The lake level is 573.08 and still rising slowly with very little generation despite the dry conditions. The lake is very clear but a stray log or smaller debris are still present. The surface water temperature is 87 degrees and it has been very warm for June. We received a storm with wind last friday evening and caused some down trees and power outage. Blackburns is in a valley and did not receive any damage and we are thankful for that but our power was out. If we receive severe summer storms in this area it is usually the last part of June and early July. This one came out of nowhere and a 10% chance of rain. So much for that. The best bite is early morning at first light for top-water bass and stripers and then when they go down switch to jigging spoons on main lake points. A lot of fish are at about 20-ft. of water just above the 22-23 ft. thermocline on the old shoreline before the water rise. There is a lot of cover there. Catfish are biting live shiners and bluegill on limb lines and jugs. Bait them right before dark to keep the Blue Herons and turtles from robbing your bait. Bluegill are anywhere there are willows in 10-20 ft. of water and under docks. Crickets are the best. Some crappie are being caught but they are scattered with most brush piles being too deep with the high water. It seems more and more species of fish are in open water now on shad with the absence of most of the large stripers. There are not nearly as many shad as there were before the kill last winter. Bass fry are everywhere in the cover. The lake is big and there is a lot of cover and the water is warmer earlier than usual. Some walleye and stripers are going deep already but several walleye are near the bottom on or just around main lake points. It is just past the middle of June but we are having fishing conditiond like mid July already. The top-water will diminish and temperate bass and bigger walleye will go deeper and deeper. This will continue through August. We will see if they finally drop the area lakes or not. They are all in about the same condition but fishing is not affected much. The people getting hurt the most are day users who want to launch a boat or go swimming on weekends. All swim beaches and many camping spots are under water and it is best to swim off a dock, off a boat or in a resort pool. Blackburns has a big one and also has the best prices on both cabins and boat rentals in the area. Come on down. We will not charge you too much. This is as busy as I have seen it here at Blackburns and I have been here for 27-years. Go figure.