January 18, 2009
The article below (after the grey horizontal pagebreak); written by Jill Easton for the Batesville Daily Guard newspaper, talks about the high water we had in 2008 on the White River. Some of it applies more to the White River below Norork (ramp damage, etc) than to our area up here by Cotter, but we beleive the overall conclusion and title are quite accurate.
Flows from Bull Shoals have returned to fairly normal levels now (January 2009). Fishing was just fine on the higher flows in 2008, but some people prefer slower water. We beleive 2009 will be truly outstanding. And continue to get better and better.
Actually, we don't just "beleive"; the guides who were born here and fished here all their lives are telling us there are more browns out there now than they have ever seen!
In addition, there are two other items that could combine to make the White River the "worlds best" (arguably it is right now).
#1 The long awaited Minimum Flow Record of Decision was recently signed by the Assistant Secretary of the Army. This should be the last obstacle to implementation. Minimum Flow should help the fish in times of low water. However, it still could take quite a while to complete the construction required at Bull Shoals and Norfork dams; especially Norfork.
#2 Arkansas Game and Fish has implemented a new Keep Limit of one Brown per day and it must be over 24" length. Keep in mind this is a "keep" Limit; you can "catch" all you want. So bring your camera!
We think the high water in 2008 has "jumpstarted" the White River into overdrive and items #1 and #2, above, will help maintain it!
Below is the article From the Batesville Daily Guard Newspaper:
Trout in White River are Fatter
Written by Jill Easton
Nov 22, 2008 at 04:55 PM
Shhhhhsh, don’t tell anyone. We don’t want to share; this is a secret. The trout in the White River are the biggest and fattest that anyone around north Arkansas can remember.
This isn’t just idle talk, even the Game and Fish Commission’s trout biologist agrees.
North Arkansas had a rough winter last year. There was an ice storm, two deep snows, hail, tornados that crossed and recrossed the White River valley. Then came spring and the biggest double whammy of all: back-to-back catastrophic floods that kept the lakes — and therefore the river — far higher than normal all this summer.
If humans were trout, the weather probably would have killed us, but the rainbows and browns are doing just fine.
“We’ve caught more fish this year, especially brown trout, than any time I can remember,” said Paul Benton, who fishes White River regularly. “We are catching bigger, heavier fish than in the past. The only problem is knowing where to fish.”
There are many reasons for the improvement, according to Jeff Williams, trout program supervisor with Arkansas Game and Fish Commission. For example: less fishing pressure, higher, cooler and more oxygenated water coming through the dams, and better access to food in areas that are usually dry or very shallow.
Six months after the spring floods, both Bull Shoals Lake and Lake Norfork are still abnormally high. Normally by late summer, trout are getting sunburns due to the lack of water releases from the dams, but this year, the fish almost have to bite a rock to keep from getting washed downriver.
The lakes are still far above normal, so the conditions that brought about these fat, big fish is unlikely to change any time soon.
“The Corps of Engineers has been trying to get the lake water levels down ever since the floods, but it’s not working since the rains keep coming,” said Williams. “They have been generating almost full time, as well as opening the flood gates on several occasions, and the lakes are still near flood pool.”
All indications are that trout have managed to weather almost a year of unusual weather better than the folks along the riverbank. People lost homes, docks and breakwaters; the fish just adapted.
“Fish develop ways to deal with changing river situations. The flood gave the trout a lot of additional food and it made them harder to reach,” said Williams. “Juvenile fish were washed downriver, but larger fish rode out the storm.”
For a long time high water made many of the usual methods of fishing impossible. Bank fishing has been difficult, and getting out in a boat can also be a problem since the river has dug new channels and deposited gravel and debris in new places.
Wade fishing this summer and fall has usually been impossible due to the high, swift flows.
Even for boaters, old favorite locations don’t work now. The rainbow and brown trout are doing things differently in the river these days. The high flows carry a constant supply of food to these fish, and they have to expend very little effort to feed.
Add all those things together, and it’s not hard to see that fisherman have a lot of new problems this year.
“High water is not for inexperienced boat operators,” Williams stressed. “It’s best to go with an experienced guide if you don’t know the water.
“Access points have been impacted, and the fast-moving water can make maneuvering a small boat dangerous. If you go out by yourself, wear a life jacket on the river, learn the new shoals and cuts, and stay constantly aware.“
Williams asked that fishermen bear with AGFC until boat ramp damage is repaired and more information is available about what is happening with the trout. Much of the damage was repaired during the summer and early fall, but there’s still a lot to be done.
“We are not sampling right now because the water is too high, but trout are still being released,” Williams said. “By late fall we should know more.”
Increased water flows, along with changes in the riverbed brought on by high, fast water scouring the bottom, require new techniques for fishing the river. Changes in cuts and channels mean that anglers have to learn new places to locate fish.
Deep cuts have developed close to the banks in many places, especially on the outside of river bends. Try to anchor and fish these cuts, or start the float around any snags or downed trees that are sticking up, or cuts in the riverbank. Fish are sheltering in these spots and generally will bite on almost anything that floats by.
Also, there are more fish than normal holding on what normally are shallow gravel shoals and bars. With six to 10 feet of water over their backs now, trout feel safer in venturing out onto these more exposed areas.
This winter should be an exceptional time to fish the White River system as water levels return closer to normal. The fishing is a little difficult right now due to all the falling leaves in the water, but that will change as the leaf fall ends.
White River’s trout successfully weathered the difficult times and have even thrived during the interim. They’re waiting for us to find them.