February 1st, 2010: This is a date that all local Ozarks anglers know well, as it is a big day on our tailwaters. For those who are not in the “know”, the first of February marks the official opening of the one-mile catch and release area immediately below Bull Shoals Dam on the White River – the special regulations start 100-yards below the dam and extend to the upstream boundary of Bull Shoals State Park.

As I sit here writing this, the snow is falling and the temperature is twenty two and falling. My wife, Lori, is thinking about going to the park to try out the new sled that she just received from L. L. Bean. I on the other hand am only thinking about going fishing. I don’t think that there is anything more beautiful than the river in the snow. I can clearly see the bluffs above the White clearly outlined in the snow. The best part about living in the Twin lakes area is the ability to fish every day. Sure they are running a lot of water right now. That is why I have a boat. The real secret to taking advantage of the great fishing we have is learning to deal with the weather. I must admit that the conditions we are experiencing right now is particularly challenging.

During the past week, we have had brutally cold temperatures and the remnants of a major snowfall. The lake level at Bull Shoals Dam fell six tenths of a foot to rest at seven tenths of a foot above power pool of 654.00 feet. This is forty and three tenths feet below the top of flood pool. Up stream, Table Rock Lake rose three tenths of a foot to rest at nine tenths of a foot above power pool or fifteen and one tenth feet below the top of flood pool.

The only problem with yesterday was that I was not guiding, as I love putting my clients on insane bites like what we experienced on opening day up by Bull Shoals Dam. I’ll back up here and start by saying that the first mile of river below Bull Shoals Dam is closed from November 1st through January 31st in an effort to protect spawning brown trout. It has become a tradition for many anglers to fish on February 1st up by the dam, as the trout have not received any pressure for three months. Because this year’s opening fell on a Monday, the crowds were way down from what they have been in the past.