If
you have been out on the river lately, you have probably noticed that they are
running a lot of water. The good news is that by running a lot of water they
will eventually lower the lakes and create the possibility of wadable water.
The bad news is that fishing water this high is challenging. Now there is a
nice option, we do have some productive low water conditions every morning on
the Norfork but they are very short periods and it can get a bit crowded at
times. I have mostly been fishing the White lately and have learned to embrace
high water conditions. The fish are still there and they are still feeding on a
regular basis.
The first thing that
concerns most anglers is the sheer volume of water. They believe that high
water is inherently more dangerous than shallower water. I actually believe that the
shallow water is more dangerous. In shallow water there are more rocks and
other obstacles than are around in high water. In high water, you are generally
safely above those obstacles. When running my boat in shallow water, I tend to
hit more rocks and ding up my propeller and lower unit. During the last three
years we have had low water and a lot of the guides switched over to jet drive
motors which can function in much lower water. Now that we are in a high water
the advantage of a jet is gone.
If you are on the river on heavy water, you
won’t be able to fish and run the boat. Things are moving quickly and it is a
bit harder to maintain a straight drift. I do not recommend the use of a drag chain
on heavy water as it could hang up and sink the boat. Take someone with you and
take turns fishing and running the boat or better yet hire a guide.
The next thing of concern
is how to get your fly down to the fish. Water this deep will require longer
leaders and a lot more lead than low water. I am currently using a
leader/tippet combination that is about eleven feet long and Ihave the strike
indicator (a ¾ inch Thingamabobber) set all the way up to the top of the
leader. I am currently using a double fly rig with a
pink San Juan worm on the top and an egg dropper. I have talked to a lot of my
fellow guides and they are all pretty much doing the same except they may be
using a different dropper (some use prince nymphs, some use pheasant tails and
some use midges). To get the rig down I pinch an AAA split shot about eighteen
inches above the San Juan worm.
Casting this heavy
rig properly is the key to avoid being tangled. Forget the tight loop. Cast
with a large open loop. With these heavy flies, split shot and strike
indicator, the tendency is for the loop to crash. A big open loop helps avoid
this. Whatever you do don’t rush the back cast. This will tangle your line
immediately. Double fly rigs tangle easily and are difficult to untangle. Do
not false cast. This is an invitation to tangle. Remember, if you are tangled,
you are not fishing.
If fishing under an indicator is not your cup
of tea, try fishing a grasshopper. Banging the bank with hoppers is a great way
to spend an afternoon. The take of a large brown trout can be explosive. I like
to tie the hopper to the end of a seven and one half foot 4X leader. I generally add a small
nymph as a dropper to increase the takes. My current favorite pattern is a
western pink lady. My favorite dropper is a ruby midge. Most strikes occur as
soon as the fly hits the water.
If you strictly want to target larger trout,
then you should be fishing streamers. Big streamers on heavy sink tip lines are
the best way to target the big ones. The problem is that this is a lot of work.
Swinging an eight or nine weight with a heavy fly line and a big wind resistant
streamer all day is heavy work. You don’t get a lot of takes but when you do,
it can be the fish of a life time.
Don’t let the high water intimidate you. Get
out there and catch some trout.
John Berry is a fly fishing guide for Blue Ribbon Guides in Cotter,
Arkansas and has fished our local streams for over thirty years.
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