JOHN BERRY FISHING REPORT 7/24/15

During the past week, we have had several rain events (combined for about an inch and a half here in Cotter), hot temperatures and moderate winds. The lake level at Bull Shoals fell five tenths of a foot to rest at thirty one feet above seasonal power pool of 661 feet. This is three feet below the top of flood pool. Upstream, Table Rock fell five tenths of a foot to rest at ten feet above seasonal power pool and three feet below the top of flood pool. Beaver Lake fell three tenths of a foot to rest at seven and eight tenths feet above seasonal power pool and eight tenths of a foot below the top of flood pool. On the White, we had high generation with no wadable water. Norfork Lake rose a foot to rest at fifteen and seven tenths feet above seasonal power pool of 555.75 feet and eight and five tenths feet below the top of flood pool. On the Norfork, we had wadable water every day.

The water level for the top of power pool has been reset for the lakes in the White River system. Due to recent rains, the lakes on this system are well above seasonal power pool and are nearing the top of flood pool. We can expect high levels of generation in the coming months.

On heavy generation, the best way to catch fish is to switch to longer leaders and heavier weight. On the White, the hot spot was the Catch and Release section at 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 (my current favorite is a hot fluorescent pink or cerise San Juan worm with a prince nymph or copper John suspended below it).

Conventional wisdom states that hopper fishing begins in late summer. I reject this idea and fish them all year. 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 sulphurs have been coming off fairly reliably. I was lucky enough to catch it on the Norfork again before the water came up. This is our major mayfly hatch of the year. They are size fourteen and easy to see. Before the hatch, you should concentrate on fishing pheasant tail nymphs. When the trout key on the top but no insects are present, switch over to a partridge and yellow. When you observe trout taking adult insects from the top of the water column, you should switch over to sulphur parachutes.

The Buffalo National River and Crooked Creek are a bit high and off color. With the warm weather, the smallmouths are 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 better lately. The siphon is back in action. 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). There have been daily hatches of sulphurs around noon. The fishing is better in the morning and late afternoon and tapers off midday. My favorite combination has been a grass hopper with a root beer or ruby midge dropper.

There is a major construction project at the Norfork National Fish Hatchery. You can still access Dry Run Creek. It has seen more pressure with school out. It still fished well. The hot flies have been sowbugs (#14), Y2Ks (#12) and various colored San Juan worms (worm brown, red, hot fluorescent pink and cerise #10).  

The water on 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 in full swing and can be a nuisance to 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 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.

John Berry is a fly fishing guide for Blue Ribbon Guides in Cotter, Arkansas and has fished our local streams for over thirty years.

LORI’S BIRTHDAY HATCH BY JOHN BERRY

My wife, Lori, and I share a passion for fishing dry flies for trout. There is something special about watching a good trout rising to the surface and taking a dry fly from the top of the water column. It is the most exciting and rewarding aspect of fly fishing.

Dry fly fishing is also the fussiest and most difficult technique in fly fishing. First you must match the hatch. That means that you must figure out what insect the trout are keying in on and then choose the closest thing you have in your fly box based on size, shape and color. Then you have to douse them in fly floatant, before you begin fishing them, so that they do not absorb water and sink.

The difficulty comes in with the casting. The favored aspect of fishing dry flies is that you cast to rising trout. You have to cast at least eighteen inches upstream of the riser and then drift downstream over the trout in a perfect drag free drift. Then once you get that perfect drift over the fish you need to set the hook after the fish has taken the fly (the tendency is to strike too soon and miss the fish).

If this were not enough, we just do not get that many opportunities to fish dry flies. We have some reliable hatches but the big problem is the constant changing of the volume of water flow and water level on the White and Norfork Rivers because they are tailwaters (the outflow of dammed lakes).

Because of all of these factors, taking a fish on the top with a dry fly is a very rewarding occasion for any angler. I would rather take a dink on the top than a hog on the bottom.

Lori’s birthday was last Sunday. For her birthday, she wanted us to go fishing. We had both been guiding our clients on the Norfork to take advantage of the sulphur hatch, our best mayfly hatch of the year. This year’s hatch has occurred much later than usual. Though it has been sparse, the trout have really keyed in on it at times. We had both been able to fish it once each but we had not been able to fish it together and we had not been able to fish it enough to satisfy our appetite for fishing dries.

We got a late start because I had been ill the night before. I had been throwing up and had little sleep. I was not going to let that mess up Lori’s birthday. We arrived at the Ackerman Access around 8:30 AM. We donned our waders, strung our rods and were on the stream in no time. I went far upstream into the Catch and Release section and Lori started close to the access but agreed to join me later (her last client had landed a stout twenty inch brown there a couple of days before).

I began the day with a sulphur parachute and was into a great sixteen inch cutthroat in a couple of casts. I picked up a small rainbow and then lost my fly, when a bruiser of a rainbow broke me off during a frenzied struggle. About this time, Lori showed up. She had landed a few nice ones downstream but was ready for some bigger fish. We fished together for a while and she picked a few more trout.

I had gone cold. The sulphurs had disappeared and I decided to try nymphing a nice run upstream. I rigged up a double fly nymph rig and took a few fish on a copper John and a root beer midge. I returned to where Lori was fishing and I watched her land a couple of trout, as I walked up. She was fishing a partridge and orange, which is a great fly to duplicate the emerging sulphur. I switched over to the partridge and orange and landed a few more trout.

By this time, I was worn out. The previous night’s illness and little sleep were catching up with me. It was around 1:00 PM and I was ready to sit for a while and watch Lori fish. She had returned to the sulphur parachute as there were a few insects coming off. I watched her deftly casting and picking up trout with the dry fly. It was pretty amazing. She is a great caster and has superb line control. All the while, we were chatting about the experience.

I noticed a big rainbow rising just in front of me. I asked if she had seen it and she replied that she had. Lori moved slightly to improve her casting position and carefully cast toward the rising trout. It took three perfect drifts, before the big rainbow fell for the fly and took it. Lori lifted her rod and set the hook. Fish on! I had a front row seat to the action and it was intense. This trout was a handful and made several long runs. Lori was not to be denied. She fought him well and he was eventually landed. He turned out to be an incredibly stout eighteen inch male and easily the fish of the day. It was the perfect way to end the day, sight casting to a great trout with dry flies.

Happy Birthday Lori!

JOHN BERRY FISHING REPORT 7/17/2015

During the past week, we have had yet another rain event (about an inch here in Cotter), hot temperatures and moderate winds. The lake level at Bull Shoals rose four and nine tenths feet to rest at thirty one and five tenths feet above seasonal power pool of 661 feet. This is two and five tenths feet below the top of flood pool. Upstream, Table Rock rose six and six tenths feet to rest at ten and five tenths feet above seasonal power pool and three and five tenths feet below the top of flood pool. Beaver Lake remained steady at eight and one tenth feet above seasonal power pool and a half foot below the top of flood pool. On the White, we had high generation with no wadable water. Norfork Lake rose four and three tenths feet to rest at fifteen feet above seasonal power pool of 555.75 feet and nine and five tenths feet below the top of flood pool. On the Norfork, we had wadable water every day.

The water level for the top of power pool has been reset for the lakes in the White River system. Due to recent rains, the lakes on this system are well above seasonal power pool and are nearing the top of flood pool. We can expect high levels of generation in the coming months.

On heavy generation, the best way to catch fish is to switch to longer leaders and heavier weight. On the White, the hot spot was the Catch and Release section at 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 (my current favorite is a hot fluorescent pink or cerise San Juan worm with a prince nymph or copper John suspended below it).

Conventional wisdom states that hopper fishing begins in late summer. I reject this idea and fish them all year. 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).

There have been several reliable sightings of the sulphur hatch. I was lucky enough to catch it on the Norfork one day before the water came up. This is our major mayfly hatch of the year. They are size fourteen and easy to see. Before the hatch, you should concentrate on fishing pheasant tail nymphs. When the trout key on the top but no insects are present, switch over to a partridge and yellow. When you observe trout taking adult insects from the top of the water column, you should switch over to sulphur parachutes.

The Buffalo National River and Crooked Creek are a bit high and off color. With the warm weather, the smallmouths are 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 better lately. The siphon is back in action. 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). There have been daily hatches of sulphurs around noon. The fishing is better in the morning and late afternoon and tapers off midday. My favorite combination has been a grass hopper with a root beer or ruby midge dropper.

There is a major construction project at the Norfork National Fish Hatchery. You can still access Dry Run Creek. It has seen more pressure with school out. It still fished well. The hot flies have been sowbugs (#14), Y2Ks (#12) and various colored San Juan worms (worm brown, red, hot fluorescent pink and cerise #10).  

The water on 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 in full swing and can be a nuisance to 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 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.

John Berry is a fly fishing guide for Blue Ribbon Guides in Cotter, Arkansas and has fished our local streams for over thirty years. 

OLE HENRY IS CAUGHT BY JOHN BERRY

A few weeks ago I wrote about Ole Henry, a huge brown trout that I had encountered while guiding children on Dry Run Creek. This trout was not only of prodigious size but was also incredibly cunning. Over the years, my young clients have hooked him only to have him wrap a rock or root wad and break off or simply force himself free, due to his bulk and strength. I have had clients hook and lose him three times this year. I have become a bit obsessed with catching him and spend a few hours of every guide trip on Dry Run Creek in pursuit of Ole Henry.

It was no different yesterday. My wife, Lori, and I were guiding some youngsters on Dry Run Creek for Blue Ribbon Fly Shop. We began the day learning how to cast and just trying to catch some fish. Our clients did well and before long they were all into trout. After they had landed a dozen or so each, I would take then one at a time to the big fish hole, the water that Ole Henry calls home. We managed to catch some larger trout there but we didn’t see or hook up with him. Around noon, we left the creek with fond memories of a successful day on stream.

It was a much different experience for Blaine Huntley. His dad, Jeremy, took him and his sister, Brooke, to Dry Run Creek in the afternoon. What a difference a few hours make. They had a spectacular day. They landed five rainbows over twenty five inches, a spectacular day in anyone’s book. Then they landed Ole Henry.

 It was an epic struggle that went on seemingly forever. I can see it in my mind. As soon as they saw the big trout the adrenalin kicked in. Ole Henry suffers no fools, but these anglers were ready and they were extremely patient. They slowly wore him down and finally got him to dads net. He was thirty two inches long with a twenty two inch girth. He had a big hook jaw and a bad attitude. The estimated weight is twenty two pounds. He was a worthy opponent. The fly he was caught on was a pink marabou jig on a pink jig head. This is a fly that I have never fished but I guarantee you that I will tie a few before I return to Dry Run Creek.

When there is an epic struggle like this, the trout is stressed and must be carefully revived. During the struggle they build up lactic acid in their bodies and cramp up. Removing them from the water for photos further stresses them. As a result, it is important to properly revive them. The best way is to move them to quiet water, cradle them in your hands and slowly move the back and forth to force water through their gills. It can take as long or longer to revive one as it did to land them. In this case, it took forty five minutes. Time well spent! Dad said that, at the end of the release, he did not have a dry stitch on.

I received a call from Mike Schraeder, the shop manager at Blue Ribbon Fly Shop that evening telling me that Ole Henry had been caught. An hour later I got a call from Dad confirming the catch and giving me the exciting details. Lori asked me, if I was upset that someone else had caught Old Henry. I said no that I was happy for them and very pleased that they had taken care to properly release him. That means that he is still in Dry Run Creek.

With Catch and Release, I still have a legitimate shot at him and the way that trout eats he will be even bigger in the future. I can’t wait to try again.

John Berry is a fly fishing guide for Blue Ribbon Guides in Cotter, Arkansas and has fished our local streams for over thirty years.