Back in Business

The power is on at the dock and has been for a few hours. The ice is 95% melted, just watch your step (and above your head) if you go down to check on your boat. Things are looking up! Keep in mind the folks on the Arkansas side of Pontiac are still without power - I've talked to three different residents down there who said they were told by the electric company it could be a month. If you have friends or family down there, be sure to check in on them.

On again, off again

I spoke too soon. The power is out again at the dock. Sheesh. No one was around when I went down there, but I know folks have been trying to call... I'll keep you posted.

Saturday a.m.

As of right now the power is back on at the dock! Josh, Matt and Tim checked all the cables and walked all the docks this morning. The ice is rapidly melting, and the older docks that concerned us earlier in the week are definitely looking better. We sure were lucky this time. We heard of at least two docks collapsing on Table Rock - one at State Park Marina and another at Indian Point. They got a lot more accumulation than we did - 3 inches of ice plus 3 inches of snow. Check this out.

Beginning to thaw out...

Well, not much new to report this evening - I don't have any new pics, but I plan to take some tomorrow, as I'm sure folks will be out in full force starting the clean-up effort. Some have already started - I could hear chainsaws around today. A lot of the ice melted today, as temps reached the lower 40s. It's supposed to be upper 50s tomorrow! That will certainly helps matters. A few people in Pontiac have power at their homes this evening, but so many are still without, including the boat dock. Matt and I are fortunate enough to have electricity at our home. If anyone out there needs water or anything else, please feel free to stop by. We'll be around all weekend.

The Big Chill

Here are a few photos I took yesterday and today. Still a winter wonderland down here - or, should I say winter nightmare-land? Fortunately, our power came on late this afternoon. We are so thankful. Many are still without. The dock had power earlier today - now it's out again. I have talked to several who had power this afternoon, and are without it again this evening. The docks are all still hanging in there. The temp got up to about 38 today, and there was a lot of melting. Tomorrow we're supposed to see temps in the 40s, hopefully more sun, and a lot more melting. Josh and Matt are planning to do some work around the docks tomorrow. If the power is back on, I'll be in the office answering the phone. We will keep the docks closed to the public until all the ice melts and the power is back on for good. Thanks for your cooperation.

Dock Closed to Public Until Ice Melts

Yes, we're okay! But, the power has been out in Pontiac since 11 p.m. Tuesday. Matt and I ventured to Gainesville today, where it seems power in town has been restored, so I was able to get online and write a quick update. We've been checking on the docks every few hours, and so far they're all still standing. A couple of the older, wooden docks are sitting very low in the water, and because of that we do not want anyone on the docks until the ice melts. That means absolutely NO ONE is allowed on the docks until we give the all clear. It's too dangerous. For all we know it may only take one person walking on a walkway or lowering one boat lift to cause a dock to collapse. When we're down there we can hear the phone ringing, but we cannot answer it. If you call the dock and the machine does not pick up, then you know the power is still out. By the way, the pictures in the previous post don't do justice to what the Pontiac area looks like now. I don't want to scare you - if you haven't been down there - but it looks like a disaster area. SO MANY trees are down, it's unbelievable. I have taken many pictures and will post them as soon as I can. If you're in the area and have been affected by this ice storm, I hope you're keeping warm and staying safe. More later.

Ice Storm

It's still raining in Pontiac. Our outdoor thermometer reads 33 degrees. If it were a couple degrees colder I think we'd be in worse shape here. Ice is accumulating on the trees and rooftops and the docks. But a lot of the liquid is running off. We still have electricity at our house, although we heard the Arkansas side is out of power now. From these pics you can see that the trees are taking the brunt of the damage so far...I took some of these photos around our house, the dock, and along Highway W.

Weather Update

Matt went to the dock this morning, and everything looked okay. It's raining now. I suppose the liquid is freezing to whatever it hits. We still have electricity, which is great news! The satellite keeps losing its signal, but other than that, we're in good shape. All the trees look pretty droopy. If you step outside you can hear tree limbs cracking. A huge branch broke off the big cedar tree right out in front of our house. I haven't gotten out yet to take pics because I don't want to get my camera wet. I will get out later, and hopefully I'll be able to post some pics later on today.

Weather

Well, in case you haven't heard, southwest Missouri and northwest Arkansas are under a winter storm warning for this evening and tomorrow. Yuck! I just watched the noon news, and we are sort of on the "line" of what they're predicting to be bad vs. worse. In other words, looks like we could get anywhere from 1/4 inch to 2 inches of ice, depending on which direction the weather takes. Yes, that's ice. Not good for roads, not good for power lines, and definitely not good for boat docks. Today we're preparing the dock as best we can - without knowing really what to expect. Snow is much easier to deal with because we can shovel. Ice is a different story. The freezing rain is supposed to start this evening around 6-ish, and end sometime tomorrow. Provided we still have electricity and Internet in the morning, I'll write an update if I can to let you know the conditions in Pontiac. If you don't hear from me for a day or two... that likely means we don't have any power! If you're in the area, we hope you stay warm and safe the next couple days. Here's hoping the forecast is wrong!

A Curious Catch

Chris Geroff caught this fish a couple weeks ago out of Bull Shoals Lake. It's called a Sun Perch or Northern Perch. They aren't native to this lake, so it's a rare catch. And this one was only a few ounces short of the Arkansas state record! Bill Bauer told me yesterday he also caught one recently, but not quite as large.

"Commercial Zone" public workshop tonight

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is hosting a public workshop tonight from 5 to 6 p.m. at the Quality Inn Conference Room (1210 US Highway 62/65 North) in Harrison, Arkansas. The workshop is for discussion of the Corps' new "Commercial Zone" policy.

Revolver playing at Winter Blast of Blues this Saturday in Mountain Home

The band Revolver (you know them from the Blessing of the Fleet the past two years and from Just Jackie's) is playing this Saturday in Mountain Home's Winter Blast of Blues #9. You can catch them at 4 p.m. at the Exhibition Hall at the Baxter County Fairgrounds. Mike MacPherson says they'll be raffling off a Les Paul Standard guitar, plus they'll be giving away CDs throughout the day. As Mike says, it'll be a day of ... "good beer, good barbecue, good music." According to an article in the Baxter Bulletin, tickets at the door will be $18. For tickets and additional information, call 870-425-2668 or 417-887-6274.

Thank you to Skip and Angie Dechau for submitting this fish pic. Wow! Way to go, Ang! They said it weighed 10 pounds. Brrrr... looks cold.

A Chilly Tuesday

It's cold today. Really, really cold. Can we just skip today and go right into tomorrow? Check out the forecast for the rest of the week. It looks much, MUCH nicer than today. Needless to say, there aren't too many folks around the dock today. I don't know if anyone will go fishing today, but fishing really has been good. Speaking of fishing, we're revamping our tackle aisle this winter - meaning we're going to be restructuring, adding and taking away some things. So, if you have any suggestions or ideas for certain things you'd like to see us carry in the future, please let us know.

Also, I wanted to let you know we have had some slips open up for this year. If you're interested in moving to a different slip, or if you know someone who is interested in an annual slip, please contact us. There are also a couple privately owned lifts on the dock for sale. If you want more information about those lifts, give us a call and we'll put you in touch with the owners.

Winter Hours

For those of you who don't know, Just Jackie's is closed through the end of this month. (She closed last January as well, so this is nothing new.) She will re-open Sunday, Feb. 1. From then until Memorial weekend she'll be open Friday nights, and on Saturday and Sunday. She'll open full time again on Memorial weekend.

Our office hours right now are 8 to 10 a.m. However, we're often here much later than 10, a lot of the time all day. So, if you need something, you're guaranteed to find someone here for two hours every morning, and very likely to find someone here throughout the day. Just give us a call: 417-679-3676.

Happy Friday!

2009 Fishing Permits

FYI: 2009 Missouri fishing permits are available now. If you have a 2008 annual Missouri fishing permit, it does not expire until Feb. 28. However, if you don't have one and you plan to get one for this year, you can buy it now, and it will be good through Feb. 28, 2010. (So, you actually get more than a year!) Good deal.

Rates are the same as last year:

$12 for Missouri resident annual fishing permit
$10 for Border Lakes permit (covers Bull Shoals, Table Rock and Norfork lakes; available to Missouri and Arkansas residents only)
$7 per day for non-resident daily Missouri fishing permit (up to 5 days)
$40 for non-resident annual Missouri fishing permit

A little tipsy?

I don't know about you, but it's driving me crazy that the picture of the Corps sign is crooked... (see below). It's my fault. I scanned it. Ahhhhhh!!

"Commercial Zone" Policy

CORPS ESTABLISHES ‘COMMERCIAL ZONES’ AT MARINAS

LITTLE ROCK, Ark., Sept. 26 – In the interest of public safety and the security of visitor property, the Little Rock District of the Army Corps of Engineers has established ‘commercial zones’ around marinas that will restrict recreational activities within 50 feet of all marina docks.

Lakes that fall under the new policy include Beaver, Table Rock, Bull Shoals, Norfork, Clearwater, Greers Ferry, Dardanelle and Millwood. Examples of prohibited activities within these zones are boating, fishing, swimming and diving. Commercial zones are being marked with signs and buoys.

Fishing beneath boat storage docks has created the most difficulties because hooks and lures sometimes damage boats or docks. People like to fish under marina docks because they act as structure that attract fish. One alternative for anglers is to work with local Corps offices to create fish attractors out of discarded Christmas trees or certain other materials. Many fishing clubs have long been involved with the Corps and state fish and game agencies in creating these.

Boaters sometimes obstruct operations around marinas by boating or fishing too close. Swimming or diving around marinas is always unsafe. Keeping recreational activities away from the docks will also help cut down on thefts and improve safety by reducing boat traffic.

Public access to recreation is still guaranteed at Little Rock District lakes. There are more than 256,000 acres, and the commercial zones constitute only about 1 percent of the total lake area.

It is not unusual for the Corps to restrict recreational activities in certain areas if a need exists. For instance, recreational activities are commonly restricted at locks, dams, spillways, powerhouses, swimming areas, and water intakes to help ensure safety and protection of lives and property. The commercial zones have the same intention.

Restrictions at marinas are not new. No fishing zones have been in place since 1986, and commercial zones have been in place since 2007. The new policy formalizes the commercial zones and establishes the means for Corps park rangers and other law enforcement officers to enforce the policy.

The 50-foot buffer will be used whenever possible to provide consistency from marina to marina. However, with a written request to the Corps that demonstrates a special need, a marina operator might be allowed to place some additional restriction on recreational activities that obstruct ingress and egress to marina docks. Posted signs will indicate an extension of the commercial zone.

Note: I know some of you already know about this new policy. Don't be surprised if you see signs (like the red and white one above) up at local marinas. These are official Corps signs. The Corps will be enforcing this policy. We really haven't had a problem with these activities taking place around our marina, so I don't foresee this being a big issue for us at Pontiac. However, we'd appreciate it if everyone would help us out and follow the rules. :)

Fast forward to spring?

Gorgeous weather we're having today in Pontiac. I'd say it's pushing 70 degrees. Break out the flip-flops! But, don't get too used to them. By tomorrow we'll be back in winter mode. That's the crazy thing about Missouri weather. You've just got to go with it. And try not to get sick. :)

The Countdown

Happy New Year, everyone! Now that the holidays are behind us, it's time to look forward to summer. Good news: There are just 141 days until Memorial weekend. Can you wait? I can't.