Scuba Steve with a couple of good ones. 
The lake level is 554.69 and has risen a little less than 1/2 inch in the last 24-hours with absolutely no generation. The White River at Newport is 5.34 feet and is very low. I sure wish the people managing the area lake levels were elected officials and had to answer to the voters instead of just lifer government officials.with no accountability. The surface water temperature is just over 80 degrees and holding steady with the very warm days. The days are shorter and the night time lows are down in the 60's with highs in the high 80's and 90's with no chance of rain in the forecast. We are getting dry again. It is a perfect time to get out and enjoy the summer-like weather past the middle of September. I am seeing more boats out there already this morning. It sure is busy here at Blackburns with people taking advantage of the great weather and the best cabin and boat rental prices in the Ozarks. We remain nearly full but do have a couple of openings starting tomorrow. Some people are fishing, some are scuba diving, some are looking for real estate, some waiting for houses to close, some are visiting relatives and others are just hanging out enjoying the resort, wildlife and amenities. Blackburns is a bird sanctuary and have them everywhere. My bird feed bill is higher than my grocery bill. They have priced sunflower seeds so high that people cannot afford to buy them. It is a shame birds have to suffer because of inept government officials and inflation. Bink reports he is still catching walleye in 40-ft. of water on the main lake on the bottom on the spoon. I found a thermocline starting at about 35-ft. yesterday with cold water at 37-feet. That is about as deep as it gets as to what scuba divers call the thermocline. We say it is where the cold water starts and most of the fish are typically at, just above or above this. Game fish are typically located where there is ozygen, cover and bait fish and bait fish do not like deep cold water. Stripers are an exception to this in the heat of the summer where they go very deep and look for the so-called oxygen bubble and get lethargic and do not feed. People catch them by dropping a spoon right on their heads and get a reaction strike. All of the fish die when fishing for them in this manner no matter their size. I do not fish in deep water but you can catch them if you need meat and want to get rid of the stripers. They do not dress out very well anyway. A 10-pounder gets only about 3-lbs of meat after you cut out the nasty red stuff. The crappie and Kentucky bass are the best bite now with them being in brush that has a bottom in 35-ft and a top in 20-ft. on main lake points. As I have reported earlier the crappie are on top of the brush, schooled and roaming looking for bait fish which are in the cover of brush. They chase the bait from brush pile to brush pile so you have to move a little but they are not gone for long and come back. The bass are a little deeper but in the same place. The Kentucky Bass are plentiful and almost as good to eat as the crappie. Work main lake points and just around them on steep river channel; banks with brush. I am finding less and less fish and diminished visibility as I move to the inside of points and head back into the creeks. Almost all main lake points with brush are holding fish, at least in this area. I am not having to go very far from Blackburns to get all the fish that I want. All the work putting in brush piles for you is paying off now as they are at perfect depth. Give Debbie a call at 870-492-5115 to get a cabin and boat at the best resort with the best prices before you have to pay more elsewhere. If you are staying at a place where you are nearly the only customer you are either paying too much or in the wrong place. If you are already here stop and check us out before you leave. A free boat stall comes with your cabin. Sorry, we have no mosquities here. The fall foliage typically is peak at the end of October but the walnut trees are losing their leaves and there is some stress with the heat and dry weather. Blackburns is your fall foliage headquarters and we will keep you up to date.We will also help you with driving tours and good places to visit or set you up with a rental boat to tour the 550 miles of shoreline. It looks to be a good fall so far. We especially welcome Veterans and Police. We are the home of the $59/day 1-bedroom cabin.
