05-30-2012, 08:35 PM
Got a report (with pictures) from my cousin that they were catching very large Striped Bass at the Spillway in Payneway Arkansas last weekend.
This is a very unusual occurrence on that particular body of water in the Sunken Lands State Wildlife Management Area. After talking to my cousin I asked around and many other anglers that fish that area often are reporting the same catches. Striped Bass in the 5lb to 25lb range.
This is unheard of in that body of water.
Our conclusion? The flood last year has to be the reason. Many of the waters from Missouri and even over in Tennessee merged during that flood and some of the tributaries that enter the St. Francis River from the Mississippi overflowed into each other.
The spillway in payneway was completely submerged under the water for over three weeks. The levee at Marked Tree was only a few feet from breaching and the flood waters reached all the way to the Payneway Levee system. The Marked Tree levee's held but Payneway was flooded.
Let me tell you no one here is complaining!
We only hope that some other invasive species didn't make their way into our waters along with the big Stripers.
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This is a very unusual occurrence on that particular body of water in the Sunken Lands State Wildlife Management Area. After talking to my cousin I asked around and many other anglers that fish that area often are reporting the same catches. Striped Bass in the 5lb to 25lb range.
This is unheard of in that body of water.
Our conclusion? The flood last year has to be the reason. Many of the waters from Missouri and even over in Tennessee merged during that flood and some of the tributaries that enter the St. Francis River from the Mississippi overflowed into each other.
The spillway in payneway was completely submerged under the water for over three weeks. The levee at Marked Tree was only a few feet from breaching and the flood waters reached all the way to the Payneway Levee system. The Marked Tree levee's held but Payneway was flooded.
Let me tell you no one here is complaining!
We only hope that some other invasive species didn't make their way into our waters along with the big Stripers.
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