Was anyone there last weekend? Would like to go this wkend but with the price of gas don't want to make the trip for naught.

you might keep an eye on things up there, the lake is almost to the top of the spillway, if it rains they are talking about major release of water that will mess things up for a while

Thanks for the heads up. I'll check the reports later in the week.

Getting to be a car pool kind of deal.

I'm up for that. Really itchin to try these flys I been making all winter.

The park is bracing for the possible flood of a lifetime. The river will allowed to "run free" if there is appreciable rainfall in the watershed this week (as anticipated). For example: if 20,000 cfs is flowing into the lake, 20,000 cfs will be released from the dam.. With the powerhouse capable of releasing about 7,000cfs, it would mean that 13,000 cfs would be released from the spillway. (the most volume ever released through the spillway to date was 1100 cfs) There is a possibility that ALL the bridges could be washed away, as well as any structures located close to the river...
http://www.mccurtain.com/headline.shtml

Holy *&^@# !!

A friend who was involved in a lot of the restoration work up there said most or all of it could be wiped out if they have to run that much water over the spillway.

I haven't been up there since Oct and have been wanting to go & now this (what i want is pretty small) , i hope things hold up better than expected...that is a beautiful place

Looks like it could get scoured

I second that. Sounds like what we had here last spring.

Me thinks I'll saty at home and fish for carp like the rest. Catch one of those big boys on a 5wt.

Spillway gates are now open , they have been evacuating all day...very sad news

That is sad news. I'm just bummed cuz I can't go fishing. I can't image how those folks are feeling losing their property and maybe their livelihood and hopefully no lives are lost.

The gates are open about 6" and the flow is about 1353 cfs. the hope is to possibly gradually raise the releases to lessen the drastic effect on the area. Most of the area they are evacuating is park property, with a few exceptions there.

Here is a link to the info about lake levels and gate changes, http://www.swt-wc.usace.army.mil/BROK.lakepage.html . Also check the boards at http://www.threeriversflyshop.com and http://www.beaversbendflyshop.com and you will get some very current updates on the situation. The McCurtain Gazette has updates as well.

Please keep all the people there in your thoughts as they go through this very traumatic event.

eric

As of right now the entire park area is closed, there is no access even to the upper area. The park staff has been told that the gates could be opened to allow as much as 15,000 cfs if the conditions warrant it. Remember that this is a conditional situation, as of right now they are using the gates to get some water out of the lake in preparation for more rain. There is no guarantee either way, but keep your fingers crossed and all the friends we have up there in your prayers.

Now to the potential bad news, prediction is for approximately 1-2" of rain in the next 24 hours. If this occurs, especially in the Upper Mountain Fork river they will most likely open the gates more. The hope for lots of us who fish there often is that going gradually in upping the releases will minimize the effects on the river area. Here is a link to the predicted rainfall for the next 24 hours, http://www.srh.noaa.gov/abrfc/qpfpage.shtml . It doesn't look good for sure.

The good news is that trout are very adaptable. If the water comes up gradually, like when they generate, the fish will find places to hide from the current and will still be in the river. That is the only "good" news from this situation, if there is any good news to this.

Good luck and go fishing!
eric

thank you for the update Eric. That has to be disturbing for all the folks who live up there.

It is definitely unnerving for those in the area at the least. Especially when you see what has happened in Arkansas this year. It sure makes you think.

I am sure Don mentioned seeing me out at the creek last week, it was a so so day at best. He let me throw his 5 weight a bit; man is that a nice, smooth rod. We need to get out and explore some of the "urban fishing areas" one of these days. With gas hitting $3 plus and no end coming I can only get to the LMF once a month for now. I am very surprised more people aren't fishing these little creeks in our area, they are really a blast!

Talk to you soon.

eric

That would be a HUGE shame if authorities had to release water as discussed. It's a beautiful fishery.

There are also photos of the water flow on the new Lower Mountain Fork River Foundation website, http://www.lmfrfoundation.org/ , under the generating page. The pictures there have a view from the parking area that the young man in the bottom photo is looking down on. They give a very distinct impression as to how much water they are letting through with two Tainter gates open only 6 inches!

The rain is really starting to hit that area now and it will be interesting to see how much water the lake takes on. If you have been following the link to lake level this release has brought the level down ~1 foot since yesterday afternoon. But there are 2 storm systems going through there. One is right over Lake Broken Bow but the other is north of the lake and that could fill the watershed and dump into the lake again. This next day or so will really tell the tale as to how much water they need to release to keep the lake down. Plus they are just really starting the wet season there.

Pretty crazy!!
eric

Hey tough guy, have you ever eaten the head off of a dead carp?

I'm not sure what this post means.

Thats out favorite spot to camp, we love beavers bend
hope it does not wash everything away,

i love it there too, the trout are nice, but i've caught walleye & smallmouth bass there too...of course the fish will survive but (maybe better since human access is what will be damaged), i hope for the best