Yes!  The was has been off for a while the past four days!  Saturday they turned it off at 7:00 a.m. and it was off the rest of Saturday and Sunday until 5:00 p.m.  Back off Monday at 6:00 a.m. until 1:00 p.m. and off this morning still….it is 10:00 a.m.

Stan had Pat & Margie from Kentucky on the water again this year.  They loved their drift trip so much last year, when they got back to Kentucky, they ordered them a Clackacraft to fish their home waters.  Slower catching yesterday morning than the day before, but they caught several on the tan scud.  When the water came on, and after all the moss and everything else cleared out a little, fishing was definitely better on the olive size 12 wooly bugger.  Margie boated a nice 17 inch Rainbow.    Darrell has having his play day yesterday and caught a 20 inch plus Rainbow up in the Hatchery Area on the burgundy midge dropped from the Big Ugly.  

Water off all day until 5:00 p.m. when they turned on one generator.  Projection is that the water will be off until 1:00 or 2:00 p.m. tomorrow when they will ramp it up from one generator to finally four at 4:00 p.m.

Stan and I went out around 2:00 today and played, and what a great day to do that.  When we got on the water, we tried the normal stuff we have been using, the olive wooly buggers, holographic green cracklebacks, etc. and caught a few fish.  Action was not quite fast enough and we started seeing lots of surface action!  So what’s a fly fisher to do?  Stan started out with a cricket pattern and caught a few.  I had on a dark olive soft hackle and caught a few.  Stan changed to a black size 16 ant and I put on a size 16 ginger ant and that was the ticket!  We caught several nice 14-17 inch Rainbows on these.  After they slowed down on the terrestrials, we decided to start throwing soft hackles as we were seeing lots of dorsal fins and tails.  Sure enough, the size 20 BWO soft hackle was what they wanted.  Finished up the afternoon with these.  What fun on our little 4 wt. dry fly rods!  No such thing as a perfect storm, but there certainly is a perfect day when you can throw dries and soft hackles!

Melissa and Ben from here in Missouri took to the river yesterday with Dana.  Melissa is brand new to fly fishing and Ben has been fly fishing several times a month for the past 4-5 years.  They had a very good day on the holographic green crackleback, P&P midge and the Copper Dun.  As you can see, presentation is everything.

Melissa & Ben 5/30/09	Melissa & trophy sucker 5/30/09

Generators off yesterday at 7:00 a.m. and are still off.  It is 7:30 a.m. Sunday, May 31.  Projection is to be off all day, but I just imagine they will turn them on by some time this afternoon…..we’ll see!

Strange ritual going on yesterday in the river.  Lots of people standing in the water yelling "Hi!" and "Good to see you again" as well as many other greetings of those who have not seen each other for several months or better.  AND, they were all catching fish.  Think the fish were as happy as the fly fishers that the water was off.  It was a beautiful day.  Sunny, warm and a bit of a breeze to keep a chop on the water.  In the area where Stan and I were fishing, I know people were catching fish on dark olive size 18 soft hackles, black wooly buggers, olive wooly buggers, and the holographic green cracklebacks.  Think we all caught a "gazillion" fish….well maybe not quite that many but it was a great day!

As I write, 10:00 a.m. on Saturday, May 30, 2009, the water is off!  The projection for today was that the water would be off all day.  Can we believe that?  Not really, as it was on this morning until 7:00 a.m.  So, with that in mind, can we believe it will be off the balance of the day?  Not sure, but I am certainly going to go stand in the river for a while and smile….at least until I hear a horn blow.

Wednesday and Thursday, Stan had Mike and Fred from Oklahoma on and in the water fishing.  They were only scheduled for Wednesday, but after that day, they wanted to hit it again.  Lots of fish in the two half days on the size 12 olive wooly bugger, red midge and holographic green crackleback.

Thursday, Darrell had Marshall, also from Oklahoma out for half a day.  They did very well on the olive filoplume on a sink tip. 

Marshall – 5/28/09

Jim had a couple from Kansas, Mark and Linda.  This was Linda’s second time in two years, but Mark gets to fish a little more frequently.  They boated from fish on the #10 Bug-Eyed Bugger, the red midge and a gray scud. 

Friday we had three boats out.  Jim had the Joe and Joe team from Kansas.  Both Joes have fished for many years, but are new to fly fishing.  They learned a lot, caught fish on the red midge and #14 Miracle Scud and had a good time. 

Darrell had Mark and Dale from Arkansas on the water.  They have a fly shop and guide shop on the Spring River.  They had a good day on the red midge and olive filoplume and have a few new techniques to take back and try on their home water. 

Carolyn had a couple, Jan and Mike from Oklahoma, who have been fishing with us for a long time.  A couple years ago they brought their entire family, sons, daughters, sons-in-law, daughters-in-law to either fly  fish with us learn how.  This is a great outdoor family loves all kinds of fishing and hunting.  Think a few of them have fly fishing pretty high up on their "like" list.  Two months ago, Mike had a life changing event….he lost his vision.  The main thing he and Jan have not lost is their love and skill in fly fishing.  We had a great day stripping holographic green cracklebacks, olive wooly buggers and Jan did some work with a Lightening Bug and size 18 burgundy midge dropper.

Jan & Mike with his nice 18" Rainbow – 5/29/09

One of several doubles – 5/29/09

Other than early this morning, they have been generating all day.  Off at midnight and back on around 6:00 a.m. with one generator.  Projection is to ramp up to four by 2:00 p.m. today.  Have not running quite as high of water the past two days, but it is still too high to wade.  Table Rock is holding at 916.3, but we still have the excess water in Beaver to deal with.  They are just about one foot from their flood pool; almost 9 feet above power pool.

Jim had a fly fishing couple, Mark and Mary, from Idaho out for a full day Tuesday.  They started the day off pretty good catching fish on the #6 Bug-eyed  Bugger, red size 16 midge and a gray scud.  Just after lunch a nasty black cloud loomed overhead with indications of heavy rain and who knew what else.  They decided it was time to get off the water and headed in early.  Gina was on the water with Gene from Oklahoma.  He had been out with us berfore and decided to do it again.  She got Gene into some nice fish on the holographic green crackleback, the bug-eyed bugger and the size 18 burgundy midge dropped from the size 16 red midge.  Fortunately Gene had just purchased a new rain jacket the day before so he got a chance to give it the "acid test".  They got into some rain just a little before they got off the water.  

Gene – 5/26/09

As I said in yesterday’s report, water still running most of the time, but it has been off or low in the early morning, with one or two generators going, then ramping up during the morning and usually up to all four by noon.

What a neat day on the water Sunday.  Darrell and Stan were out with Dawn, James Albert, Albert, and a friend of James Albert, Kash.  All these folks are from Louisiana and true die-hard fly fishers!  Jim was on the water with Dee Dee from California and her daughter, Michelle from New York.  Carolyn was out with Lynn and her husband David from here in Missouri.  Lynn had tried fly fishing several times before this outting and never caught a fish.  We definitely broke this jinx!  It was overcast all day and the fog never really left the area.  It stayed on or a little above the water most of the day.  When it started drizzling right after lunch, it lifted for a little while, but soon rolled back in.  At one time during the day, all of us were within shouting range of each other stripping #12 olive wooly buggers, #12 filoplumes, #6 bug-eyed buggers or a holographic crackle back using the sink tip line.  It was definitely a strippping day and the fish were taking all of those patterns and everyone was hooking up.  On the drift from the boat ramp to the shallow water on Pointe Royale Island, the red San Juan worm, or red midge  picked fish along the way. 

Generation pattern Saturday was off early in the morning for two hours, then ramped up with one generator, followed by two by 5:00 a.m., three shortly after then four by noon.  Slowed down a little at 10:00 p.m. last night, but they never shut it down.  Had two generators going when we hit the water this morning and cranked on the third at 9:00 a.m. and the fourth shortly after that. 

Jim on the water all day Friday with Rubin from California.  Rubin said he did more dry fly fishing than anything, so this nymphing, midging and streamer fishing was going to be new for him.  The fast water was new for him too!  Once he got the hand of it, he had a good day on the bug eyed bugger, red midge and gray scud. 

Stan out Friday and Saturday with Rick and his son Brett from Town & Country, MO.  Rick just got delivery on his new drift boat, a Hog Island, and wanted Stan to take them out and break it in right and give him some more help in learning how to handle it.  They broke it in great with a lot of fish to the boat both days on the size 12 olive wooly bugger on a sink tip, the red midge and the lightening bug.  When Brett came off the water Friday afternoon, he learned how to tie the red midge and caught fish on his midges Saturday! 

Saturday Darrell had Rick’s daughter and son-in-law, Hunter out for a half day.  Think they wanted to keep an eye on Dad to make certain he didn’t wreck the boat.  They had fun and caught fish on the red midge and the lightening bug. 

Jim was also on the water Saturday.  He had Bill, and his friend Frank, from Lampe, MO.  Good day for them throwing #6 bug-eyed buggers #8 sculpins off shoal drops. 

Past four days, we have seen a change in the water generation pattern.  Tuesday it was cut back to the equivalent of two generators from midnight to around 11:00 a.m. when they ramped it up to three and then four generators by noon.  Wednesday it was off until 6:00 a.m. and ramped up again around 11:00 a.m. or noon.  Thursday the equivalent of one generator until 6:00 a.m. and ramping up again to the final four.  This morning it was off until 7:00 a.m. when the equivalent of one generator started and two came on at 9:00 a.m (which is what their projection stated……scares me!).

Boats on the water every day with this change in generation pattern and fishing has been very good!  Darrell was out Wednesday with some friends and they caught a boat load of fish on everything, the olive filoplume, holographic green crackle back, red midge, and red San Juan were just a few of the patterns they threw and caught fish on.  Yesterday he had Paul from MA. out and he had a great day.  They were throwing the red midge and red San Juan.  With the water off early this morning, the fish were really out there midging.  When we get to wading again, the fishing looks like it is really going to be good.  The other thing about the fish we have been catching the past few days is that most of them are running 14 inches and better.

Yes, we had a change in the generation pattern today!  It was shut down to the equivalent of one generator at midnight last night and stayed at this level until 5:00 a.m. when they raised it slightly to a level of 705.4 or so and two generators going.  At 10:00 a.m. the third generator came on and by 1:00 p.m. the fourth generator kicked in.  Nice to report something other than four generators going 24/7!

Jim on the water Sunday with Howard from Waynesville.  Pulled #6 olive Bug-eyed Buggers most of the half day with good success.  Also threw the red midge with the pink San Juan dropper.  

Stan had Kim and his son Ryan from Texas out for half day Monday.  They had a great time stripping holographic green cracklebacks on a sink tip line on the flat, calm area of the Pointe Royale Island (is now with all the water running).  Also picked some in the seam off this island using the same setup.    Ryan out fished his Dad, but Kim said he was still ahead.  If Ryan likes fly fishing enough, Kim will have a fishing partner.  He can’t loose!  Carolyn on the water for a half day with Wanda and JoAnna.  We pulled a few fish out but certainly did not have the bang up days we usually having on the water!  Probably our best pattern was the red tungsten midge and the red San Juan worm.  

Carolyn on the water half day Tuesday with Richard and Barbara from Raymore.  Richard is hoping to have a fishing partner and the way Barbara handled a fly rod today, I can see a fly rod in her future.  Wasn’t certain what to expect with the change in water generation, but it was for the good.  Nice fish!  Had a couple really nice ones on that we didn’t get to the boat.  Barbara out fished Richard hands down.  Had a very good day on the size 16 Lightening Bug and the red San Juan worm.