The lake level is 572.47 and has risen about 1.3 inches in the last 24-hours with four hours of generation. The White River at Newport is dropping like a rock and there is no good reason for holding the area lakes this high. We have had just over 0.6 inches of rain so far this month and are one third throught it. The White River is miniscule compared to all of the rivers going into the Mississippi and the area lakes should not be punished because the delta is flooded. It is alway flooded. Everything from the Rocky Mountain to the Appalachians goes into it. Should we hold all the dams? Water released from here takes four days to get to the entrance and cannot catch up to what is going directly into it. 572.47 is starting to hurt. The dams are meant for flood control not just to hold water. It is a good thing it has been fairly dry here but it looks like they actually want to take all of us right up to where they are lapping over the spillway and then release and flood everything downstream. If some of the rain that has fallen in southern Arkansas came north this last week as predicted that is where we would be now. People learn how to react to hardships but this is not necessary with a decent plan. Hold and hope is not a plan. This is not new and has been going on for several years with nothing being done. You cannot let the government run anything. It is very warm now and the lake surface water temperature is rising rapidly with the warm nights and is in the high 70's. It is very good for swimming. Boating and fishing conditions are good with the best bite being early for top-water for both bass and stripers. Jay Smith took some of our customers out crappie fishing and they did well. He is a good fisherman and a good fellow. Fish are scattered and some are moving into open water on shad and more are on the old shoreline. There is a lot of cover. Look for top-water early and when they go down get out the spoon and vertical jig for them in 20-25 ft. of water. Stripers are going deep after they come up. They do not have to break the surface for the top-water lure to work. It can call them up from several feet if you know where they are. It is warming fast now and the fish will go deeper and deeper as the water warms. Look for pictures of dock floors full of small dead stripers soon when they fish for them deep. They all die when they come out of deep water. The numbers are going down and down but people just keep killing them. Bass fishing is just fair except for the early top water. Bluegill and catfish are pretty good. Bluegill like the full moon, catfish do not and it is the 24th this month. Come on down to Blackburns. We will not charge you too much. It is to be rain-free for the next week with just a chance of showers. That is good. Make sure your cabin has a covered porch and your resort has a pool. If not. Not so good.
