JOHN BERRY FISHING REPORT 09/16/2016

During the past week, we have had a trace of rain, moderate temperatures and moderate winds. The lake level at Bull Shoals fell one and three tenths feet to rest at one and three tenths feet below seasonal power pool of 661 feet. This is thirty five and three tenths feet below the top of flood pool. Upstream, Table Rock fell two tenths of a foot to rest at six feet below seasonal power pool and twenty feet below the top of flood pool. Beaver Lake fell one tenth of a foot to rest at five and one tenth feet below seasonal power pool and thirteen and seven tenths feet below the top of flood pool. On the White, we had heavy generation in the afternoon this week with wadable water every morning. Norfork Lake fell six tenths of a foot to rest at two and two tenths feet below seasonal power pool of 555.75 feet and twenty six and two tenths feet below the top of flood pool. On the Norfork, we had reliable wadable water every morning, with light generation in the afternoon.

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. 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 reliable 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 hare and copper nymph (#14) 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 low. 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 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 less crowded with school back in session. It has fished a bit better and is 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.

JOHN BERRY FISHING REPORT 09/09/2016

During the past week, we have had no rain event, moderate temperatures and moderate winds. The lake level at Bull Shoals fell five tenths of a foot to rest at seasonal power pool of 661 feet. This is thirty four feet below the top of flood pool. Upstream, Table Rock fell four tenths of a foot to rest at five and five tenths feet below seasonal power pool and nineteen and five tenths feet below the top of flood pool. Beaver Lake fell one tenth of a foot to rest at four and nine tenths feet below seasonal power pool and thirteen and five tenths feet below the top of flood pool. On the White, we had heavy generation in the afternoon this week with wadable water every morning. Norfork Lake fell one tenth of a foot to rest at one and six tenths feet below seasonal power pool of 555.75 feet and twenty five and eight tenths feet below the top of flood pool. On the Norfork, we had reliable wadable water every morning, with light generation in the afternoon.

Seasonal power pool has been reset for the lakes in the White River system. All of the lakes on this system are at or 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 reliable 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 hare and copper nymph (#14) 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. 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 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 less crowded with school back in session. It has fished a bit better and is 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.

FISHING ON LABOR DAY BY JOHN BERRY

Somehow I got Labor Day off. My assistant manager at Blue Ribbon Fly Shop, Henry Seay, was scheduled to work and I had an opportunity to fish on a holiday. Generally we get a major influx of tourists over a three day weekend and a lot of them want to go trout fishing. As a result, our trout streams can get rather crowded, on these holidays. My wife, Lori, and I were more interested in a bit of secluded water, for our fly fishing outing. 

The secret was a bit of patience. We just waited for everyone to leave. After a nice lunch, we drove over to the Ackerman Access on the Norfork tailwater. At first, the parking lot looked crowded but we soon noticed that everyone was packing up to leave. Lori and I talked to several of the anglers as they were leaving to be sociable and to get an up to date fishing report. By the time we had our waders on and rods rigged, the parking lot was almost empty. 

I headed up stream, while Lori chose to begin fishing close to the access, with a promise to join me upstream a while later. As I waded into the Catch and Release section, I noted that I pretty much had it to myself. There was a single angler far upstream. He was fishing one of my favorite spots but I had plenty of water to fish and I knew that he would eventually leave. 

I began the day fishing a green butt, my signature fly. It was still on my rod from the last time I fished this rod, a Sage ZXL nine foot five weight with an Orvis CFO reel and a Rio Gold fly line. It is one sweet casting rig and I fish it often. I took a nice fourteen inch rainbow on the third cast but the action abated quickly. I switched to a partridge and orange soft hackle and caught a couple more trout but the going was slow. 

I looked upstream and noted the other angler walking out of my favorite spot. I walked up and chatted to him as he was coming out. He said that he had caught a nice brown in the run. Even though he had hammered it for over an hour, I thought that I had a shot. I took a minute or two to rerig. I stripped off the partridge and orange and put on a red fox squirrel nymph with a copper bead and copper wire. Below that I tied on a ruby midge. I then added some lead and a strike indicator. Almost immediately, I caught two ten inch brookies back to back. 

I kept fishing the run and landed a fifteen inch rainbow. I just knew that a bigger trout was lurking there. I kept casting into the run and finally hooked a big fish. It jumped and I got a good look at the twenty two inch brown. Unfortunately it was able to spit the hook, when it got a bit of slack in the line, on the jump. I continued fishing and landed a few more trout. The big fish was an eighteen inch cutthroat. I just needed the brown for a grand slam. It was not to be. 

After a while, I cranked in my line and headed downstream to find Lori. She was fishing a nearby run and doing well. She was using a partridge and orange soft hackle and catching some nice trout. I sat down nearby and watched her fish, until she was ready to go. We reveled in the solitude and the fishing. Around four PM we walked out hand in hand and headed home. 

Fishing on Labor Day had been great!

JOHN BERRY FISHING REPORT 09/02/2016

During the past week, we have had no rain event, moderate temperatures and moderate winds. The lake level at Bull Shoals rose one tenth of a foot to rest at five tenths of a foot above seasonal power pool of 661 feet. This is thirty three and five tenths feet below the top of flood pool. Upstream, Table Rock fell a foot to rest at five and one tenth feet below seasonal power pool and nineteen and one tenth feet below the top of flood pool. Beaver Lake fell three tenths of a foot to rest at four and eight tenths feet below seasonal power pool and thirteen 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 every morning. Norfork Lake fell one tenth of a foot to rest at one and five tenths feet below seasonal power pool of 555.75 feet and twenty five and seven tenths feet below the top of flood pool. On the Norfork, we had reliable wadable water every morning, with light generation in the afternoon.

Seasonal power pool has been reset for the lakes in the White River system. All of the lakes on this system are at or 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 Wildcat Shoals. We have had reliable 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 hare and copper nymph (#14) 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. 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 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 less crowded with school back in session. It has fished a bit better and is 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.

FISHING ROUNDHOUSE SHOALS BY JOHN BERRY

When I moved here sixteen years ago, it was because of the fishing. I chose to live in Cotter for the same reason. We have about three and a half miles of fly fishable water within the city limits and most of it is wadable. It was a small railroad town at the turn of the last century. It still has some charming cottages built for the railroad workers. I bought a small fieldstone bungalow built in 1921 (it is now 95 years old) that I have lovingly restored over the past few years.

With all of this water, I have my favorite spot, Roundhouse Shoals. It is a large limestone shoal with a sizable island and some nice gravel runs. It is on the south side of town across the street from the rail yards. It got its name, from the railroad roundhouse (a locomotive repair facility) that was once located there. It is easily accessed as there is a road (Arkansas 345) that runs along it. The North Arkansas Fly Fishers (our local fly fishing club) built a set of stairs, to make it easier to scramble the bank. It is four blocks from my house.

This past weekend my wife, Lori’s, sister, Terri, and her husband, Larry, came in for a visit and to do a little fishing. They stayed in our guest house. My in-laws had fished, on Sunday at the Ackerman Access, on the Norfork, and had done well. I had Monday off and Lori and I decided to fish with them at Roundhouse Shoals (we call it behind the house).

We began the day with a hearty breakfast at the White Sands Restaurant in Cotter. I needed a ham and cheese omelet to keep my feet in the gravel. We drove back to our house to put on our waders and gather up our fishing gear. We then went to Roundhouse. It was seventy two degrees, with no wind and a few clouds. The river was at minimum flow. We waded over to our favorite spot and began fishing.

I opted to nymph a fast run but after several fly changes and trying another run I was fishless. I took a moment to look around and noted that Lori, Terri and Larry were all catching fish (a bunch of fish), on the olive woolly bugger. I may not be the sharpest knife in the drawer but I knew it was time to switch to the olive woolly bugger (don’t leave home without it). It took me a couple of minutes to switch over but I was soon in fish. I covered a lot of water and caught quite a few nice trout.

 Despite my success I wanted to try something else. I waded back to the run, where I had begun. I wanted to figure out what would work there. Even though there were no fish rising, I thought about the green butt, my signature fly. It is a buggy looking soft hackle and it always produces for me. I stripped off the woolly Bugger and lead and tied on some fresh 5X tippet and a green butt.

On the second cast, I felt a gentle take but I missed it. Two casts later I landed a decent cutthroat. I caught several more cuts but they were smaller than the first. I waded downstream and caught a few nice rainbows. Larry joined me a picked up a few nice trout on a partridge and orange soft hackle.

We fished till around 2:00 PM and ended the day eating hamburgers and fries at Warrior Station, Cotter’s other restaurant. The hearty breakfast was a faint memory and it was time to replenish. I must say that the hamburger and fries hit the spot. We returned to our house for a well deserved nap. 

It had been another great day, fishing close to home!

SUMMERTIME CHRISTMAS BY DENNIS SCHULE

Christmas has come early for John and I from Blue Ribbon guides this year.  We both have new boats. 

Those of you that follow our blog and fishing updates www.blueribbonguides.blogspot.com have probably read the last couple of articles by John Berry regarding his "new to me" Supreme boat.  John finally made the leap and purchased a used Supreme L60 river boat when it became available.  The boat was in pristine condition and John has been busy having numerous upgrades done at Supreme Boats.  For me, a new Supreme is what I opted for and ordered one in May.   

I started out 16 years ago with a Supreme 2000 and it was a great boat.  Then in 2012 I switched brands and had that boat for 4 years.  Now I'm back to Supreme and couldn't be happier.

For this boat, some thought was put into what I wanted and how it would be set up.  I opted for the Supreme 207XP and stayed with the Yamaha 40/30hp jet drive.  If you fish the White River a lot and like to get into skinny water you know a jet drive is an extremely valuable motor. 

Rob Williams and Chris Miller were who I met with at Supreme Boats and we discussed what I was looking for.  All they said is,  "We can do that with no problem!"   

So here is what I ordered: 

A Supreme 207XP, which is 20'7" in length and a width of 65"  with my own color scheme.

Glassed-in pedestal seat mounts on aluminum adjustable seat posts with Temperest seats.

Full length rod trays on each side, lined with shark skin.

Built-in rod storage tubes -- three on each side.

48" flush mount front deck.

Dierks anchor system with hidden rope.

Sawyer square-top oars.

All of these items were also on my old boat with the exception of the flush-mount front deck and the hidden anchor rope.  No more pulleys to get your line hung up on.   I also switched from Cataract oars to the Sawyers.  I stayed with the Yeti Tundra 45 cooler with my rowing seat attached.  

A couple of additional options that I added are three built-in beverage holders and a bilge pump.  No more client beverages rolling around on the bottom of the boat and no more bailing water out of the boat in the middle of heavy rains.  Just flip the switch and out goes the water. 

There are many advantages in dealing with Rob Williams at Supreme Boats.  The boats are built by hand right here in Midway, Arkansas by truly professional craftsmen.  If you need service, it's here.  Plus the hull has a full five year warranty.   I was able to watch the build of my boat from the gel coat being applied to the mold, laying of the glass, installation of the storage compartments, finishing the inside and the rigging.  Everything was done to my exact specifications and I cannot find a flaw.   

For a trailer, I stuck with the EZ loader supreme.  I added the Tuff coat like my last trailer which virtually eliminates rock chips.  One big thing I added to this trailer is roller bunks.  I back into the ramp and the boat just slides off.  Winching it on the last couple of feet is a breeze.  

In summation, this boat is absolutely fantastic.  It handles like a dream and gets up on plane quickly.  It is outstanding in really shallow water and rows with ease on a drift.  

If you are in the market for a new river boat, I highly recommend that you give the Supreme line of boats a serious look.  The color schemes are only limited by your imagination and if you want something special, they can do it.  

The Supreme boats aren't just for fly fishermen.  Many bait fishing guides also use Supreme.  And if you're a duck hunter, check out their duck blind wrap. 

Stop by your local Supreme Boats dealer and let them give you a tour of the new line of Supreme Boats.  You can find your local dealer by logging onto www.supremeboats.com and click on dealer locator.  You will be glad you did.    

JOHN BERRY FISHING REPORT 8/26/2016

During the past week, we have had a couple of rain events (a combined total of a half an inch here in Cotter), moderate temperatures and moderate winds. The lake level at Bull Shoals rose four tenths of a foot to rest at four tenths of a foot above seasonal power pool of 661 feet. This is thirty three and six tenths feet below the top of flood pool. Upstream, Table Rock fell a foot to rest at four and one tenth feet below seasonal power pool and eighteen and one tenth feet below the top of flood pool. Beaver Lake fell four tenths of a foot to rest at four and five tenths feet below seasonal power pool and thirteen and one tenth feet below the top of flood pool. On the White, we had heavy generation in the afternoon this week with wadable water every morning. Norfork Lake rose five tenths of a foot to rest at one and four tenths feet below seasonal power pool of 555.75 feet and twenty five and six tenths feet below the top of flood pool. On the Norfork, we had reliable wadable water every morning, with light generation in the afternoon.

Seasonal power pool has been reset for the lakes in the White River system. All of the lakes on this system are at or 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 reliable 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 hare and copper nymph (#14) 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. 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 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.