First responders
Thank GRDA, the first responders around the lake and our veterans.
White Bass
Fishing has been really good. Use 1/4-ounce swimming minnows, or swimming minnows on 1/8- and 1/4-ounce Tie2 jigs, reeled over the tops of islands; you'll catch two at a time. Windy points are good, and when they're running a lot of water around corners like the Shangri-La point, it can be really good. Clearer water is showing up back in the creek arms, and fish will move back there looking for it. Haydn and his guide Luke are catching a lot of White Bass in the main lake, launching from Shangri-La and running anywhere from Sailboat Bridge to Duck Creek. Their pictures are on the Grand Fishing Report Facebook group.
Lake level
They're maintaining generation while pulling water down from the floodgate side. A few more days of rain are coming, and it won't take much to bring the lake back up: the watersheds are full, and the Neosho, Spring and Elk rivers are all running well. The Arkansas River watershed can handle it, since area lakes are up a bit but none are in major flood stage, so the Corps of Engineers should be able to manage the flows.
Below the dam
Great fishing for Hybrids, Catfish, Crappie and White Bass now that they've been running water long enough. Make sure your boat is in really good shape and you know how to handle current. The water is very swift, and if your motor won't start you'll be a couple hundred yards downriver fast. No trolling motor can push back upriver to the ramp at full generation. When they slow the floodgate side down, people catch fish stranded in holes like Little Blue, as they have for decades. There's also great bank fishing below the dam. For Catfish, drift shad across the river down to the bridge, run back up to the cable and repeat. For bait, walk the west side below the dam with a cast net; you can fill a five-gallon bucket with shad.
Dealers
Littlefield's Tackle for a big supply of Fish Lucke products; Grove Walmart also carries them. Tie2 jigs, Jimmy Houston Redman spinnerbaits and the Scrounger are at fishlucke.com or the Fish Lucke Amazon store.