Cowbells work best off downriggers. They can be pulled behind divers and on thumper rigs with success. They really hinder the dive capabilities of a diver though.
The DSR doesn't bother me one bit. Plenty of access on other parts of the Salmon River. Trout are catch and release. If someone wants to pay that kind of money, let them.
IF you want to win the Sandy Creek Shootout, your chances of winning are better if you are docked at this marina. Only three wins have come from different ports / marinas.
If the hose pressure wouldn't make it pee, I would check for a plug in the line. I have had spiders make nests in the outlet house and it gets plugged.
They are predicting it to be above average. A lot of the snow we have received has been from storm systems not lake snows. We are already sitting above average for lake level. It was low last year, plan on a high water year this year.
I don't eat lakers. All the big ones we weigh in the LOC get given away to people that eat them. One person I give them to boils them for cat food. As for lamprey fighting better than lakers, Billy is dreaming! Catch a 34lb laker see what you think of lakers not fighting!