In open water, it’s often hard to distinguish a water level decline without looking at your electronics. But in the shallow pockets, a drop like Pickwick Lake has experienced is unmistakable.
Bill Lowen recently noted this point when he left his dock pattern to see if the flat reed banks he visited yesterday held any potential. One look at this pale brownish vegetation told a clear tale of the Tennessee Valley Authority’s water management proficiency.
Prior to this event, the TVA significantly dropped the lake level, in anticipation of Wednesday’s storm. The massive influx of upstream rainfall required a methodical movement of volume through the system and that swelled Pickwick to the point of nearly covering the takeoff site at McFarland Park.
The water started coming down yesterday, but today has seen a big change. Lowen pointed to an isolated clump of reeds where the muddy stains that marked the recent high water line reached a foot-plus above the current surface level. Looking deeper into the pocket, a dark rim lining the reeds bespoke the falling water truth.
Both Lowen and Cory Johnston have fared well on docks today. Not surprising, given the fish’s need for cover with sufficient depth. Even with the water dropping, docks will remain a viable pattern.