kayl
Drifter
Posts: 26
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Post by kayl on Dec 12, 2022 14:30:11 GMT -6
I have seen posts about fishing zone 2 below the old park dam. I stopped by there a few days ago and seeing the signs that say no wading allowed and the lack of people got me wondering.."Am I supposed to be here?" I have seen varios online threads and pics on fb of people fishing down there. Are we allowed to flyfish down there? Wading seems like a given if you are fly fishing so I just want to make sure I'm not going to get a ticket or something if I go back. Thanks.
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Post by dannys on Dec 12, 2022 15:57:05 GMT -6
Good question. I think that sign has been there for a long, long time; but could be wrong. I do know that if they release for generation (used to be a siren and red flashing or rotating light visible from some areas below OPD) you best get back to the trail as soon as you can.
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Post by huntnfish2much on Dec 12, 2022 19:54:05 GMT -6
Kayl, I think you’d be more likely to get struck by lightning twice on a sunny day than to see a warden or a ranger down past the OPD. Not to mention that I was told that ODWC only stocks there maybe, possibly twice-a-year.
You’d likely catch a scrappy hold-over, possibly even stream-born rainbow there, so go for it.
As others have mentioned, you need to listen for the horn that blows when they open up the turbines. Last time I was there, I fished at Hickory Hole for a while. I heard the horn clearly from there. I have no doubt you’d just about anywhere downstream from the power plant.
I like fishing there because it gives me the opportunity to get away from the crowds, and it’s the least-changed area of the park due to the floods.
You may come away with a mixed-bag of fish, too. I’ve caught smallmouth, bluegill, largemouth, and of course, trout. Enjoy the trip. Watch for bald Eagles. Look for otters. It’s a beautiful place.
JR
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kayl
Drifter
Posts: 26
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Post by kayl on Dec 13, 2022 7:32:27 GMT -6
Thank you for the responses. I feel better about going down there, and will give it another shot next week. JR I hope to see a bald ealge and Btw I did happen to see some otters in spillway creek last week. Thanks!
Kayl
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Post by turfdawg on Dec 13, 2022 7:56:29 GMT -6
I thought there was a sign for no entry between the powerhouse and old park dam but I thought beyond that (zone 2) you could enter water. Haven’t been down there in years though
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Post by huntnfish2much on Dec 13, 2022 8:35:15 GMT -6
I thought there was a sign for no entry between the powerhouse and old park dam but I thought beyond that (zone 2) you could enter water. Haven’t been down there in years though You’re correct, TD. They enforce the area from the powerhouse to OPD. A guy drowned several years ago at the confluence of the powerhouse discharge and the stream that runs through the park. Very little time to react when the water comes up right there below the powerhouse. Below the OPD, I have actually seen people in kayaks that had put in at the re-reg dam and paddled upstream. I have personally put in a float tube (years and years ago) right below the OPD. Like I said earlier about getting struck by lightning…… JR |
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Post by dannys on Dec 13, 2022 14:05:42 GMT -6
Yep Turfdawg--believe that is the sign I recall seeing. I always liked the area below OPD. Even got chased around down there by what I hope was a watersnake. Darn thing kept following me even though I went out to an island and back to the bank, upstream and downstream. He finally tired of the game, I guess. Also had an otter or beaver sneak up behind me while wading just below OPD one early morning right about dawn.
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Post by captwoody on Dec 18, 2022 15:10:55 GMT -6
I was thinking wading is restricted for only a hundred yards or so below the dam.
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Post by huntnfish2much on Dec 18, 2022 18:43:43 GMT -6
I was thinking wading is restricted for only a hundred yards or so below the dam. I have waded around just directly below the dam there. Of course, the best fishing is on the other end of the dam. LOL Many times, I have seen trout try to swim up the backside of that dam. It’s been a while since I spent much time there, but this time of year gets their migration instincts going. At one point, when they were stocking brown trout in Zone 2, I stood right above the little island there and caught bunches of browns on Pink Hendrickson dries. They were feeding in the current there, and it was a blast. There’s a current that flows past the island there, and (when they used to stock regularly) rainbows would stack up right in that area. You could spend hours there moving upstream and downstream by the island. Of course, a soft hackles or a Deena would be my flies of choice. Those are bygone days, I’m afraid… JR |
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Post by greyghost on Dec 20, 2022 20:24:25 GMT -6
I used to pitch my tent in Acorn campground amongst all the RVers and fish zone 2 most of my stay. The RV crowd didnt have many anglers so I mostly had that part of the river to myself. I taught myself to fly fish there and have lots of fond memories of the place. I used to stand just above the first dropoff and fish the current with soft hackles and small streamers. Seems I always did pretty well, no big uns but lots of medium size bows. Just past the islands there was a deep,deep hole that supposedly held some giant browns but I never got one. As JR said those days are long gone but I feel privileged to have spent so much time there. As a kid I was able to fish in Colorado every summer and fishing the LMF was every bit as good as CO. I often wonder if the folks who lived in Broken Bow back then are as happy now that the new prosperity has taken over.
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