Little Missouri Fly Fishing

I had hoped the AGFC would hold to the stocking schedule of every 2 weeks for stocking on the Lil' Mo', but they didn't!!😤. Guess (or hope) they are waiting for thanksgiving week??  It would have been a perfect week to stock. Water is cold and very clear, even tho the river bed is covered in silt. It gets better (less silt) the further you go down river. Also they could have stocked on low water, giving the fish time to acclimate to the river. Last stocking was 7 November on high water, scattering the fish all over the river.

The lake is currently at 538.37 so unless we get a flooding rain I do not expect the Corp to start bungering anytime soon, UNLESS they decide to do a pull down for dam repairs. They stopped bungering on 14 November so the fish have had time to settle in to the "no flow river".

About the fishing, here's my opinion and synopsis 🤔:  the fish are really scattered. I have been unable to catch fish at the park or in the meat hole!!  Don't know what happened to them. Did they die, did they move down river??? I haven't seen any signs of dead fish and the ones I'm catching down river are strong and healthy. The Riverside park area is hardest hit by the silt, or whatever it is, coming from the bunger valves, the river bed is covered and the rocks are red. However, I'm able to catch fish at Sycamore run, only 3/4 mile down river from there. I caught 17 in that little hole one trip. I caught 36 one day in the couch hole at River Ridge, I caught 40 one day at Hinds Bluff, fishing the access hole and around the bend down river. I've caught fish at Old Factory site and at Low water bridge, you just have to find them, but when you do they are strong and health. A normal trips catch for me has been 15 to 20 fish, but remember , I only fish about 2 to 3 hours and only in the mornings.  In short, I've caught fish all over the river EXCEPT at Riverside park!!!  It is definitely fishing and not just "stand and catch", if I don't get a bite in a few minutes, I move!  I believe the first rule of trout fishing is be where the fish are!  A good low water stocking will fix that. I can't explain the Riverside park problem but I think a good low water stocking will solve it also, now that all the silt has settled out and the water itself is clear as glass.

To sum up, water cold and clear as a bell, river bed has a lot of red silt, fishing down river is fair but don't waste your time at the park until they stock again, hopefully before thanksgiving. Oh yes, and always remember, if you will all take out one more piece of trash than you bring in, we will never have a trashy river!! 

Just a quick alert: at 3:30 pm today, with the lake at 537.86, they closed the bunger valve. Don't know for how long, but it's closed as I post!! River bed is rusty red. It has run full for the past 9 days.

Quote from: HEN on Nov 09, 2024, 02:39 AMI'm not sure what it is this go around?  The last proposed draw down was to 538. I'm assuming (but nothing is certain!) that was to get the loading ramp built at the Sawaha swimming area for the barge to load the crane. That's been done. If this draw down is for the actual work on the dam, I have no clue, too many rumors floating around.

Mike herd a rumor yesterday they plan to go down to elv 534'.

I'm not sure what it is this go around?  The last proposed draw down was to 538. I'm assuming (but nothing is certain!) that was to get the loading ramp built at the Sawaha swimming area for the barge to load the crane. That's been done. If this draw down is for the actual work on the dam, I have no clue, too many rumors floating around.

Hey Mike! What's the level they're trying to get the lake around?

Fish were stocked yesterday on high water on the Lil' Mo'. Water temperature is 58 all over the river and the clarity is great!! Really clear water for a bunger valve!!  They are running a FULL river of water, should be taking about a 1/2 foot a day off the lake. If it's like in the past, these fish will hunker down, eat everything that comes by them and be fat and strong when they do stop the flow and we get to fish them. When ever that is!!??

We knew it was coming, opened the bunger valve at 7:30 am this morning. The lake has come up to 542.01 because of the 3 1/2 inches of rain we've had. Langley gage is still showing 5 1/2 foot, which means more rise to come on the lake. I expect this run to last a while!!

The water temperature was at 65 degrees all up and down the river, which is great for fishing. Water clarity was good even though there is a lot of rusty colored sediment on the river bottom

I was catching a "FEW" fish, nothing great. As I previously noted the only stocking we had was on high water and the fish were scattered greatly. Not bitching AGFC, we appreciate everything you do, but we really need more fish to make the fishing great!  I really hate that the Fort Worth group of guys (all 13 of them) just arrived yesterday on their regular Veterans Day fishing trip. They all work at the U.S. mint and come every year at this time. Gonna be a bad trip for them. Sorry guys!!

Don't know if any fish have been stocked at Albert Pike, with the rains we've had there is now enough water there to so. That's usually the mint guys out when they come and the fishing isn't good on the lower Li' Mo'.

Looks like they are running a full river, no way to fly fish in it. Will keep you posted if things change. They are gearing up to work on the dam. They have built a big ramp on the lake so they can load a big crane on a barge.

‼️ Just got advised by Hann with the AGFC that Albert Pike was stocked yesterday with 500 fish from the Jim Collin's net pens. Also stocked 1200 at Blakey dam and 1300 at carpenter dam in Hot Springs. Thank you again AGFC!! 

Thanks Mike, I plan on coming up there later this week.......if it's still fishable.  Hope to see you on the water.

Good to hear about some normalcy on the river!!!

It'd be nice if the CORPS was dropping the plates on the racks to let through colder water! 😏 But that would be too good for the trout fishing and there's just NOOO-body who would want that! 🙄

Anyway, we're in the neighborhood (Hot Springs tonight) and just may have to drop by!!! 🤔😎

Thanks for the report, Mike.  We are way past ready get going again at Lill'Mo.  When it is good there, it is truly a wonderful place to fly fish but when it is not good ..............   
SEARK Jim.