Craig DeHoet caught a few more yesteday.
The lake level is 553.24 and has dropped 1-inch in the last 24-hours with one generator running about 9-hours. We did receive about 1/4 inch of badly needed rain last night but missed any severe weather again. We have been fortunate all year. A little dry is better than storms. They have been all around us. Southwestern Power Administration has been more reluctant to drop the lake than the Corps of Engineers but they are both run by the government so we should not expect much and we do not get much that is for sure. It is at a good level now though but not much surge for a big rain. If it could stay at one level this would be it for me. Blackburns Brush Piles are at perfect depths. It was windy yesterday and it continues today with the cold front moving in and the wind will shift to the west. It is to get into the high 60's for a high later this week. Most of the time the surface water gets into the high 60's before the end of October and the lake has turned making for good fishing in November. We will see what this October brings. The fishing has not been the best for a few days now and the surface water is still in the high 70's. People were in my pool yesterday. The wind is blowing off a lot of fall foliage and it does not look to be spectacular this year again. I am spoiled after living in Maine and witnessing the colors in that state, New Brunswick and other New England states. Arkansas can be good though but not every year. The colors here are mostly brown. yellow and just a bit of red but the lake side and country roads are always beautiful in the fall no matter how brilliant the colors. The wind will not help the fishing conditions and the cold front will not either. I am already getting several complaints about fishing and the turnover has not started. The turn does not bother me much since I fish mostly brush piles and fish do not stray too far from cover and food. I assume the shad will follow the plankton, which are unable to propel themselves and are at the mercy of the wind and most game fish will follow the shad. The rest will stay in cover with this year's bluegill, bass and creek minnows. Those are the ones that I will be looking for. When you find schools of shad near brush you usually have really found something no matter if the lake is turning or not. The best time for fishing in the fall is when the lake has turned and the water has cleared again which again usually happens in November. That is why I say November is a good time to catch big fish. The full moon in November is the 19th and that should be a good time to catch the stripers that are left. It is not always so like in the early spring when they move to the bank at dark to spawn. In the fall they just follow the shad to the bank to feed. This does not always happen but attracks a lot of fishermen when it does or used to. Many striper fishermen are going elsewhere or switching to crappie and walleye. I am still catching fish but not as well as a week ago. I just enjoy being out there but do not like the wind. You can usually get out of it in certain creeks but the fish are not biting in the creeks very well. Go to the wind-blown banks and throw a crank bait. The big question is: On Sunday Novemver 7th does the happy hour time change? I do not use the clock much. I did find a school of white bass but they were small in 45-ft. of water.
