JOHN BERRY FISHING REPORT 05/20/2016

During the past week, we have had several rain events (combined for a total of three quarters of an  inch here in Cotter), warm temperatures and heavy winds (to include lake wind advisories).The lake level at Bull Shoals rose a foot to rest at one and seven tenths feet below seasonal power pool of 662 feet. This is thirty four and seven tenths feet below the top of flood pool. Upstream, Table Rock rose five tenths of a foot to rest at seven tenths of a foot above seasonal power pool and fifteen feet below the top of flood pool. Beaver Lake fell one tenth of a foot to rest at seasonal power pool and eight and six tenths feet below the top of flood pool. On the White, we had little generation this week with wadable water every day. Norfork Lake fell five tenths of a foot to rest at two and nine tenths feet below seasonal power pool of 556.75 feet and twenty six and two tenths feet below the top of flood pool. On the Norfork, we had no wadable water.

Seasonal power pool has been reset for the lakes in the White River system. All of the lakes on this system are currently at or below seasonable power pool and we should encounter lower levels of generation, on our tailwaters, with limited wadable water.

On the White, the bite has been erratic. One day is great and the next is slow. During higher levels of generation the river is “dirty” with large amounts of aquatic vegetation suspended in it. 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 (#14) with a ruby midge (#18) suspended below it).

Our big caddis hatch which usually provides our best dry fly fishing of the year is on the wane. I have observed a few caddis on the White and have had reports hatches on various spots on that river. This is a big insect, about a fourteen. Before the hatch I fish prince nymphs. When I see top water activity but no insects, I fish with my green butt or a partridge and orange. When I see trout taking adults from the top, I switch over to an elk hair caddis.

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 more 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 cleared somewhat and 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 seen less pressure with spring break over but was quite busy. It is cleared some and fished well. There is another phase of the project to repair the Norfork National Fish Hatchery now going on. Access to the creek is not impaired. 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.

RODEO TROUT BY JOHN BERRY

Last Sunday I was lucky enough to get a day off. Now that I am managing Blue Ribbon Fly Shop, I seem to have less time to fish on my own or with my wife, Lori. She and I were both eager to spend another day on the river. We had been able to fish together the previous week and had a great time, so we were both pumped up, with the prospect of doing it again. The plan was to get to the river about the same time that all of the out of town anglers were leaving to head back home after a weekend of fishing here. We usually find most accesses clear of traffic after lunch on Sunday.

We slept in a bit and ate a hearty breakfast at a local diner, before heading to the river. We got there around 11:30 AM and had it to ourselves. It was about seventy two degrees with a light breeze. It was sunny and the river was at minimum flow. We rigged our nine foot five weight rods with a size fourteen hare and copper nymph and a size eighteen ruby midge. We added a size BB lead shot and a strike indicator. All of this was on a weight forward floating line with a seven and one half foot leader and 5X tippet.

I launched the boat and headed upstream to a nice riffle that is usually quite productive. Today was no exception. We landed four trout on the first drift (two each) and lost three others. After that drift, it was Katie bar the door. We caught trout after trout and hooked up on every drift. We were landing some nice trout in the sixteen to eighteen inch range which is a great trout anywhere.

 

Halfway through the afternoon Lori hooked a huge trout. As soon as it felt the sting of the hook, it jumped straight up. It got at least three feet out of the water. I had never seen a trout that large get that much air. He was at least thirty inches and had a substantial girth. I almost swallowed my cigar, when I saw the jump. The monster headed for my rig. Lori’s line looked like there was a shark on the other end cutting through the water heading out to sea at an unbelievable rate of speed.

 

She yelled for me to get my line out of the water. After observing the first part of the struggle, I was already cranking my fly line in, when I heard her. The brown passed me in the rear of the boat and circled around to the other side. It dove down and wrapped a rock and spit the hook. It had been a short but exciting struggle. Lori was heartbroken.

What she had hooked and lost, was a rodeo trout. Rodeo trout are big fish that give you a wild ride. They always begin their fight with a big jump and fight like wild Comanches. There are long runs that challenge the best made rods and reels. Like a bucking bronco, the goal is to hang on for eight seconds. In this case, Lori had this one on for about a minute. I thought that she did well. It definitely got our adrenaline pumping.

 

It was the best day that Lori and I have had on the water in a long time. The highlight of the day was Lori’s Rodeo Trout.

 

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 FOR 05/13/2016

During the past week, we have had several rain events (combined for a total of five inches here in Cotter), warm temperatures and heavy winds (to include lake wind advisories). The lake level at Bull Shoals rose a foot to rest at two and five tenths feet below seasonal power pool of 661.86 feet. This is thirty five and seven tenths feet below the top of flood pool. Upstream, Table Rock fell seven tenths of a foot to rest at nine tenths of a foot above seasonal power pool and fifteen and five tenths feet below the top of flood pool. Beaver Lake rose three tenths feet to rest at one tenths of a foot above seasonal power pool and eight and five tenths feet below the top of flood pool. On the White, we had little generation this week with wadable water every day. Norfork Lake rose one and six tenths feet to rest at two and four tenths feet below seasonal power pool of 556.61 feet and twenty five and seven tenths feet below the top of flood pool. On the Norfork, we had very limited wadable water.

Seasonal power pool has been reset for the lakes in the White River system. All of the lakes on this system are currently at or below seasonable power pool and we should encounter lower levels of generation, on our tailwaters, with limited wadable water.

On the White, the bite has been erratic. One day is great and the next is slow. During higher levels of generation the river is “dirty” with large amounts of aquatic vegetation suspended in it. 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 hare and copper suspended below it).

It is time for our big caddis hatch which usually provides our best dry fly fishing of the year. I have observed a few caddis on the White and have had reports of a spectacular hatch at Wildcat Shoals. This is a big insect, about a fourteen. Before the hatch I fish prince nymphs. When I see top water activity but no insects, I fish with my green butt or a partridge and orange. When I see trout taking adults from the top, I switch over to an elk hair caddis.

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 more 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 has cleared somewhat and 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 seen less pressure with spring break over but was quite busy. It is cleared some and fished well. There is another phase of the project to repair the Norfork National Fish Hatchery now going on. Access to the creek is not impaired. 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.