Still fishing with bait is the best bet for trout anglers at Howard Prairie right now, and Powerbait continues to be the bait of choice. Trolling worms continues to produce some fish but is generally slow to fair.

Many of the trout show evidence of copepods or copepod scars. This is a natural parasite that lives on the outside of the fish and can simply be scraped off prior to cooking.

Howard Prairie water levels remain high with the lake still at 79 percent capacity. The temperature at Howard Prairie Lake and Dam outflow which is near the bottom of the reservoir was averaging 61oF this past week. Surface temperatures should be dropping to the mid-60s. Water clarity at the marina boat ramp was very good this past weekend at about 20 feet.