The Greers Ferry Power House continues to lower the lake level with unrelenting water releases. The present release began on September 29th. The water volume was varying between 2800-5000 cubic feet of water per second until one of the two generators was shut down on October 6th for routine maintenance. It will probably remain off line for two weeks. This reduction in water release will add another week or so to the date that smaller, seasonal releases resume. I am guessing that this will occur near the end of October. The temperature of the water coursing through the turbines is averaging 55 degrees fahrenheit with an average dissolved oxygen content of between 3.2 and 5.8 mg/l. The DO is low in spite of the turbine vents being opened on July 24th. Previous large water releases have emptied our lake of its treasure of richly oxygenated water. Mother nature will replenish the DO over time. Please bear in mind that the Corps of Engineers water release schedules are subject to change without notice. Call the shop before making plans to wade fish the Little Red River to get the latest info or plan to drift fish from a boat. Drift fishing from a boat is quite good right now. The preferred maximum level for Greers Ferry Lake is 461.3 feet above mean sea level. The level is 463 feet as I prepare this report.

Aquatic insect hatches are getting thicker and more varied all the time. In addition to our BWO, PMD, sulphur and midge hatches, we now have march browns. The Blue Winged Olive, Pale Morning Dun, march browns and sulphurs are all mayflies. The best dry flies are the adams (#16), American march brown (#14), sulphur (#16-#18), BWO (#16-#18 baetis), or midge (#22 or smaller in cream or black). These flies are best used when the river is low. I would not bother fishing dries from a boat in high water - instead, go deep. Sub-suface offerings should include the lowly but abundant sowbug (#14-#16 uv tan, uv gray, peacock or olive), zebra midge (#16-#22 red, black or copper), San Juan worm (#12-#14 red, worm brown or fluourescent cerise), pheasant tail (#16), copper john (#14-#16 red, green or copper), red @ss soft hackle (#14-#18), gold ribbed hare's ear (#14-#16), egg patterns (#8-#14 bubble gum, salmon or watermelon) or woolly bugger (#8-#12 olive, brown or black). When drift fishing in high water, be sure to present all of these sub-surface flies on the streambed using plenty of weight.

Last week, we talked about the forthcoming brown trout spawn. The excitement is building every day because you will soon be able to stand among large spawning brown trout. "Was that a pig I just saw swimming past me at 30 miles per hour?!" There are certain protocols that should be observed when wading into the river during any spawn. As an example, be careful where you put your feet to avoid stepping in the redds. The female brown trout (hen) prepares her "nest" by removing all debris such as rocks, sticks, moss, etc., from an area of the river in which she will lay her eggs. This area is called a redd which is a Scottish word that means "to neated up". After the eggs are laid, the male brown trout (cock) will cover the eggs with a white cloud of his milt. Other wisdom for your consideration includes being mindful of others and being helpful to beginners. Don't crowd or fish for someone else's fish. Stay at least one long cast from your nearest fishing neighbor. Please remember that boats have the right-of-way through a shoal in low water. If possible, try not to wade through fishable water. Handle the fish gently if you plan to release it. Trout have sensitive internal organs that can be easily damaged by squeezing. Also, never put your fingers in a trout's gills. Unlike large-mouth bass, the gills of a trout are delicate. Please do not handle a trout with dry hands or a towel if you plan to release it. Trout have a mucous covering (slime) that is their only protection against fungus, disease and sunburn.

Most of the spawning action occurs at Cow Shoals. Please note that night fishing at Cow during the spawn is forbidden. Also, only one hooking point per angler is permitted and it must be barbless. All fish at Cow Shoal must be released immediately to the stream during the spawning months of October, November and December.

Someone once wrote, "It's not just about catching trout, but being near them, for trout live in beautiful places". Cow Shoal is such a place. Let's do our part to keep it beautiful by picking up litter and disposing of it properly. Thanks!

If you have questions about anything in this report, please direct them to me at the Little Red Fly Shop of Heber Springs, Arkansas. My numbers are #888-442-4022 toll free or #501-887-9988. You can send an e-mail to me at shop@littleredflyshop.com. I'm Jed Hollan, mgr.