NEW TO ME BOAT BY JOHN BERRY

I recently purchased a new boat. There are many guides out there that buy a new boat every year. I am not one of those guys. I tend to keep my boats for a long time. I have been guiding for about twenty five years and this is only my third boat. Like all of the others, it was previously owned, in this case, by a little old lady in Norfork. I have had good luck with used boats. Used motors are a different story.

My first boat was a thirty three inch wide twenty foot long Shawnee. I bought boat, motor, and trailer, from a neighbor for a thousand dollars. This was the boat I learned how to navigate the river in. It was pretty rough, when I got it. I had repairs made to the transom, had new pedestal seats installed and had the live well sealed to provide more storage. I am a no kill guide and do not need a live well. I had Berry Brothers Guide Service written on both sides and had a boat cover made for it. I replaced the old Mercury two stroke outboard motor with a new one. The boat served me well for several years. The problem was that it was a bit narrow and a bit ‘tippy’ particularly, when I had large clients. I needed more room.

Another neighbor was moving back to Tennessee and needed to sell his boat. It was a forty eight inch wide twenty foot long White River Jon boat that had been custom made on a Shawnee mold. It had walk through live wells and pedestal seats and a fifteen horse power Evinrude outboard motor. I switched motors and sold my old Shawnee. I had the live wells sealed to provide more storage, had Berry Brothers Guide Service written on it and got a new boat cover made for it. The wider boat was easier for me to guide from. I used it for over ten years and it served me well. 

Like any guide boat it picked up a ding or two. My boat was starting to look its age. It was still functioning but it was time to keep up with the Joneses. My wife, Lori agreed that it was time for a new boat. I wanted something larger with more storage. I looked around and found out that, after a friend of mine passed away, her family was going to sell her weekend house in Norfork. I asked if they were interested in selling her river boat. They said yes and I bought it. 

It is a Supreme sixty inch wide twenty foot long boat. It is about the largest production White River Jon boat made. It has spider chairs, bait trays and four storage lockers. It came with an EZ Loader trailer and a Honda fifteen horse, four cycle outboard motor with electric start and power tilt. This is a much fancier rig than I have ever had. It is similar to what other guides are using except they generally opt for a much larger Jet motor and oars.

I prefer a propeller driven motor as they are much quieter (particularly the four cycle motors) and don’t spook big fish. At sixty nine years of age, I will go with a big trolling motor (which is easier on my back); with a wireless remote control maybe I can fish a little myself.

The boat had been sitting in a garage for several years so I dropped the motor off at Tracy Boat and Motor to have them service it before I took it out. I also bought new tires for the trailer and got the boat registered. I put my old Mercury outboard motor on the new boat and have guided out of it a few days. It is nice but I think when I get some down time, I am going to take the boat to Rob Williams at Supreme to do some custom work. I would prefer pedestal seats and some more storage.

I plan on keeping my old Mercury outboard for a back up and then sell my old boat and trailer. I look forward to fishing out of my new to me boat.

JOHN BERRY FISHING REPORT FOR 7/15/2016

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 rose one tenth of a foot to rest at two tenths of a foot above seasonal power pool of 661 feet. This is thirty three and eight tenths feet below the top of flood pool. Upstream, Table Rock fell seven tenths of a foot to rest at six tenths of a foot below seasonal power pool and fourteen and six tenths feet below the top of flood pool. Beaver Lake fell two tenths of a foot to rest at two feet below seasonal power pool and ten and six tenths feet below the top of flood pool. On the White, we had less generation this week with more wadable water. Norfork Lake fell one and two tenths feet to rest at three feet below seasonal power pool of 555.75 feet and twenty seven and two tenths feet below the top of flood pool. On the Norfork, we had little wadable water.

Seasonal power pool has been reset for the lakes in the White River system. All of the lakes on this system are at or near seasonable power pool. With summer here we should expect more generation in the afternoon to supply power for the increased demand for air conditioning.

On the White, the bite has been erratic. Some days it fished well others not so good. 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 pink San Juan worm 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). 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 the warm weather, the smallmouths are 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.

The Norfork has fished better lately. 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 and late afternoon and tapers off midday. My favorite fly has been the green butt.

Dry Run Creek has been very busy, with summer vacation, in full swing. It is cleared and 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). 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 fishing is better. 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 with Blue Ribbon Guides in Cotter, Arkansas and has fished our local streams for over thirty years.

HENRY’S TOP SIX FLIES BY JOHN BERRY

Last week I wrote about my top six flies. When I got to Blue Ribbon Fly Shop the next day, I discussed the article with Henry Seay, my assistant manager. He is an accomplished fly fisher and fly tyer but he uses different flies with great success. I decided to write about his top six and see where we agreed and where we were different. 

When he moved here from Arizona 11 years ago, one of the first items on my things he did was to find a hatch chart for the Norfork and Bull Shoals Tailwaters. Two things stood out midges and sowbugs/scuds hatched 52 weeks of the year. In moving water sowbugs and scuds look so much alike he didn’t think fish could tell the difference to see them as one type of fly, hence sowbug/scud.

Other hatches come and go but midges and sowbugs/scuds are always present.  It seems to make no difference to him, if you are fishing Lee's Ferry, the San Juan River, the Norfork or any other tailwater anywhere in the U.S.A. midges will be the most important hatch. It was only natural to bring with him and introduce to the local tailwaters here the Zebra midge. His list would have to be the Zebra midge #16 – 22, a simple and highly effective fly that no angler should be without. This fly has also caught largemouth bass and bream on Norfork Lake.

His second fly would also be a midge, the Pheasant Tail midge #16 - 20.  This fly is often tied with a hot spot at the thorax to catch the eye of a passing trout. This fly can also pass as a midge larva, pupae or a small stonefly. He finds there is inherent magic, with pheasant tail fibers, hares ear, CDC, copper wire and peacock hurl.  When any two of these items are used together they become as irresistible as chocolate candy. All his flies will have one or more of these items tied into them.

He would never consider venturing into the waters to fish for trout without hare and copper #10 - 18.  This is a fly that has also taken fish everywhere in the world. A fly that suggest a stonefly, a scud, and a crane fly, it is fuzzy, spiky and looks like many aquatic life forms. 

Next is the sowbug/scud #10 – 16, the other trout food that hatches 12 months of the year. A fly that can pass for a stonefly, and has proven very productive crawled slowly across the bottom of a stream as well as dead drifting.

The "F" fly #14 - 22 is the only dry fly that he carries. This is a European fly that has had a hand in bringing home trophies for more than one country, in international competition. It is the only fly a friend of his from Mississippi uses, when he comes here and fishes the Norfork Tailwater. He takes a backseat to no one on the river.

He would never step into the river or any body of water without a Woolly Bugger #6 - 14. This fly has caught fish coast to coast, cold water, warm water or salt water. A size #12 or 14 will destroy a bream bed. When nothing else works, he ties on a woolly bugger.

With these 6 flies he could fish every tailwater in America and believe that he was armed properly. We agreed on the woolly bugger and hare and copper. He ties all of these flies at the shop and will be glad to show them to you. What are your top six flies?

JOHN BERRY FISHING REPORT FOR 07/08/16

During the past week, we have had several rains (about an inch here in Cotter), hot temperatures and moderate winds. The lake level at Bull Shoals rose four tenths of a foot to rest at one tenth of a foot below seasonal power pool of 661.95 feet. This is thirty three and nine tenths feet below the top of flood pool. Upstream, Table Rock rose one and six tenths feet to rest at one tenth of a foot above seasonal power pool and thirteen and nine tenths feet below the top of flood pool. Beaver Lake fell one tenths of a foot to rest at one and eight tenths feet below seasonal power pool and ten and four tenths feet below the top of flood pool. On the White, we had less generation this week with more wadable water. Norfork Lake fell two feet to rest at one and nine tenths feet below seasonal power pool of 556.55 feet and twenty six feet below the top of flood pool. On the Norfork, we had no wadable water. In an effort to get the lake level down on Norfork the Corps of Engineers ha s opened a sluice gate during daylight hours. The increased flow is equal to about one full generator.

Seasonal power pool has been reset for the lakes in the White River system. All of the lakes on this system are currently below seasonable power pool. With summer here we should expect more generation in the afternoon to supply power for the increased demand for air conditioning.

On the White, the bite has been erratic. Some days it fished well others not so good. 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 pink San Juan worm with a ruby midge (#18) suspended below it).

Our sulphur hatch provides some of our best dry fly fishing of the year. I have observed a few sulphurs on the White and have had reports of hatches on the Norfork. This is a big mayfly, about a fourteen. Before the hatch I fish pheasant tail nymphs. When I see top water activity but no insects, I fish with a partridge and orange. When I see trout taking adults from the top, I switch over to a sulphur parachute.

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). 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 the warm weather, the smallmouths are 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.

The Norfork has fished better lately. 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 and late afternoon and tapers off midday. My favorite fly has been the green butt.

Dry Run Creek will be very busy, with summer vacation, in full swing. It is cleared and 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). 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 fishing is better. 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 with Blue Ribbon Guides in Cotter, Arkansas and has fished our local streams for over thirty years.