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I’m sure these pictures have been seen by most…… before the lake came back up just a bit.
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And then this last one is very curious to me. Does this look like Asian carp? or adult shad?
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:yikes, wow really sad for sure.
Thanks for sharing. I wonder if the other reservoirs are susceptible to the same problems with them all being approximate same age? I'm sure the COE are checking them close.
Sure doesn't look good
Look like big gizzard shad to me.
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Could be Asian carp.
I was talking with Mike the game warden when a helicopter came in and got a large pot of water and headed over the dam. What the heck? Forestry service practicing drop patterns for fire fighting. I wonder how many Asian carp just got dumped in the lake? He got in his truck and made a call. When they came back he told them to leave on the bull horn.
I've seen it spelled different way, Arkabutla, Butla, Butler and now Butta
If you're in the area today, midday stop by the south abutment swim beach area for a meet and greet.
When were these pictures taken?
I skipped a few days on my calendar. 6/11 200 ft, 6/14 197 ft. Afternoon and evening rains on 6/15 brought the lake up to 205 ft on 6/16. 203 ft today. All the photos on a few facebook groups I saw started showing up 6/15 afternoon. Videos of floating fish downstream at different bridges showed up 6/16. I drove across the dam at lunchtime yesterday, didn't look like the photos.
Not certain what the point of posting the water levels daily are for. The lake has been drained, my guess 90% of fish population gone. Even if we got 15 inches and it shot back up to 220 it's not like it's fish able even then. If repair takes 3 years, I would say arkabutla can be forgotten about until atleast 2028 maybe longer. Probably more realistically 2030. I'm surprised they don't have the road above the dam closed.
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Well that’s take care of my want to go fishing anytime soon….
Sad to see. Good time to mark structures though.
Interesting, I fish Ross Barnett only (I have a camper at Tommy's) unless fishing on the Coast. I didn't realize the water dropped that much. Thanks for the photos.
Joel, I see your point on daily readings. I'll stop as long as it's normal. If the dam breaks or we get that 15 inches of rain I'll let y'all know. I hope MVK doesn't stop posting readings.
I've wondered why the dam wasn't closed off completely. I hesitate about crossing. Butla Rd toward Coldwater has a detour. Fastest route back to Hwy 51 is just north of Senatobia. Carlton Rd, Veazey Rd, Merry Hill Ranch Rd to 51 is slow. Carlton Rd, Veazey Rd, Doc Woody Rd back to Arkabutla Rd is slow. Prichard Rd west to Hwy 3 is the 3rd option if needed to travel toward Memphis. Tate county doesn't put up street signs, just detour signs and few of them.
As soon as the bottom dries enough to get on it habitat for the remaining fish needs to be built and it won't be easy. That's if the rains and the COE can work together.
Be surprised how much natural structure will take over lake bottoms next few year's. I think habitat will restore itself. Just hope somehow the arkabutla genetics can survive. Hopefully, coldwater river has some deep holes to house some seed.
Don't let me deter you on posting water levels Jimmy. Maybe start a thread and get mods to sticky it. Sure it will be a long process of repair. Boggles my simple mind, 80 some odd years ago real men built the lake in 3 years. Now these yahoos need 2 to 3 just to repair the dam with modern technology.
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You so right on that. I guess all the tape they’ll have to go through now is probably 2/3 of time.Quote:
Originally Posted by Snubby
For the grass that’s going to grow up and cause problems when it decays under water, get inmates out there with sling blades and weed eaters to keep it cut down. But that’ll never happen. Guess fishermen will do what they can. Cut it down, let it die and dry, and rake up and burn piles. Need to make cribs and stakes beds and brush tops to leave laying as water comes up.
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Or just let the inmates fix it. Be back up and running by this time next year! [emoji1787]Quote:
Originally Posted by lugnutzz
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Something I've learned about Butla. A person can ride 4-wheelers and such at Nader, Enid and Sardis on the lakebed when water levels are down. A special permit is needed at Butla. On habitat day they are allowed but only in the work areas.
Native American remains and artifacts looted from Arkabutla Lake | News | desototimes.com
Talked to a Ranger today. I asked him about all this and he looked at me and kinda rolled his eyes and said basically‘ we haven’t seen much evidence of much of anything being removed like this‘. The guy in the story sounds like he just don’t like all the four wheelers on the lake bed. I’ve been on butta all my life. I’ve never heard of burial grounds being underwater at Arkabutla. There are some known grounds that are covered with riprap, but they’re not in the actual water areas of the lake.Quote:
Originally Posted by canebreaker
Not good for now, but there’s always a silver lining. With all the vegetation growth that will take place while the damn is being repaired it’s gonna be a honey hole in a few years. Yes lots of fish died but where did they come from when lake was originally built? They will come back the same way they originally did maybe even better
I can't remember what year, maybe 2012. The COE got the lake down to it's winter pool of about 209 ft. As spring came and heavy rains were reported coming the COE would open the gates expecting a large amount of water. The magic of the river bluff went to work. The area that drains into the lake got very little. We got floods, but our water drains into the river about Lakeview. Butla stayed low most of the year. We got some late season habitat built. Some weeds were in the 4 to 5 ft range. When the lake filled it stunk from the rotting grasses
We made a trip this week to see the lake driving across the dam. Lake level is about 203 ft. All flats were covered in growth.