June 19, 2008 - White River
- Submitted by Berry
Brothers Guides - JOHN BERRY
FISHING REPORT 6/19/2008
The reservoir levels on the
White River continue to fall. The lake level at Bull Shoals Dam
has fallen nine tenths of a foot to rest at thirty seven and
two tenth foot above power pool of 654.00 feet. This is three
and eight tenths feet below the top of flood pool. Up stream,
Table Rock Lake fell two tenths of a foot to rest at twelve and
six tenths feet above power pool or three and four tenths feet
below the top of flood pool. Beaver Lake rose one tenth of a
foot to settle at eight and eight tenths feet above power pool
or eight tenths of a foot below the top of flood pool. The pattern
on the White has been to run all eight generators around the
clock with high flows during the day and night. While these flows
made for excellent boating, there have been no safe wading opportunities
on the White. Norfork Lake has fallen six tenths of a foot to
rest at twenty four and three tenths feet above power pool of
552.00 feet or three and seven tenths of a foot below the top
of flood pool. The pattern has been to run one or two generators
with substantial periods of no generation at night. There were
several occasions where they left the water off until noon. This
made for excellent wading conditions. On the higher water, boating
conditions have been excellent. The reservoirs are falling at
an incredibly slow rate. With the current flows we cannot anticipate
reliable wadable water until fall.
Overall, the fishing has greatly
improved on the White River . It has at times been spectacular,
particularly at the Catch and Release section at Bull Shoals
Dam and the adjacent state park. The hot flies have been San
Juan worms (in tan, orange and red), sow bugs and zebra midges.
This area receives quite a bit of pressure and there have been
angler complaints of rude boat operators. Remember to observe
proper boat etiquette at all times.
Another hot spot was Rim Shoals.
Here again the most action was encountered using brightly colored
San Juan worms and eggs. Those fishing above and below the Catch
and Release sections had good results with black zebra midge
and copper john droppers.
With the consistently high water
flows on the White River, the ticket to success as always on
high water has been to fish brightly colored San Juan worms and
large brightly colored eggs. Another tactic that has produced
some trophy trout has been to fish the bank with large streamers
fished on a sink tip or full sinking lines. Use a four foot 3X
tippet in lieu of a leader. Cast the fly as near to the bank
as possible and strip it back toward the boat. The takes can
be vicious. This is challenging and can burn a lot more energy
that drift fishing, but the rewards can be great. For both techniques,
use at a six weight rod. The four weight that you prefer for
low water just cannot handle the heavy flies and weighted lines
you need for high water.
The Norfork has been spectacular
on low water. Anglers reported great success with pheasant tail
nymphs in size fourteen and black zebra nymphs in size eighteen
or twenty. Other good flies were olive woolly buggers, partridge
and orange soft hackles and worm brown San Juan worms. In the
afternoon, on higher water, fishing slows a bit. Use conventional
high water techniques and if you are not fishing Catch and Release
consider using a dropper tied to the lead flies.
Dry Run Creek has fished particularly
well lately. With school out, there has been a bit more fishing
pressure on the creek. Young anglers have been reporting success
fishing sowbugs, San Juan worms, woolly buggers and Y2Ks. While
a lot of the creek can be fished from the bank, a pair of waders
or hip boots can greatly increase the amount of water that can
be successfully covered. Be sure and use at least 4X tippet because
the fish here are huge. Remember to pinch down the barbs. This
is Catch and Release water. Always use barbless hooks when fishing
with children no matter where you fish.
A pleasant alternative to fishing
high water on the White and Norfork Rivers is to fish the Spring
River . The down side to fishing the Spring during warm weather
is the presence of massive numbers of canoes, particularly on
the weekends. The canoeists can be avoided by fishing up stream
at Mammoth Spring State Park below the dam or at the Lassiter's
access. Both are well above the section favored by canoe outfitters.
Effective flies for the Spring are olive woolly buggers, red
San Juan worms and pheasant tail nymphs.
John Berry
June 19, 2008 - Courtesty of Arkansas Game and
Fish Commission -
White River Levels: According
to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, as of Tuesday the White
River stages are:
8.3 feet at Calico Rock (flood
stage 19 feet)
10.3 feet at Batesville (flood stage 15 feet)
14.3 feet at Newport (flood stage 26 feet)
26.3 feet at Augusta (flood stage 26 feet)
15.8 feet at Georgetown (flood stage 21 feet)
23.5 feet at Clarendon (flood stage 26 feet)
CENTRAL ARKANSAS
Little Red River: Lindsey's
Resort (501-302-3139) said water conditions are normal with two
generators running around the clock. Trout fishing is good on
spinners with a glow worm and Power Egg, countdowns and Shad
Raps.
Jed Hollan at the Little Red
Fly Shop said the Greers Ferry Power House has been releasing
water continuously. If you elect to fish the Little Red from
a boat in this high water, be sure the operator gives full attention
to the task of keeping the boat in a safe position. The operator
should not fish. Effective dries include the Adams (#14-#24),
sulphur (#16-#18), BWO (blue winged olive mayfly #16-#18) or
midge (#22 or smaller in cream or black). Sub-surface offerings
should include the lowly sowbug (#14-#16 UV tan, UV gray or olive),
zebra midge (#16-#22 red, black or olive), copper john (a great
sulphur nymph imitation in sizes #16-#18), San Juan worm (#14-#18
cerise, fl. orange or red), red butt soft hackle (best in low
water -sizes #14-#18), pheasant tail (#16), hare's ear nymph
(#14-#16) or wooly bugger (#4-#12 olive, brown or black).
NORTH ARKANSAS
White River: John Berry of
Berry Brothers Guides said the water flows on the White have
been consistently high. It has not fished as well as it has in
previous weeks. The ticket to success as always on high water
has been to fish brightly colored San Juan worms and large brightly
colored eggs. If you are not fishing catch and release water,
tie a dropper on at the bend of the hook. A good choice would
be a copper john or a zebra midge both in size 14.
Mountain River Fly Shop said
traffic is slowing down as the heat kicks in and the water rises.
But the fishing is good. Apart from Sunday morning, when the
water was shut down to coincide with the Casting For Recovery
event, generation has remained between 6 and 8 units this week,
though the cfs varied from 8000 cfs to over 18000cfs. The fish
are in great condition, very fat and hungry. Our guides are continuing
to do well with spaghetti and meatballs rigs (attractor eggs
in front of a San Juan), or for variety shrimp and dumplings
(scuds and eggs). There are huge numbers of scuds now visible
with the heaviest didymo removed by the high flows. The attractor
eggs get the trout's attention to the more natural offering.
Streamers have been working very well. Tan hues have been more
successful over the last week .
Sportsman's White River Resort
said eight generators are running around the clock, which doesn't
make for good fishing. Trout are still fair on pink or red Power
worms, gold Little Cleos, Rogues and Rapalas.
Mountain River Fly Shop said
apart from last Saturday's low water for the Norfork Kids Fishing
derby, when the crowds turned out (and the fishing was pretty
good) Norfork has been little touched in high water.
June 12,
2008 - White River - Submitted by Berry Brothers Guides
- JOHN BERRY FISHING REPORT 6/12/2008
Though we have
had yet another rain event, the reservoir levels on the White
River continue to fall, albeit slowly. The lake level at Bull
Shoals Dam has fallen nine tenths of a foot to rest at thirty
eight and one tenth foot above power pool of 654.00 feet. This
is two and nine tenths feet below the top of flood pool. Up stream,
Table Rock Lake fell one and two tenths of a foot to rest at
twelve and eight tenths feet above power pool or three and two
tenths feet below the top of flood pool. Beaver Lake rose four
tenths of a foot to settle at eight and seven tenths feet above
power pool or nine tenths of a foot below the top of flood pool.
The pattern on the White has been to run around the clock with
high flows during the day and night. These flows made for excellent
boating. There was one exception to the pattern last Sunday when
they turned the White off for six hours to accommodate the ladies
participating in Casting for Recovery. Norfork Lake has fallen
one foot to rest at twenty four and nine tenths feet above power
pool of 552.00 feet or three and one tenth of a foot below the
top of flood pool. The pattern has been to run one or two generators
with substantial periods of no generation at night. There were
several occasions where they left the water off until twelve
noon or one o'clock in the afternoon. This made for excellent
wading conditions. On the higher water, boating conditions have
been excellent.
During that
brief period of no generation on Sunday the fishing was spectacular,
particularly at the Catch and Release section at Bull Shoals
Dam and the state park. Midge patterns and midge emergers were
definitely the ticket. Other fly patterns that were hitting were
olive woolly buggers and pheasant tail nymphs size fourteen.
The real hot
spot was the Narrows . There was a prolific sulphur hatch. Because
of strong winds, the trout did not key in on the adults. Instead,
they were concentrating on the nymphs. The most effective fly
was the copper john in size fourteen. It is a dead on imitation
of the sulphur nymph, it is durable and it sinks like a rock.
Other effective flies were olive woolly buggers and black with
silver wire and silver bead zebra midges.
The water flows
on the White have been consistently high. It has not fished as
well as it has in previous weeks. The ticket to success as always
on high water has been to fish brightly colored San Juan worms
and large brightly colored eggs. If you are not fishing catch
and release water, tie a dropper on at the bend of the hook.
A good choice would be a copper john or a zebra midge both in
size fourteen.
he Norfork has
been spectacular on low water. Anglers reported great success
with pheasant tail nymphs in size fourteen and black zebra nymphs
in size eighteen or twenty. Other good flies were olive woolly
buggers, partridge and orange soft hackles and worm brown San
Juan worms. In the afternoon, when they fired up the generators,
fishing slowed a bit. Use conventional high water techniques
and if you are not fishing Catch and Release consider using a
dropper tied to the lead flies. A good choice for this would
be a black zebra midge or copper john both in size fourteen.
My most productive fly for high water on the Norfork has been
the hot fluorescent pink San Juan worm.
Dry Run Creek
has fished well of late. There have been few youngsters taking
advantage of this remarkable fishery during the last week, which
has surprised me. The major food source on the creek is sowbugs
size fourteen. Anyone considering taking a youngster fishing
there should take along a good supply. Be sure and use at least
4X tippet because the fish here are huge. Most of the fish hooked
are lost at the net. Take the biggest net you can lay your hands
on and do not forget the camera.
If you are tired
of watching high water, give Crooked Creek a try. The water is
a bit lower and the water temperature is perfect. My wife, Lori,
and I floated it yesterday in a canoe. We found the fishing good,
but the canoeing was quite challenging. Unless you are an accomplished
canoeist, I would recommend fishing around the accesses. While
conventional smallmouth flies like Clouser Minnows, crayfish,
and big streamers are effective, we did well with olive or brown
woolly buggers.
June 12, 2008 - Courtesty of Arkansas Game and
Fish Commission -
White River Levels: According
to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, as of Tuesday the White
River stages are:
9 feet at Calico Rock (flood
stage 19 feet)
9.6 feet at Batesville (flood stage 15 feet)
13.8 feet at Newport (flood stage 26 feet)
26.1 feet at Augusta (flood stage 26 feet)
15.5 feet at Georgetown (flood stage 21 feet)
23.8 feet at Clarendon (flood stage 26 feet)
CENTRAL ARKANSAS
Little Red River: Lindsey's
Resort (501-302-3139) said the water conditions are normal with
one generator running around the clock. Trout fishing has been
excellent on in-line spinnerbaits with a pink worm and yellow
Power Bait.
Jed Hollan at the Little Red
Fly Shop said the Greers Ferry Power House continues daily water
releases using one generator at 4 a.m., ramping up the second
generator at 6 a.m. and shutting both down around midnight. Greers
Ferry Lake is 481 feet above man sea level which is 20 feet too
high. A 30-inch brown trout was caught last week at Winkley Shoal.
A 27-inch rainbow was hooked at JFK Park on Saturday morning
during the Kid's Fishing Derby, but got away. The aquatic insect
hatches continue to include new participants. Along with caddis
flies, sulphur mayflies, March brown mayflies and midges, we
now have blue-winged olive mayflies buzzing around. Our insect-rich
stream will soon see light cahill mayflies joining in the activity.
Most any nymph pattern or emerger will attract trout. When dry
fly fishing, try an Adams (size 14-size 24), sulphur (size 16-size
18), BWO (blue winged olive size 16-size 18), march brown (size
14), elk hair caddis (size 14-size 16) or midge (size 22 or smaller
in cream or black). The best sub-surface flies include the sow
bug (size 14-size 16; UV tan, UV gray or olive), zebra midge
(size 16-size 22; red, olive or black), red butt soft hackle
(size 14-size 16), San Juan worm (size 14-size 18; peach, fl.
orange or red), pheasant tail (size 16), hare's ear nymph (size
14-size 16) or woolly bugger (size 4-size 12 olive, brown or
black.)
NORTH ARKANSAS
White River: John Berry of Berry
Brothers Guides said water flows on the White have been significantly
higher than the past weeks. As a result, it has not fished as
well as it has in previous weeks. The lower flows have been around
six generators with the higher flows being more like eight. With
water this high, you will be required to fish from a boat to
achieve any level of success. The upper river from the Catch
and Release section at the base of Bull Shoals dam to Cane Island
Shoals which is usually a hot spot has yielded few fish. Some
anglers, however, have been successful. The key to success has
been to use conventional high water techniques. The hot flies
have been brightly colored San Juan worms (red, cerise, and fire
orange and hot fluorescent pink) and egg patterns (pink, orange,
tan, and red). To get the flies down use copious amounts of lead
and a huge strike indicator to float all of this. I use at least
4X tippet and set the strike indicator so that the distance from
the fly to the strike indicator is one and one half the depth
of the water. If the water is ten feet deep the length of the
tippet from fly to indicator will be fifteen feet. A rig this
heavy and long will be a bit tricky to cast. I would suggest
a fairly open loop and a heavier rod than normal (a fairly stiff
six weight nine foot would work well).
Mountain River Fly Shop said
summer temperatures, electricity demand and high water levels
have seen plenty of generation on the White over the last week.
Since we last reported the lowest generation level has been about
3.5 units, and most days by 10 a.m., there is about 15,000 cfs
in the tailwater. Boat fishing is pretty much the only way to
go. The worm bite continues even after the water is high, with
Dynamite Worms, San Juans, and Bugskin Wigglers the pick. Color
choices vary from the standard red and brown, but brighter hot
pink, cerise and orange have their fans. The best of the drift
fishing is coming in the morning on the more moderate flows,
staying ahead of the dirty high water seems to be the key to
staying on the best of the fishing. Some better fish seem to
come on the rise, but the higher flow is very trashy and reduces
your options.
Sportsman's White River Resort
said the water is high with 8 to 10 generators running. Trout
fishing is very good on Rogues and Rapalas and drift-fishing
with Power Bait. Walleye fishing is excellent. Some white bass
have also been seen in the river.
Norfork Tailwater: John Berry
of Berry Brothers Guides said the Norfork has fished a bit better
this week. While there have been periods of no generation at
night, the better fishing has occurred in the morning when they
have been running just one generator. In the afternoon, when
they fire up the other generator, fishing slows a bit. Use conventional
high water techniques and if you are not fishing Catch and Release
consider using a dropper tied to the lead flies. A good choice
for this would be a black zebra midge or copper john both in
size 14. Several anglers have been observed using drag chains
on the Norfork. This is illegal. The Norfork is a sensitive fishery
and the use of drag chains could harm the weed beds which provide
habitat and produce food for the trout. Dry Run Creek has fished
well of late. There have been few youngsters taking advantage
of this remarkable fishery during the last week. Now that the
weather is warming up, this is a great place to escape the heat.
The creek is always several degrees cooler than any other place
around here. The hot flies this week have been sowbugs, worm
brown San Juan worms and olive woolly buggers.
Mountain River Fly Shop said
there has been some low water, but it's all at night and over
by 6 a.m. Hardly any anglers are fishing the area. There are
few fly fishing guides tackling the high water. With the boat
ramp at Quarry Park out of commission there are a lot of guides
unwilling to risk getting stuck if the water drops out underneath
them.
SOUTHWEST ARKANSAS
If conventional styles of fishing
begin to fail you might want to give fly-fishing a try. Keep
in mind that when fishing on Cossatot River the smallmouth limit
is two and the smallmouth have to be at least 12 inches long.
To experience the fishing on this river at its best, call Cossatot
River State park Visitor Center to schedule a fishing Kayak tour
WEST-CENTRAL ARKANSAS
Lake Catherine: Shane Goodner,
owner of Catch'em All Guide Service, reports the rainbow trout
bite has improved in the last week. Fishermen are catching five-fish
limits with the average size between 13 and 15 inches. These
trout are healthy and thick as they feed heavily on threadfin
shad. Entergy has incorporated the summer generation schedule
and this has helped the bite considerably. Bank anglers continue
to catch the most fish by using live bait. Nightcrawlers and
redworms fished on the bottom with a marshmallow floater has
been the most effective method. Wax worms and meal worms work
well when the trout are short-striking. These methods offer the
trout some variety from the huge schools of shad that inhabit
the tailrace. Fishermen casting artificial lures are having little
success as the trout simply have so much to feed on. The real
key to catching trout in summer is to concentrate on cooler water
closest to the dam and use live-bait rigs.
June 11,
2008 - Norfork and White River - Submitted by Mountain
River Fly Shop
-
WHITE RIVER:
The White River traffic is slowing down a bunch as the heat kicks
in and the water rises. But the fishing is certainly pretty good
as you have read already.
Apart from Sunday
morning, when the water was shut down to coincide with the Casting
For Recovery event, generation has remained between 6 and 8 units
this week, though the cfs varied from 8000 cfs to over 18000cfs.
The fish are
in great condition, very fat and hungry as waders like Jim Mengle
discovered last weekend.
Our guides are
continuing to do well with spaghetti and meatballs rigs, attractor
eggs in front of a San Juan, or for variety shrimp and dumplings
(scuds and eggs). There are huge numbers of scuds now visible
with the heaviest didymo removed by the high flows.
The attractor
eggs get the trout's attention to the more natural offering.
As we discussed earlier Streamers have been working very well.
Tan hues have been more successful over the last week.
NORFORK: Apart
from last Saturday's low water for the Norfork Kids Fishing derby,
when the crowds turned out (and the fishing was pretty good)
Norfork has been little touched in high water.
June 5, 2008
- White River - Submitted by Berry
Brothers Guides-JOHN BERRY FISHING REPORT 6/05/2008
Though we have
had a minor rain event, the reservoir levels on the White River
have fallen a bit. The lake level at Bull Shoals Dam has fallen
one and one tenth of a foot to rest at thirty nine feet above
power pool of 654.00 feet. This is two feet below the top of
flood pool. Up stream, Table Rock Lake fell nine tenths of a
foot to rest at fourteen feet above power pool or two feet below
the top of flood pool. Beaver Lake remained steady at eight and
three tenths feet above power pool or one and three tenths of
a foot below the top of flood pool. The pattern on the White
has been to run around the clock with high flows during the day
and slightly lower flows at night. There have been no safe wading
conditions on the White. These flows made for excellent boating.
Norfork Lake has fallen eight tenths of a foot to rest at twenty
five and nine tenths feet above power pool of 552.00 feet or
two and one tenth of a foot below the top of flood pool. The
pattern has been to run one or two generators with substantial
periods of no generation at night. There have been a few wading
opportunities on the Norfork River during the night. On the higher
water, boating conditions have been excellent.
This weekend
we have two major fishing events that you should be of interest
to you. On Saturday morning, we will have the Kid's Fishing Derby
in Quarry Park at Norfork Dam. If you have a youngster interested
in trout fishing, this might be a great time for a family outing.
On Sunday, the ladies participating in Casting for Recovery (a
fly fishing program for breast cancer survivors) will be fishing
in the Catch and Release section at the base of Bull Shoals Dam.
Please give them any accommodation that you can. That includes
giving them the first crack at any good water.
The water flows
on the White have been significantly higher than the past week.
As a result, it has not fished as well as it has in previous
weeks. The lower flows have been around six generators with the
higher flows being more like eight. With water this high, you
will be required to fish from a boat to achieve any level of
success.
The upper river
from the Catch and Release section at the base of Bull Shoals
dam to Cane Island Shoals which is usually a hot spot has yielded
few fish. Some anglers, however, have been successful. The key
to success has been to use conventional high water techniques.
The hot flies have been brightly colored San Juan worms (red,
cerise, and fire orange and hot fluorescent pink) and egg patterns
(pink, orange, tan, and red). To get the flies down use copious
amounts of lead and a huge strike indicator to float all of this.
I use at least 4X tippet and set the strike indicator so that
the distance from the fly to the strike indicator is one and
one half the depth of the water. If the water is ten feet deep
the length of the tippet from fly to indicator will be fifteen
feet. A rig this heavy and long will be a bit tricky to cast.
I would suggest a fairly open loop and a heavier rod than normal
(a fairly stiff six weight nine foot would work well).
The Norfork
has fished a bit better this week. While there have been periods
of no generation at night, the better fishing has occurred in
the morning when they have been running just one generator. In
the afternoon, when they fire up the other generator, fishing
slows a bit. Use conventional high water techniques and if you
are not fishing Catch and Release consider using a dropper tied
to the lead flies. A good choice for this would be a black zebra
midge or copper john both in size fourteen.
Several anglers
have been observed using drag chains on the Norfork. This is
illegal. The Norfork is a sensitive fishery and the use of drag
chains could harm the weed beds which provide habitat and produce
food for the trout.
Dry Run Creek
has fished well of late. There have been few youngsters taking
advantage of this remarkable fishery during the last week. Now
that the weather is warming up, this is a great place to escape
the heat. The creek is always several degrees cooler than any
other place around here. The hot flies this week have been sowbugs,
worm brown San Juan worms and olive woolly buggers.
June 4, 2008
- Norfork and White River - Submitted by Mountain
River Fly Shop
-
WHITE RIVER:
SUMMERTIME temperatures, electricity demand, and high water levels
have seen plenty of generation on the White over the past week.
Since we last
reported the lowest generation level has been about 3.5 units,
and most days by 10am there is about 15,000 cfs in the tailwater
.
Great time to
step into your new Supreme and hit the river.
The worm bite
continues even after the water is high, with Dynamite Worms,
regulal San Juans, and Bugskin Wigglers the pick.
Color choices
vary from the standard red and brown, but brighter hot pink,
cerise and orange have their fans.
Clint's Sunday
Special and egg patterns have also been pulling fish.
The best of
the drift fishing is coming in the morning on the more moderate
flows, staying head of the dirty high water seems to be the key
to staying on the best of the fishing.
As we reported
last week, some better fish seem to come on the rise, but the
higher flow is very trashy and reduces your options.
However we had
a very good report of on sinking line streamer fishing from via
Chad Johnson who took a crew of his Aalska buddies with Marc
Poulos, earlier in the week.
Chad reported
that Marc's clients, committed themselves to fishing streamers
all day and found good results with 6 fish landed over 20"
over the two days, the best a hog of 25".
Chad said that
the key was working the banks painstakingly section by section.
Such work requires some commitment, its no little effort and
some casting accuracy to pick apart the best spots mile after
mile.
If you are up
for the challenge its a lot of fun. Chad left out exactly what
flies were being used, but we have a fondness for Barr's Slumpbuster,
Conehead Bunny Leeches, and bigger woolly buggers.
Its hard to
go past olive.
NORFORK: NORFORK:
Is anyone actually fishing Norfork these days. It seems not even
with the daily dose of low water. Perhaps its because the low
water has been coming between Midnight and 6am.
So far I haven'
been eager enough to crawl out of bed and walk up Norfork in
the dark, apparently not too many others either.
Certainly there
are few fly fishing guides tackling the high water either. With
the boat ramp at Quarry Park out of commission there are a lot
of guides unwilling to risk getting stuck if the water drop out
underneath them.
But it certainly
appears as if once the water is on its on till dark, but the
other side is its no fun tryin to push a boat up the shoals on
low water.
So all we can
gather is you will pretty much have Norfork to yourself if you
venture over and run upstream. Let us know how the fishing is.
tth
May 30, 2008 - Norfork and White River - Submitted by Mountain River Fly Shop -
WHITE RIVER: Water flows are
getting higher as the summer heat arrives and we can expect more
to come.
Fishing has been very good earlier
in the week on the lower flows of 4 units or less but the rapid
rise to 6 or 7 units has tended to slow the bite mid to late
afternoon.
The rises have been dirty and
trashy which hasn't helped.
More consistent high water should
help the fish adjust and settle into some good high water fishing
again. But who knows what the weather will bring, after the big
rain we had midweek.
Last weekend Davy Wotton and
the Journal did well at Rim Shoal on some low generation on Wotton
Whitetail Midges. The journal's two clients started the day with
a bank hooking up a double and it was consistent all morning.
Davy stayed with the low water
running downstream, but we couldn't leave hungry fish, and as
the water rose bigger fish, though none stayed buttoned all the
way to the boat.
Davy on the other hand found
consistent low water action all the way to Buffalo City. Midweek
Kevin Brantonies joined the Journal with a good group of guys
from Memphis. For a while thw action was hot, one of the Jims
landing three fish on one short drift near the Dam.
But when the water came on after
lunchevery guide in the area was rolling his eyes as we would
pass midstream. But the ebb and flow of fishing is part of its
mystery. You have to be on the water to find the best bite.
As we mentioned keep some Whitetail
Midges around for any periods of low water. But on the higher
flows Pink lady's and San Juans come into their own. We are still
doing well trailing Clint's Sunday Special behind a Dynamite
Worm, outside the trophy zones on higher flows.
We have heard of some good action
on streamers, like bigger olive woollies and zonkers, but haven't
struck it ourselves. Something we need to try more often.
NORFORK: There has been a lot
of moderate 1 unit generation on the Fork of late, but little
fishing pressure. Most of the fly fishers and guides we have
been speaking to have been hitting the White. (Update) Low water
on Norfork this morning and once again the fishing was hot by
all accounts. Midges, buggers and the usual fare were belting
fish. Keep you ear to the generation number and take the opportunities
when they present themselves.
Tightlines from all at the Mountain
River Fly Shop
Gary, Cindy, Jim, Gene, Kevin,
Marc, Faye, Mike and Steve
May 22, 2008 - White River
- Submitted by Berry
Brothers Guides-
It should be noted, that some
two months after the first flood this year we are just one foot
below the maximum capacity on all of our reservoirs. A substantial
rain event could cause the flood gates to be opened again. We
have had a bit of low water during the past couple of weeks while
there is still flooding down stream from us. It will take several
months of maximum generation to get the lake levels down. I do
not foresee any reliable wading for quite a while. Now is the
time to hone your high water skills.
The fishing on the White has
remained red hot during the past week. The flows during the past
week have been predictable and the trout have been on the feed.
The upper river from the Catch
and Release section at the base of Bull Shoals dam to Cane Island
Shoals has been fishing very well. On high water the hot flies
here have been brightly colored San Juan worms and egg patterns.
On lower flows the hot flies have been black zebra midges and
caddis pupa.
Rim Shoals has been another
hot spot. On the lower water, midge nymphs in a bit larger size
than you would use for wade fishing (size 14 and 16) have been
the ticket. Caddis pupa, copper johns, olive scuds and zebra
midges have also been quite productive. On the rising water the
hot flies have been brightly colored San Juan worms. Cerise and
hot fluorescent pink have been the most productive for me. Just
up stream, in the Red Bud area, anglers were doing well fishing
the banks with white marabou jigs and San Juan worms. Down stream
from Rim Shoals, all the way to Buffalo Shoals has also fished
well.
On the Norfork, the big story
has been the walleye. Up at Quarry Park , Arkansas Game and Fish
Commission biologists report that several walleye have come through
the flood gates during the previous flooding and they are stacked
near the confluence of Dry Run Creek and the Norfork. They are
asking that anglers help catch and remove these tasty predators
before they do too much damage. During the past week, there has
been an absolute army of anglers trying to harvest a few of these
toothy fish both day and night. I have not heard of any significant
walleye catches on a fly rod. The fishing has been good for trout
on high water. The best techniques have been to drift brightly
colored San Juan worms (cerise and hot fluorescent pink) and
egg patterns.
Dry Run Creek has been very
productive during the past week. There have been numerous reports
of successful young anglers tagging the trout of a life time.
One particular hot spot has been the waterfall which is located
down the steps that are across the road from the National Trout
Hatchery in Quarry Park . The hot flies have been sowbugs, San
Juan worms, and egg patterns.
May 22, 2008 - Norfork and White River - Submitted by Mountain River Fly Shop -
WHITE RIVER: MEMORIAL Day weekend
is upon us, the temperatures are in the 80s and the weekend forecast
is pretty good. Should be a great weekend out on the river. Generation
pattern speculators have been gazing into their crystal balls,
tea leaves and chicken gizzards, all hoping for a crack, a window
of low water. So we can get out, feel the water around our legs
and play on this holiday weekend.
There have been some small windows
of lighter generation, even no generation, over the last week,
triggered by the need to lower water levels at Newport and downstream.
The need to drop water levels
will limit generation over coming days, but extended periods
of low water aren't expected. But stranger things have happened
and as always be prepared to be flexible and adapt your fishing
to the conditions.
The worm bite continues, Dynamite
Worms, regular San Juans and Buckskin Wigglers, seem to be doing
well. Cerise has been the hot color among some afficionados,
but standard red, worm brown and pink are the most popular.
We have heard of some very good
action on sowbugs in the Upper part of the river, try Davys Sowbugs,
Clint's Sowbugs and Woven V-Rib Sowbugs on 3 units or less.
NORFORK: Norfork as been fishing
up and down, when its good its good, but it certainly has been
less consistant than the White, particularly for the 20"
plus fish. San Juan Worms and Dynamite Worms, have been productive,
sowbug and scud patterns
As we have mentioned Hot Wire
Princes in Green/Yellow have been very good, and red and blue
are worth carrying.
May 21, 2008 - Courtesty of Arkansas Game and
Fish Commission -White River Levels:
According to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, as of Tuesday
the White River stages are:
6.3 feet at Calico Rock (flood
stage 19 feet)
8.8 feet at Batesville (flood stage 15 feet)
15.3 feet at Newport (flood stage 26 feet)
28.1 feet at Augusta (flood stage 26 feet)
18.6 feet at Georgetown (flood stage 21 feet)
26.9 feet at Clarendon (flood stage 26 feet)
CENTRAL ARKANSAS
Little Red River: Lindsey's
Resort (501-302-3139) water conditions are very good. One to
two generators are running in the afternoons. Trout fishing is
excellent on wax worms, Power Eggs, nightcrawlers, Buoyant Spoons,
crankbaits and Rogues.
Jed Hollan at the Little Red
Fly Shop said The Greers Ferry Power House has settled into a
routine that is working well for the angler. Water releases are
ending an hour or so before midnight and not resuming until around
10 a.m. Wade fishing is possible every morning at JFK Park until
the horn sounds. Driving down to Winkley or Libby Shoal will
let you fish until after lunch. Heavy rain may change this pattern.
Our insect-rich stream continues
to produce calories for the eager trout. Midges, March browns
and caddis flies are the primary bugs of interest. If you like
to taunt the fish with a dry fly offering, try an Adams (#18-#20),
American March brown (#14-#16), elk hair caddis (#14-#16 tan)
or midge (#22 cream or black). If you are a "dead drifter,"
tie on a sowbug (#14-#16 tan, light gray or UV tan), zebra midge
(#16-#22 red, black or olive), San Juan worm (#14-#16 red, fluorescent
orange or peach), red butt soft hackle (#14-#18), copper john
(#14-#16 copper, red or green) or a hare's ear (#14-#16). Woolly
buggers in sizes #4-#12 in olive or black are working well. Try
6-8 inch strips when retrieving your streamer to make it appear
injured. The fish seem to prefer a moving target these days.
Twitch your fly once in a while. If you are nymphing (presenting
your fly on the stream bed), periodically raise your rod tip
to make your fly appear to be emerging toward the surface then
let it sink. If you are fishing with a dry fly, skitter your
pattern across the surface for a foot or so then let it rest.
This extra action seems to evoke an instinctive strike response
from the trout.
NORTH ARKANSAS
White River: John Berry of Berry
Brothers Guides said the generation pattern on the White has
been to run around the clock with higher flows during the day
and lower flows at night. The pattern has been to run two generators
with substantial periods of no generation. There have been a
few wading opportunities on the Norfork River during the night
and morning but none on the White. On the higher water, boating
conditions have been excellent. The fishing on the White has
been red hot during the past week. The flows during the past
week have been quite a bit lower than previous weeks and the
trout have been on the feed. The upper river from the Catch-and-Release
section at the base of Bull Shoals dam to Cane Island Shoals
has been fishing very well. The hot flies here have been brightly
colored San Juan worms and egg patterns. The big hot spot this
week has been Rim Shoals. The rising water hits here mid-day
and that has been the best time to fish here. On the lower water,
midge nymphs in a bit larger size than you would use for wade
fishing (size 14 and 16) have been the ticket. Caddis pupa, copper
johns, olive scuds and zebra midges have also been quite productive.
On the rising water, the hot flies have been brightly colored
San Juan worms. Cerise and hot fluorescent pink have been the
most productive. Egg patterns have also been very productive.
Just upstream, in the Redbud area, anglers were doing well fishing
the banks with white marabou jigs.
Mountain River Fly Shop said
water flows have been lower during the last few days according
to the Graph, but 5 to 6 units are still cranking in the mid-
to late afternoon. There have been some very good reports from
the upper part of the river, and some decent reports from Rim
Shoals. Spawning suckers have shown up at Rim Shoals, so it's
worth keeping a few egg patterns handy in this area. Generally
the eggs are small but even size 12 eggs are working on the trout.
Egg patterns have been popular in other areas of the river, too.
Run an egg as an attractor in front of a San Juan, Scud or Sowbug
pattern. Every angler has their favorite color, but our straw
poll through the cash register is showing up yellows, orange
and flame as the most popular. Feed them something to get their
attention and sneaking along behind a more subtle, natural pattern.
San Juans have been flying out of the bins, in all hues from
red, brown orange and pink. Davy's Dynamite Worm has been lethal
particularly on bright days, standard San Juans and Rainy's Tungsten
Bead SJ and Bug Skin Wigglers have also been popular.
Sportsman's White River Resort
said water conditions are normal with an average of 4 to 6 generators
running daily. Trout fishing has been very good on Buoyant Spoons,
Little Cleos, Rogues, Rapalas and PowerBait. Fly fisherman are
having the best luck on San Juan worms and sow bugs.
Norfork Tailwater: John Berry
of Berry Brothers Guides said there have been some nice periods
of low water during daylight hours that have allowed for some
excellent wading conditions. The fishing is excellent. There
are many scuds in the water and scud patterns have been deadly.
The catch-and-release section has fished well. The section downstream
from the Ackerman access has also fished particularly well. Woolly
buggers and partridge and orange soft hackles have accounted
for a lot of trout. Up at Quarry Park, several walleye have come
through the flood gates during the previous flooding and are
stacked near the confluence of Dry Run Creek and the Norfork.
As always, Dry Run Creek is fishing very well. The best flies
this past week have been sowbugs, olive woolly buggers and San
Juan worms. Be sure and rig your youngster with heavy tippet
(at least 4X) so that they have a better chance at landing one
of these monsters.
Mountain River Fly Shop said
if you want to wade fish, the Norfork is your best bet. Just
get out of bed early as you can see from the Generation Chart.
You have until lunchtime and it's over. The fishing is spectacular.
Scud patterns including Clint's Sunday Special, McClellan's Hunchback
Scud and Kaufmann's Scud have been whacking fish. Midge fishing
has also been popular. Black and Copper Zebras, and the gamut
of other midges have been doing well. Fishing close to the accesses
has been a little crowded but the further you walk the more they
thin out. But please be careful, there are no guarantees here
how long the water will stay off.
NORTHEAST ARKANSAS
Spring River : Mark's Fly Shop
said fishing has been great this week. Water clarity is good,
and the river has returned to normal levels. Caddis and mayfly
hatches have been very consistent. It's a great time to come
and enjoy the river.
WEST-CENTRAL ARKANSAS
Lake Catherine: Shane Goodner,
owner of Catch'em All Guide Service, reports that rainbow trout
fishing remains good with the water temperature holding steady
in the mid-50s. In May the feeding patterns are varied as the
fish move around in schools chasing shad and crawfish. Days can
pass before any consistent numbers can be caught, so fishermen
must be diligent in their efforts. Catching a limit of trout
now can be tough, but possible with the right techniques. Boaters
trolling the channels are catching the largest fish, but the
numbers are much less than earlier in the year. Bank fishermen
continue to catch limits of fish as they make the most of live
bait presentations. Nightcrawlers and redworms floated under
a bobber offer a nice change from the usual diet of threadfin
shad that inhabit the tailrace. Trout often aggressively feed
on worms when the opportunity arises. Overall, the trout population
is healthy and thriving. White bass are still present in good
numbers and are being caught on live minnows fished under a bobber.
Most of the fish are males weighing in from 1 to 2 pounds each.
Since Entergy is still under a minimum generation schedule, the
striper activity has been almost non-existent. These fish feed
more consistently while the turbines are turning. June and July
will be prime times for striper fishing as fish in the 20-pound
range will be common.
May 15, 2008 - Norfork and White River - Submitted by Mountain River Fly Shop -
NORFORK: If you want to wade
fish, Norfork is you best bet. Just get out of bed early as you
can see from the Generation Chart. You have until lunchtime and
its over.
As Jim and Marlene Mengle discovered
the fishing is spectacular. Scud patterns including Clint's Sunday
Special, McClellan's Hunchback Scud and Kaufmann's Scud have
been whacking fish.
Midge fishing has also been
popular. Black and Copper Zebras, and the gamut of other midges
have been doing well.
Fishing close to the accesses
has been a little crowded but like anything the further you walk
the more they thin out. But please be careful, there are no guarantees
here how long the water will stay off.
WHITE RIVER: Water flows have
been trending lower over the past few days if you peek at the
Graph, but through the middle to late after we are still fishing
in 5 to 6 units.
We have had some very good reports
from the Upper part of the river, and some decent reports from
Rims Shoals.
Spawning suckers have shown
up at Rim Shoals so its worth keeping a few egg patterns handy
in this area. Sucker eggs are a great source and easy of protein
for trout.
Generally the eggs are small
but even size 12 eggs are working.
Eggs patterns have been popular
in other areas of the river too, run as an attractor in front
of a San Juan, Scud or Sowbug pattern. Every guide or fisher
has their own favorite color but our straw poll through the cash
register is showing up yellows, orange and flame as the most
popular. Feed them something to get their attention and sneaking
along behind a more subtle, natural pattern.
San Juans have been flying out
of the bins, in all hues from red, brown orange and pink. Davy's
Dynamite Worm has been lethal particularly on bright days, standard
San Juans and Rainy's Tungsten Bead SJ and Bug Skin Wigglers
have also been popular
. Davy has been fishing hard
his Sowbug collection with some great results. as you can see
from the reports. But another of our guid mates has been fishing
McLellan's Woven V-Rib Sowbug.
Tightlines from all at the Mountain
River Fly Shop
Gary, Cindy, Jim, Gene, Kevin,
Marc, Faye, Mike and Steve
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