The lake level is 554.41 and is the same as this time yesterday with one generator running continuously. The White River at Newport is 22.15 and is dropping. It looks like they are going to start lowering it for the regulation change on April 15th when the 14-ft. rule goes into effect if we are over 50% full. I do not know how they calculate 50% full anymore with the changes in power pool levels. It used to be 552 but is now 553.75 as they took away 1.75 feet of flood capacity for the munimum flow for the put and take trout in the rivers. So much for the lakes are for flood control and power generation only. That went out the window with the minimum flow law. The surface water temperature was 55 yesterday afternoon and has been very slow rising this spring. Every time it rises a cold front comes through. Some male crappie are back in the creeks making nests. Pigeon, Middle Pigeon and Briar Creeks are good places to look. The ones that I am catching on the main lake are all females and they will go there to spawn soon. It is to get to about 80 degrees for a couple of days later thiseweek and that should do it and should get the top-water bite for bass and stripers going well. People are still killing small stripers and bragging about it and they are getting smaller and smaller. I guess they will not quit until they are all gone. One more extended high water year should get rid of the larger ones that are left. It is thundering and raining now and we are to get storms on and off until wednesday night. We could get over 2-inches of rain. The lake level was 558 at this time last year and 570 by the end of may. We do not need that again this year but they have done nothing to prevent it. They have generated heavily after big rains to mitigate the rises but did not draw the level down in the winter like they used to do several years ago. I have to take what they give me but do not have to like it. We need new management. We caught some nice bass yesterday in Blackburns Creek under the dock and on the bank across from it. People staying at Blackburns are not only happy about the quality of the cabins and price but the fact that they have big covered porches to get out of the rain. No duplexes here.
