Fishing remains good in local lakes and rivers, and luckily, the latest rains weren’t enough to raise the water levels in any significant manner.
“The crappie are still pretty good,” said Charlie Brotherton, who keeps a close eye on what’s happening at Wappapello Lake. “They’ve been catching them about 6 to 8 feet deep near the channel.”
Brotherton also reported bass and catfish angling are still good.
Wappapello Lake crested Saturday at around 364.3 feet, and is now on its way back down.
At Clearwater Lake, the water rose a few feet before it crested late Monday at 500.14 feet. It dropped slightly before stating to rise slowly again, to the tune of about one-hundredth of a foot every couple of hours.
The slow rise, according to staff, is a side effect of construction below the dam, limiting discharge.
In Clearwater’s spillway, construction work is being done near the outlet to install a concrete wall and walkway, and those using the area are asked to be mindful of the closed, taped-off area.
According to staff, the construction work, which is taking place on both sides of the river, will continue for a little while longer.
In a related note, you may have noticed the Black River fluctuating a couple of feet each day. That’s because the gates at the Clearwater Dam must be lowered in the mornings to accommodate construction work, and they’re raised again in the evenings to allow more water to flow out of the lake.
Those fishing the Current River may have noticed a minor rise in the water, but it didn’t last long.
Bass Circuit
If you’re a competitive angler, you might be interested in the Wappapello Bass Circuit’s tournament set for Saturday.
A launch time of 6 a.m. out of the Redman Creek ram has been established, and fishing will conclude at 2 p.m.
As always, a pre-event meeting is set for 6 p.m. Friday at the Wappapello VFW to determine boat numbers.
If you want to get registered for the tournament, give Justun Buchanan a call at 573-429-6312 or Matt Allison at 573-778-6969.
Heading to Nationals
Sunday, Monday and Tuesday will be big days for Poplar Bluff High School’s trap team members.
On those days, they’ll be competing in the AIM (Academics, Integrity, Marksmanship) Nationals at the World Shooting Complex in Sparta, Ill.
The team is coming off a good performance at the SCTP championships a couple weeks back. Several members also shot at a memorial event in Corning, Ark., recently, where they earned the first-place trophy.
“I have seen some really good improvement with our new kids, and it’s rewarding seeing their confidence build throughout the season,” said outgoing coach Mike Miller. “Our older kids are solid, and hopefully they will post some good numbers.”
Youth Field Day
You may want to make plans to attend an upcoming event geared especially toward youngsters.
On Aug. 3, the Dexter Greenheads chapter of Ducks Unlimited, along with the Missouri Department of Conservation, will host the annual Youth Field Day at the Otter Slough Conservation Area.
The event is free to attend for all youngsters and their parents or helpers.
The only catch is you’ll have to get your youngster up early because the event kicks off at 7 a.m. on the north shore of Cypress Lake.
Fisheries Management Biologist Mike Reed will start the morning’s activities with a demonstration of his electrofishing equipment used to survey fish populations, and he’ll discuss the variety of fish anglers can find locally.
Participants then will be able to help MDC staff place leg bands on both mourning doves and wood ducks, always a popular hands-on activity.
MDC staff may also give a demonstration of the cannon net they use to capture the wood ducks, if time allows.
As a bonus, Ducks Unlimited will provide each participant with some goodies.
Application Deadline
If you haven’t yet applied for a managed deer hunt in Missouri for this fall, and you still plan to do so, your rime is running short.
The deadline to apply is Wednesday.
Remember, you can apply only for a single hunt. You also can apply as a member of a hunting party of up to four people.
The website to apply can be found at https://huntfish.mdc.mo.gov/hunting-trapping/species/deer/deer-managed-hunts.