Tom Davis caught three fish on an A rig at the same time yesterday. That is 
Backburns dock behind him. He is here with his brother Don. Kenny could not make it. Sorry.
The lake level is 578.18 and has risen 6-inches in the last 24-hours. They have dropped the White River level at Newport to 24-feet. When the lake was 580 and was lapping over the spillway in 2008 they opened all of the gates and flooded everything below. They found some river docks and boats in Calico Rock. How was this hold and hope protecting the farmers?12 years later and they have not learned their lesson. It was a really good example of minimum flow at it's best. With rain in the forecast we will see what happens. The local head of the Corps says there is nothing to worry about so we should trust the government to take care of us. If you like your doctor you can keep your doctor and if you like you insurance you can keep your insurance. You can still drive to the dock at Blackburns and take just a few steps to get on the dock and park here but can no longer launch here. You can rent a boat and not worry about it. I put several boats in the dock before the rise closed the launch. They have done about all they can do to us. The only thing stopping them from holding and hoping more is the level of the spillway. Dam management 101, do not let the water go over the spillway. The surface water temperature is 66 degrees and this is as cool a spring as I can remember in over 25-years and very slow warming up. Our normal high is 78 degrees. I do not know what the change in level has done to the bass spawn but it could not have been good. The main lake is very clear and there is less debris in this area than before. The creeks are stained a bit and are a very good color for fishing. Crappie fishing is fair if you know where and bass fishing is the same. Top water bite for red meat fish is pretty good most days early but many of them are small. Remember there is a 20-inch limit on stripers with a three fish daily limit and a 6-fish possession limit. This includes hybrids but no size limit on them. The resorts are mostly all ok but the day use people will have difficulty finding camping, launching and parking. There are no beaches. You will have to swim off a dock, off a boat or in a pool. Things will be very crowded with locals trying to get their boats in the water for the first time. Just be patient, do not go out after dark and be safe. I am fortunate that I do not have to have a calendar tell me when to go fishing. Do not come on vacation and leave on probation.
