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Post by woscholar on Feb 7, 2016 12:13:09 GMT -6
I was thinking the same thing, Fenwick. The increased flow probably won't do a thing. At first I thought it might. But after watching the videos, I realized it was left there with a MUCH higher flow rate. Looks like they're going to have to bring in some heavy equipment and some trucks to move that mess out and elsewhere. Our local lake has the same issue from the Sabine River, yet the city fails to see the need to remove the silt. They think a 50 year water supply is enough. I digress.
No matter, I look forward to hitting the river soon as well as helping rebuild the fly shop however I can. If it's being built with a stack of boards instead of a portable building, then Coach, give us a date and we will be there with tools in hand to get that sucker up. Have a generator I can bring, too. In the meantime, the trout fry we have in our FFA's cold water tanks from the last LMFRF batch of eggs have no idea how lucky they are at the moment to have missed such a catastrophe.
Here's to hoping someone creates a plan within the COE to avoid this happening again.
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Post by Prosperflyfisher on Feb 7, 2016 20:47:30 GMT -6
I believe that although the high flows deposited the silt in evening hole, we have to keep in mind the trees and other debris piled up at the bridge. The idea was that once the debris was moved, it would allow some of the silt to get pushed downstream a bit. I think we got flows around 1500 cfs after the debris was removed and it looks like it does now, so I think that theory was wrong, or it was a lot worse than it is now.
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Post by Fenwick on Feb 8, 2016 0:20:35 GMT -6
I just reread Aaron's posts of Feb. 5 mentioning discussions between the Corps and the ODWC. It'll seem an eternity between now and the day the long stretch is re-groomed but onnnnne day...
Recall a few years ago when the Spillway had the logs placed to create pools and Lost Creek was re-dug. The heavy machinery used in the process left the place looking like a construction site which it was in a way but the vegetation returned in a coupla seasons and then you couldn't tell the place was torn up like that. I'm hoping the same this time around for the right turn, Lost and Found Creek, Bluffs and Evening Hole.
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Post by soonerlongbow on Feb 8, 2016 13:41:02 GMT -6
Maybe it's a different eye or something like that but I'm looking at the video and while Cold Hole looked like poop compared to what it did, the rest looks intriguing. The spillway as well.
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Post by woscholar on Feb 8, 2016 14:58:16 GMT -6
Great news posted at 2pm on BBSP Facebook site:
PARK UPDATE: 02-08-2016: Beavers Bend State Park is still closed to the public at this time; however; we have collected our water quality samples and they have been transported to Ada, OK for testing this morning. We should receive word back either tomorrow or Wednesday. If the samples pass, then we should be able to open the park either Wednesday or Thursday. Thank you for your patience during this time.
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Post by Fenwick on Feb 8, 2016 15:06:40 GMT -6
We're gettin' there! I anticipate a big crowd next weekend so I'll be selling bait, snacks, high point beer and cigarettes outta the trunk of my car parked at the Cardiac Hill lot. Come find me and I'll take care of ya. If somehow we miss each other you'll at least know I've been there when you get down to the waters edge. I'm thinkin' of settin' my gas grill in the bed of my pickup and takin' it up there to grill up hot dogs n' hamburgers to sell at the Evening Hole parking lot 'cause I'm sure to sell out early at Cardiac Hill. If I can get Aaron to help me we'll set up some folding tables at the former fly shop site and sell live bait. We'll hafta see.
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Post by woscholar on Feb 8, 2016 15:48:54 GMT -6
Are we talking worms or shiners? I also prefer Coke if you're headed to Wal Mart to stock your trunk. Oh, and I think I'm out of treble hooks.
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Post by Fenwick on Feb 8, 2016 16:37:17 GMT -6
Woscholar, I hear ya and I'm workin' to accommodate everyone! It's gonna be busy! Since I can't be selling at the Cardiac Hill lot, the Evening Hole lot and the old shop site at the very same time I recruited the twins to work the live bait table at the former shop site along with Aaron. They'll have their famous power bait for sale along with Near Deere's, minnows netted right outta the river and worms that Bessett is diggin' up outta the compost heap in his back yard. I bought every treble hook that Barlow's Tackle here in Plano had in the store for ya. Aaron will be at the table scheduling his main man S.B. as a guide 'cause I already have Eddie's regular guides cooking hot dogs and hamburgers to sell at the Evening Hole. I'm headed out to my nearby Costco to buy a coupla pallets of snack foods, hot dogs, hamburgers, beer and cartons of cigs. One thing I can't find at Costco are trout shaped ginger bread cookies. There's a U-Haul location right by there where I'll hafta rent a small truck for all this stuff. Wherever you see the orange and white U-Haul truck in the park is where I'll most likely be. As incentive for a big fishermen turnout this weekend I was thinkin' of getting the LMFRF to use all their 2016 budget money to buy beer as a giveaway which we'd put into coolers and then set the coolers into inflated tire tubes we'd release free range into the flow from up river. Finders keepers but you'd have to be at the water to claim your prize. Now who won't show up for free beer?
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Post by woscholar on Feb 8, 2016 17:32:00 GMT -6
I'm thinking about bringing the barge and making it a family cruise down Spillway on into Evening Hole. We can stop off for lunch at your stand.
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Post by Fenwick on Feb 8, 2016 19:34:30 GMT -6
Hey, if you wanna get in on it we could use your barge's grill set up on the rock pile and sell hot dog's n' hamburgers an' beer from there to cover the Cold Hole and Bluffs fishermen!
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Post by Fenwick on Feb 8, 2016 20:35:26 GMT -6
Ya know, lookin' over Aarons photos of the new Bluffs runs along the rock pile reminds me of how unstable the sloping bank of rocks are and how they can easily give way under foot. I personally saw and also heard of a few fishermen that wound up in the water when the slope of rocks at the Cold Hole and Bluffs slid out from under them. Not good, especially in February.
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Post by okieman71 on Feb 8, 2016 21:04:43 GMT -6
Sure will be interesting to see what is done with the EH. (and when) Hopefully there will be a thought process that goes into the reshaping that will add some quality runs, riffles and structure. My next wish would be for the COE to hire a "trout bum" to be in charge of the flows/releases for the LMF/BB Lake. Ha. Would be nice to see a common sense approach taken in the future to manage the flow and releases in a manner that at least considers the potion of the river within the park. I know I am being overly optimistic but maybe with the events of the past year some eyes were opened.
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Post by Fenwick on Feb 8, 2016 22:08:46 GMT -6
As much as we dislike what happened to "our" river again over the holidays bear in mind many other reservoirs across Oklahoma, Arkansas, Missouri and Tennessee also topped out due to the same rainy weather system that week leaving the Corps no choice but to turn floodgates wide open in those areas too. There were a few dramatic YouTube drone videos of those places also awash with incredible cascades of water rushing from gigantic dams that make ours look downright puny. Those tailwater fisheries, waterside campgrounds and associated park infrastructure were demolished as well. Imagine the expense of repairs across such a broad region. Misery loves company. If park entry fees, campground fees and assorted licenses go up in price across the south and Midwest you might know why. Will the Corps have a better reservoir flood management game plan for next time? Probably.
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Post by kingnothing on Feb 9, 2016 12:10:50 GMT -6
As much as we dislike what happened to "our" river again over the holidays bear in mind many other reservoirs across Oklahoma, Arkansas, Missouri and Tennessee also topped out due to the same rainy weather system that week leaving the Corps no choice but to turn floodgates wide open in those areas too. There were a few dramatic YouTube drone videos of those places also awash with incredible cascades of water rushing from gigantic dams that make ours look downright puny. Those tailwater fisheries, waterside campgrounds and associated park infrastructure were demolished as well. Imagine the expense of repairs across such a broad region. Misery loves company. If park entry fees, campground fees and assorted licenses go up in price across the south and Midwest you might know why. Will the Corps have a better reservoir flood management game plan for next time? Probably NOT. FIFY
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Post by soonerlongbow on Feb 9, 2016 14:49:23 GMT -6
Many of those sites were just repaired after last years Spring/Summer storms and the CoE opening the gates just before the 4th. Budgets were blown out across the board.
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Post by slim on Feb 9, 2016 15:12:55 GMT -6
If North Korea can put a satellite in outer space it seems COE should be able to manage water.
Well....... maybe not.
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Post by dainw on Feb 9, 2016 16:49:08 GMT -6
Just curious what exactly you guys would like to see the COE do differently in the future? How would you handle situation when you get near record amounts of rainfall in a short amount of time and all the reservoirs in the region are already into the flood pool? Unfortunately we get that much rain over a short period of time when the lakes are already high and there's gonna be flooding. I love our little slice of heaven we have in Broken Bow as much as the next person, but at a certain point I think we have to recognize that on the list of the COE's priorities, avoiding damage to tailwater trout fisheries is pretty far down the list.
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Post by Fenwick on Feb 9, 2016 19:03:53 GMT -6
I imagine the Corps will revisit their computer modeling and how inflow from feeders is calculated, the rate at which reservoirs rise and then recalculate the downstream pros and cons of opening flood gates sooner than later. I think many rivers were already near or at flood stages both upriver and downriver of these reservoirs even before their floodgates were opened. How awkward is that? Whaddya gonna do when there's no room left to contain the water in the reservoir and the folks upriver are being inundated? The Corps had no choice but to open all the faucets. Just sayin'.
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Post by woscholar on Feb 9, 2016 19:09:14 GMT -6
In the end, I would say they have all been so use to summer dry spells, they were hesitant to let anything out for fear it wouldn't be replenished. While I don't like the outcome, I don't blame them for hoarding it. Now if you flash back to the May debacle where they decided to shut down the dam to repair the generator during the rainy season, I'd say that was nowhere near a wise decision. That one had a better chance of being avoided. While we all await the water quality testing results and the anticipated announcement of the park opening (hopefully tomorrow), I thought some might have missed some of Mike Love's drone videos. The LMFRF only posted the Evening Hole video, but there are more: www.youtube.com/channel/UCtiIVy2Wf9qFm3Bf93b5pSQ
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Post by Fenwick on Feb 9, 2016 19:26:52 GMT -6
Wow! I already saw the Evening Hole video but did not see the other ones dated Feb. 5. I hereby claim the entire Spillway all for myself for 2016 and you guys are just gonna hafta find someplace else to fish. Yeah! So much for selling stuff outta the trunk of my car at the Cardiac Hill lot this weekend 'cause you won't be there! Gonna be a brutal hike up or down the entire Spillway since there's no path but it'll be worth it. I gotta remember that while I'm fishing alone up there all this year that the newly exposed angled river bedrock = tons more drifted nymphs being lost due to snags just like after the May flood.
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Post by woscholar on Feb 9, 2016 19:44:46 GMT -6
But I found the videos. So I will let you guide me on Spillway. Fair enough?
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Post by Fenwick on Feb 9, 2016 19:49:35 GMT -6
NO! MINE!!! THE SPILLWAY IS ALLLL MINE!!!!
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Post by woscholar on Feb 9, 2016 21:50:13 GMT -6
NO! MINE!!! THE SPILLWAY IS ALLLL MINE!!!! Sure. You and a certain guide with a stringer. Good luck.
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Post by jonbo on Feb 9, 2016 22:21:51 GMT -6
Oh man, Give us Spillway! They can have the rest.
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Post by jonbo on Feb 9, 2016 22:29:11 GMT -6
....although part of Upper Spillway looks awfully wide and shallow. Thanks for the link, Woscholar!
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