shoals is about three feet above power pool and the lake is falling about four feet a week. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out that the lake should be below flood pool and be in power pool in about a week.
Upstream from Bull Shoals lake is Table Rock Lake and it is currently about three and a half feet below flood pool and well into power pool. Above Table Rock is Beaver Lake. It is about three feet above power pool and is currently in flood pool. It is a small lake and could be drawn down in a matter of days. Norfork Lake is just a couple of feet over the top of power pool and it is dropping about two feet a week.
When the lakes are in flood pool the United States Army Corps of Engineers is in charge and they manage the lake level for flood control. If they can get rid of water when the lake is in flood pool, they will. This is what they have been doing for the last few months. We had heavy rain in the spring and the Corps held the water back for a few months because of downstream flooding. Once that downstream flooding receded, they began drawing down the lakes in the White River system.
Once the lakes are in power pool the lake is managed by the Southwest Power Administration for power generation. When the lakes are in flood pool they generally run water during peak power demand which is normally in the afternoon during the week. Very hot or very cold weather can also trigger generation.
This is a lot of information but what does it all mean? It means that we are very close to having much better water conditions (lower maybe even wadable water).
It could not happen at a better time. This is my absolute favorite time of the year to fish the White and Norfork Rivers. The weather is pleasant and cool; it is what I call cowboy hat, Pendleton shirt weather. The leaves are changing and there is no grass to cut. The big browns are moving up to their spawning beds and the schools are back in session.
This year fishing conditions will be even better. Throughout all of this high water, stocking has continued but the catch has been down. On high water there is less pressure on the trout. Anglers that normally fish a lot have avoided the high water. The fish that have been in the river have been well fed and are fat and sassy.
I can see the light at the end of the tunnel. It is time to get your gear ready. Low water is near. Rejoice!
John Berry is a fly fishing guide for Blue Ribbon Guides in Cotter, Arkansas and has fished our local waters for over thirty years.
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