The lake level is 552.70 and has risen a little less than an inch in the last 24-hours with just two hours of generation. They are religiously holding the White River at Newport at Just above 9-feet for some reason. It had been warm and sunny with light winds until yesterday where it was still warm but very windy with white caps. I wish to disagree with the sayings that wind from the east fishing is the least, winds from the west fishing is the best and the wind is your friend. People that believe those must not know Norfork. I will take a little walleye chop but you can keep the rest. The only places that I could get out of it the fish were not biting very well. I caught a few bass and one crappie and came in early. I had hoped it would blow itself out by evening but it was about 5:30PM before it slowed but it is back at it again today with another cold front coming through with cold temperatures tomorrow night and then warming again. This is typical March weather. It does not look good north of us but we could get some significant rain. Texas and Oklahoma could get severe weather and flash flood watches in southern Missouri are in effect tomorrow and that is not good for the North Fork River basin if it gets too far south in the Gainsville area. We do not need a big lake rise in february with this very little generation. We have missed everything this winter except for two snows with no ice and I would like it to stay that way. I do not like snow but they did not hurt anything and the lake is in excellent overall condition. It was iced up in the creeks this time last year with the polar plunge and killed a lot of the shad. That is not likely this year. Every year is an adventure here and things are constantly changing. This is my 28th season here and that makes me the longest owner at Blackburns." Fisherman Joe" Gagliardi owned it for 27 years and we though that record was unbreakable. It seems like it was just yesterday when I rode down into the entrance with Charley Blackburns and saw the beautiful green flat valley with the huge magnolia tree and said stop. This is the place I want we just have to negotiate price and the rest is history and I am not sorry I left the business world one bit. I love this place and am proud to own it. We have some guests that have been coming here for 70-years and are coming back this spring. There is not much that they have not seen and I love hearing stories about Blackburns which was the first resort in the area even before the river was flooded and they fished for smallmouth and catfish. The Blackburns came here from Kansas City and had the first choice of any place they wanted and chose this one. Good choice.
