I received this great photo from my friend Bob Waldeck over at Cotter. He had autopsied one trout he recently caught and found this mixture of snails, red ants, beetles, mayfly nymphs and some midge shucks in the contents. This trout obviously was interested in eating a variety of foods. But the photo also shows how ready it was to pick up on an opportunity for terrestrials. I remember Gary Borger in one of his videos calling ants the “pièce de résistance” of a trout’s terrestrial meal. This photo seems to bear that out.

Stomach contents of trout from Bull Shoals tailwater. Photo by Bob Waldeck

Terrestrial season is here. Hoppers are growing and will be ready in August, but there’s so much more to try. There’s some great foam and traditional ant and beetle patterns out there, and with daily generation coming up into the grasses along the bank, you know a lot of bugs get put in the water.

Digital cameras make it easy to document such samples.

Summer dog days are here too. Water is great. Y’all come on in .

© 2010, Scott Branyan

It’s taken this long for the reservoirs to all get back to conservation pools. Greers Ferry reservoir has been around pool for some time and so generation there has been relatively light, mostly in the late afternoon and evening for a brief few hours.

Wade anglers will be happy to see some shut down at the other powerhouses too. Drift boat anglers will be happy to have the daily peak hydroelectric releases for several hours which will keep temperatures down and flows from bottoming out downriver. Great nymphing and some dry fly action ought to make every angler happy. About the only thing in the weather pattern that may monkey with lake levels will be a big rain event from a hurricane from now until the first end of summer cold front.

Don’t rush the hopper fishing. They aren’t ready yet and are still very small in my yard. Although, there seems to be a good crop of them. They should become a factor in late August. Until then any hopper you fish should be small and very impressionistic. Forget the large, hard bodied patterns. Madam-X style patterns work just fine. A Dave’s Hopper can be good, but keep it small. Don’t forget ants, beetles and some secret terrestrial patterns I tend to like. Use your imagination.

This hopper camouflages into the bark of the tree.

Algae and trash will still be a factor on Bull Shoals tailwater when generation starts up hard. Stay in the tailout window and you should be fine.

Enjoy the Independence Day weekend and our hard fought for freedoms. Thank a vet!

See you on the river.

© 2010, Scott Branyan

I had a chance to talk to Ron Moore this morning. Ron is the AGFC district biologist in Rogers and probably knows more about Beaver Lake and warm water species than any other guy around. He’s been doing sampling and studies for about 25 years. He says the lake is in as good a shape as he’s seen as far as a forage fish base and larger fish being produced. Walleye which were introduced just a few years ago are doing especially well.

AGFC trout biologists went out on Beaver tailwater Monday night to do a monthly sampling. Table Rock is backed up to the dam, and Ron said they had problems electoshocking fish with the deep water. He did indicate they saw several 5 foot long gar and lots of other warmer water species such as walleye. They also shocked out one or two hybrids.

Ron noted this is the third high water year in a row, and he cannot remember another string of 3 high water years in his career. Back-to-years are common, but not 3-in-a-row.

He suggested climate change is responsible. There’s another possibility. Perhaps I can talk about it sometime, but it’s related to research I’m doing on my book. For now, climate change is as good a guess as any I suppose.

© 2010, Scott Branyan

I spent four days fishing Bull Shoals tailwater this past week. We saw the heaviest caddis hatches I can remember in some time. The hatch was late, but I will take them when we get them. There were lots of dry fly fishing opportunities, and the nymphing and streamer fishing was good also. We boated a couple of quality browns and a lot of smaller ones.

Hatch cooled Friday with the weather change. The first of the cream mayflies came off downriver below Norfork confluence also. I think they were cahills, but I just saw a few and couldn’t get a sample. Sulphurs should be starting. If they are like the caddis this year, we may not see a good hatch until mid-May or later.

Moss was heavy Tuesday and Wednesday, and high wind was a pain Thursday and Friday, but it didn’t slow the fishing much.

Fish are feeding heavily on the caddis and are fat. Browns will move into the riffles this time of year to take advantage of the hatches.

Caddis have primarily been two types at Rim Shoals: the large brachycentrus size 14 green bodied caddis and a size small darker bodied caddis with mottled wings. For dries, a darker natural deer hair caddis with a dark green body in a size 16 has been working quite well.

Straight from the stomach pump, this shows how heavy the fish are gulping these down. Separated with a little water you can see two species and a pupa shuck in the foreground. A lot of shucks in the sample indicates the fish prefer the caddis just subsurface. But the preference changes as the hatch progresses.

Good fishing!

© 2010, Scott Branyan

The Joplin Globe reports on a regional water conference held at Crowder College Monday and sponsored by the Multi-Basin Regional Water Council. The article warns of an impending water crisis and drought for the four state area.

© 2010, Scott Branyan

Bryan Hendricks in Sunday’s Arkansas Democrat-Gazette suggests Chesapeake Energy has lost interest in building a gas pipe line across the Little Red River at Cow Shoals and realizes it was a public relations disaster. The kicker to his article is mention of the conservation easement the Arkansas Natural Heritage Commission holds across from the AGFC land Chesapeake wanted to lease. The easement prohibts such activity and would require legislative action and a waiver from Gov. Beebe to proceed. It’s fortunate ANHC held this property.

Thanks to all of you who got involved with this. Your vigilance saved another stream disaster potentially affecting White River tailwaters.

I attended the Arkansas Water Resources Center research conference this past week.

Doug Melton with Southwest Energy Company (Arkansas Western Gas) which drilled the first well in the Fayetteville Shale spoke from the industry perspective on Shale Gas Drilling and Production on Water Resources. He showed a video available on Southwest Energy’s website. A few important questions people had for him, e.g. on estimated future water use, he couldn’t or wouldn’t answer. He said his attorneys had gone through his PowerPoint and deleted stuff which they considered forward looking statements prohibited by the SEC. Most of the attendees were professional biologists/chemists/geologists/engineers. It became rather apparent to all he had nothing of significance he could say to address concerns.

Chris Davidson with U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service gave the regulatory perspective. He didn’t spend any time on groundwater withdrawal or disposal of waste water, but said the major problem right now in the industry is with major storm water runoff. The industry has had one reserve pit spill in the Barnett shale in Texas which resulted in a major fish kill. Because of the rapidly increasing number of drilling sites, the Corps has become involved and is doing cumulative effects analysis on its jurisdictional waters in Arkansas’ Fayetteville Shale area.

The adverse effects of the drilling sites are:

• Reduced stream flow
• Alteration of biota and aquatic habitats
• Aquifer depletion
• Stream flow disruption
• Seeps (channel formation in the right of way)
• Fertility (excessive algae growth in the streams because of removal of overhead canopy)
• Channel incision below hanging outlets
• Slopes without vegetation
• Contaminants from well pads
• Well pads in karst areas with no erosion controls
• Well pads constructed on ephemeral streams and fill slopes which result in recut-rechannelized streams
• Sediment intrusion into the forest floor down to the perennial streams

The roads to the well pad are a major source of sediment and there are few sufficient erosion controls on the projects. Pipelines present the biggest erosion problem of all. Cadron Creek was spoiled by sediment, and this caused the USFWS to get involved in 2007. Wet open cut trenching has also ruined the middle fork of the Little Red River where Davidson says it is 100 percent embedded with sand which flowed out of the Indian Creek watershed due to drilling impacts.

Sometime ago I spoke with a gas industry executive. He confirmed to me the problems mentioned here and said the only way to keep the industry in check with regard to these problems is through constant, careful monitoring.

Please contact your state legislators and congressmen and ask that they increase monitoring efforts on the industry. Without continued vigilance, our streams will continue to be degraded. Thanks!

© 2010, Scott Branyan

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineer’s regulation stage at Newport dropped to 14 feet from 21 feet on April 15th. This is an annual change. Newport is a downstream control point for Bull Shoals and Norfork dams. The regulating stage will drop again to 12 feet May 8th and will remain at that level until November 30th. The reason for the change is to allow a narrowing of the channel of the White River downriver of Newport so farmers can get their crops in. There are extenuating circumstances when the Corps can exceed these stages during flood conditions.

Three of the five White River reservoirs including Bull Shoals and Norfork are currently well into flood pools. Newport river stage today was over 16 feet and expected to reach the 14 foot regulating stage by Sunday.

Don’t look for a lot of reduction in flood storage from Bull Shoals and Norfork through the rest of the spring. With the lower regulating stage, those two powerhouses will have to run as steady as they can to bring the lake levels down, but limit generation because of the downstream constraints. Any big rains will be stored in the reservoirs until Newport drops below the regulating stage later in the summer. High water on those two tailwaters looks likely for a while. If seasonal heavy rains are lacking through June, all the lake levels will continue to fall faster.

© 2010, Scott Branyan

CORPS IMPLEMENTS NEW CONDITION FOR CERTAIN PERMITS IN FAYETTEVILLE SHALE AREA

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – The Army Corps of Engineers has implemented a new regional condition to four nationwide permits that will help protect the aquatic resources in the 33 Arkansas counties known as the Fayetteville Shale Play region.

The affected counties are Arkansas, Cleburne, Conway, Crawford, Cross, Faulkner, Franklin, Independence, Jackson, Jefferson, Johnson, Lee, Logan, Lonoke, Madison, Monroe, Newton, Perry, Phillips, Pope, Prairie, Pulaski, Saline, Scott, Searcy, Sebastian, Stone, St. Francis, Van Buren, Washington, White, Woodruff and Yell.

Nationwide permits streamline the permit process by authorizing certain categories of activities that are similar in nature and that cause minimal environmental impact to waters of the United States including lakes, rivers, streams and wetlands.

The nationwide permits that now include the new regional condition are Nationwide Permit Number 6, which applies to survey activities; Number 12, which applies to utility line activities; Number 14, which applies to linear transportation projects; and Number 18, which applies to minor discharges of material in the waters of the U.S.

These permits contain conditions that must be met to ensure aquatic environments are protected.  The new condition is known as Arkansas Regional Condition Number 5, and it requires those seeking to perform work in waters of the U.S. in the 33 affected counties to first give the Corps written notice.  If the Corps determines the work results in more than minimal effects, a more detailed permit review will be required.

The new regional condition applies to all activities authorized by the four nationwide permits, and includes activities conducted by the public, municipalities and natural gas companies.

These nationwide permits, along with other permits the Corps issues, are under the jurisdiction of Section 404 of the Clean Water Act and Section 10 of the Rivers and Harbors Act.  More information about the Corps’ permit program and the new regional condition can be obtained on the Internet at www.swl.usace.army.mil/regulatory.

SOME CAMPSITES AT DAM QUARRY PARK TO TEMPORARILY CLOSE

MOUNTAIN HOME, Ark. – The Army Corps of Engineers will temporarily close 17 campsites at Dam Quarry Park below Norfork Dam to repair damage from 2008 flooding.  Campsites 14 through 30 will close the week of March 8 and reopen in mid-July, barring weather delays.  The park’s other 51 campsites will remain open.

Jordan Park campground is a nearby alternative in the lower portion of Norfork Lake.

The campsite renovations and paving work are part of an overall effort to repair damage incurred during the April 2008 flooding in which the access road and other park structures and utilities along the Norfork River were damaged or destroyed.

The Corps regrets any inconvenience this closure may cause, but the end result will be improved campsites and a renovated access road when work is complete.

For more information, contact the Mountain Home Project Office at 870-425-2700, between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. weekdays.

Additional Norfork Lake information is available on the internet at http://www.swl.usace.army.mil/parks/norfork/index.htm, and Bull Shoals Lake information can be found at http://www.swl.usace.army.mil/parks/bullshoals/index.html.

Here is the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission’s 2009 Annual Report on the trout management program.

[Update 3/9/2010] Here are the specific tailwater managment plans and creel reports. You can find some of the biological objectives in the specific plans. They are generally given in fish per hours of electroshocking.

© 2010, Scott Branyan