For the past few months,
we have been enjoying one of the longest periods of low, reliable, wadable
water that I can remember. It was so low this past February that it all but
eliminated our traditional streamer season. You need high water to push the big
browns to the bank in order to target them with the big streamers and we had
low flows all winter. The low water has been a boon to the caddis hatch. The
low flows have been a perfect delivery system for dry flies this spring. The
wadable water has rapidly come to an end.
We had a heavy rain that
flooded Crooked Creek and the Buffalo. In addition the lake levels on Beaver,
Table Rock, Bull Shoals and Norfork lakes all rose significantly. Then a couple
of days later we had what has been described by the Weather Channel as a
hundred year rain. It rained for two days. This time the ground was super
saturated and we had significantly more runoff. All of the lakes in the White
River system rose even more. Beaver, Table Rock and Norfork are at or near the
top of flood pool and all opened their flood gates in an effort to draw them
down quickly. Bull shoals rose thirty four feet in a week. As I write this, it
is raining again and over two inches are expected.
What does this mean for
fishing? With all of the lakes at or near the top of flood pool, we will have
high water, for the rest, of spring and well into the summer. I do not expect
wadable water until fall. The fish are still there but you will need a boat to
fish the White and Norfork.
The best way to fish
during the high water will be to fish nymphs under an indicator. You will need
to fish deep. I generally set my nymph rigs at about four feet from the
indicator to the bottom fly. I then add a foot of depth for each full generator
(roughly three thousand cubic feet per second). This is a rough estimate and I
will make adjustments for depth and current at specific spots on the river. If
I am hanging the bottom, I reduce the depth and, if I am not getting fish, I
increase it.
Weight is also a key
factor. I generally use heavy split shot. My favorite for this type of fishing
is AAA (.8 grams). I use a lead free egg shaped split shot as it hangs on
better. I attach it above my tippet knot to keep it from slipping. I also
prefer to use heavily weighted flies particularly bead heads tied on jig hooks.
My top flies, for this type of fishing, includes pheasant tails, hare and
copper, copper Johns, prince nymphs and ruby midges. I favor double fly rigs
and fluorocarbon leaders and tippets as they sink more quickly than
monofilament.
Casting these rigs is
difficult at best. Open up your loop and be sure and not rush your cast. Do not
false cast, as this is an invitation to tangle.
Now is also a good time
to fish streamers. Heavy sink tips fly lines, big streamers and larger fly rods
are the norm here. Here again the casting is tough and a lot of work. This
technique does not produce numbers but can attract a trophy.
Fishing high water can
be very productive. Give it a try!
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