SUNDAY AFTERNOON ON THE NORFORK BY JOHN BERRY

My favorite fishing companion is my wife, Lori. We began our relationship a little over fourteen years ago, when we met at a fly fishing class that I was teaching on the Spring River. She was one of my students. Every since then we have been soul mates and spend as much time as we can on stream fly fishing. We have made it a tradition to try and fish together at least once a week. With the cold weather we have had lately, it has been difficult to catch a good day on stream. 

A week or so ago we caught that perfect day. It was on a Sunday with highs in the fifties with little or no wind and plenty of sunshine. We opted for the Norfork because of no generation and the promise of easy wading. We left Cotter after lunch and arrived at the Ackerman Access around 12:30 PM. There were a few cars in the parking lot but we could see anglers coming in. This is our favorite time to fish because all of the out of town anglers were loading up to go home and we thought that we could have the place to ourselves. We were right. By the time we had waded up into the Catch and Release section, we were the only anglers there.  

I had my old Sage Light Line nine foot four weight, an old favorite rod. I rigged up a double fly rig with a ruby midge under an egg pattern. I waded into a favorite run and landed two nice rainbows on the first two casts. For me this is usually the kiss of death. I always question early success. I was right. The bite slowed as quickly as it began. I stayed in the run for a while and managed to land a fat eighteen inch rainbow but that was about it. 

Meanwhile, Lori was fishing her Winston Joan Wulff favorite, her favorite fly rod. She fished a nearby riffle with an olive woolly bugger and managed to land three or four nice trout. I decided to try another spot far up stream. I fished the run for about an hour and landed four more trout including a fifteen inch cutthroat. It was gorgeous and was my fish of the day. I walked back downstream to see how Lori was doing. 

She had tried nymphing with no success and was ready to try something different. I sat on the bank and talked to her as she deftly rerigged her rod. Lori had seen some trout rising and figured that they were keying in on emergers. She tied on a size 18 Dan’s turkey tail emerger began working a nice run and quickly picked up a couple of trout. 

About that time Ken Sickles and Vern Berry floated through on their kayaks. They had fished upstream and had a pretty good day. Vern mentioned that he had caught several trout on a partridge and orange. I decided to give it a try and quickly rerigged my rod. I worked a nearby run and landed several. Lori did well until her fly became a bit ragged. She changed over to the same fly in a size 22. It also worked but not as well as the larger fly. 

I looked up and realized that we were quickly running out of day light. Where had the afternoon gone? Time passes quickly when you are having a good time. I waded over to Lori and told her it was about time to go. She reluctantly agreed and cranked in her line. We walked out hand in hand as the sun set. It had been a great day on the river. There were not a lot of trout caught but I had enjoyed the day fishing with Lori! 

John Berry is a fly fishing guide in Cotter, Arkansas and has fished our local streams for over thirty years. John is a partner in Blue Ribbon Guides with his wife, Lori Sloas and Dennis Schule. 

JOHN BERRY FISHING REPORT 12/26/2014

During the past week, we have had rain (half an inch here in Cotter), cold temperatures and moderate winds. The lake level at Bull Shoals rose one tenth of an inch to rest at five and one tenth feet below seasonal power pool of 659 feet. This is forty one and one tenth feet below the top of flood pool. Upstream, Table Rock rose four tenths of a foot to rest at five and one tenth feet below seasonal power pool and twenty one and one tenth feet below the top of flood pool. Beaver Lake rose five tenths of a foot to rest at seven feet below seasonal power pool or sixteen and six tenths feet below the top of flood pool. On the White, we had brief periods of heavy generation in the morning and afternoon with no wadable water. Norfork Lake fell one tenth of a foot to rest at at four and eight tenths feet below seasonal power pool of 553.7 feet and thirty one feet below the top of flood pool. On the Norfork, we had wadable water every day with limited generation most mornings.

The water level for the top of power pool has been reset for the lakes in the White River system. All of the lakes on this system are well below seasonal power pool.

The Catch and Release section below Bull Shoals Dam will close from November 1, 2014 to January 31, 2015 to accommodate the brown trout spawn. The State Park will be seasonal Catch and Release for the same period. All brown trout must be immediately released. In addition, night fishing is prohibited in this area during this period.

On the White, the hot spot was Wildcat Shoals. The hot flies were olive woolly buggers (#8, #10), Y2Ks (#14, #12), prince nymphs (#14), zebra midges (black with silver wire and silver bead or red with silver wire and silver bead #16, #18), pheasant tails (#14), ruby midges (#18), root beer midges (#18), pink and cerise San Juan worms (#10), and sowbugs (#16). Double fly nymph rigs have been very effective (try a flashback beadhead pheasant tail nymph with a ruby midge or red fan tail midge suspended below it). Egg patterns have also been effective.

Conventional wisdom states that hopper fishing ends with the first frost (we had several heavy frosts this past week). I reject this idea and fish them during the winter. I favor shorter leaders (seven and a half foot 3X) and a stiff six weight rod to proper deliver these weighty flies. My favorite flies are Dave’s hoppers (#10) and the western pink lady (#8). To increase hook ups I always use a dropper. I am currently using a ruby or root beer midge in size eighteen on a three foot or longer tippet (depending on the depth of the water I am fishing).

The higher flows on some mornings and afternoons have been conducive to fishing large streamers. You need a fast sinking sink tip line and an eight weight or better rod. This is a heavy lift that requires casting skills and patience.

The Buffalo National River and Crooked Creek are clear. With the colder weather, the smallmouths are not active. Carefully check the water level before entering Crooked Creek or the Buffalo River. There are no dams on these streams. They both have large drainages and are prone to flooding during and following any rain event. The water can rise very quickly.

The Norfork River has fished well recently. With the cold weather there was less pressure on the Norfork.  The most productive flies have been small midge patterns (#18, #20, #22)  like ruby midges, root beer midges, zebra midges (black or red with silver wire and silver bead) and soft hackles (#14, #16) like the green butt. Egg patterns have also been productive. Double fly nymph rigs have been very effective. Try a small bead headed nymph (zebra midge, copper John or pheasant tail) suspended eighteen inches below a brightly colored San Juan worm (hot fluorescent pink or cerise #10). There have been reliable hatches of small midges (try a size 24 Adams parachute) and caddis (try a size 18 elk hair caddis).The fishing is better in the morning and late afternoon and tapers off midday.

The siphon at Norfork Dam that was installed to achieve minimum flow has been repaired and is back in service.

With the cold weather, there was little fishing pressure on Dry Run Creek. It has been a great time to fish there. The hot flies have been sowbugs (#14), Y2Ks (#12) and various colored San Juan worms (worm brown, red, hot fluorescent pink and cerise #10). While you are there take a few minutes to visit the adjacent Norfork national Fish Hatchery. It is fascinating. Be sure and remove your waders before entering to prevent the spread of aquatic diseases.

The water on the Spring River has cleared somewhat. This is a great place to wade fish, when they are running water on the White and Norfork Rivers. Canoe season is over and there are fewer boats on the river to interfere with your fishing. Be sure to wear cleated boots and carry a wading staff. There is a lot of bedrock that can get very slick. The hot flies have been olive woolly buggers with a bit of flash (#10), cerise and hot pink San Juan worms (#10) and Y2Ks (#10).

Remember that the White and Norfork Rivers and Dry Run Creek are infected with didymo, an invasive alga. Be sure and thoroughly clean and dry your waders (especially the felt soles on wading boots) before using them in any other water. Many manufacturers are now making rubber soled wading boots that are easier to clean and are not as likely to harbor didymo.

John Berry is a fly fishing guide and partner in Blue Ribbon Guides with his wife, Lori Sloas, and Dennis Schule and has fished our local streams for over thirty years.

LAST MINUTE CHRISTMAS GIFT SUGGESTIONS BY JOHN BERRY

I don’t know if you have looked at the calendar lately but Christmas is less than a week away. If you have not bought anything for the fly fisher in your family, it is time to get started. There are a bunch of anglers in my family and I have been doing quite a bit of shopping. Based on all of the shopping that I have been doing, here are a few suggestions. 

The first thing that comes to mind is a Yeti cooler. These coolers have taken the sporting world by storm. They are highly prized by guides and serious anglers everywhere for their ability to hold ice for two days and legendary indestructibility. They are certified bear proof containers, if you are headed to Yellowstone or Alaska. On the down side, they are pretty heavy and are expensive. I use the Roadie model, which at a twenty quart capacity, is the smallest one made and weighs fourteen pounds empty. It cost $249.95. I have been using mine for a couple of years and I would not use anything else. 

If anyone you buy gifts for needs a new pair of wading boots, I would suggest a pair of Orvis Pivot wading boots. I should point out that they only come with felt soles. The state of Missouri has outlawed felt soles (because of Didymo), if you want to wear your wading boots there, you should by something else. These boots feature a BOA lacing system which replaces conventional shoe laces with a steel cable and a ratcheting system. They are very and quick to put on and take off and easy to adjust during the day. My wife, Lori, and I both wear these boots and have found them to be the most comfortable that we have ever worn. At $179.95 a pair, they should be. We each also have a pair of rubber soled studded boots that we wear when fishing in Missouri. These items are both expensive but represent the best that is available to the discriminating angler. 

For something a bit more affordable, let me suggest a Temple Fork Outfitters (TFO) fly rod. They are a low cost alternative to the $700.00 and $800.00 rods that have become the norm in fly fishing. Like the high dollar rods, they include a lifetime warranty. My favorite model is the Lefty Kreh Signature Series II. At $120.00, it is the most rod for the least money that I know of. I own no less than four two piece five weight nine foot rods of this model. These are the rods that I loan my clients and they suffer a lot of abuse. I generally have a couple broken every year and I send them back to TFO with a check for $25.00 and get them back ready to fish in a few days. If my wife, Lori, and I are fishing from a boat, canoe or kayak, this is the rod we choose for their convenience (they are always in my Suburban), casting ease and reliability. 

If you want something even less expensive and much more personal, how about giving a box of flies that you tied yourself? The first year that Lori and I were together I gave her a small Wheatley fly box crammed with over a hundred flies that I had tied myself. I give my brother in law a small fly box with some hand tied local patterns every year. My brother, Dan, gives me a box of his turkey tail emergers every year and I cherish them. The hard part is keeping Lori out of them. 

I hope this helps. Merry Christmas from me, Lori and our yellow lab, Tilley! 

John Berry is a fly fishing guide for Blue Ribbon Guides in Cotter, Arkansas and has fished our local streams for over thirty years. 

JOHN BERRY FISHING REPORT 12/19/2014

During the past week, we have had rain (three quarters of an inch here in Cotter), cold temperatures and heavy winds (to include lake wind advisories). The lake level at Bull Shoals rose four tenths of an inch to rest at five and two tenths feet below seasonal power pool of 659 feet. This is forty one and two tenths feet below the top of flood pool. Upstream, Table Rock fell five tenths of a foot to rest at five and five tenths feet below seasonal power pool and twenty one and five tenths feet below the top of flood pool. Beaver Lake fell one tenth of a foot to rest at seven and five tenths feet below seasonal power pool or seventeen and one tenth feet below the top of flood pool. On the White, we had brief periods of heavy generation in the morning and afternoon with some wadable water. Norfork Lake remained steady at four and seven tenths feet below seasonal power pool of 553.7 feet and thirty and nine tenths feet below the top of flood pool. On the Norfork, we had wadable water every day with limited generation most mornings.

The water level for the top of power pool has been reset for the lakes in the White River system. All of the lakes on this system are well below seasonal power pool.

The Catch and Release section below Bull Shoals Dam will close from November 1, 2014 to January 31, 2015 to accommodate the brown trout spawn. The State Park will be seasonal Catch and Release for the same period. All brown trout must be immediately released. In addition, night fishing is prohibited in this area during this period.

On the White, the hot spot was Rim Shoals. The hot flies were olive woolly buggers (#8, #10), Y2Ks (#14, #12), prince nymphs (#14), zebra midges (black with silver wire and silver bead or red with silver wire and silver bead #16, #18), pheasant tails (#14), ruby midges (#18), root beer midges (#18), pink and cerise San Juan worms (#10), and sowbugs (#16). Double fly nymph rigs have been very effective (try a flashback beadhead pheasant tail nymph with a ruby midge or red fan tail midge suspended below it).

Conventional wisdom states that hopper fishing ends with the first frost (we had several heavy frosts this past week). I reject this idea and fish them during the winter. I favor shorter leaders (seven and a half foot 3X) and a stiff six weight rod to proper deliver these weighty flies. My favorite flies are Dave’s hoppers (#10) and the western pink lady (#8). To increase hook ups I always use a dropper. I am currently using a ruby or root beer midge in size eighteen on a three foot or longer tippet (depending on the depth of the water I am fishing).

The higher flows on some mornings and afternoons have been conducive to fishing large streamers. You need a fast sinking sink tip line and an eight weight or better rod. This is a heavy lift that requires casting skills and patience.

The Buffalo National River and Crooked Creek are clear. With the colder weather, the smallmouths are not active. Carefully check the water level before entering Crooked Creek or the Buffalo River. There are no dams on these streams. They both have large drainages and are prone to flooding during and following any rain event. The water can rise very quickly. 

The Norfork River has fished well recently. With the cold weather there was less pressure on the Norfork.  The most productive flies have been small midge patterns (#18, #20, #22)  like ruby midges, root beer midges, zebra midges (black or red with silver wire and silver bead) and soft hackles (#14, #16) like the green butt. Egg patterns have also been productive. Double fly nymph rigs have been very effective. Try a small bead headed nymph (zebra midge, copper John or pheasant tail) suspended eighteen inches below a brightly colored San Juan worm (hot fluorescent pink or cerise #10). There have been reliable hatches of small midges (try a size 24 Adams parachute) and caddis (try a size 18 elk hair caddis).The fishing is better in the morning and late afternoon and tapers off midday.

The siphon at Norfork Dam that was installed to achieve minimum flow has been repaired and is back in service.

With the cold weather, there was little fishing pressure on Dry Run Creek. It has been a great time to fish there. The hot flies have been sowbugs (#14), Y2Ks (#12) and various colored San Juan worms (worm brown, red, hot fluorescent pink and cerise #10). While you are there take a few minutes to visit the adjacent Norfork national Fish Hatchery. It is fascinating. Be sure and remove your waders before entering to prevent the spread of aquatic diseases.

The water on the Spring River has cleared somewhat. This is a great place to wade fish, when they are running water on the White and Norfork Rivers. Canoe season is over and there are fewer boats on the river to interfere with your fishing. Be sure to wear cleated boots and carry a wading staff. There is a lot of bedrock that can get very slick. The hot flies have been olive woolly buggers with a bit of flash (#10), cerise and hot pink San Juan worms (#10) and Y2Ks (#10).

Remember that the White and Norfork Rivers and Dry Run Creek are infected with didymo, an invasive alga. Be sure and thoroughly clean and dry your waders (especially the felt soles on wading boots) before using them in any other water. Many manufacturers are now making rubber soled wading boots that are easier to clean and are not as likely to harbor didymo.

John Berry is a fly fishing guide in Cotter, Arkansas, and part owner in Blue Ribbon Guides along with Dennis Schule and John’s wife, Lori Sloas.

LOST PHOTO BY JOHN BERRY

A couple of weeks ago I was one of several guides working a corporate group at River Ridge Inn. This group was a bit different from the other corporate groups that I have worked, in that the guys brought their wives. That was a very nice touch except for the fact that it was brutally cold with heavy winds. It was so extreme that many of the wives decided to not fish and went on a shopping expedition to Branson.

Richard, the angler that always organizes these trips, requested that I guide him and his wife Jan. I am always glad to fish with him, as he is an accomplished fly fisher, but was a bit concerned with taking Jan out for her first fly fishing experience in the tough weather conditions. Luckily for me she was a good sport, had brought plenty of clothing and wore all of it.

The first day began with a casting lesson and she picked it up quickly. We launched the boat and fished near the lodge in case she got cold. As luck would have it, she did well and out fished Richard. It was only a half day trip and we were back at the lodge before she got cold.

The second day was meaner than the first with heavy winds and wind chills in the teens. She was quite the trooper and was ready to go right after breakfast. We fished hard all morning and caught several trout but by lunch she was ready to call it a day. We returned to the lodge for a warm meal and some coffee.

Richard was not ready to quit and we returned to the river. We fished in several locations and the going was slow. We were both dressed comfortably and the cold did not bother either of us. We finally located a spot that was loaded with several trout and settled in to land some fish. We were catching two or three nice trout on each drift and Richard was in his element. We mostly caught rainbows but Richard landed a fat thirteen inch brown.

A couple of drifts later he hit a big fish. When it took a two foot leap from the water I knew he was onto a nice brown. I was a bit concerned because Richard was stripping it in. I always prefer to fight big fish on the reel but there was no time or opportunity to get it on the reel. Then as I looked around I remembered the heavy cover of downed trees in the area. We had already lost several flies in the area and I was worried that the big trout would wrap a log and break off. He expertly worked the fish out of the heavy cover and eventually led it into my big boat net.

It was a gorgeous fat twenty one inch brown and it was the best fish that anyone on this trip had landed. Richard wanted a photo. I looked for a place to land the boat but there was none. I had him hold the trout in the net suspended in the water while I motored to a spot to land it. This took a few minutes but the trout was still in good shape, when we got there. I pulled out my waterproof camera and set up the shot. When I pressed the shutter button I got a no battery light on the digital display. I had recharged the battery a couple of days before but it refused to function in the deep cold. I should have kept the camera warm in my interior jacket pocket. I was disappointed but Richard reminded that we had landed much larger fish in the past and he was ok with the loss. We fished a while longer and the called it a day.

I think there are some fish that are just camera shy.

John Berry is a fly fishing guide in Cotter, Arkansas, for Blue Ribbon Guides and has fished our local streams for over thirty years. John can be reached at  (870) 435-2169 or 

 http://www.blueribbonguides.com.