Wappapello Lake made it down to just above winter pool late Wednesday of last week, only to start rising quickly again the next morning after heavy rainwater pounded the watershed. After holding steady at just under 365 feet, 10 feet above normal, for a few days it started rising again Monday after more rain fell.
“We dodged a bullet with he rain tracking south,” said Wappapello Lake Park Ranger Rosie Lemons.
Wappapello, she said, was expected to crest Wednesday around 367 feet. The current discharge is about 7,000 cfs, and “as of today, we don’t expect it to increase.”
Over at Clearwater Lake, the rise was significantly larger because it’s a smaller lake with steep banks.
Clearwater was expected to crest today at 514 feet, 20 feet above normal. The discharge into the Black River is 3,116 cfs, and according to staff in the project office, it should stay there for a while.
The Black River in Poplar Bluff crested Tuesday at 14.4 feet, and after dropping a bit, it’s expected to rise again to about 13 feet and stay there for a while.
Alternative Fishing
All the high water around the region has really put a damper on fishing, but fortunately there are some options which might be good bets right now.
Duck Creek’s Pool 1 typically has very good fishing in the winter months, and it’s got plenty of big black crappies in it. Pickerel also are aggressive biters this time of year.
Cypress Lake at Otter Slough Conservation Area also should offer good fishing. While the sunfish and bass probably aren’t going to be very aggressive, the crappies should be.
If the rivers drop and stabilize fairly quickly, those fishing the walleye spawn should have some good success.
According to MDC Fisheries Management Biologist Paul Cieslewicz, who oversees the Black River, the peak of the walleye spawn locally is the last two weeks of February through the first 10 days of March.
“Right now, the high water is going to make it hard to find them,” he said.
High water “usually isn’t great for spawning success,” he also noted.
Crappie Classic
The Wappapello Crappie Club will host its end-of-season Classic event Saturday and Sunday, based out of the Sundowner ramp.
Boats must be checked in and live wells inspected by 6:30 a.m., and fishing begins at 7.
Fishing will conclude at 2 p.m. and the weigh-in will begin at 3 at the Sundowner pavilion.
If you haven’t registered for the event, you can do so before the launch on Saturday.
If you need more information, call the folks at Sundowner Marina at 573-222-8622.
Trapping Closure
For those who are trapping this winter, the season on river otters and muskrats will close on Wednesday, Feb. 20.
The only remaining trapping season open is for beaver and nutria, which close out on March 31.
NWTF Convention
If you don’t mind the four-hour or so drive, the National Wild Turkey Federation’s annual convention will take place tomorrow through Sunday in Nashville, Tenn.
If you’ve never been to it, it’s like the world’s largest candy store for turkey hunters.
Held at the Opryland Resort on the city’s northeast side, the convention is where you can find anything you ever dreamed about for turkey hunting and then some. Every major manufacturer, plus plenty of smaller ones, is on hand to show off their stuff, and there’s usually some pretty good discounts to boot.
Free turkey hunting seminars are held throughout the weekend, and the Grand National Calling Championship is fun to watch.
If you go, take a comfortable backpack to carry the goodies you’ll inevitably pick up. Trust me, you’ll need it.
Don’t Believe It
You may have heard through the grapevine or some coffee shop chatter lately of an outlandish story going around Carter County saying the Department of Conservation has decided to allow all landowners there to kill off a dozen deer from their properties this winter in an effort to reduce numbers.
The story is bogus, so don’t believe it, even if it’s being perpetuated by someone who should know better than to spread hearsay.
The simple fact that extra antlerless firearms deer permits are not available in Carter County should tell you there’s no way the department is just going to come up with some arbitrary number of deer to kill and tell all landowners to have at it. Yes, some areas have too many deer, but if deer numbers were a significant problem, extra antlerless permits would be offered, and each property would be assessed for its specific needs.
“There’s no truth to it,” emphasized Conservation Agent Mark Wilcoxon. He did note the department recently had been culling some deer in nearby Oregon County as part of its CWD containment program, and that could be where some confusion began.