A Fly Fishing Report and Blog for the White and Norfork Rivers in Arkansas, Blue Ribbon Guides

Friday, August 12, 2016

JOHN BERRY FISHING REPORT 08/12/16

During the past week, we have had a couple of rain events (a combined total of two and a quarter inches here in Cotter), brutally hot temperatures (to include heat advisories) and moderate winds. The lake level at Bull Shoals rose five tenths of a foot to rest at five tenths of a foot below seasonal power pool of 661 feet. This is thirty four and five tenths feet below the top of flood pool. Upstream, Table Rock fell three tenths of a foot to rest at two and three tenths feet below seasonal power pool and sixteen and three tenths feet below the top of flood pool. Beaver Lake fell four tenths of a foot to rest at two and eight tenths feet below seasonal power pool and twelve and four tenths feet below the top of flood pool. On the White, we had heavy generation in the afternoon this week with wadable water most mornings. Norfork Lake rose two tenths of a foot to rest at two and seven tenths feet below seasonal power pool of 555.75 feet and twenty six and nine tenths feet below the top of flood pool. On the Norfork, we had reliable wadable water every morning, when it was a bit cooler.

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 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 excellent. The hot spot has been 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 red 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) on bigger water. 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 hot weather, the smallmouths are still 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 on the lower water this week and has not been as crowded with wadable water on the White. 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 fly has been the green butt.

Dry Run Creek has been very busy, with summer vacation, in full swing. It has not fished as well but is still yielding some trophy trout. 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 in full swing and there are a lot of boats on the river. You should fish during the week, if you can. 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.

Friday, August 5, 2016

FISHING WITH DOUG BY JOHN BERRY

The other day I got a call from my old friend, Doug Berry. I have known him for over thirty years and he was one of my first guide clients lo these many years ago. Despite the same last name, we have no direct knowledge that we are related, although we both believe that we are somewhere, in our past. Both of us have a connection to Belle Starr, the notorious outlaw, in our family oral history. My paternal grandfather was orphaned at birth and raised by Pony Star, Belle Starr’s brother in law. In addition, Doug reminds me of my father, due to his mannerisms.

Doug wanted to take his grand children fishing on Dry Run Creek. The idea was to drive from his home in Jackson, Mississippi to Memphis to pick up his younger grandson, Jeb, and bring him here to fish on Mondayand Tuesday. He would return to Memphis drop off Jeb and pick up Luke, his older grandson to fish on Thursday and Friday. This sounds like a lot of driving but it makes perfect sense. This way each lad gets a lot of individual attention on stream and spends some quality time with grand dad.

I picked up Doug and Jeb at 7:30 AM at River Ridge Inn. I took them to the wader room and got a pair of waders, for both of them. We then drove to Dry Run Creek and began fishing. It took the ten year old a while to get the hang of it. He was starting to get a bit discouraged. Then right before lunch he landed a fine twenty two inch brown trout. He was enthused from then on. After lunch, we went back to the creek and he caught two big browns (23 and 24 inches long) back to back. We fished till 4:00 PM and then I invited them to my house in Cotter where my wife, Lori, cooked a nice pot roast Dinner. Doug brought a couple of bottles of fine red wine and a bottle of Scotch. It was an excellent evening.

The next day the plan was to fish for a half day and try to hang another big fish. Around 8:30 he hooked up with a huge trout. It made several long runs. I chased it up and down the stream. It was moving, at will, despite the drag being set extremely heavy on the reel. Somehow Jeb hung on and I was able to net the monster. It was a thick heavy brown that went about twelve pounds. It was the biggest brown that one of my clients had landed in several years. Doug had videoed the entire fight and took several photos of Jeb with his monster trout. We finished the day with a few more trout but nothing like this fish.

I started the process again on Thursday morning with Luke, at fourteen, the older of the two boys. I must say that I was a bit apprehensive with the prospect of taking Luke out. I had so much success with his brother that I did not know, if I could produce another trophy like we had caught earlier, in the week. In this business, you are only as good as your last trip.

The day began slowly. As luck would have it, he hooked a monster about9:30 AM. It came in fairly quickly but was big. It was a rainbow with a huge girth. I had never seen a fish with as large a girth for its length. It looked like a permit (a salt water fish with a big girth) this rainbow was about twenty two inches long but I estimated that it weighed around ten pounds.

I was greatly relieved to have Luke to catch a big trout, so early in the day. I was able to relax and enjoy the rest of the day. Since it was a big rainbow Luke had managed to catch a bigger trout of that species than his brother giving him bragging rights. That night Doug took me to Whispering Woods for dinner. Lori was competing at a dog show with our fishing dog, Tilley, and could not join us.

We fished a half day on Friday. Luke landed a solid twenty two inch brown. Otherwise the going was a bit slower than the previous day. They quit about eleven and headed back.

A few days later I received a box of my favorite cigars from Doug as a thank you. It was greatly appreciated. It was nice to fish with him again. The boys were great to work with. I look forward to doing it again.

JOHN BERRY FISHING REPORT 08/06/2016

During the past week, we have had a rain event (a half inch here in Cotter), brutally hot temperatures (to include heat advisories) and moderate winds. The lake level at Bull Shoals fell one and two tenths feet to rest at a foot below seasonal power pool of 661 feet. This is thirty five feet below the top of flood pool. Upstream, Table Rock fell seven tenths of a foot to rest at two feet below seasonal power pool and sixteen feet below the top of flood pool. Beaver Lake rose seven tenths of a foot to rest at two and four tenths feet below seasonal power pool and twelve feet below the top of flood pool. On the White, we had heavy generation in the afternoon this week with wadable water in the morning. Norfork Lake rose one tenth of a foot to rest at two and nine tenths feet below seasonal power pool of 555.75 feet and twenty seven and one tenths feet below the top of flood pool. On the Norfork, we had reliable wadable water every morning, when it was a bit cooler.

The Norfork has fished better on the lower water this week. 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 fly has been the green butt.

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

Saturday, July 30, 2016

SHAKEDOWN CRUISE BY JOHN BERRY

A couple of weeks ago I wrote about getting a new to me boat. Since then, I have used it a couple of times for guide trips and have enjoyed working from it. On those trips, I used my old Mercury two cycle fifteen horse outboard motor. This has been my constant companion for over twelve years. I bought it, when I still owned my original Shawnee. To me, it was the perfect motor. It was light, reliable and easy to operate. My new boat came with a Honda fifteen horse four cycle motor that featured electric start and power tilt. These were features, with which, I had no personal experience.

Last week the folks at Tracy Boat and Motor called to tell me that my motor was ready. I had taken it in to be checked out and tuned up before I took it out on the river. I drove my boat over and had them mount it and install a new battery for the electric start and power tilt. At their suggestion, I got a lawn mower battery. It was much smaller yet still had plenty of power to handle the motor. The smaller battery took up a lot less space in my locker and gave me more storage.

While I was there, I dropped off my old Mercury to have it tuned up and prepared for storage. I sold my old boat and trailer but wanted to hang onto the motor. The idea is to store it in my garage as a backup. In the future, if I encounter engine trouble, I can quickly trade out the Honda for the Mercury

I drove straight to Rim Shoals for a shakedown cruise. I wanted to familiarize myself with the new motor, before I took out clients with it. I got everything ready and launched my boat. As I luck would have it, I made a rookie mistake, at the beginning, of the trip. I forgot to put the plug in. As soon as I realized what was happening, I jumped in the boat, grabbed a spare plug (I keep no less than three in the boat) and slammed it into the drain hole. There was a bit of water in the boat and I had no bailer. I went to my Suburban and found a coffee cup. It worked fine.

I was now ready to go. I pushed the start button and it cranked immediately. I was impressed but I was to soon notice that the motor was a lot more cold natured than the Merc. I had to let it idle for a while before I could get under way. It also took me a few minutes to get the throttle and tiller tension adjusted to suit me.

The problem I had was, to get used, to the shifter, on the new four cycle motor. On the Mercury, all of the controls were, on the tiller within easy reach of your hand. You could get under way, shift from forward to reverse or kill the engine without taking your hand off the tiller. The shifter, throttle and kill switch are in different locations on the Honda. It took me a few drifts to get the hang of it but in a few minutes, it was much easier for me.

I started the motor with the pull start and used the power tilt to raise and lower the engine in the water just to make sure that I knew how they functioned.

I made a few other observations, while I was on the water. The Honda was much quieter than the Mercury. You could easily carry on a conversation with it running. Next the new four cycle sips gasoline. It uses much less fuel than the two cycle did. I also noted that it ran much cleaner. There was no oil slick on the surface of the water after I started it. The new Honda is a lot heavier. Without the power tilt I would have trouble lifting it up to avoid rocks when under way.

All things considered, I find the new boat and motor to be a major improvement. I look forward to fishing with the new to me rig.

JOHN BERRY FISHING REPORT 07/29/2016

During the past week, we have had a rain event (a quarter inch here in Cotter), brutally hot temperatures (to include heat advisories) and moderate winds. The lake level at Bull Shoals fell five tenths of a foot to rest at eight tenths of a foot above seasonal power pool of 661 feet. This is thirty four and eight tenths feet below the top of flood pool. Upstream, Table Rock fell three tenths of a foot to rest at one and three tenths feet below seasonal power pool and fifteen and three tenths feet below the top of flood pool. Beaver Lake fell eight tenths of a foot to rest at three and one tenth feet below seasonal power pool and eleven and seven tenths feet below the top of flood pool. On the White, we had heavy generation in the afternoon this week with more wadable water in the morning. Norfork Lake rose one tenth of a foot to rest at three and 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 reliable wadable water every morning, when it was a bit cooler.

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.

Dry Run Creek has been very busy, with summer vacation, in full swing. It has 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.

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

Friday, July 22, 2016

JOHN BERRY FISHING REPORT 07/22/2016

During the past week, we have had no rain here in Cotter, brutally hot temperatures (to include heat advisories) and moderate winds. The lake level at Bull Shoals fell five tenths of a foot to rest at three tenths of a foot above seasonal power pool of 661 feet. This is thirty four and three tenths feet below the top of flood pool. Upstream, Table Rock fell four tenths of a foot to rest at one foot below seasonal power pool and fifteen feet below the top of flood pool. Beaver Lake fell three tenths of a foot to rest at and three tenths feet below seasonal power pool and ten and nine 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 tenth of a foot to rest at three and one tenth feet below seasonal power pool of 555.75 feet and twenty seven and three tenths feet below the top of flood pool. On the Norfork, we had reliable wadable water every morning when it was a bit cooler.

The Buffalo National River and Crooked Creek are navigable. With the hot weather, the smallmouths are less 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.

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

HOW TO ACHIEVE SUCCESS ON DRY RUN CREEK BY JOHN BERRY

I have been guiding on Dry Run Creek for over twenty five years. I began, when my daughter was twelve, and she is now thirty nine. Over the years, I have made a number of observations. One thing that I have noted is that ninety percent, of the fish caught, are landed by ten percent, of the anglers. There are a lot of big fish there but proximity does not always guarantee success.

It should be noted that this is a Catch and Release stream set aside for children under sixteen years of age and mobility impaired adults. Every time I go there I see some dad fishing the stream while his child is chasing a butterfly nearby. This is not why the creek was developed. Dry Run Creek is for children. That means they must cast, set the hook and fight the fish. You can rig their rod and net fish but that is all. Mobility impaired adults must have a mobility impaired permit from the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission, in order to fish there.

Bait, of any kind, is strictly prohibited. I saw someone fishing there with corn on Monday. I explained to him that what he was doing was illegal and he quit. You must use a fly or artificial lure with a single barbless hook point. This method does little harm to the trout.

My first recommendation is that you hire a guide. This may sound a bit self serving as both me and my wife, Lori, are guides who frequently work on Dry Run Creek. The fact is a guide can furnish all the gear that you need, is aware of the rules and can make it easier for you or your child to catch fish. They know what flies to use and where to concentrate your efforts. They can even furnish lunch and take pictures of trophy trout.

Have your kids wear waders. There are plenty of places where you can fish from the bank but a pair of waders can put you in some spots that hold plenty of trout but get less pressure than the spots that are easier to fish. A set of waders for yourself will help you get out from the bank, to net the big brown, that doesn’t want to come in.

Move around from time to time. I notice that a lot of anglers congregate on the boardwalk. This area was designed for mobility impaired anglers. The big flat spaces are wheel chair platforms. It is difficult to land fish here. You must get into the water to net fish here unless you have a net with a very long handle (eight feet or more). Mobility impaired anglers are limited to fishing from the boardwalk.

Carry the biggest net that you can lay your hands on. A long handle helps a lot. I have seen many big fish lost at the net. You can buy an inexpensive large net. Don’t try to net the fish too soon. Wait until it is at the top of the water column. The worst thing that you can do is to bump your kid’s trophy trout off.

Use big tippet. I use 4X fluorocarbon. If they hook a big one, you want them to have a chance to land it. Have them take their time when landing the fish. A big one will take several runs. If the child is gripping the line or the reel handle, the fish will break the line. This will happen unless the trout can pull line out. Adjust the reel drag to put as much pressure, on the fish, as possible, without breaking the tippet.

Concentrate your efforts on faster deeper water. I keep my fly selection to a minimum. I use San Juan worms (worm brown, cerise and red) eggs (peach or orange) and sow bugs. My top producer for the last few weeks has been the worm brown San Juan worm. If your kid loses interest, it is time to move on. This is supposed to be fun.

It is my favorite place to guide and can be very rewarding. Good luck!