LOWER WATER IS BACK BY JOHN BERRY

Last week I wrote about the dropping lake levels and the looming opportunity for lower water on the White and Norfork Rivers. Thankfully that prediction has come true. I checked the lake levels on Monday and I noted that Bull Shoals lake was only a half foot from the top of power pool and Norfork Lake was a foot from power pool. Even better, the flows on the White River were about a third less (around 12,000 cubic feet per second or CFS) than they have been for months.

That day I had the first day of a two day guide trip for River Ridge Inn. I opted to fish the White that day. I had been fishing the Norfork River for the past few weeks as it had been fishing well. The problem was that it had become very crowded of late. I thought that the lower flows would be a welcome change from the crowd on the Norfork. I fished at Rim Shoals and did well.

That night, when the guides gathered after the days fishing, one of them checked the water flow prediction for the next day and noted that the flows on the White were scheduled to be around 2,000 CFS. We were elated. We knew that flows like that would equal great fishing. The trout on the White had been feeding like crazy in the high water. In addition, the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission had continued its stocking program, with the high water the fishing pressure and catch was reduced. This meant that there was plenty of fish in the river. I called Henry Seay, my assistant manager at Blue Ribbon Fly Shop to let him know about the coming low water.

Henry is an avid wade fisherman and takes every opportunity to wade and fish our local streams. He had been traveling up to the North Fork of the White River recently to find wadable water. He was excited with the prospect of returning to the White. With flows that low, he was sure that he could find plenty of spots to wade.

The next day we returned to Rim Shoals despite the rain. The first thing that we noticed was how much the river had dropped, about five feet at the ramp. I saw rocks that I had not seen in months. It took a few minutes to rerig the fly rods we had fished with the day before. I kept the same flies that we had used on Monday but switched out the lead split shot for a smaller one and reset the strike indicator for shallower water.

The first drift set the tone for the morning. We landed three spectacular trout and lost another. The next drift produced another three trout. I quickly lost count. I was netting one fish after another. There were several doubles (where both anglers have a trout on the line at the same time). This is the kind of problem that guides like to deal with. What was even more exciting was the size of the trout. They were mostly in the fifteen to seventeen inch range and they fought like demons.

It was nice to float lower water and I even noticed a few anglers wading in the area and catching trout. Life is good!

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 FOR 10/30/2015

During the past week, we have had several minor rain events, cooler temperatures and moderate winds. The lake level at Bull Shoals fell two and nine tenths feet to rest at one tenth of a foot above seasonal power pool of 659 feet. This is thirty five and nine tenths feet below the top of flood pool. Upstream, Table Rock rose nine tenths of a foot to rest at two and seven tenths feet below seasonal power pool and sixteen and seven tenths feet below the top of flood pool. Beaver Lake fell one and six tenths feet to rest at one and four tenths feet above seasonal power pool and eight feet and two tenths below the top of flood pool. On the White, we had high levels of generation over the weekend and much lower water generation early this week with some wadable water. Norfork Lake fell two feet to rest at five tenths of a foot above seasonal power pool of 553.75 feet and twenty five and seven tenths feet below the top of flood pool. On the Norfork, we had no wadable water and generation around the clock.

The water level for the top of power pool has been reset for the lakes in the White River system. Most of the lakes on this system are well above seasonal power pool and are falling. We have hit power pool in most if not all of the lakes on the White River system and should encounter lower levels of generation on them with some wadable water.

The Catch and Release section below Bull Shoals Dam will close fromNovember 1, 2015 to January 31, 2016 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, fishing has improved with the lower water. 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 (my current favorite is a hot fluorescent pink or cerise San Juan worm with a black 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 4X) 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 Buffalo National River and Crooked Creek are navigable and stained. With the mild 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 has fished much better of late now that the lake level has dropped enough to prevent the leakage around the flood gate that was being repaired. It has had no wadable water. The boat traffic has been very heavy. 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 cerise worm with a Sunday special dropper.

There construction project at the Norfork National Fish Hatchery is complete. It has seen less pressure with school back in session. 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). While you are at the creek you should visit the 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 is navigable. This is a great place to wade fish, when they are running water on the White and Norfork Rivers. Canoe season is over and fishing is better. 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.

GET READY FOR LOW WATER BY JOHN BERRY

I don’t know about the rest of you but I am pretty tired of fishing high water. Every day I go on the computer and check the lake levels and generation report. I carefully study the graphs and columnar data to try and note any change or trend. What I have noticed is that the lakes are coming down fast. It is about time!

When I checked this morning (I write this article on Wednesday) is that Bull Shoals is about three feet above power pool and the lake is falling about four feet a week. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out that the lake should be below flood pool and be in power pool in about a week.

Upstream from Bull Shoals lake is Table Rock Lake and it is currently about three and a half feet below flood pool and well into power pool. Above Table Rock is Beaver Lake. It is about three feet above power pool and is currently in flood pool. It is a small lake and could be drawn down in a matter of days. Norfork Lake is just a couple of feet over the top of power pool and it is dropping about two feet a week.

When the lakes are in flood pool the United States Army Corps of Engineers is in charge and they manage the lake level for flood control. If they can get rid of water when the lake is in flood pool, they will. This is what they have been doing for the last few months. We had heavy rain in the spring and the Corps held the water back for a few months because of downstream flooding. Once that downstream flooding receded, they began drawing down the lakes in the White River system.

Once the lakes are in power pool the lake is managed by the Southwest Power Administration for power generation. When the lakes are in flood pool they generally run water during peak power demand which is normally in the afternoon during the week. Very hot or very cold weather can also trigger generation.

This is a lot of information but what does it all mean? It means that we are very close to having much better water conditions (lower maybe even wadable water).

It could not happen at a better time. This is my absolute favorite time of the year to fish the White and Norfork Rivers. The weather is pleasant and cool; it is what I call cowboy hat, Pendleton shirt weather. The leaves are changing and there is no grass to cut. The big browns are moving up to their spawning beds and the schools are back in session.

This year fishing conditions will be even better. Throughout all of this high water, stocking has continued but the catch has been down. On high water there is less pressure on the trout. Anglers that normally fish a lot have avoided the high water. The fish that have been in the river have been well fed and are fat and sassy.

I can see the light at the end of the tunnel. It is time to get your gear ready. Low water is near. Rejoice!

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

JOHN BERRY FISHING REPORT FOR 10/23/15

During the past week, we have had a minor rain, cooler temperatures and moderate winds. The lake level at Bull Shoals fell four feet to rest at three feet above seasonal power pool of 659 feet. This is thirty three feet below the top of flood pool. Upstream, Table Rock fell six tenths of a foot to rest at three and six tenths feet below seasonal power pool and seventeen and six tenths feet below the top of flood pool. Beaver Lake fell six tenths of a foot to rest at three feet above seasonal power pool and six feet and six tenths below the top of flood pool. On the White, we had high levels of generation with no wadable water. Norfork Lake fell two feet to rest at two and five tenths feet above seasonal power pool of 553.75 feet and twenty three and seven tenths feet below the top of flood pool. On the Norfork, we had no wadable water and heavy generation around the clock.

The water level for the top of power pool has been reset for the lakes in the White River system. Most of the lakes on this system are well above seasonal power pool and are falling. We should hit power pool in most if not all of the lakes on the White River system and should encounter lower levels of generation on them.

The Catch and Release section below Bull Shoals Dam will close fromNovember 1, 2015 to January 31, 2016 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 heavy generation, the best way to catch fish is to switch to longer leaders and heavier weight. On the White, fishing has been poor. 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 (my current favorite is a hot fluorescent pink or cerise San Juan worm with an orange egg 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 4X) 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 Buffalo National River and Crooked Creek are low and clear. With the mild 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 has fished much better of late now that the lake level has dropped enough to prevent the leakage around the flood gate that was being repaired. It has had no wadable water. The boat traffic has been very heavy. 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 cerise worm with a Sunday special 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). Despite the construction you can still visit the 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 is navigable. This is a great place to wade fish, when they are running water on the White and Norfork Rivers. Canoe season is over and fishing is better. 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.

THINGS ARE NOT ALWAYS WHAT YOU THINK BY JOHN BERRY

Often when you are fly fishing things are not always what they seem to be. There are times when the trout will fool you or make you imagine something is happening, when it not.

Just the other day I was fishing with a client at Rim Shoals on high water. The fishing had been good in the morning but the bite had dropped off in the afternoon. We were fishing double fly rigs (pink San Juan worms and eggs) with a lot of lead and a strike indicator. We were drifting near the bottom of the Catch and Release section, when we had a violent take. The trout took off like a scalded dog taking us almost to the backing on the first run.

My client, Abel, was very new to fly fishing (it was his second day), so I was beside him in the boat and was carefully coaching him on how the fight the powerful fish. The fish hugged the bottom of the river and took run after run away from the boat. He came perilously close to the chain I was dragging, so I hauled it in to prevent the trout from wrapping it and getting tangled or worse yet breaking off.

As the fight went on, we drifted downstream. I looked up and noticed that we were heading for a very shallow stretch that had a pretty rocky bottom. I moved to the back of the boat and moved my motors lower unit up out of the water to prevent any damage to my propeller. After about a solid fifteen minute fight that included several long runs, we finally got the fish to the net. When we got a good look at him, we were surprised to see that the trout was only sixteen inches long. It had fought valiantly and convinced us that it was much larger than it was. We surmised that the trout thought that he was bigger than he was.

On another occasion, I was wade fishing with my longest standing client, Richard. We were on the Norfork River on low water. I had taken him to my favorite big fish hole. A year or two previous to this occasion he had landed the biggest brown trout that he had ever caught in this particular hole. It is a spot that I spend at least thirty minutes in every time that I wade the Norfork. It has produced some spectacular fish for me and my clients over the years.

This occasion was no different. As the morning went by, we caught about four or five quality fish in the eighteen to twenty one inch range, in this hole. The problem was that the trout were holding in heavy cover and we lost a fly for just about every fish that we caught. In fact, it seemed that the only way that we got the fly back was, if the fish took it. Despite the loss of the flies we kept fishing in the heavy cover.

Every time Richard got hung up he would hand me the rod to see, if I could get it out. Sometimes it would work and other times it would not. On one occasion, Richard was hung up and violently pulled the rod up and down in a vain attempt to loosen it. He handed me the rod and I waded upstream a bit to see if I could free it by changing the angle of attack. I was pulling and jerking on it. When I was about ready to break the tippet, I felt movement on the end of the line.

I quickly handed the rod back to Richard and told him he had a fish on. The trout took an immediate long run. It must have taken the fly and settled in the heavy cover. Our attempts to loosen the fly eventually caused him to move out of the cover. It was a sustained fight in heavy water that ultimately resulted in the fat twenty four inch brown surrendering to the net.

In both of these instances things did not turn out to be what they seemed. It is what makes fly fishing for trout so interesting.

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 10/16/15

During the past week, we have had a minor rain, cooler temperatures and moderate winds. The lake level at Bull Shoals fell three and seven tenths feet to rest at seven feet above seasonal power pool of 659 feet. This is twenty nine feet below the top of flood pool. Upstream, Table Rock fell eight tenths of a foot to rest at three feet below seasonal power pool and seventeen feet below the top of flood pool. Beaver Lake fell five tenths of a foot to rest at three and six tenths feet above seasonal power pool and six feet below the top of flood pool. On the White, we had high levels of generation with no wadable water. Norfork Lake fell two and one tenth feet to rest at four and five tenths feet above seasonal power pool of 553.75 feet and nineteen and six tenths feet below the top of flood pool. On the Norfork, we had no wadable water and heavy generation around the clock.

The water level for the top of power pool has been reset for the lakes in the White River system. Most of the lakes on this system are well above seasonal power pool and are falling. We can expect high levels of generation for the next month.

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 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 (my current favorite is a hot fluorescent pink or cerise San Juan worm with an orange egg 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 4X) 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 Buffalo National River and Crooked Creek are low and clear. With the mild 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 has fished much better of late now that the lake level has dropped enough to prevent the leakage around the flood gate that was being repaired. It has had no wadable water. 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 cerise worm with an egg 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). Despite the construction you can still visit the 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 is navigable. This is a great place to wade fish, when they are running water on the White and Norfork Rivers. Canoe season is over and fishing is better. 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.

TERRIFIC TROUT WITH LONG-TIME CLIENTS, GLEN AND TOMMY!

Good trout, Tommy!

GREAT TROUT, GREAT DAY ON THE WATER WITH GREAT CLIENT, CHRYS!

FLY FISHING OLD SCHOOL ON DRY RUN CREEK BY JOHN BERRY

I guide quite a bit on Dry Run Creek and know it well. I generally take children under sixteen but last week I had an adult client with mobility issues. The first thing that I asked Jerry was whether or not he had an Arkansas disabled fishing license, which is required for an adult to fish there. He assured me that he did. I had not guided an adult on Dry Run Creek in several years. The last time was when I was guiding a group of disabled veterans for Project Wounded Warrior. We got permission from the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission to take them there.

Jerry arrived at 9:00 AM and I was waiting for him. I already had my waders on and I was ready to catch some trout. He was able to make his way to the wheelchair casting platform on the board walk, with the aid of a walker, which had a seat built in for him to sit on while he fished.

He handed me his rod tube and I was surprised to see that it contained a fine vintage bamboo fly rod. I usually think of bamboo rods for fishing dainty dry flies on small mountain streams but this one was an eight foot six weight. He then handed me a fine Bogdan fly reel. I knew that they were rare and valuable but didn’t know how valuable until I found one like his on eBay for $2,500.00. The reel contained a braided silk line also rare and valuable. The whole rig was very old school and was a fine representation of the best of nineteenth century technology. I strung the rod and put on a fresh leader, tippet, fly and strike indicator.

In addition to having the finest and rarest fishing equipment that I had ever encountered, Jerry was one of the best anglers that I have guided in some time. He was able to cast, mend, set the hook and fight big fish from a seated position. This is not an easy thing to do. He caught a nice twenty three inch male brown on the second cast. I started off standing next to him on the platform and scrambled down to the creek to net and release the trout. It quickly became apparent that he was going to catch a lot of fish and I was going to wear myself climbing in and out of the river. So I just stayed down on the creek and netted and released trout after trout.

 

A little after noon we stopped for lunch. We found a nice picnic table in the shade with a view of the creek. While we were there, Jerry commented that he needed a rod with more back bone for the large fish that we were catching. He broke down the rod he was fishing and pulled another rod out of his car. It was a fine eight foot seven weight vintage bamboo and he put another Bogdan fly reel with another braided silk line on it. I was impressed that he had not one but two incredible old school fishing rigs. 

We returned to the creek and finished the day. We hooked a lot of quality fish mostly browns. The biggest we landed was an incredibly fat twenty five inch male brown that was spectacularly colored. We hooked some larger trout, up to thirty inches long but were unable to land them. Jerry kept count and he hooked sixty five trout and landed thirty one. Considering how large they were that was a pretty good percentage. I believe there were over a dozen trout that were twenty four inches or better.

 Jerry was able to have a great day fishing old school, despite dealing with mobility issues. 

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