Good news is Table Rock Lake level is dropping.  Since my last report on the 17th, they have dropped the lake level over three feet.  Bad news is, the flood gates are still open.  They still have a goal in mind of 917 feet elevation above sea level.  This they want to get to with or without the flood gates.  When they hit the target of 920 feet, they did shut down the cubic feet per second of water flow, but have elected to keep the gates open.  Of course, this could change tomorrow.  Bottom line, they will run water 24/7 until they get to 917.  Then we will have to see what they do.  If it will get the water back to a wadeable level quicker, so be it!

Have had boats on the water most of the week and it has been tough fishing.  Before they hit 920 feet, the tailwater level was being held at 713.5.  This needs a lot of weight to get down to the fish.  After hitting 920, they cut the level down to 711.3 (plus or minus).  Water has been dingy, temperature is up and dissolved oxygen is down.  Therefore, tough trips.  Catching a few fish, but certainly nothing to write home about.  However, from the folks coming into the shop, they are catching lots of fish up around the outlets on almost anything you want to throw in.  Primarily scuds, tan and gray; San Juan worms, tan or brown small egg patterns to name a few.

Good possibility all 10 flood gates will be open until Monday, September 22.  After that, generation will be heavy and they may still supplement the release of water using the flood gates. 

We had boats on the water all Saturday and every day this week, including today when the opened up the flood gates.  Been a real mixed bag.  One day will fish pretty good and the next day is tough.  Saturday Jim was out with Tom from Oklahoma.  Fairly new to fly fishing and heading to Colorado pretty soon.  Wanted to get some pointers on fly fishing.  Jim worked with him on his skills and they caught some fish on the red midge, pink and orange San Juans and black midge.  Darrell had Bado and his friend Ron on the water Monday.  They did pretty good on the pink worm and copper dun midge.  Stan was out with one of our regular, regulars, Doc from Oklahoma, and his friend Ralph from New Zealand.  Ralph was impressed with our fishery.  He said they have big fish in New Zealand, but not as many.  Their flies were the red midge, pink lady egg pattern and the copper dun midge.  Tuesday was tough.  Darrell was with Duane from Colorado.  Like the rest of us, they worked hard but caught fish on the pink worm,  I had one of my favorite couples, Tom and Marge from California.  We got several fish to the boat on a black woolly under a sink tip and the red midge with a pink San Juan dropper.  One of Marge’s was a really nice one.  One jump and it was gone!  Stan and his guys, Bud & Jerry from Arkansas caught fish on the red midge and pink lady egg pattern.

Jim was out today with Robert and Kevin from CT.  When the flood gates opened, water got real dirty.  Jim opted to come off early and give the guys the trip.  Stan was out with Mike from Illinois.  Had a few hits but decided to give it up because of all the debris in the water with the gates on.  Couldn’t keep the flies clean!  Mike will come back later and try it again.

Forecasting rain starting tomorrow some time and continuing into Sunday.  At least, Monday and the rest of the week look okay.  Depending on how much rain we get, could be several more weeks before the water gets turned off again for wading. 

Have had boats on the water every day this week except today.  Kind of glad we didn’t have a trip today as the tailwater is at 710.plus.  Probably trying to get rid of some water out of Table Rock Lake just in case.  Monday, Stan had the Lynch brothers out.  They had a good day on the red midge and holographic crackleback with a sink tip.  Tuesday was Jim’s turn with the brothers and they threw the red midge with either an orange or pink San Juan dropper.  Darrell had a shot at them also.  Wednesday, Darrell had they on the pink San Juan.  Thursday they got stuck with Stan again and boated several fish again on the red midge with the pink San Juan.  Stan was on the water Wednesday with a couple of new fishers, Glenn and Pat from Oklahoma.  Lots of misses, but did get some fish to the boat on the peach egg, and red midge with the pink San Juan dropper.  Water has been dingy this past week, so we have been doing better on the brighter egg patters and San Juan worms.

Three boats on the water Friday when they opened the flood gates….again!  Stan had Art and Penelope from Louisiana out.  They had a great day.  Fished the red midge and the holographic green crackleback.  A friend of theirs, Dave, was out with Darrell.  Darrell had Dave catching fish on the sink tip with the olive green filoplume.  I had Moses from Illinois back again.  He brought his son, Clarence with him.  Moses had had some health problems and did not get to fish with me earlier this year, but we made up for it Friday.  Good day with the red midge and red San Juan micro worm dropper.  Clarence is brand new and certainly did a good amount of damage to the fish.  Especially fished good a little after they opened the flood gates.  Our only problem after they opened the gates was the amount of debris coming down.  It made it real difficult to keep our flies clean.

Moses – September 5, 2008

Jim and Stan were both on the water Saturday.  Jim’s guys, Jeff and Brian from Michigan, baught fish on the Bug eye Bugger, Black size 18 midge, and red midge, size 16.  The guys got introduced to the sink tip lines.  Stan had Dave and Justin from Oklahoma out again.  They did very well on the red midge with a pink San Juan dropper and the peach egg.  Came off a little early due to rain moving through.

I now have a clue.  They plan to again open the flood gates.  So far, Table Rock Lake has risen almost four feet.  According to our local news, the Corps plans to open the flood gates at a level of 920.0.  Last reports were that the gates would only be opened for a couple of days.  Thinks this lets out wade fishing this weekend!!!

We have had rain for the past 1-1/2 days and are predicted to have rain today, clearing this afternoon.  Table Rock came up two feet with all this rain, so they are generating.  Ran at least two generators all night, ramped up to three some time this a.m. and I just heard the horn for the fourth generator a little before 8:00 a.m.  Don’t have a clue what they will do this weekend with this extra water.  Maybe we will have better insight tomorrow. 

With the two generators running yesterday, know the fishers up in the Hatchery area were catching some fish.  One of our guides reported the gray flashback scud with a worm brown San Juan dropper was working well.

Talked to the people at the Hatchery yesterday and they confirmed our feelings that the dissolved oxygen level is down.  Said they had been keeping an eye on it and the Corps was injecting oxygen.  We also discussed the water temperature, which is still in good limits, of 58 degrees.  Table Rock Lake surface temperature is already in the 70s so maybe it will turn over earlier than it did last year, especially if we keep having this cool weather. 

First weekend since they started changing the generation pattern, and looks like we are getting back to normal.  Friday evening they shut the water off at 9:00 p.m. and left it off until Noon on Saturday.  Saturday it again was off at 9:00 p.m. and on Sunday morning at 8:00 a.m. when they turned on one generator for two hours.  Off again at 10:00 for four hours, when they ran 2-3 generators until 5:00 p.m.  It was off until 4:00 p.m. Monday afternoon.  One generator for two hours then off again until today at 10:00 a.m. starting with two and now running four.

Jim had Leo and Steven from Springfield, MO on the water Friday.  They had a good day on the black midge, blood worm dropper and orange San Juan Worm.  Saturday Jim infected a couple guys from Iowa, Neil and Gene, with the fly fishing bug.  Took them out and worked on casting, line work and hook sets. They even caught some fish!  Best bugs for him were the Copper Dun midge, size 18; blood worm dropper, size 22 and the Ugly Midge, size 18 (this guys has been dormant for a while).  Gina was out with a friend from Oklahoma, Valley, and they too picked up some fish on the Ugly Midge as well as the Red Midge, size 16, and Valley’s "pre-emergers".  I had to stand in the water for a while so I went out for a couple hours and did nothing but strip streamers.  After I found the one they wanted and figured out how they wanted it, I did well on the size 12 olive filoplume.  I was fishing this cross current with an intermediate sink tip and stripping very slowly.  The takes were VERY soft.  As a matter of fact, most of the time I saw my line move before I felt them and in many cases never felt them hit the fly.  Stan was out with Randy from OK. Saturday.  They had a good day on the Big Ugly with a black zebra midge dropper.  It was pretty much 50/50 on the Big Ugly to the midge.  Randy really enjoyed fishing the Big Ugly.

Randy – August 30, 2008

Sunday, Stan had Tom and his grandson, Jason, from Springfield out.  Jason is brand new and really caught on fast.  Tom was excited because he is looking for a fly fishing buddy.  They had a good day on the red size 16 midge with the red San Juan dropper.  Sunday was the day they were messing with the water.  I had Martha from AR. and her friend Marvin from CA.  We too caught them on the red midge with San Juan dropper and both Stan’s boat and mine caught them on the Big Ugly with the black zebra dropper.  Martha found this to be a real challenge to hook them on a dry and really liked it.  Darrell had Randy from OK. back out again.  He had planned to wade Sunday, but they turned on the water so he took another drift trip.  Sunday was a bit tough.  Hits and hook ups were not hot and heavy.  One could see quite a few fish, but they were very picky on where they wanted to feed.   Good news was that we all brought several fish to the boats and everyone had a good time.

So far this week, we have seen a pretty consistent pattern with the water flow.  Turning it off around midnight and keeping it off until 11:00 a.m. to noon the next day.

Stan on the water with Brian, a Sheriff’s Officer from Kansas, yesterday.  They had a great day on the Big Ugly with a black, size 18 midge dropper.  When the water came on, they switched to the red size 16 midge with a red size 16 San Juan and fished the rise.  This too fish very well.  Jim had David and his Dad from Arkansas on the river.  They had so much fun, they went out again today.  Their best bug was the size 14 Miracle Scud.   From the reports we are getting from our customers, depending on where you are on the water, almost everything is working.  Know the size 14 olive wooly bugger with no beadhead is working as well as the holographic green crackleback and dark olive soft hackles. 

Saturday they turned the water off at midnight and left it off until 2:00 a.m. Sunday.  Sunday night, again at midnight and on at 6:00 a.m. Monday.  Monday they ramped it up about every four hours.  Monday night it was off at 11:00 p.m. and back on yesterday morning 11:00 a.m.!  Again last night they turned it off a little before midnight and projection today it that it will come on at 1:00 p.m.  Anyway, what we arer seeing is a more normal summer time generation pattern.  Is that light we see at the end of the tunnel?!?!

Yesterday fished great.  Jim had Ted and Janis from Arkansas on the river.  They are brand new fly fishers and had a wonderful time.  Jim worked with them on casting, line management, hook setting and playing fish.  They caught on quickly and caught fish.  Best flies were the Miracle Scud, size 14 (that’s a back to normaly fly) and the size 18 copper dun midge.  Stan was out with Dick from Florida.  They caught lots of fish on the Big Ugly with a black zebra dropper.  Fish were hitting both flies.  When the water came on, they used the red midge and red San Juan to fish the rise.  Got into some dry fly fishing which Dick really liked. 

Had some of our customers come into the shop after the water turned on.  They had had an awesome day stripping small, olive wooly buggers at the Rockin Chair area. 

Even up at the hatchery area, the guys are saying one day there are lots of fish near the outlets and the next day or later in the day you can’t find one.

Boats out all week.  Stan had Jason on the water Tuesday for his 30th birthday (nice birthday gift from Mother).  He had a good time.  Learned a lot and caught some fish.  Jim was on the water Wednesday with Frank and Shirley from Arkansas.  They worked a lot of bugs, hooked a few fish, but all in all it was a tough day.  Thursday, Jim had a couple of new fly fishers from Nebraska, Doug and Darrell.  Got the casting down pretty good, but a bit behind on takes.  Caught fish on the red midge, orange San Juan and black thorax midge.  Carolyn had Wanda and Joanna on the water.  We hit a lot of fish on the red midge with tne red San Juan dropper.  Spotted some fish rising and tried a few dries.  Caught a few on the parachute Adams, but pretty slow so we moved on and Joanna got the chance to catch some on the sink tip with a holographic green crackleback.  Decided she really liked that technique and hooked up with quite a few fish.  In the meantime, Wanda was picking a few fish with the Big Ugly dry and a rusty zebra midge dropper. 

Friday Stan had two new fishers, Bob and Dale from Kimberling City, and Carolyn had Phil and Meri from Kansas on the water.  Again, some areas fished well, especially with the red midge and red San Juan worm dropper.  Carolyn’s boat spotted the rising fish again and tried to catch some.  Picked a few on variious dries and emerger patterns but no great numbers and no consistent pattern.  Went back to the red midge and in the afternoon, Meri hooked several fish on the blondie crackleback and when they shut off this color, the holographic green crackleback.