With a discharge of more than 6,900 cubic feet per second, Wappapello Lake is dropping a little less than a foot per day, and the lake level was around 363.9 feet this morning.
Even as the water drops, some anglers have been having good success catching crappies in the far upper reaches of the lake, according to Tracy Brotherton at Sundowner Marine.
Over at Clearwater Lake, the level is up around 515.25 feet, but it also is falling, to the tune of about 15 inches each day.
More rain is in the weekend forecast, so things could change quickly, depending on how much we get.
USA Bassin'
For competitive bass anglers, the USA Bassin' circuit will hold a tournament on Clearwater Lake Saturday, with fishing from the Piedmont Park ramp.
Fishing is slated to begin at 7 a.m., with the weigh-in taking place at 3 p.m.
Doug Warren is the tournament director and can be reached at 573-924-2215 for more information.
Archery Event
Saturday also is when the Indian Creek Bowhunters organization will host its first 3-D archery event of the season.
The event will be held at the Missouri Department of Conservation archery range off County Road 546, northeast of Poplar Bluff. To get there, take Highway NN north off Business 60 and watch for the signs.
Registration and shooting will begin at 8 a.m. and continue through noon, and the event is open to everyone.
Twenty foam targets will be set out in the rolling terrain of the range to simulate real hunting conditions, and participants can compete in trophy classes or shoot just for fun.
The cost to shoot in the fun class will be $10, while trophy class entry will be $15.
As always, any type of bow, whether compound, crossbow, longbow or recurve is welcome.
Binoculars are allowed, but those competing in the trophy classes cannot use rangefinders.
Club members also will be available to assist new shooters if they need help.
For more information, give Brad Massey a call at 573-785-0647 or Tony Harwell at 573-718-7135.
Turkey Banquet
Also on Saturday is the 25th annual Heartland Gobblers/National Wild Turkey Federation banquet in Poplar Bluff.
The event kicks off at 5 p.m. at the Brown-Mabry American Legion Post 153 off Kanell Boulevard.
Tickets still are available by calling Chuck Stewart at 573-421-1257.
Paddlefish Snagging
Missouri's paddlefish snagging season opens a week from today, but higher-than-normal discharge from the area lakes could make things tough for anglers.
"The high water will make it much more difficult to find fish than normal," said MDC Fisheries Management Biologist Paul Cieslewicz, "and the opening may be a little frustrating for anglers.
The larger volume of water spreads the fish out, he noted, plus the water still has a lot of debris from last May's flooding and anglers can "expect a lot more broken lines" because of it.
While the early season is expected to be difficult for paddlefish anglers, Cieslewicz said, the latter portion could be really good.
"It will get better once the discharge slows," he said, "and last year, people were catching fish all throughout the season."
The Black River below the Clearwater dam has plenty of paddlefish in it, Cieslewicz said, including 20 with jaw tags. Those tags, if called in, could be worth $500 cash, which will be given away at the conclusion of the season.
Some fish also have acoustic tags, which help track their movements, and MDC can re-use those if anglers return them.
The St. Francis River below the Wappapello dam also has paddlefish, but not in the numbers the Black River has.
Paddlefish must be at least 24 inches long, from the eye to the fork of the tail, to be legally kept. A fish that size, Cieslewicz said, should weigh about 8 pounds.
Anglers who have questions about paddlefish snagging locally are encouraged to call Cieslewicz at MDC's SoutheastRegional Office at 573-290-5730 or email him at paul.cieslewicz@mdc.mo.gov.
Road Closures
Finally, it's almost time for many of the roads in the Mark Twain National Forest's Cane Ridge Walk-In Turkey Hunting Area to be closed for the spring.
Beginning March 15, most of the side roads along Cane Ridge will be closed through May to allow turkeys in the area to be undisturbed by vehicle traffic during the upcoming hunting and nesting seasons.
According to Poplar Bluff Ranger District Biologist Megan York-Harris, all closed roads will be clearly marked, and most will be gated shut.
On the Eleven Point/Doniphan Ranger District, roads in its four walk-in turkey areas will close on April 1 and remain so through May 15.
During the closures, all vehicular traffic is prohibited, except for emergencies or timber operations the Forest Service deems acceptable.
Maps of the walk-in turkey hunting areas are available at both the Doniphan and Poplar Bluff Ranger District offices. You also can call them at 573-996-2153 or 573-785-1475 for more information.