The Flood of April 2008

DATE: June 12, 2008
TIME: 8:00 AM TO 10:00 AM
WEATHER: PC, Low 70s
WATER CONDITIONS: 0 units
LOCATIONS FISHED: Norfork River, 2nd Island above Ackerman/Handicap Access
FLIES USED: #14 Gray Norfork Scud, #20 Furnace Cockleburr
ROD USED: 8’ 9” 5 wt Winston LT
HATCHES: Midges, Sulphurs
OTHER: Fished solo. It had been several months since I last fished the Norfork largely due to historic floods in March and April. More about that later. I began fishing the furnace cockleburr to some subtle rises, but no takers. Switched to several other flies, but again, no takers. Finally tied on the gray scud, and caught one; moved downstream and found the fish, and managed to catch about a dozen in the same spot, including a 16 incher. All the fish were rainbows. Called generation number and USACE had turned on 1 generator, so I quit for the day. It was great to find the river fishing very good after the flood.

The historic April flood was the result of 83,000 cubic feet per second being released from Norfork Dam in combination with White River backwater. Norfork Lake reached its highest level, by several feet, ever. In fact, Kay and I witnessed water coming over the gates. In some reservoir systems, that would be significant cause for concern as it could result in torquing of the gates, but the Little Rock District of the US Army Corps of Engineers assured me, BEFORE HAND, that there was not a dam safety problem (I was formerly the Dam Safety Officer for the Little Rock District). These photos were taken 17 hours before the peak. Kay and I could stand on our patio and hear the water spilling from the reservoir. We spent all day helping, as best we could, neighbors frantically and fruitlessly protect their property. The combination of reservoir releases combined with concurrent flood on the White River caused by intense rain in the Buffalo River basin was too much for the river to withstand. It could have handled the reservoir releases within top banks, but when hitting the wall of backwater from the White, there was nothing left to do but flow overbank. It seems the Corps' water management plan was implemented without waiver, and the inflexibility and/or inability to change or modify implementation of the plan by the US Army Corps of Engineers resulted in many properties getting flooded that might not have otherwise done so if some variation had been executed. I recall seeing that lake levels reached 583 feet. The flood scoured the river, rearranged islands, deposited gravel in some areas, flood adjacent property, and destroyed many trees and river bank areas. Most of the silt has disappeared, and stream bottom vegetation is doing well. In fact, I picked up Norfork River moss on the fly for the first time in many years. From a fishing perspective, the net effect of the flood will prove to be very positive.