Little Missouri Fly Fishing

First, yes they are still running the bunger valve!!  8 days straight now I think, and the lake is still around 544. Only taking about .33 hundreds of a foot off in 24 hour period and we had 2 inches of rain last week. Long way to go!, To wherever they are going?? 

Second, in reply to those of you wondering about Albert Pike, I'll quote Ryan Gary, our Lil' Mo' trout biologist. I  just received this in a text today:   "Hey Mike had to double check with hatchery manager but we stocked the April fish in March up at Albert Pike because water temps were getting too high in the lake. I don't think we have any more stockings slated for the year on Albert Pike."  😞😞.

That's about all that's new from here. I feel they are continuing to stock here on high water but it's hard to know. I think some people keep messing with my markers on the stocking tubes, just to keep me confused!!🤔 I know, that's easy to do!!🤪🤪.

Jonbo, I don't know what kind of Howell-Bunger valve is installed at Narrows Dam, but here is a youtube video from the company that makes them explaining operations.  Apparently they're all installed with a high head of water above.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QnhOy4YWjsQ&ab_channel=ORBINOXVALVESINTERNATIONAL

Thanks Hen and Jonbo.  I don't know whether they adhere to the published stocking schedules or not, but the Arkansas Game & Fish book shows stocking of 1,000 Jan, Feb, March, and April 2024.  We can only hope.  Hen, you've saved a lot of folks time and money with your timely reports, much appreciated.

Yeah, Albert Pike was extremely slow upstream last week when I went. I had found a report somewhere that they had stocked 1000 earlier in March at AP. I can't find the report now. Maybe I imagined it? Someone else had told me they haven't stocked at the Swimming Hole for a couple of years but at the Car Wash Hole instead. Maybe he had bad information? Donno. All I know is I can confirm YOUR report that AP was very slow last week.

BTW, can you or someone explain what the "bunger valve" is? I know that earlier in the season supposedly the generators were down for repairs and that somehow meant they ran water constantly some other way. Was that the bunger valve?

You weekenders don't waste your gas money, at 6:00 Saturday morning they are still running the bunger valve. They seem to be "slow rolling" the river, only taking about .33 of a foot of water off the lake per 24 hour period.

I checked out Albert Pike last Thursday and it was really slow!  I caught a few in the swimming hole but none father up river!😞😞. Don't know when they last stocked or when they might stock again. Sorry Gordon, just don't have much information for up there.

Quote from: GORDOB on Mar 21, 2024, 11:08 AMMorning Mike.  Thanks for your diligence in the river reports.  Have they done much stocking at Albert Pike this year.  I remember a couple of years ago they made a pretty big stocking during the first week of April.  Hoping to take my grandson and great grandson up there in April, after the eclipse.  Keep up the great work, you're our source of information now and it's rally appreciated.

I fished AP in mid-Feb or so. There were plenty of fish at the Carwash Bridge (about a mile upstream of the Swimming Hole) at that time. I went a couple of days ago, nada, basically. I don't know. I saw a report somewhere online that AP had been stocked in March with 1000 fish, I think. So, I don't know.

I fished Albert Pike on Wednesday with a good friend. We fished at the "Carwash Bridge". Man, was it dead that day. The water was up pretty good to where it seemed like a very nice river. Conditions looked great, besides a lack of fish, that is. There was no movement of fish to speak of, that I could detect. I think I saw one rise all morning. About 11 I thought I spotted a couple of march brown emergers coming off, nothing chasing them. I caught one smallish rainbow. My buddy, nothing.

It was odd to me because about 6 weeks ago the Carwash Bridge was quite lively with fish. That day I'd been downstream near the Swimming Hole area. There was the same dearth of fish there that there was on Wednesday at the Carwash Bridge. A man showed up and told me everything now is happening upstream, that they don't stock at the Swimming Hole now, it's all upstream. I went up there and found really good action.

So, I don't know what's happening. When I got home Wednesday I found somewhere online a report that AP had been stocked in March. Was the one fellow wrong and sometimes they stock further upstream, other times further downstream? Maybe we just hit fish nap-time. A mystery, certainly.

It sure is a lovely place, that AP, I'll say that.

Thanks, Jeff, for registering me! If anyone is reading this who hasn't registered to post, just email Jeff.

Jonbo, out.

Morning Mike.  Thanks for your diligence in the river reports.  Have they done much stocking at Albert Pike this year.  I remember a couple of years ago they made a pretty big stocking during the first week of April.  Hoping to take my grandson and great grandson up there in April, after the eclipse.  Keep up the great work, you're our source of information now and it's rally appreciated.

I met the stocking truck from the Jim Collin's net pins at River Side today at 12:00 noon. Today Robbie, the Jim Collin's delivery man, stocked fish at Riverside and River Ridge. He advised that yesterday he stocked Hinds Bluff and Old Factory Site. There were some really nice 12 plus fish in the group, that's a great size for net pen fish!!  🐟. Being put in on high water should scatter them all over the river 🤗🤗🤗. Robbie advised that he will stock one more time the end of March and that will be all of the net pin fish from lake Ouachita. The fish should hunker down and grow and get strong while they bring the lake down. Needless to say they are still running the bunger valve. 😞😞.

At 8:00 am today they opened the bunger valve!!  It's been a really good 28 day run of fishing👏👏. Who knows how long they will run or how far they want to pull the lake down from its current 544 mark. I'll try and post as soon as they stop 🛑!!