THE SULPHURS ARE COMING BY JOHN BERRY

The caddis hatch is, on the wane. I must say that I truly enjoyed it. For once, we had near perfect water conditions. We were blessed with low flows for most, of the time, the caddis were hatching. I was lucky enough to catch it several times and was even able to fish it myself, on three occasions. There is nothing more rewarding than sight casting to a big trout and having them take your dry fly. I was also able to put my clients on some great hatchs and have them take trout on dry flies.

Now it is time, for the sulphur hatch. This is our premier mayfly hatch, of the year, and it generally occurs during May and June. This is a solid size fourteen yellow orange mayfly. It is best imitated, with a copper John or pheasant tail nymph, for the nymphal stage, a partridge and orange soft hackle, for the emergence, and a sulphur parachute, for the adult stage. All should be in size sixteen and fourteen.

I generally fish the pheasant tail nymph before the hatch begins. This is when the nymphs will be more active. Once I see trout feeding, on the surface, but see no insects, I will switch over to the partridge and orange soft hackle. Then, when I see trout taking insects from the surface, I switch over to a dry fly, to match the adult. I often find that I catch more trout, on the nymph or the soft hackle. I will occasionally fish them, when the trout are keying in, on the adults. The only problem is that there is nothing that gets my adrenaline pumping, like the take, of a dry fly.

There are a few things to keep in mind, if you want to maximize your success, when fishing dries. The key is to present the fly, with a perfect drag free float. You want to mend effectively. If the fly is in fast water and the fly line is in slow water, you will mend the line downstream. If the fly is in slow water and the line is in fast water, you should mend upstream. The trick is to not move the fly, when you make your mend.

Line control, is also very important. The line has to have enough slack in it for you to achieve a perfect drag free float. At the same time, the line has to be tight enough for you to be able to set the hook. The key here is to fish as short a line as possible. The more line you have out the more likely you are to have excess slack. The more slack you have the more difficult it is, to set the hook. There are a lot of anglers out there who are just not happy unless they are casting as much line as they possibly can.  I usually only fish about twenty feet and I catch plenty of trout.

Now, what is the prediction for the upcoming sulphur hatch? We have had a lot of rain lately (it is raining, as I write this) and the lakes are on the rise. When I checked the lake levels this morning, I noted that they were all up several feet and were well into flood pool. That tells me that we are going to get more generation and have less wadable water. It is hard to fish dries on high water. That means that we will be fishing more sulphur nymphs than dry flies, in the coming days.

JOHN BERRY FISHING REPORT 04/30/2017

During the past week, we have had several rain events (combined for five inches here in Cotter, with more on the way to include a flash flood watch), warm temperatures and heavy winds (to include lake wind advisories). The lake level at Bull Shoals rose nine feet to rest at six and three tenths feet above seasonal power pool of 659 feet. This is twenty nine and eight tenths feet below the top of flood pool. Upstream, Table Rock rose six and four tenths feet to rest at four and four tenths feet above seasonal power pool and eleven and six tenths feet below the top of flood pool. Beaver Lake rose nine feet to rest at six and three tenths feet above seasonal power pool and three and three tenths feet below the top of flood pool. On the White, we had wadable water with some generation. Norfork Lake rose nine feet to rest at six and seven 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 less generation with more wadable water.

Seasonal power pool has been reset for the lakes in the White River system. All of the lakes in the White River System are over power pool and rising. We should expect a lot of generation with little if any wadable water in the near future.

On the White, the bite has been spotty. Some days have been excellent and some poor. The hot spot has been the 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 water below Crooked Creek and the Buffalo River is high and heavily stained.

Caddis season is on the wane. This is our best hatch of the year and it is still here. I fished the caddis hatch on the Norfork, with great success. Before the hatch when the trout are feeding on the surface but you see no insects use a soft hackle like my green butt or a partridge and orange. When the trout begin to target insects, on the surface of the water, switch over to an elk hair caddis. Match your fly to the hatching insect based on size, shape and color.

The Buffalo National River and Crooked Creek are at flood and are not navigable. With the warmer weather the smallmouths should be more 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 and it has fished a bit better particularly if you can catch the caddis hatch. 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 16 elk hair caddis). The fishing is better in the morning. My favorite rig has been a hare and copper nymph with a ruby midge dropper.

Dry Run Creek has been very crowded due to spring break. 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 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 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.

I DID NOT WANT TO LIKE IT BY JOHN BERRY

I have been around the fly fishing business for a long time and have seen a lot of new gear come and go. I watch the major rod manufacturers come out with new models every year accompanied with a hundred dollar increase. Over four decades of fly fishing I have seen little real improvement in the cast ability of these rods. My favorite fly rod is a Sage Light Line nine foot four weight that is well over thirty years old. I have not found a new rod that is its equal. I fished it yesterday on the Norfork. 

Therefore there is a bit of skepticism, whenever I note a new piece of gear that is going to rock my world. This happened recently, when Yeti coolers hit the market. I was amazed with how expensive they were. The least expensive one cost $249.95. Of course I already had half dozen nice coolers. It is impressive that they are bear proof containers. But do I really need that? All of my fellow guides swear by them. 

Then a couple of years ago I was guiding an angler that brought his own Yeti (a Roadie) with him to carry his soft drinks. At the end of the day he asked me if I wanted it in lieu of a tip. It didn’t take me too long to figure out that it was a great deal. He had won the cooler the previous day at a shooting clays tournament and already owned two. I gratefully accepted it and began using it on my guide trips. While I found it a bit heavy, I was amazed at how cool it would keep food and drinks. The Roadie was the smallest Yeti made and I don’t see how these guys are lugging around the bigger ones. I found out that they don’t move them. They use it as a rowing platform in their boats. 

I thought that it would be a great cooler for my wife, Lori, to use on her guide trips. It was just too heavy for her to lug around. About that time, Yeti came out with a soft side cooler, the hopper. I checked it out but did not like the way the zipper was on the top. It was hard to put things in and take them out. Then recently Yeti came out, with the Hopper Flip 12. It had a three way zipper that gave easy access to its contents and was quite a bit lighter than my Roadie. 

The problem was that it cost $279.95. I don’t know if you are aware of the fact that I am a bit cheap. It corroded my soul to pay that much. Luckily I had some Orvis reward points that I cashed in for it. Lori has really enjoyed it and uses it on her guide trips. She also takes it on road trips when she attends dog shows. 

I have since also acquired two 10 ounce tumblers and two 20 ounce tumblers for Lori and me. I have found the 20 ounce tumblers the most useful. They fit in the cup holders of my Suburban (the 10 ounce tumblers don’t) and they keep two mugs of coffee hot all day. I can enjoy the hot coffee I made that morning, when I come off the river after a long day of fishing. 

I did not want to like Yeti products but I find myself using them every day.

JOHN BERRY FISHING REPORT 4/21/2017

During the past week, we have had several rain events (combined for an inch and a half here in Cotter), warm temperatures and heavy winds (to include lake wind advisories). The lake level at Bull Shoals fell one and two tenths feet to rest at two and seven tenths feet below seasonal power pool of 659 feet. This is thirty eight and seven tenths feet below the top of flood pool. Upstream, Table Rock rose five tenths of a foot to rest at two feet below seasonal power pool and eighteen feet below the top of flood pool. Beaver Lake rose nine tenths of a foot to rest at two and seven tenths feet below seasonal power pool and twelve and seven tenths feet below the top of flood pool. On the White, we had wadable water with some generation. Norfork Lake rose six tenths of a foot to rest at two and three tenths feet below seasonal power pool of 553.75 feet and twenty eight and five tenths feet below the top of flood pool. On the Norfork, we had less 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.

On the White, the bite has been spotty. Some days have been excellent and some poor. The hot spot has been the 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).

Caddis season is on the wane. This is our best hatch of the year and it is still here. I fished the caddis hatch on the Norfork, with great success. With the lower lake levels we should have perfect flows to target this hatch. Before the hatch when the trout are feeding on the surface but you see no insects use a soft hackle like my green butt or a partridge and orange. When the trout begin to target insects, on the surface of the water, switch over to an elk hair caddis. Match your fly to the hatching insect based on size, shape and color.

The Buffalo National River and Crooked Creek are a bit high and off color. With the warmer weather the smallmouths should be more 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 but it has fished a bit better particularly if you can catch the caddis hatch. 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 16 elk hair caddis). The fishing is better in the morning. My favorite rig has been a hare and copper nymph with a ruby midge dropper.

Dry Run Creek has been very crowded due to spring break. 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.

NO HATCH, NO PROBLEM BY JOHN BERRY

This year we have had conditions that have been favorable to fish dry flies, particularly the spring caddis hatch, which is our best longest lasting hatch of the year. The trick, as always, is to be on stream, when the insects are coming off. My favorite way to fly fish for trout is to fish dry flies. Therefore, I went to the Norfork the other day in search of the caddis hatch. 

My wife, Lori, accompanied me as did her sister, Terri, and her husband, Larry. Terri and Larry are avid fly fishers and frequent guests at our home, in Cotter. We began our Sundayfishing trip with a hearty breakfast at the White Sands Restaurant. As my late brother, Dan, used to say, “You need a couple of sausage gravy biscuits to keep your feet in the gravel”. 

Conditions were near perfect. It was sunny with a bit of wind and a high temperature in the low seventies. The water was at minimum flow and the prediction was for no generation for the entire day. To our surprise, the Ackerman Access was not very crowded. We had expected a much larger crowd on a day this near perfect. 

We waded up stream into the Catch and Release section. There were no caddis coming off. I was determined to fish dry flies. I had my favorite fly rod, a thirty year old Sage light Line nine foot four weight that had originally belonged to Dan. I had rigged it with a seven and a half foot leader and a five foot 5X tippet with a size sixteen olive elk hair caddis with an application of fly floatant. 

Though there was no active hatch, I figured that the trout would be looking up. Therefore I began casting not at rising trout but at spots, where I expected them to be. After three casts, I was rewarded, with a nice fat seventeen inch rainbow. A few more casts and I landed an even fatter nineteen inch rainbow. I was on a roll. Lori noticed my success and joined in on fishing dries. She didn’t have the same fly as I was fishing, so I gave her one. She had quick success. 

About that time Terri and Larry arrived. They had been fishing downstream with limited success. I showed them, how I was fishing, and they quickly rigged their rods accordingly. I gave them my spot and I went looking for new water to fish. Larry was into a good trout as I walked out. 

I found a likely spot and began fishing in earnest. I hooked a nice fourteen inch rainbow and as I was bringing it in a Great Blue Heron decided that it looked like lunch. I gave him a shout and he gave up the chase. I caught several more trout there. Meanwhile Lori was having success nearby. 

About this time, Larry hit a big fish. It was a huge Rainbow that was fat and in excess of twenty four inches long. The fight went on for quite a while. A drift boat that was floating through dropped anchor upstream so that it would not interfere with his fight. As luck would have it, the fish slipped the hook at Larry’s feet. He was stoked over the trout but disappointed for not landing it. I have been there before! 

Success had eluded Terri. But her time had come. She rerigged to my green butt soft hackle and was immediately into trout. Lori and I had caught enough and we were ready to go home. Terri and Larry stayed on-stream for a while, so that Terri could catch up, with our success. The trout cooperated. 

You don’t always have to have an active hatch to fish dry flies. Sometimes the trout are looking up and will fall for a well presented fly.

JOHN BERRY FISHING REPORT 4/14/2017

During the past week, we have had no rain, warm temperatures and heavy winds (to include lake wind advisories). The lake level at Bull Shoals fell one tenth of a foot to rest at three and nine tenths feet below seasonal power pool of 659 feet. This is thirty nine and nine tenths feet below the top of flood pool. Upstream, Table Rock rose four tenths of a foot to rest at two and six tenths feet below seasonal power pool and eighteen and six tenths feet below the top of flood pool. Beaver Lake rose four tenths of a foot to rest at three and six tenths feet below seasonal power pool and thirteen and two tenths feet below the top of flood pool. On the White, we had wadable water with some generation. Norfork Lake rose one and nine tenths feet to rest at two and nine tenths feet below seasonal power pool of 553.75 feet and twenty nine and one tenth feet below the top of flood pool. On the Norfork, we had less 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.

On the White, the bite has been spotty. Some days have been excellent and some poor. The hot spot has been the 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).

Caddis season is upon us. This is our best hatch of the year and it is still here. I fished the caddis hatch on the Norfork, with great success. With the lower lake levels we should have perfect flows to target this hatch. Before the hatch when the trout are feeding on the surface but you see no insects use a soft hackle like my green butt or a partridge and orange. When the trout begin to target insects, on the surface of the water, switch over to an elk hair caddis. Match your fly to the hatching insect based on size, shape and color.

The Buffalo National River and Crooked Creek are navigable. With the warmer weather the smallmouths should be more 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 but it has fished a bit better particularly if you can catch the caddis hatch. 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 16 elk hair caddis). The fishing is better in the morning. My favorite rig has been a hare and copper nymph with a ruby midge dropper.

Dry Run Creek has been very crowded due to spring break. 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.

FISHING IN THE RAIN BY JOHN BERRY

Anyone that has looked out the window the past few days has realized that we have had a bit of rain. I have spent quite some time out, in it. Guiding is a rain or shine event. When someone flies in from San Antonio they are not looking for excuses for not fishing like it is raining. They only want to know, when you are going to pick them up at the lodge and do you have lunch with you. I really don’t mind fishing, in the rain. I have the world’s largest collection of rain jackets and I am of the opinion that the fish are already wet and just don’t care.

I had a two day corporate trip for River Ridge Inn this week. On Monday, I picked Mike and Jackson up at 7:30 AM and headed for Rim Shoals. The water was on the bottom at minimum flow but there was to be major generation later in the day. The temperature was cool but the weather forecast promised warmer temperatures, rain and heavy winds (to include lake wind advisories).

We began with a casting lesson for Jackson. Mike had been out with me a few times in the past and was a competent caster. The going was a little slow and there were a few tangles in the beginning. We kept at it and caught some nice trout.

After a while, it began to rain and the wind picked up. At times, the rain came in hard and heavy. It was being blown in sideways. For a while, it felt like I was back, in Viet Nam, during the monsoon. Mike’s rain jacket began to fail. It was leaking like a sieve. I motored back to the ramp and got a spare jacket out, of my Suburban. I always carry spares, when I am guiding and the forecast calls for rain. He was way more comfortable. The rain would ebb and flow sometimes torrential and sometimes it would quit altogether for a while.

The fishing improved during all of this. About this time, Mike hooked a good fish. It was acting like a big brown, hugging the bottom and pulling out line. It took a jump and we all got a good look at it. It was a twenty four inch fat male brown trout. Mike took his time and eventually got it in. We took several photos and carefully released it.

Meanwhile Jackson had been catching trout. He had cast out and had somehow tangled his line into another line that had a huge strike indicator on it. I was up front in the boat trying to untangle the other line, when I realized that there was a fish, on it. I went to the back of the boat and grabbed my boat net. It took a minute but I managed to net the fish.

It was a huge eight or nine pound sucker that had been hooked in the tail. It had obviously broken free of another angler with a significant amount of tackle trailing behind it. Many anglers consider suckers to be trash fish. I always appreciate a good fight. It took me a while to untangle the two lines. We did pause for a photo of the sucker and then released it.

The water came up and the wind got crazy heavy. The trout shut down and we decided to head in. It had been a productive day despite the weather.

JOHN BERRY FISHING REPORT 4/7/2017

During the past week, we have had several rain events (combined for about an inch here in Cotter), warmer temperature and heavy winds (to include lake wind advisories on several days). The lake level at Bull Shoals rose eight tenths of a foot to rest at three and eight tenths feet below seasonal power pool of 659 feet. This is thirty nine and eight tenths feet below the top of flood pool. Upstream, Table Rock rose two feet to rest at at three feet below seasonal power pool and nineteen feet below the top of flood pool. Beaver Lake rose six tenths of a foot to rest at four feet below seasonal power pool and thirteen and six tenths feet below the top of flood pool. On the White, we had wadable water with more generation. Norfork Lake rose one and nine tenths feet to rest at three and eight tenths feet below seasonal power pool of 553.75 feet and thirty feet below the top of flood pool. On the Norfork, we had less 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.

On the White, the bite has been spotty. Some days have been excellent and some poor. The hot spot has been the Catch and Release section at 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).

Caddis season is upon us. This is our best hatch of the year and it is still here. I fished the caddis hatch on the Norfork, with great success. With the lower lake levels we should have perfect flows to target this hatch. Before the hatch when the trout are feeding on the surface but you see no insects use a soft hackle like my green butt or a partridge and orange. When the trout begin to target insects, on the surface of the water, switch over to an elk hair caddis. Match your fly to the hatching insect based on size, shape and color.

The Buffalo National River and Crooked Creek are high. With warm weather the smallmouths should be more 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 but it has fished poorly. Daphnia has been spotted on the upper river and could adversely affect the bite. 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 hare and copper nymph with a ruby midge dropper.

Dry Run Creek has been very crowded due to spring break. 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.

FISHING AFTER SOWBUG BY JOHN BERRY

On Sunday, the day after the Sowbug Roundup ended; I had a guide trip with Al and Bob. I have guided them for several years. They always show up at Sowbug and the Federation of Fly Fishers Fly Fishing Fair in October. They are from Nebraska and at seventy three and seventy eight years of age respectively are a bit past wade fishing. We always fish from my White River Jon Boat.

On that day, the generation was at minimum flow, for over twenty four hours. Both Rivers, the White and Norfork, were lower than a snake’s belly in a wagon rut. Since I have a propeller driven outboard and not a jet drive, I am limited to where I can drift fish under these conditions. I chose to fish at Rim Shoals, which has deep enough water to allow me to fish there, when there is little or no generation. The weather was pretty nice. It was to be partly cloudy all day with a high temperature of around seventy three degrees. There was a cool start, a bit over forty degrees but it got warmer, as the day went. By mid afternoon it was quite a bit warmer and I finally took off my down sweater.

I had begun the day fishing a red fox squirrel and copper nymph (a new favorite) with a ruby midge dropper on one rod and a cerise San Juan worm with a ruby midge dropper (it had rained the night before and I always fish a San Juan worm after a rain). Early on it was evident that the red fox squirrel and copper nymph was outperforming the cerise San Juan worm. I took a few minutes to ensure that both of my anglers were fishing the same thing and that it was what was working the best.

In the morning, the going was a bit slow. They both caught trout but not as many as I am used to catching. We broke for lunch at around noon. It was good to relax for a few minutes. The rest recharged us and we were able to return to the river with a bit of confidence.

The fishing picked up and we were catching more trout than we had in the morning. Around three o’clock, Bob hit a really good fish. I got a pretty good look at it and quickly figured out that it was a good sized brown. I quickly pulled my drag chain into the boat so that the brown would not tangle itself in it, which could cause us to lose the fish. Though it tried to swim into a big blow down, we were finally able to land and release a fine twenty inch brown trout.

The next drift generated a nice fourteen inch rainbow for Bob. Then on the third drift our luck was significantly better. He hooked an even larger brown than we had previously landed. Once again, I pulled in the drag chain and we took our time landing our fish. Surprisingly it actually came in quicker than the smaller brown. At twenty two inches with a large girth, it was a spectacular catch.  In three drifts, Bob had landed two nice browns and a decent rainbow.

Life is good!