When I am working at Blue Ribbon Fly Shop, the most common question that I hear is, where can I wade on the White or Norfork River? For the last few months, the answer has basically been the same. You can’t wade anywhere. They are running too much water. We had a very wet spring and now six months later we still have a lot of water in the lakes. Both Bull Shoals and Norfork are still in flood pool. When the lakes are in flood pool, the Corps of Engineers are going to aggressively draw the lake levels down. That is what is happening now.
The good news is that they are getting close to finishing that task. Bull Shoals is about twelve feet above the bottom of flood pool and is dropping about three and a half feet a week. We should be out of flood pool in about four weeks. Norfork is about seven feet away from the bottom of flood pool and is dropping about two feet a week. Theoretically we should be out of the woods in five weeks. I must point out that this is my calculation and no guarantee for wadable water.
In the meantime, local anglers are getting pretty tired of high water and are ready for some fall wade fishing. The whole thing is exacerbated by the arrival of a few hundred attendees of the Federation of Fly Fishers Southern Council Fly Fishing Fair (I still think of it as conclave) expecting some fishable water and compliant trout. To all of you I suggest the following alternatives.
Hire a guide and fish the White or Norfork tailwaters. Our local guides are accustomed to fishing high water from a boat and can make your day of angling memorable. Fishing from a boat has been very productive lately. We have not been catching as many fish but have been catching better fish on average.
If you must wade fish one of our local streams, try fishing for smallmouth on Crooked Creek. There is a great spot at Kelley Slab just outside Yellville, Arkansas. There is a nice long section of water there at the Fred Berry Nature Center. Be aware that they lock the gate at 4:00 PM. If your car is inside the gate, you may be stuck there for a while. My wife, Lori, and I always park outside the gate and walk to the creek. It is a bit of a walk but it beats being stuck. The fly of choice is the Clouser minnow.
Another local stream is the North Fork of the White. This is the river above Norfork Dam (below the dam it is the Norfork tailwater). It is located in Southern Missouri not far from Mountain Home, Arkansas. There is limited walk-in access and it is best floated by kayak or canoe. There are several outfitters there. It is a spring-fed trout stream that holds some nice fish. Be aware that felt soles are illegal in Missouri to prevent an infestation of didymo. The flies of choice are stonefly nymphs and prince nymphs.
The Spring River is about an hour and a half away to the east. It is a natural spring fed stream that is stocked with trout but also has walleye and chain pickerel. There is plenty of walk-in access but be advised that there is a lot of bedrock on the bottom that can get pretty slick. I recommend studded boots. This is a magic stream to me. I caught my first trout on a fly rod there and I also met Lori there. My fly of choice is the olive woolly bugger.
Finally there is the Little Red River that is a couple of hours south of here. The lake there is low and they have not begun generation until around 3:00 PM allowing for a full day of fishing. I went down a few weeks ago and had a great time. We caught plenty fish and the wading was excellent. My fly of choice was the sowbug.
As you see there is plenty of wade fishing nearby. A short drive puts you on some really good water. Quit complaining and go fishing!
John Berry is a fly fishing guide in Cotter, Arkansas and has fished our local streams for over thirty years.
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