SULPHUR HACKLE EMERGER

Thanks Dennis for the Fly Tie of the Week!

https://youtu.be/cj2zCQwg_2Q

PRESTON’S TRIP BY JOHN BERRY

My most regular client is Richard. We have fished together for around fourteen years. He brings in corporate groups from Texas about ten times per year. For the past couple of years, he and I have discussed the idea of taking his grandson, Preston on Dry Run Creek and introducing him to fly fishing for trout. 

The trip became a reality last week, when Richard, his wife, Jan, and Preston loaded up and headed here. He did not let a hospital stay the week before that included the installation of a stint interfere with the trip. The plan was to spend an afternoon on Dry Run Creek and a day floating the White River. 

I met them at noon and we stopped at Heidi’s Ugly Cakes for lunch and then drove straight to Dry Run Creek. There was rain threatening and I made sure that everyone had rain gear before we left. I quickly rigged up a fly rod and Preston began fishing with Richard and Jan watching. The first fish he hooked was a twelve pound monster rainbow. Richard’s eyes almost popped out of his head. Preston immediately lost the fish. I do not want my clients to hook something like that so early in the trip. I much prefer that they hook and land several smaller trout before they take on something like that. Even then, a fish like that would be a challenge for any angler. 

It began raining really hard. I thought that I was back in Viet Nam, during the monsoon. Preston didn’t mind. He and I were both wearing waders and rain jackets and it didn’t affect us much. Richard and Jan were getting soaked despite their rain jackets. They decided to head back to River Ridge Inn to dry out a bit. Preston and I continued fishing. His skills improved as the day wore on. He landed nineteen with the largest being around twenty one inches long. He hooked three other trophy trout but was unable to land them. I was a bit disappointed as was Preston, because we both wanted to land a trophy. 

The next day we began early and drove over to Rim Shoals. I launched my boat and we began drifting. The conditions were near perfect with about the equivalent of one full generator and light winds. It was warm and sunny. Preston took the lead early and by lunch he had a two fish lead on his grandfather. I must say that his angling skills had improved. Richard is an accomplished angler and is seldom out fished by anyone.

Around three o’clock Richard had thirty and Preston had twenty eight. Richard suggested that, since they had caught plenty of fish at Rim Shoals, they should return to Dry Run creek to give Preston another chance to land a trophy. Preston and I agreed. I thought that his skills had improved and he was ready to hook and land a trophy. 

We arrived at Dry Run Creek and had it to ourselves. It was hot and sunny in the parking lot. Down on the creek it was cool and shady. Preston was up to the challenge. On his second hook up, he caught a really stout twenty four inch rainbow. We were all elated that he had landed a trophy. It had been worth the trip to take another try at a big fish. We continued fishing for a while but landed several quality fish. We even fished for Ole Henry. 

Sometimes it pays, to not give up but, to try again. 

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

JOHN BERRY FISHING REPORT 6/26/2015

During the past week, we have had several rain events (combined for over an inch here in Cotter), hot temperatures and heavy winds. The lake level at Bull Shoals rose six and two tenths feet to rest at twenty one feet above seasonal power pool of 662 feet. This is twelve and three tenths feet below the top of flood pool. Upstream, Table Rock rose three and nine tenths feet to rest at four and six tenths feet above seasonal power pool and nine and four tenths feet below the top of flood pool. Beaver Lake rose one tenth of a foot to rest at seven and eight tenths feet above seasonal power pool and eight tenths of a foot below the top of flood pool. On the White, we had moderate to high generation with no wadable water. Norfork Lake rose two and seven tenths feet to rest at eight feet above seasonal power pool of 556.75 feet and fifteen and five tenths feet below the top of flood pool. On the Norfork, we had wadable water every day.

The water level for the top of power pool has been reset for the lakes in the White River system. Due to recent rains, the lakes on this system are above seasonal power pool.

On heavy generation, the best way to catch fish is to switch to longer leaders and heavier weight. On the White, the hot spot was the Catch and Release section at 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 (San Juan worm with a prince nymph suspended below it).

Conventional wisdom states that hopper fishing begins in late summer. I reject this idea and fish them all year. 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).

There have been several reliable sightings of the sulphur hatch. This is our major mayfly hatch of the year. They are size fourteen and easy to see. Before the hatch, you should concentrate on fishing pheasant tail nymphs. When the trout key on the top but no insects are present, switch over to a partridge and yellow. When you observe trout taking adult insects from the top of the water column, you should switch over to sulphur parachutes.

The Buffalo National River and Crooked Creek are high and off color. With the warm weather, the smallmouths are 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 poorly lately. The siphon is down and they are supplying the water necessary for minimum flow by running the generators on a load no load basis. 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. My favorite combination has been a grass hopper with a root beer or ruby midge dropper.

There is a major construction project at the Norfork National Fish Hatchery. You can still access Dry Run Creek. It has seen more pressure with school out. It still fished well. The hot flies have been sowbugs (#14), Y2Ks (#12) and various colored San Juan worms (worm brown, red, hot fluorescent pink and cerise #10).  

The water on the Spring River is high and off color. This is a great place to wade fish, when they are running water on the White and Norfork Rivers. Canoe season is in full swing and can be a nuisance to 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 for Blue Ribbon Guides in Cotter, Arkansas and has fished our local streams for over thirty years.

THANKS, DENNIS FOR THE FLY TIE -- PARTRIDGE & YELLOW SOFT HACKLE!

SULPHURS ON THE RISE BY JOHN BERRY

In the past week I have had reliable reports of a sulphur hatch on the White and Norfork Rivers. As a devoted dry fly fisherman this is music to my ears. The sulphurs are our most prolific mayfly hatch of the year. They seem to be occurring a bit late this year but, with the unusually wet conditions, this may be this is normal. The sulphurs are a size fourteen mayfly and are yellow or orange. I have seen them this year on the Norfork River but the trout were not keying in on them yet.

Before the hatch starts, you should be fishing a good imitation of the nymphal form of the sulphur. My personal favorites are the copper John or a bead head pheasant tail nymph. I have switched to a size fourteen beadhead pheasant tail as my dropper of choice, in the heavy water, we have had lately. While a dead drift is a killer technique, I often let the nymph rise at the end of the drift. This imitates the rise of the nymph in the water column to begin their emergence. This often triggers a vicious strike.

When you observe rises but see no insects, this means that the trout have switched over from the nymphs to the emergers. During the emergence, the insects are drifting just below the surface of the water. They must bust out of their nymphal shucks and then break through the surface tension of the water before they can arrive on the surface of the water. During this time they are very vulnerable and easy picking for the trout. The best way to fish during the emergence is to use soft hackles. My personal favorites are the partridge and orange or the partridge and yellow. I have even fished doubles with a partridge and yellow and partridge and orange on at the same time. When you figure which one is more effective, just remove the other.

Finally, when you notice the trout switching from emergers to adults on the surface of the water, it is time to change over to the dry fly, my absolute favorite time. My favored dry fly for this hatch is the sulphur parachute. This was a fly that my late brother, Dan, tied to perfection. I was down to a precious few. When I was going through his gear earlier this year, I discovered his stash of twenty flies. It was like finding a gold bar to me. It was a great connection to him.

To fish these flies, you need to be sure and carefully dress them with a good floatant. Cast them eighteen inches or more upstream from a rising trout. Be sure to get a perfect downstream drift. Carefully mend if necessary. When a trout comes up to eat a fly, you must wait a second before setting the hook. Most fly fishers lose trout when fishing dries because they set the hook too soon. I call this the longest second in fly fishing. The adrenalin is pumping and you finally got a take and now I am telling you to wait a second before setting the hook. It is counter intuitive.

This is our best dry fly hatch of the year. Be ready for it and enjoy!

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 6/19/2015

During the past week, we have had several rain events (combined for over an inch here in Cotter), warmer temperatures and moderate winds. The lake level at Bull Shoals fell two feet to rest at fourteen and six tenths feet above seasonal power pool of 662 feet. This is eighteen and five tenths feet below the top of flood pool. Upstream, Table Rock rose five tenths of a foot to rest at seven tenths of a foot above seasonal power pool and thirteen and three tenths feet below the top of flood pool. Beaver Lake rose three tenths of a foot to rest at seven and seven tenths feet above seasonal power pool and nine tenths of a foot below the top of flood pool. On the White, we had moderate to high generation with no wadable water. Norfork Lake fell one tenth of a foot to rest at five and five tenths feet above seasonal power pool of 556.75 feet and eighteen and two tenths feet below the top of flood pool. On the Norfork, we had wadable water every day.

The water level for the top of power pool has been reset for the lakes in the White River system. Due to recent rains, the lakes on this system are above seasonal power pool.

On heavy generation, the best way to catch fish is to switch to longer leaders and heavier weight. On the White, the hot spot was the Catch and Release section at 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 (San Juan worm with a prince nymph suspended below it).

Conventional wisdom states that hopper fishing begins in late summer. I reject this idea and fish them all year. 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).

With the caddis hatch on the wane, it is time to get ready for the sulphur hatch. This is our major mayfly hatch of the year. They are size fourteen and easy to see. Before the hatch, you should concentrate on fishing pheasant tail nymphs. When the trout key on the top but no insects are present, switch over to a partridge and yellow. When you observe trout taking adult insects from the top of the water column, you should switch over to sulphur parachutes.

The Buffalo National River and Crooked Creek are high and off color. With the warm weather, the smallmouths are 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 poorly lately. The siphon is down and they are supplying the water necessary for minimum flow by running the generators on a load no load basis. 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. My favorite combination has been a grass hopper with a root beer or ruby midge dropper.

There is a major construction project at the Norfork National Fish Hatchery. You can still access Dry Run Creek. It has seen more pressure with school out. It still fished well. The hot flies have been sowbugs (#14), Y2Ks (#12) and various colored San Juan worms (worm brown, red, hot fluorescent pink and cerise #10).  

The water on the Spring River is high and off color. This is a great place to wade fish, when they are running water on the White and Norfork Rivers. Canoe season is in full swing and can be a nuisance to 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 for Blue Ribbon Guides in Cotter, Arkansas and has fished our local streams for over thirty years. 

JOHN BERRY FISHING REPORT 6/12/2015

During the past week, we have had no rain, warmer temperatures and moderate winds. The lake level at Bull Shoals rose two and four tenths feet to rest at fifteen and five tenths feet above seasonal power pool of 662 feet. This is seventeen and five tenths feet below the top of flood pool. Upstream, Table Rock fell two and two tenths feet to rest at two tenths of a foot above seasonal power pool and thirteen and eight tenths feet below the top of flood pool. Beaver Lake fell three tenths of a foot to rest at seven and four tenths feet above seasonal power pool and one and two tenths feet below the top of flood pool. On the White, we had moderate to high generation with no wadable water. Norfork Lake rose four tenths of a foot to rest at five and six tenths feet above seasonal power pool of 556.75 feet and seventeen and six tenths feet below the top of flood pool. On the Norfork, we had wadable water every day.

The water level for the top of power pool has been reset for the lakes in the White River system. Due to recent rains, the lakes on this system are above seasonal power pool.

On heavy generation, the best way to catch fish is to switch to longer leaders and heavier weight. On the White, the hot spot was the Catch and Release section at 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 prince nymph with a ruby midge or root beer midge suspended below it).

Conventional wisdom states that hopper fishing begins in late summer. I reject this idea and fish them all year. 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).

With the caddis hatch on the wane, it is time to get ready for the sulphur hatch. This is our major mayfly hatch of the year. They are size fourteen and easy to see. Before the hatch, you should concentrate on fishing pheasant tail nymphs. When the trout key on the top but no insects are present, switch over to a partridge and yellow. When you observe trout taking adult insects from the top of the water column, you should switch over to sulphur parachutes.

The Buffalo National River and Crooked Creek are still a bit high. With the warm weather, the smallmouths are 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 poorly lately. The siphon is down and they are supplying the water necessary for minimum flow by running the generators on a load no load basis. 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. My favorite combination has been a grass hopper with a root beer or ruby midge dropper.

There is a major construction project at the Norfork National Fish Hatchery. You can still access Dry Run Creek. It has seen more pressure with school out. It still fished well. The hot flies have been sowbugs (#14), Y2Ks (#12) and various colored San Juan worms (worm brown, red, hot fluorescent pink and cerise #10).  

The water on the Spring River is a bit high high. This is a great place to wade fish, when they are running water on the White and Norfork Rivers. Canoe season is in full swing and can be a nuisance to 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 for Blue Ribbon Guides in Cotter, Arkansas and has fished our local streams for over thirty years.