Flood Gates Off!
Yesterday, around 4:30 p.m. the five flood gates were shut down. Good and bad. Would like to see the level dropped a little more, but it certainly makes it a lot safer to get on the river. At 6:00 p.m. today, Beaver is still in the 1129 level, exactly 1129.13. Bull Shoals is now at 692.91 and Table Rock is 927.67. Looks like we are in for a warm week. Tomorrow will be sunny at temperatures in the low 90s. Monday through Friday at predicted in the 90s and partly sunny. Friday and Saturday we are seeing chances of showers and Saturday should cool down a little into the upper 80s.
With the five flood gates open Thurday, Stan and Jim took a group out for half a day. Stan had Dale and Erick, and Jim tookJim and Gary. These guys were friends, from various areas in the States. For the most part, they were new to fly fishing. Although their favorite past time is the golf course, they decided the fly fishing was also a great sport. In a short half day, (tee time was 1:30 p.m.) they all had a good day. Jim’s guys did well on a size 6 sculpin bugger and Stan’s guys caught fish on the pink cerise worm, but their best patterns were the silver bullet and holographic green cracklebacks.
Friday, Carolyn took Rich and his daughter, Janet, from Kansas out for a full day. With the flood gates and really dirty water, we managed to get several fish to the boat on the size 16 red tungsten beadhead midge, dropped under the size 12 holographic red midge. Worked the edges and drop offs along all the banks down past Pointe Royale. During the time we were on the water, the Corp turned off the five flood gates…Yeah!…and the water dropped more than two feet. Hope this will help clear up the water. It has been a coffee with cream brown for several days.
Saturday, Jim had Craig, from Kansas out for a half day of instructional fishing. They did a lot of casting and line work, then nymphing and streamer techniques for presenting flies to fish. Caught several fish on the red midge, red San Juan worm, a holographic green crackleback and a size 10 olive sculpin. Stan and Carolyn were on the water with friends of Buz and Ginnie who were exposing their friends to the wonders of Missouri. Carolyn had Chrisie and Kathy. Christie is from St. Louis and Kathy is from Louisiana. Cristie’s husband, Larry, and Cathy’s husband Mike, were with Stan. The group had spent the day before at Dogwood Canyon and learned a little on fly fishing. They had a good time there catching fish on a fly rod and learning the “ropes” a little. Whole new world on Taneycomo with the dirty, fast water. New techniques, and new flies. Everyone had a fun day catching fish on the size 16 red midge, dropped under the size 12 holographic red midge as well as stripping the silver bullet using the sinking leaders in seams.