JOHN BERRY FISHING REPORT 1/27/2017

During the past week, we have had a minor rain event (a quarter of an inch here in Cotter), cold temperatures and heavy winds (to include lake wind advisories). The lake level at Bull Shoals rose three tenths of a foot to rest at nine feet below seasonal power pool of 659 feet. This is forty five feet below the top of flood pool. Upstream, Table Rock remained steady at seven and six tenths feet below seasonal power pool and twenty three and six tenths feet below the top of flood pool. Beaver Lake rose two tenths of a foot to rest at nine and three tenths feet below seasonal power pool and eighteen and nine tenth feet below the top of flood pool. On the White, we had more wadable water mixed with periods of moderate generation. Norfork Lake rose two tenths of a foot to rest at five and eight tenths feet below seasonal power pool of 553.75 feet and thirty two feet below the top of flood pool. On the Norfork, we had low levels of generation with more wadable water.

Seasonal power pool has been reset for the lakes in the White River system. All of the lakes on this system are below seasonable power pool. With colder weather and a higher demand for power, we should see less wadable water.

The Catch and Release section below Bull Shoals Dam is closed from November 1, 2016 to January 31, 2017 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 bite has been spotty. Some days have been excellent and some poor. The hot spot has been Rim Shoals. We have had more wadable 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 hare and copper nymph (#14) with a ruby midge (#18) suspended below it).

The best bet for large trout has been to bang the bank with large articulated streamers delivered with heavy twenty four to thirty foot sink tips (350 grains or heavier) on bigger water. You will need an eight or nine weight rod. This is heavy work but the rewards can be great.

The Buffalo National River and Crooked Creek are navigable. With cold weather the smallmouths are much less active. My favorite fly is a Clouser minnow. 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.

There has been more wadable water 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. My favorite rig has been a yellow egg with a root beer midge dropper. 

Dry Run Creek has been less crowded with the colder weather. A large number of brown trout have moved into the creek. 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 Spring River is fishing well. 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. 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.

WEDNESDAY IS OPENING DAY BY JOHN BERRY

As many of you know, the Catch and Release Section below Bull Shoals Dam on the White River has been closed to all fishing from November 1, 2016 until January 31, 2017 to protect the brown trout spawn. On February 1, 2017 this section will be open to fishing again.

This section normally holds a large population of large fish (particularly rainbows) but during the spawn that population is augmented by a large number of mature browns that have traveled up to twenty miles upriver to spawn there. During this time, the browns have been spawning and they do not eat. Let’s think about this. We have a large population of big trout that have not been fished over in three months and the big browns have not eaten during the spawn.

This sounds like the kind of place that I would like to fish. The problem is that this situation appeals to a lot of anglers. This is the best opportunity to land a big brown or a rainbow, for that matter, and a lot of anglers know it. If you fish there on opening day, you will have company and a lot of it. It doesn’t matter whether there is low or high water. They will come.

I have fished it several times and have caught some nice trout doing so. I remember one year, when the water was low, I arrived at the dam an hour before sunrise in order to claim a prime hole only to discover a half dozen anglers fishing the spot I wanted to fish. I managed to fish around them and land a couple of nice trout. I later learned that it was a group of guides from North Carolina that basically fished from that gravel bar for a week. They arrived at midnight and only left the water to use the bathroom. I think they slept in their waders. The rest of the Catch and Release Section was covered with anglers for several days.

Low water is not the only condition that draws lots of anglers to opening day. High water also brings out the crowds. I call it an anything that floats day. I have seen just about every watercraft known to man fishing at the Catch and Release Section on opening day. I have noticed the usual White River Jon boats, drift boats, kick boats, and canoes. I have seen more than a couple of bass boats and at least one Boston Whaler. The bigger boats, particularly the bass boats can throw up quite a wake.

My wife, Lori, and I fished it, on high water, a few years ago, we arrived at mid-morning. I asked one of my guide buddies how it was going. He said that he had been fishing the Baxter County side and catching some nice browns. I looked and noted that most if not all boats were fishing the Baxter County side of the river. I decided to fish the other side because I figured that those fish had not been messed with as much. My intuition paid off and we boated several nice browns without having to deal with as many other anglers.

If you are going to fish on opening day, there are a few things to consider. One, be patient. Many of the people that are fishing there will be from out of town and they do not know what to do. They may be in your way and just not know any better. Sometimes a gentle suggestion on proper behavior will go a long way on fixing the situation. Do not over react!

Next, be polite yourself. If you are wading give other anglers plenty of room. Don’t crowd them. Do not wade through their water unless your personal safety is in jeopardy and inform them when you are doing so. If you are in a boat, pass other boats, on the opposite side, of the boat, from which they are fishing. Pass slowly so as not to put a wake on them. Remember that the downstream boat has the right of way.

Finally, if another angler has a good fish on, let them play through whether you are wading or in a boat. Pull your line from the water if needed. Remember the next big fish hooked may be yours.

I hope to see you there.

JOHN BERRY FISHING REPORT 1/20/2017

During the past week, we have had a few rain events (for a combined total of an inch here in Cotter), cold then warmer temperatures and very heavy winds (to include lake wind advisories). The lake level at Bull Shoals rose two tenths of a foot to rest at nine and three tenths feet below seasonal power pool of 659 feet. This is forty five and three tenths feet below the top of flood pool. Upstream, Table Rock rose three tenths of a foot to rest at seven and six tenths feet below seasonal power pool and twenty three and six tenths feet below the top of flood pool. Beaver Lake remained steady at nine and five tenths feet below seasonal power pool and nineteen and one tenth feet below the top of flood pool. On the White, we had a mixed bag with levels of wadable water mixed with periods of moderate generation. Norfork Lake dropped six tenths of a foot to rest at six feet below seasonal power pool of 553.75 feet and thirty two and two tenths feet below the top of flood pool. On the Norfork, we had low levels of generation with more wadable water.

Seasonal power pool has been reset for the lakes in the White River system. All of the lakes on this system are below seasonable power pool. With colder weather and a higher demand for power, we should see less wadable water.

The Catch and Release section below Bull Shoals Dam is closed from November 1, 2016 to January 31, 2017 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 bite has been spotty. Some days have been excellent and some poor. The hot spot has been Wildcat Shoals. We have had more wadable 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 hare and copper nymph (#14) with a ruby midge (#18) suspended below it).

The best bet for large trout has been to bang the bank with large articulated streamers delivered with heavy twenty four to thirty foot sink tips (350 grains or heavier) on bigger water. You will need an eight or nine weight rod. This is heavy work but the rewards can be great.

The Buffalo National River and Crooked Creek are navigable. With cold weather the smallmouths are much less active. My favorite fly is a Clouser minnow. 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.

There has been more wadable water 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. My favorite rig has been a yellow egg with a root beer midge dropper. 

Dry Run Creek has been less crowded with school back in session. A large number of brown trout have moved into the creek. 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 Spring River is fishing well. 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. 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.

HOT HAND ON THE NORFORK BY JOHN BERRY

Last Sunday I had the day off. Blue Ribbon Fly Shop was closed and I did not have a guide trip scheduled. I checked the weather and found out that the high temperature would be in the fifties with little if any wind. The rainfall originally forecast seemed to be falling well north of us in Missouri. In addition, the generation forecast called for low wadable water, on the Norfork, all day. My wife, Lori, suggested that it would be a great day for us to go fishing. I quickly agreed. Lori’s friend Sherri Poulus joined us.

We drove over to the Ackerman Access, on the Norfork. Although the parking lot was crowded, there did not seem to be many anglers there particularly upstream, in the Catch and Release section. Lori and Sherri decided to fish near the access while I headed upstream. I was fishing a Sage Light Line fly rod that I had inherited from my brother, Dan, a couple of years ago, this was my first chance to fish with it. I had a rod just like it but broke it. That is another story.

I found my favorite spot empty. I have pulled more big fish out of this hole than any other spot, on the Norfork, and I always try to spend at least an hour here, whenever I fish this river. I rigged my rod with a big yellow egg with a root beer midge below it. I quickly lost a big fish when it made a long run. I never got a good look at it but I could tell it was stout. Then I landed a decent cutthroat (around sixteen inches long). I was feeling a bit better about my chances. A few casts later I hit a really good trout. After a lengthy battle, I landed a fat twenty-inch rainbow. On the next cast, I caught its twin. That was two twenty inch rainbows in two casts. I caught a few more trout before I decided to move on.

I worked my way downstream to another spot that I like to fish. Unfortunately, there was an angler fishing near there and I did not want to crowd him. I went to another spot not too far away. Before I made a cast, I noted that he had moved out. He was sitting on the bank rerigging his rod. I walked over to the angler and asked if I could fish there. He said sure. He had not done any good and was ready to leave. I waded over to the spot and on the third cast hit a beautiful twenty-inch cutthroat. It took a while but I finally landed the fat fish. I took a minute to take a photo of the trout.

I asked if he wanted to try the spot. I had my fun and was ready to share. I took a minute to show him how I was rigged and exactly how I had fished the hole. It was time to check on Lori and Sherri. I began fishing my way out and picked up a few more trout. When I had almost caught up to them I hooked and l hooked and landed a Bonneville Cutthroat.

These are the trout that Trout Unlimited had planted in the Norfork and White Rivers as eggs a few years ago, this is the first one I have caught in some time and it was magnificent. It was a fat eleven inch cut with spectacular blood red fins and vivid slashes under its chin. It was the most beautiful cut that I had ever caught. I wanted to take a photo but I was in heavy water and did not want to take a chance of injuring it.

I linked up with the girls. They had not done as well as I had so we walked back upstream where I had fished earlier. By then I felt like I had caught enough. I sat on the bank and watched them fish. They caught several but no big fish. Around five o’clock we headed out.

It had been a great day and I had the hot hand. I even out fished Lori. Life is good!

PEG'S MIDGE

THANKS, DENNIS, FOR YOUR FLY TIE OF THE WEEK!

THE SOWBUG ROUNDUP FLY TYING CONTEST IS ON THE WAY BY JOHN BERRY

As many of you know, the Sowbug Roundup is the biggest, most respected fly tying show in the Southeast and one of the most important fly tying shows in the United States. It draws tyers from all over the country and several other countries. It is sponsored by the North Arkansas Fly Fishers (our local fly fishing club) and the proceeds are used for local scholarships and other educational projects. It is scheduled for March 23, 24 and 25, 2017 at the Baxter County Fairgrounds.

I am a member of the Sowbug Roundup Committee and my job is to put on the fly tying contest. The idea is to recognize the best tyers among us. Many times, there are great tyers out there that we just do not know about. This is a great way, for those tyers, to be recognized. I received the first submission to the Sowbug Roundup Fly Tying Contest this week.

If you have been thinking about entering, then you need to get moving. Though the Sowbug Roundup is in late March, the deadline for submitting entries to the Fly Tying Contest is February, 15 2017.  The deadline is several weeks before the show because we need time to judge the flies and pick the winners. We also need time to take the winning flies and have a fly plate made to be auctioned off at the shindig on March, 24 2017. The shindig is a party to thank our fly tyers on the Fridaynight at the Sowbug Roundup. It is a festive affair.

 You definitely need to get started now because the entry must be postmarked no later than February, 15 2017. You should mail your entries to me, John Berry, at 408 Combs Ave. Cotter, AR 72626. If you would prefer to hand deliver them, drop them off at Blue Ribbon Fly Shop at 1343 East 9^th Street Mountain Home, Arkansas 72653.

You need to tie two identical flies (same size, color and shape) and submit them along with tying instructions. You must tie the flies yourself. They cannot be purchased. You cannot use any insect parts to tie the fly. The flies must be in one of the following categories, dry fly, nymph, wet fly, streamer, warm water, smallmouth bass, bass, saltwater, and salmon/steelhead. We will award a winner in each category and a best in show. You can enter as many categories as you like. You can win in multiple categories. There is no fee for entry.

The winners will receive a plaque commemorating their victory. This is the ultimate accessory to hang above your fly tying desk. My only regret is that as a member of the fly tying contest committee I am ineligible to compete.

You still have a month to tie your flies and get them to me. You cannot win if you do not enter!

JOHN BERRY FISHING REPORT 1/13/2017

During the past week, we have had a trace of rain, brutally cold then warmer temperatures and very heavy winds (to include several days of lake wind advisories). The lake level at Bull Shoals fell eight tenths of a foot to rest at nine and five tenths feet below seasonal power pool of 659 feet. This is forty five and five tenths feet below the top of flood pool. Upstream, Table Rock fell three tenths of a foot to rest at seven and nine tenths feet below seasonal power pool and twenty three and nine tenths feet below the top of flood pool. Beaver Lake fell three tenths of a foot to rest at nine and five tenths feet below seasonal power pool and nineteen and one tenth feet below the top of flood pool. On the White, we had a mixed bag with levels of wadable water mixed with periods of moderate generation. Norfork Lake dropped eight tenths of a foot to rest at five and four tenths feet below seasonal power pool of 553.75 feet and thirty one and six tenths feet below the top of flood pool. On the Norfork, we had low levels of generation with much less wadable water.

Seasonal power pool has been reset for the lakes in the White River system. All of the lakes on this system are below seasonable power pool. With colder weather and a higher demand for power, we should see less wadable water.

The Catch and Release section below Bull Shoals Dam is closed from November 1, 2016 to January 31, 2017 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 bite has been spotty. Some days have been excellent and some poor. The hot spot has been Rim Shoals. We have had more wadable 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 hare and copper nymph (#14) with a ruby midge (#18) suspended below it).

The best bet for large trout has been to bang the bank with large articulated streamers delivered with heavy twenty four to thirty foot sink tips (350 grains or heavier) on bigger water. You will need an eight or nine weight rod. This is heavy work but the rewards can be great.

The Buffalo National River and Crooked Creek are navigable. With cold weather the smallmouths are much less active. My favorite fly is a Clouser minnow. 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.

There has been much less wadable water 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. My favorite fly has been an orange egg. 

Dry Run Creek has been less crowded with school back in session. A large number of brown trout have moved into the creek. 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 Spring River is fishing well. 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. 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.

THE WOOLLY BUGGER BY JOHN BERRY

Is the humble woolly bugger the best fly ever? For a fly that gets little respect, it certainly catches a lot of fish. It is easy to tie. I generally make it the first fly learned, when I teach a fly tying class. It is easy to fish. You don’t have to watch the fly or an indicator to know when you get a take. There is that beautiful resounding bump, when a fish hits it. It is not a one trick pony. I have caught more species of fish, on it, than any other fly that I have ever fished. This includes four species of trout, red fish, speckled sea trout, shark, flounder, smallmouth bass, largemouth bass, bream and crappie, to name a few. It is one, of our best selling flies, here at Blue Ribbon Fly Shop.

I was first introduced, to the woolly bugger, over thirty five years ago, when fishing with my brother, Dan, on the Little Red River, while camping at John F. Kennedy Park. He gave me a few and told me that it was a new fly that he had been introduced to, by a friend. I asked how to fish it and he said “just put it in the water and it will work”. I caught a quick dozen rainbows on it and was enamored with the woolly bugger immediately. Over time, I refined my technique, to fishing it on a downstream swing with a varied retrieve.

For the next ten years, I hardly fished any other fly. In 1991, I was the president of the Mid South Fly Fishers, the Federation of Fly Fishers club in Memphis, Tennessee. We had Lefty Kreh in as a guest speaker. As a joke, they had Lefty present me a plaque as the “bugger of the year”. I still have a photo of Lefty presenting me the award and cherish it.

After a while, I was lured more to fishing with dry flies, nymphs and emergers. I would fish woolly buggers on occasion but I generally fished other flies. This has caught up with me, on a few occasions.

On one occasion, I was preparing to fish the North Fork of the White River, for the first time. I talked to Brian Wise and most of the other guides that fish it regularly, to ask them what flies, to use. The answer came back the same, stonefly nymphs and prince nymphs. I searched through all of my fly boxes until I found the flies that I had bought, for a trip, to Montana, a few years before. Then when I was on stream I was severely out fished, by my wife, Lori, who was using an olive woolly bugger.

Then just a couple of months ago, I was fishing with Lori’s sister, Terri, and her husband, Larry, at Roundhouse Shoals here in Cotter. It is a spot only four blocks from my house and I fish it often. I was fishing my favorite double fly rig, a cerise San Juan worm with a ruby midge dropper. This has been my most productive rig for months and I was quite comfortable fishing it. My only problem was that it just wasn’t working. No fly works every time. At the same time, Terri and Larry were having a remarkable day fishing woolly buggers. I was humbled and I switched over to an olive woolly bugger and immediately began to catch trout. The woolly bugger saved the day!

No matter what your level of angling experience, do not forget the woolly bugger. Don’t leave home without it.

JOHN BERRY FISHING REPORT 1/06/2017

During the past week, we have had a trace of rain, a trace of snow, brutally cold temperatures and heavy winds. The lake level at Bull Shoals fell two tenths of a foot to rest at eight and seven tenths feet below seasonal power pool of 659 feet. This is forty four and seven tenths feet below the top of flood pool. Upstream, Table Rock fell two tenths of a foot to rest at seven and six tenths feet below seasonal power pool and twenty three and six tenths feet below the top of flood pool. Beaver Lake fell four tenths of a foot to rest at nine and two tenths feet below seasonal power pool and eighteen and eight tenths feet below the top of flood pool. On the White, we had a mixed bag with levels of wadable water mixed with periods of moderate generation. Norfork Lake dropped one and one tenth of a foot to rest at four and six tenths feet below seasonal power pool of 553.75 feet and thirty and eight tenths feet below the top of flood pool. On the Norfork, we had low levels of generation with much less wadable water.

Seasonal power pool has been reset for the lakes in the White River system. All of the lakes on this system are below seasonable power pool. With colder weather and a higher demand for power, we should see less wadable water.

The Catch and Release section below Bull Shoals Dam is closed from November 1, 2016 to January 31, 2017 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 bite has been spotty. Some days have been excellent and some poor. The hot spot has been Wildcat Shoals. We have had more wadable 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 hare and copper nymph (#14) with a ruby midge (#18) suspended below it).

The best bet for large trout has been to bang the bank with large articulated streamers delivered with heavy twenty four to thirty foot sink tips (350 grains or heavier) on bigger water. You will need an eight or nine weight rod. This is heavy work but the rewards can be great.

The Buffalo National River and Crooked Creek are navigable. With cold weather the smallmouths are much less active. My favorite fly is a Clouser minnow. 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.

There has been much less wadable water 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. My favorite fly has been an orange egg. 

Dry Run Creek has been less crowded with school back in session. A large number of brown trout have moved into the creek. 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 Spring River is fishing well. 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. 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.

WATCH DENNIS TIE THE NUKE EGG

HERE'S DENNIS TYING MATT'S MIDGE