Fishing with Bink's Guide Service Wednesday.
The lake level is 572.14 and has dropped 2+ inches in the last 24-hours. They have reduced the discharge of the White River at Newport to hold the area lakes up as high as possible and the level is 12+ feet there now. They just had to get down to that 12-ft. level for some unknown reason. It is a good thing we have had almost no rain for over two weeks or the level would not have dropped at all. We are dry here. Things are starting to open up a bit though and a couple of feet drop would really help things. We are still about 20-feet higher than it should be for this time of year which is 552 no matter how they have manipulated the numbers in the last few years. I still do not know how they calculate 70% of flood storage but it sure is not how it used to be done. How can 572 be below 70%. Nobody knows. It clouds up almost every day in the afternoons during the heat of the day but we have received very little rainfall. Blackburns has some good fishermen in now and they are catching a few fish but not anything to brag about. Mostly bass. Bink is catching some stripers deep on his spoon and divers report the visibility is not very good and they are not doing the best getting walleye. They are seeing some large crappie though. The lake looks clearer from the surface than it actually is at the 23ft. thermocline. It will push down steadily as the water warms to about 30 feet. Swimming and boating remains good but there are no swimming areas open and you almost have to swim off a dock or boat to keep out of people's way trying to launch a boat. Blackburn's big pool with slide has been very busy and people are swimming and fishing off the big dock.