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Post by jonbo on Aug 1, 2017 16:14:41 GMT -6
I've had some very nice fishing in Zone II in April. Of course, I rarely have had to fish on weekends, so the crowds for me usually haven't been bad.
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Post by Fenwick on Aug 1, 2017 21:38:59 GMT -6
It's August 1st...the days are getting shorter and the sun even sets a little further over from where it did a few weeks ago. Can ya see your breath up there yet at first light? Is the water too chilly for wet wading? Ice in the line guides? They putting in the 20+ incher brood stock? I bet the air is bone chilling cold in the shadows once the sun drops below the ridge line to the west of the Evening Hole / Hickory campground stretch. Yeah man, winter is upon us and all your ugly cousins will have left the park to we fly guys. *Fingers crossed*
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Post by mirvc17 on Aug 1, 2017 21:52:22 GMT -6
Right on Fen!
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Smallfry
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Post by Smallfry on Aug 2, 2017 14:19:36 GMT -6
The only thing I really enjoy about the warmer months is wet wading and not needing any extra layers of clothing.
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Post by greenman on Aug 4, 2017 12:54:33 GMT -6
Quick preview of cold hole bridge area. And how evening hole is looking good and greener.
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Smallfry
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Post by Smallfry on Aug 4, 2017 13:03:59 GMT -6
Quick preview of cold hole bridge area. And how evening hole is looking good and greener. Was this Sunday morning? That couple looks familiar.
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Post by greenman on Aug 4, 2017 13:07:31 GMT -6
A few hours ago. Me and grandson out for the morning.
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Post by schrederman on Aug 17, 2017 14:49:09 GMT -6
As one that discovered this place later in life than I wish I had.... I gotta say that it's a real bummer in summer. Parts of it were better before the flood, and parts are better after. "It's summer, what do you expect?" Well, I expect people to be courteous, considerate, and to follow rules. And.... I gotta say I'm a lot more disappointed these days. But it's not just on the LMFR, it's anywhere you go. I can't remember a time lately that someone hasn't cut me off in traffic and then acted like I did something wrong. As to the non-responsive rangers and game wardens, perhaps we should consider a letter writing campaign to the governor of the state or something to that affect. It's 5 hours for me to get there with my trailer and several hundred dollars each trip. It pisses me off immensely to have people in the water where they aren't supposed to be. They are violating the law and basically destroying my chances for enjoyment... and they have no right to do that. I haven't been up to the Norfolk area where that river meets the White, but I believe my next trip will be to there instead of the LMFR.
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Post by Fenwick on Aug 17, 2017 19:20:10 GMT -6
Schrederman: There are indeed enforceable game laws on the books. I suspect that there are no actual laws on the books that could be enforced in a court of law as pertains to swimming and kayaking and general activities we fisherman WISH there were laws about in the park. No actual "page 127, paragraph C, subparagraph B, park ordinance 8B14 which states "There is positively no this, that or the other which is strictly prohibited under penalty of fine or arrest". Signs might indicate one thing but without laws in the books that a court of law can act upon the signage becomes merely an official looking suggestion. All bark, no bite. If a Darwin Award candidate is going to do cannonballs off the upper bluffs into the pool you are casting to way down below so be it but you better have your fly's barb mashed down or else!
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Post by todd13 on Aug 17, 2017 19:35:41 GMT -6
Fenwick is right. however, if the park wanted a certain kind of atmosphere or wanted to reserve areas exclusively for FF/fishing, then it is pretty simple for a Park Ranger to walk over to a group and say, "Hey I got to ask you to go parts of the river where you can swim and mess around. This is an area for fishing only. It's also a safety thing - there are rusty hooks stuck on rocks and limbs and you may end up with a trip to the ER to get it removed. We appreciate your cooperation so the fishing folks can fish."
99% of folks respect authority enough to move on. Not all and less today I know, but it's not hard, especially since Ryan and Cody erected those signs. I hope I got those names right. Thanks again, boys!
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Post by Fenwick on Aug 17, 2017 19:54:01 GMT -6
Todd: I suspect your "why don'cha just move along down to the swim beach / canoe and kayak area" scenario would only come about if an officer was summoned to the scene and it appeared that fishermen and swimmers were on the brink of fisticuffs.
What comes to mind is the movie "Jaws" where the local chamber of commerce guy, highly animated and whining, is desperately trying to dissuade the sheriff from closing the beach at peak season because of the shark. Don't be a killjoy! Picture the McCurtain Chamber of Commerce guys doing that sort of thing in front of the park and game officers to persuade them not to fine or evict the summertime jackasses in the LMF.
Hmm, maybe we hafta put some adult bull sharks in the water? How can we pull that off?
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Post by Fenwick on Aug 17, 2017 21:20:43 GMT -6
And hey! We need some new photos showing more of the recent work done with the Tonka Toys, power tools, hand tools or what have you up there whatever it may be. I know we now have signage. Do we have a new Cold Hole bridge yet or just footings? Let's see. The old concrete culvert gone from the Cold Hole? The lane of water running along the cypress tree side of the rockpile open again? Maybe some tree stump, log or rock structure has been placed in the Evening Hole to make it more "trouty"? How 'bout the so called roped off area down below the swim beach bridge? A new trail or two? More trash cans? Campgrounds or bathrooms fixed up aside from the newer ones down by zone 2? Give us some new views of the place. Anyone? Please and thank you!
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Post by todd13 on Aug 18, 2017 9:22:28 GMT -6
Todd: I suspect your "why don'cha just move along down to the swim beach / canoe and kayak area" scenario would only come about if an officer was summoned to the scene and it appeared that fishermen and swimmers were on the brink of fisticuffs. What comes to mind is the movie "Jaws" where the local chamber of commerce guy, highly animated and whining, is desperately trying to dissuade the sheriff from closing the beach at peak season because of the shark. Don't be a killjoy! Picture the McCurtain Chamber of Commerce guys doing that sort of thing in front of the park and game officers to persuade them not to fine or evict the summertime jackasses in the LMF. Hmm, maybe we hafta put some adult bull sharks in the water? How can we pull that off? I say we post some signage that says: Caution: Snake breeding season, swim at your own risk! That was a great scene by the way. I like the scene when Richard Dreyfuss is examining the first attack victim, takes off his glasses, turns off the recorder and states, "this was no boating accident!"
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Post by jonbo on Aug 18, 2017 11:31:30 GMT -6
I kind of think the "powers that be" still need time to sort everything out. I know it's been 2 years, but budgets are tight. They just are. For example, they're just getting started at fixing the CH bridge. Two years! It's not because anyone's lazy, disorganized, or has their priorities wrong (probably, anyhow). There's just lots to do and never enough money to do it with. So I'm going to extend grace for now on stuff like restrictions not being enforced, the fact that the whole run from the end of the Cold Hole to the top of the Evening Hole, including the Bluffs, still leaves a LOT to be desired compared to the way it used to be, and some other stuff. Once the bridge is constructed, hopefully they'll make improvements to all of that area. Once that's all done, hopefully they'll organize the swimmers, bait fishermen, etc. at least as well as it once was.
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Post by schrederman on Aug 18, 2017 15:29:14 GMT -6
Sorry for the rant... and thanks to those that have been working and putting up signs. Hopefully the place will return to it's former pre-flood glory one of these days. I hope I live long enough to see it. I'll be up a few times between late October and late April. I have a stock tank (Texan for farm pond) just down the street, where i could catch a few bass in the afternoon. We had an algae bloom in it that killed every fish, so far as I can tell. So... maybe you can be a little forgiving when I tell you I'm in the fishin' joneses........ Aaaaaaaahhh!!!!!!!!!!
Jack
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Post by Fenwick on Aug 19, 2017 21:11:26 GMT -6
So there's an interesting entry on the Beavers Bend State Park Facebook page where reviews by visitors are posted. About three reviews down from the top of the list is a one star review with commentary that indicates "Un American" law officers do indeed get around the park environs after all: www.facebook.com/beaversbend.statepark/Beavers Bend State Park needs way more of those Un American LEO's to recon the river.
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Post by dlinzy on Aug 19, 2017 22:08:05 GMT -6
I would pay to have web site that CORRECTLY shows the Generation schedule. Today I got down to zone 2 rapids and had the @#@#$^$^& sirens go off at 1pm. Of course that ruins the Zone 3 way past dark since they generated until 6pm.
Fers
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Post by dlinzy on Aug 19, 2017 22:09:42 GMT -6
And there had to be no less than 14 hunnerd folks between swim beach and drop off.
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Post by hankinsfly on Aug 19, 2017 22:56:52 GMT -6
Come on, winter!
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Post by darrelln09 on Aug 20, 2017 6:09:11 GMT -6
I would pay to have web site that CORRECTLY shows the Generation schedule. Today I got down to zone 2 rapids and had the @#@#$^$^& sirens go off at 1pm. Of course that ruins the Zone 3 way past dark since they generated until 6pm. Fers At this point of the summer heat, Zone II is only fishable in the mornings because of the power generation needed to meet the high afternoon demand for air conditioning. Looking back on the cyclic peaks of the overall water flow rate of the river, you can see it ramping up quickly just after noon almost every day and not tapering off until the evening. I've never been down to Zone III but it will obviously see the same flow increases at nearly the same times of the day as Zone II. Sorry to say but that, of course, pushes everyone up the river to above the power plant. [expletive deleted] Come on winter, indeed!
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Post by greenman on Aug 20, 2017 15:50:34 GMT -6
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Post by golferjeff on Aug 20, 2017 19:19:28 GMT -6
Denny - SWPA schedule has been pretty accurate lately.... maybe an hour off in some cases and on occasional unscheduled flow, but not too bad. Did you notice something else?
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Post by texanfisherman on Oct 17, 2017 7:08:06 GMT -6
New LMFRF post: lmfrfoundation.org/latest-news-and-updates/Obviously, it has been a long while since my last update. Frankly, there has not been a lot to convey. The river is trudging along – barely. Last week was our usual fall board meeting where we managed to bring together enough board members for a quorum and conduct the small amount of business we had in front of us. The park and construction company are making headway on the washed out bridge. While it may seem like it’s taking forever, if you look at the work being done, it seems that the replacement will be quite substantial and a great improvement. I want to take a minute and thank the park and Jim Miller in particular. Since he OK’ed and we installed the “Entry Into Water By Anglers Only” signs, I have not gotten a single email or text of boaters or swimmers on Spillway Creek. I’m not saying that it hasn’t happened but the signs are working as hoped and has cut the problem down immensely. This is no secret from what I’ve seen, but the water is VERY warm in Spillway and they are only stocking the upper parts. If you go, that explains why you see everyone at the top. Don Groom, from the ODWC, was not able to attend but was kind enough to send me an update which is posted below. He also told me the following items in the email: After reviewing the brown trout egg inspection reports with our hatchery supervisor, Don notified David Dillow that Don won’t be able to recommend to approve a formal stocking request for the brown trout eggs this year. They will still entertain the request in the future pending test results. Don is going to work over the next year to test LMFR trout to see if there are any diseases that affect our populations that we don’t know about. Don just doesn’t have that info and doesn’t want to take any unnecessary risks. The hatchery supervisor would and has turned down the UFWS (US Fish and Wildlife?) from bringing in trout with similar reports. Don put it in the update, but hopefully the brown trout trade will soften the blow of not having the brown trout eggs this year. If the lower Illinois has still suspended stockings by the time we get the browns, Don will most likely get the full trade of browns (approx. 5000). “Dear Lower Mountain Fork River Foundation, As the summer gives way to fall, we continue to stock and closely monitor the water temperatures on the trout stream. Lake Levels are nearing 8ft below normal. Water discharged through the spillway is pushing 72F during the day and is pushing 75F at the swim beach during the day. We modified stockings as temperatures warmed. At this time we are only stocking directly below the spillway, cardiac hill, and below the first stocking gate downstream of cardiac. Stockings will continue in these areas as long as conditions allow. Once temperatures abate, several stockings will be focused on the lower sections to make up for summer changes. My main concern at this time is the stress placed on fish going from cold water in the hauling tanks (approximately 60.5F) to the warmer stream temps (low 70s). So far we are squeezing by, but I am pushing it. You may have noticed that I have not requested an increase in flow since early summer. This decision was made based on unknowns regarding inflow and to conserve water. The lake has not been at or above normal since June 2016. In a couple of weeks, the COE will remind me that the water control manual requires a significant reduction in the spillway releases. They will work with me as long as conditions allow. The lower lake levels can have a negative impact on the marina and lake activity, so we must take that into consideration. However, no one wants dead trout. My goal is to keep the trout alive and maintain temperatures regardless. Unlike the lower Illinois, dissolved oxygen is better in the spillway, so we can get by with a little warmer water than they can. The real-time water monitoring stations are working well. Staff also manually collects temperatures during various stockings at different locations to get more detailed information. In addition to the real-time stations and manual collections, we have temperature data from the current trout study. Tyler pulled his temperature loggers from the river prior to leaving; however, we immediately went back and installed some of our own to continue the data collection. All of the temp data will be vital for future flow management. As many of you know by now, graduate student Tyler Farling recently moved to Idaho, but others (Mellissa) continue to work through samples and crunching data from this year’s sampling. This week I was able to hear a status update on the trout study provided by OSU’s Dr. Long, and like you, I am anxious to see the final results. We are learning a great deal more about diet habits, bug life, insight into spawning activity and juvenile growth rates. This information will be used to help us determine future management efforts. I will share the final information when it’s available. Once again, I have had recent staff changes. As a result, I have made some changes that should help provide consistency on our end. I have added a new technician, Mack Wood, who will have primary responsibility in stocking trout and maintaining our stocking access. Jay and Mack will be working closely together on a day to day basis, so Jay will once again be heavily involved in stockings and maintaining access on the trout stream. Mack has a bachelors in Agricultural with a couple of fish related courses mixed in. He worked for our Byron hatchery as an intern for a little over a year, so he comes with a little hatchery experience. I will say he and Jay make a good team. There have been some questions regarding stocking upper evening hole. One of the purposes of the stocking trailer is to help reach places we can’t get the big truck. Although we have had to divert attention towards more pressing regional concerns, we still intend to improve the access near the evening hole bridge kiosk. This will once again allow the truck and trailer up the side of evening hole to stock that area. Since stocking in that area has been limited due to temperature concerns, it has been put on hold for now. Due logistics surrounding winter trout fishery stocking, October stockings on the lMFR have been modified. We have not suspended stockings. I throw that out there in hopes to dispel any potential rumors. If it comes to a point where we have to suspend stockings, I will notify the State Parks, COE, Flyshop, and Foundation, as well as posting it on our website and social media. For those who are curious about recent stocking dates, you can find the latest stocking information by viewing and/or subscribing to our fishing reports. As part of a fish trade with Wyoming, we will be stocking brown trout in a couple of weeks. These should be approximately two and half fish per lb. Since the lower Illinois has recently suspended stockings, there is the possibility we well get the whole trade which is approximately 5,000 fish. I will provide a stocking report once they make it in the water and I have final numbers. Also, it looks like the first of the federal mitigation fish will be arriving the first week in December. This should be four trucks carrying about 2,000 each (rainbows). As I stated at the last Foundation meeting, due to other region priorities, we are not considering any renovation work at this time. We will continue to focus efforts on stockings, maintaining signs, stocking access, and collecting water temperature information. In closing, I have a request. I receive very little feedback regarding fishing reports in Zone 3, even in the winter months when it is stocked. Any information that can be funneled my way would be much appreciated. As always, thank you for your support.” Sincerely, Don Groom Regional Fisheries Supervisor Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation
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Post by hankinsfly on Oct 17, 2017 9:51:05 GMT -6
That's a very informative report. Itsounds like the ODWC has some things in mind for future management, which is good. I am hopeful they can recognize the potential of the LMF to be as good a fishery as the White River system waters. If it were that good, it would draw more mindful fishermen, rather than poachers. That in turn would bring more money to the local economy and the state through license sales and taxes. The one discouraging thing is the last paragraph, when he states what the department will continue to do... it doesn't list law enforcement. We will never make the river great if they don't change and enforce regulations. BTW, I write this in Dublin, Ireland. Heading back to Oklahoma tomorrow.
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Post by coldwaterfly on Oct 17, 2017 16:50:24 GMT -6
"Not considering renovations at this time"...
Hopefully that means that there would be consideration sometime in the future, but just not right now?
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