CRISP FALL DAY ON DRY RUN CREEK BY JOHN BERRY

Yesterday I had a guide trip on Dry Run Creek with Banks (an old family name) and his dad, Edgar. They are from Jackson, Mississippi and it was Banks first day fly fishing. Dad is an experienced angler but had not been fishing in several years. He thought that it would be a good idea to hire me to get Banks started right and give him a bit of a refresher. We decided to take them to Dry Run Creek in the morning and end the day wading the Norfork River to give Dad a chance to catch a few fish.

I picked them up at River Ridge Inn at 7:30 AM. They already had their waders on and were ready to go. It was a cold start (about forty one degrees) but promised to warm up to the mid fifties by mid afternoon. The problem was that there was a lake wind advisory. I knew that the wind would be of no concern on Dry Run Creek because it is in a tight valley and we would be shielded from the wind speed of twenty five miles per hour. We were the first car in the parking lot.

I loaned Banks a pair of wool fingerless gloves. He had a pair of full fingered gloves but we figured that the fingerless gloves would be more effective for fishing. I took a few minutes to rig his rod and we were on the creek in no time. We went to one of my favorite spots and waded out into the creek. I stood by Banks and worked on his casting, mending and hook setting as he fished. His skills began to improve and he hooked his first fish. It was a huge brown and it broke off in no time. I prefer that my young first timers hook and catch several smaller fish before they tackle a big one.

The next trout was a fat fourteen inch rainbow and we managed to net it. Over the next hour he hooked and landed several nice trout. When he lost one, I explained what he had done wrong and how to avoid it. When he made a good cast or a good hook set I praised him. He hooked another big brown and had it on for about five minutes before the big trout wrapped a log and broke off. The next fish was different. It was a fat twenty two inch brown. This time Banks performed flawlessly. It was in the net in a few minutes. We stopped for a few photos and decided to try another spot.

We walked upstream and waded out into the creek. The action was hot. We landed fish after fish. After a while Banks wanted to take a break. When you are working with young anglers, it is important to let them set the pace. I did not want to burn him out on his first day. When he was ready I handed him the rod and he made a perfect cast. It drifted about ten feet and the strike indicator went down. He set the hook. Suddenly the surface of the water exploded with a huge rainbow jumping two feet out of the water. The fight was on. I grabbed my big boat net and got ready to net the fish of the day. It went on for several minutes and Banks did everything right. The big bow reluctantly slid into the net.

We stopped to pose for a photo. The trout was just too much for Banks to handle and we did not want to injure it. I had Dad hold it and took a picture of Banks the trout and dad together. This would become a family memory for years to come! We fished our way out and Banks picked up a few more trout but nothing like the big brown. It was noon and he thought that he had caught enough trout.

We loaded up and drove to the Ackerman Access. After a quick shore lunch we waded up into the Catch and release section and spent the afternoon fishing. Dad caught several and I worked with Banks on his casting. We quit around 4:00 PM and headed for the lodge.

It had been a stellar day for Banks and his dad. They had a great time and we got a young angler enthused about fly fishing.

John Berry is a fly fishing guide for Blue Ribbon Guides.

JOHN BERRY FISHING REPORT 11/28/2014

During the past week, we have had a couple of rain events (less than an inch here in Cotter), slightly warmer temperatures and heavy winds (to include lake wind advisories). The lake level at Bull Shoals fell seven tenths of a foot to rest at six feet below seasonal power pool of 659 feet. This is forty two feet below the top of flood pool. Upstream, Table Rock rose one tenth of a foot to rest at six and two tenths feet below seasonal power pool and twenty and two tenths feet below the top of flood pool. Beaver Lake fell five tenths of a foot to rest at seven and one tenth feet below seasonal power pool or sixteen and seven tenths feet below the top of flood pool. On the White, we had moderate generation in the afternoon and lower generation in the morning with limited wadable water. Norfork Lake fell two tenths of a foot to rest at four and five tenths feet below seasonal power pool of 553.7 feet and thirty and seven tenths feet below the top of flood pool. On the Norfork, we had wadable water every day with limited generation most mornings.

The water level for the top of power pool has been reset for the lakes in the White River system. All of the lakes on this system are well below seasonal power pool. With temperatures moderating, we should receive more wadable water.

The Catch and Release section below Bull Shoals Dam will close from November 1, 2014 to January 31, 2015 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 hot spot was 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 (try a flashback beadhead pheasant tail nymph with a ruby midge or red fan tail midge suspended below it).

Conventional wisdom states that hopper fishing ends with the first frost (we had several heavy frosts this past week). I reject this idea and fish them during the winter. I favor shorter leaders (seven and a half foot 3X) 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 higher flows that we have been getting on some afternoons have been conducive to fishing large streamers. You need a fast sinking sink tip line and an eight weight or better rod. This is a heavy lift that requires casting skills and patience.

The Buffalo National River and Crooked Creek are clear. With the colder weather, the smallmouths are not 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 River has fished well recently. With the holiday, there will be more pressure 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. 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.

 The siphon at Norfork Dam that was installed to achieve minimum flow has malfunctioned again due to the failure of a sensor on the lake side. It will take three to four weeks to repair it. In the meantime, the powerhouse personnel will run a speed no load operation to achieve minimum flow.

With the holidays and warmer weather, there is more fishing pressure on Dry Run Creek. Fish it early or late to avoid the crowds. 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 there take a few minutes to visit the adjacent 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 has cleared somewhat. 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 to interfere with your fishing. 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 Y2K (#10)s.

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.

A COLD DAY ON THE NORFORK BY JOHN BERRY

In last week’s column I wrote about the coming polar vortex and what I did to prepare for it. Well it arrived as predicted and I spent four days out of five fishing in it. It kept its promise of frigid temperatures and we even had a new record low. To me, the toughest conditions occurred last Monday.

The prediction was for a high temperature of thirty one degrees, overcast sky and fifteen to twenty five mile per hour (mph) winds with gusts over thirty mph (this resulted in lake wind advisories). The temperatures were to be low but with overcast skies there would be no sun and subsequently no solar gain. The real problem was the wind. This would send the wind chill down into the lower teens.

When I arrived at the lodge at 7:30 AM, it was twenty degrees, there was no sun and the wind was howling. There was a thin coat of ice and snow on my boat from the sleet and snow we had received the night before. I met my clients and discussed the day. They were in good shape and preferred to wade. That made a lot of sense to me. I thought that we would be warmer if we waded. The water was almost forty degrees warmer than the air. If we wanted to warm up, we could simply wade deeper. In a boat there, is no place to hide.

By wading, we could avoid the effects of the heavy wind on the boat. The water was pretty low as the Corps of Engineers had run little water over the weekend. These conditions made for treacherous drifting and I much preferred to wade. There were ten guides working that day on this corporate group and I was the only one that chose to wade.

We drove up to Norfork Dam and noted that the generation had ceased and the water was dropping fast. The parking lot was empty and we were the only anglers there. Nothing thins the herd like sub freezing temperatures. I had rigged a couple of rods the night before and I gave one to Pete and got him started. Martin was left handed and it took me a few minutes to change reel spools and convert the reel to right hand retrieve. We caught a few fish and broke off a big brown but it was time to move on.

About 11:00 AM we loaded into my Suburban and drove down to the Ackerman Access. Once again the parking lot was empty and we had the place to ourselves. We packed some sandwiches and water and headed upstream into the Catch and Release Section. I had them fishing two fly nymph rigs with a ruby midge below an egg pattern. We caught a few fish and tried soft hackles and woolly buggers. Here again we caught a few fish.

I took them further upstream and went back to the two nymph rig. We landed a nice rainbow and I decided to pump its stomach to see what it was eating. To my surprise the trout had been keying in on tan scuds. I pulled out a fly box and matched the scuds as carefully as I could based on size, shape and color. I removed the ruby midge dropper and replaced it with a size fourteen tan humpback scud. We were into fish immediately and took four fish on the first five casts. We fished until dark and did well.

When we got back to the lodge, we learned that we were the last ones in and we had outfished all of the other groups. Some groups had only lasted until lunch and others lasted until 3:00 PM. My guys had a great time and for them the weather was not an issue.

Wade fishing on a brutally cold day is counter intuitive but can be quite rewarding.

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 11/21/2014

During the past week, we have had snow, sleet (with no accumulation on either), brutally cold temperatures and heavy winds (to include lake wind advisories). The lake level at Bull Shoals fell two tenths of a foot to rest at five and three tenths feet below seasonal power pool of 659 feet. This is forty one and three tenths feet below the top of flood pool. Upstream, Table Rock fell nine tenths of a foot to rest at six and three tenths feet below seasonal power pool and twenty and three tenths feet below the top of flood pool. Beaver Lake fell six tenths of a foot to rest at six and six tenths feet below seasonal power pool or sixteen and two tenths feet below the top of flood pool. On the White, we had moderate generation in the afternoon and lower generation in the morning with limited wadable water. Norfork Lake fell seven tenths of a foot to rest at four and three tenths feet below seasonal power pool of 553.7 feet and thirty and five tenths feet below the top of flood pool. On the Norfork, we had wadable water every day with limited generation most mornings.

The water level for the top of power pool has been reset for the lakes in the White River system. All of the lakes on this system are well below seasonal power pool. With temperatures moderating, we should receive more wadable water.

The Catch and Release section below Bull Shoals Dam will close from November 1, 2014 to January 31, 2015 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 hot spot was Shipps Ferry. The hot flies were olive woolly buggers, Y2Ks, prince nymphs, zebra midges (black with silver wire and silver bead or red with silver wire and silver bead), pheasant tails, ruby midges, root beer midges, pink and cerise San Juan worms, and sowbugs. Double fly nymph rigs have been very effective (try a flashback beadhead pheasant tail nymph with a ruby midge or red fan tail midge suspended below it).

Conventional wisdom states that hopper fishing ends with the first frost (we had several heavy frosts this past week). I reject this idea and fish them during the winter. I favor shorter leaders (seven and a half foot 3X) and a stiff six weight rod to proper deliver these weighty flies. My favorite flies are Dave’s hoppers and the western pink lady. 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 higher flows that we have been getting on some afternoons have been conducive to fishing large streamers. You need a fast sinking sink tip line and an eight weight or better rod. This is a heavy lift that requires casting skills and patience.

The Buffalo National River and Crooked Creek are clear. With the colder weather, the smallmouths are not 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 River has fished well recently. With colder temperatures, there has been less angling pressure on the Norfork.  The most productive flies have been small midge patterns like ruby midges, root beer midges, zebra midges (black or red with silver wire and silver bead) and soft hackles like the green butt. 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). 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.

 The siphon at Norfork Dam that was installed to achieve minimum flow has malfunctioned again due to the failure of a sensor on the lake side. It will take three to four weeks to repair it. In the meantime, the powerhouse personnel will run a speed no load operation to achieve minimum flow.

With school back in session and colder weather, there is less fishing pressure on Dry Run Creek. Now would be a great time to fish it. The hot flies have been sowbugs, Y2Ks and various colored San Juan worms (worm brown, red, hot fluorescent pink and cerise). While you are there take a few minutes to visit the adjacent 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 has cleared somewhat. 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 to interfere with your fishing. 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, cerise and hot pink San Juan worms and Y2Ks.

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.

PREPARING FOR THE POLAR VORTEX BY JOHN BERRY

As a guide, I find myself carefully studying the weather on a daily basis. Since I work outside, I am subject to the whims of Mother Nature. I begin my day with a cup of fresh coffee and the Weather Channel. When I stop by McDonalds for a quick breakfast, on my way to pick up clients, I note that the television there is always on the Weather Channel. During the day I use my IPhone weather apps to check on any weather updates or to track an incoming storm. My wife, Lori, is also a fly fishing guide and is more of a weather nut than I am. If she had her way, we would leave the Weather channel on all day and we would watch nothing else.

The reason that Lori and I tend to obsess about the weather is that we need to know how to dress. Over the twenty plus years that I have guided, I have only cancelled a handful of trips due to the weather. It takes a flood or an ice storm to keep me from working. Oppressive heat, bitter cold, rain, snow and sleet do not deter me from guiding, although I will wait out a lightning storm. When I was watching the forecast this week, I noted that we had a polar vortex headed our way and it was bringing some bitterly cold weather with it.

On my last guide trip, I had begun the day with cold temperatures but I had finished the day wearing a long sleeved t-shirt. The trick that day was to dress in layers and to shuck the layers as the temperature rose. The incoming polar vortex requires a bit more planning for my upcoming guide trips. The temperature will be much colder and there is no scheduled warm up later in the day. It is going to be frigid and stay that way. I had to go through my closet and locate some seriously warm gear that I had not used since last winter.

The first item that I located was my fleece lined blue jeans. I get these from L. L. Bean and they have become my favorite cold weather pants. I first discovered just how warm they were during the ice storm that we had a few years back, where we lost our power for six days. The only time I took them off was to wash them (yes, I slept in them). I find them to be very comfortable in the boat or when wading.

The next item I rounded up was my warmest down coat. I have a down sweater that I wear as a light jacket but this is the heavy duty and seriously warm coat. Down is light and possibly the best insulation there is. I always use it when it is bitterly cold and it has never failed me. To wear under my down jacket I pulled a couple of merino wool sweaters from our cedar chest. Merino wool is not itchy, can be machine washed and is warm even when wet.

To keep my feet warm, I got out my L.L. Bean insulated waterproof Maine hiking boots. They are roomy enough for me to wear heavy wool wading socks with them. I had already been wearing my heavy wool fingerless gloves but I added a pair of heavy fleece gloves with full fingers. My Simms Gore-Tex insulated extreme hat (think Elmer Phud) would keep my head warm and some disposable hand warmers would help warm me up after I tied on flies.

I now feel that I am ready to guide this week end. In case my clients are not as prepared, I will carry some extra gloves, a spare fleece jacket and a knit hat.

JOHN BERRY FISHING REPORT 11/14/2014

During the past week, we have had no rain events, cool temperatures and heavy winds (to include lake wind advisories). The lake level at Bull Shoals fell three tenths of a foot to rest at five and one tenth feet below seasonal power pool of 659 feet. This is forty one and one tenth feet below the top of flood pool. Upstream, Table Rock fell two tenths of a foot to rest at five and four tenths feet below seasonal power pool and nineteen and four tenths feet below the top of flood pool. Beaver Lake fell three tenths of a foot to rest at six feet below seasonal power pool or fifteen and six tenths feet below the top of flood pool. On the White, we had moderate generation in the afternoon and lower generation in the morning with limited wadable water. Norfork Lake fell two tenths of a foot to rest at three and six tenths feet below seasonal power pool of 553.7 feet and twenty nine and eight tenths feet below the top of flood pool. On the Norfork, we had wadable water every day with limited generation most mornings.

The water level for the top of power pool has been reset for the lakes in the White River system. All of the lakes on this system are well below seasonal power pool. With temperatures moderating, we should receive more wadable water.

The Catch and Release section below Bull Shoals Dam will close from November 1, 2014 to January 31, 2015 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 hot spot was Wildcat Shoals. The hot flies were olive woolly buggers, Y2Ks, prince nymphs, zebra midges (black with silver wire and silver bead or red with silver wire and silver bead), pheasant tails, ruby midges, root beer midges, pink and cerise San Juan worms, and sowbugs. Double fly nymph rigs have been very effective (try a flashback beadhead pheasant tail nymph with a ruby midge or red fan tail midge suspended below it).

Conventional wisdom states that hopper fishing ends with the first frost. I reject this idea and fish them during the winter. I favor shorter leaders (seven and a half foot 3X) and a stiff six weight rod to proper deliver these weighty flies. My favorite flies are Dave’s hoppers and the western pink lady. 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 higher flows that we have been getting on some afternoons have been conducive to fishing large streamers. You need a fast sinking sink tip line and an eight weight or better rod. This is a heavy lift that requires casting skills and patience.

The Buffalo National River and Crooked Creek are clear. With the colder weather, the smallmouths are less active. The most effective flies are Clouser minnows and crawfish patterns. 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 River has fished better recently. With more wadable water on the White, there has been less angling pressure on the Norfork.  The most productive flies have been small midge patterns like ruby midges, root beer midges, zebra midges (black or red with silver wire and silver bead) and soft hackles like the green butt. 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). 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.

 The siphon at Norfork Dam that was installed to achieve minimum flow has malfunctioned again due to the failure of a sensor on the lake side. It will take three to four weeks to repair it. In the meantime, the powerhouse personnel will run a speed no load operation to achieve minimum flow.

With school back in session and colder weather, there is less fishing pressure on Dry Run Creek. Now would be a great time to fish it. The hot flies have been sowbugs, Y2Ks and various colored San Juan worms (worm brown, red, hot fluorescent pink and cerise). While you are there take a few minutes to visit the adjacent 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 has cleared somewhat. 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 to interfere with your fishing. 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, cerise and hot pink San Juan worms and Y2Ks.

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.