Fishing Tip:  When fishing in moving water, always cast upstream and let the bait move down with the current. Fish usually face the current, and the bait must be put in front of the fish.

White River: Gaston's White River Resort said the river is clear but very high. There are still eight generators running 24-hours a day. Trout fishing has been excellent. Brown trout in the 3- to 8-pound range have been biting on Countdown Rapalas or Husky Jerk Rapalas in silver or green with an orange belly. Browns have also been biting on 1/8-ounce white marabou jigs. Rainbow trout have been caught on yellow-and-white Power Eggs.

Bull Shoals Tailwaters: McLellan's Fly Shop said the Trophy Area below Bull Shoals Dam opened on the first of February, but you'll likely need a boat to fish it. Two to six units have been running most days, building up to eight units by late afternoon. Drifting with the lower water releases has produced some excellent fly-fishing opportunities from a boat. The trout are all fat and healthy after the extended period of high water. As a result, fly-fishing has been very good lately in the various shoals of the upper river, especially using sow bugs, scuds, Unreal Eggs, Golden Eggs and San Juan Worms. Some very large trout have been hooked lately. The best flies have been: Zebra and Black/Olive Rubber-leg Copper John (sizes 14 to 18), McLellan's Woven V-Rib Sowbug (sizes 14 to 16), McLellan's Hunchback Scud Tan, Olive and Gray (sizes 14 to 16), Red Fox Squirrel Nymph (sizes 12 to 16), Little Brown Bug (sizes 14 to 16), March Brown Spider (sizes 12 to 14), Red Ass (size 16), Partridge & Herl (size 16), Rag Sculpin (size 6), Golden Eggs (size 16), Unreal Eggs (size 12), Platte River Special (size 4), Articulated Zoo Cougar (size 4), and Swimming Jimmy (size 4).

North Fork River: McLellan's Fly Shop said generation has been scaled back over the past week, with water primarily running early and late in the day, providing some wade-fishing opportunities. However, with all of the water in Norfork Reservoir, generation should increase over the next week. During low-water conditions, scuds, sow bugs and midges have been producing plenty of strikes. During high-water conditions, streamer fishing has been excellent from a boat (especially on overcast days). Using Streamer Express lines has produced several strikes lately and plenty of excitement.  Nymph fishing in high water has also been productive, using large McLellan's Hunchback Scuds, egg patterns and San Juan Worms. The best flies have been:  McLellan's Hunchback Scud Tan, Olive and Gray (sizes 14 to 16), Morgan's Midge (sizes 22 to 24), Rojo Midge (size 22), Yong Special (sizes 20 to 22), Zebra Jujubee Midge (sizes 20 to 24), Mercury Black Beauty (sizes 20 to 22), Gray Mercury Midge (sizes 20 to 22), WD-50 (sizes 20 to 22), McLellan's Woven Sow Bug (sizes 14 to 16), Golden Egg (size 16), Unreal Eggs (size 12), Mercury Brassie (sizes 18 to 20), Mercury Blood Midge (sizes 20 to 22), Platte River Special (size 4), San Juan Worm (size 16), Articulated Zoo Cougar (size 4), and Swimming Jimmy (size 4).

Bull Shoals Lake: Wilderness Trail said pool level has steadily dropped throughout the month. The lake level is still 4 feet above normal pool at 658.10 feet. The water temperature is in the mid-40s, and lake clarity is around 16 feet. The bite is slow for bass, walleye and crappie this winter because the high-water conditions have them scattered. For crappie, try fishing with Bobby Garland Swimming Minnows, tube baits or small jigs along bluff walls or creek channel swings. Crappie minnows will also work but with the cold water temperatures crappie minnows do not swim around much. Largemouth bass can be found in the back of some pockets in the creeks, but there is no consistent pattern. Use Suspending Rogues or Lucky Craft Pointer 78s in the back of the pockets. Most of the largemouth are holding in the deep water at the entrance of the cuts and pockets, and vertical jigging a spoon is your best bet for triggering a few. Smallmouth bass are really scattered and most of them are out over open water. Drop shot with finesse worms and other drop shot baits are your best bet. Kentucky Bass are also hard to find. They are traveling with the shad, which takes a lot of graphing to locate them. Look for these fish in the channel swing ends of the main lake, in the main lake cuts found mid-lake and in the creek arms on the north side. When you locate a school, drop spoons down to them or use a Stingray grub on a light 3/16-ounce jighead. Walleye are also very hard to pattern or even locate. We know there are walleye down in the flooded forest. However, with the high water, the forest tops are about 60- to 64-feet deep. Key on walleye that are on the deep sides of feeding flats or points in 45 to 55 feet of water. The best baits are spoons or ball jigs with shiners. Fishing for trout on the White River has been good all winter. Right now, there are a few shad coming through the dam so white Chrome Domes, white jigs, and white Rooster Tails have been good baits. When there is not much generation, Berkley Power Eggs in yellow and white have done well. With generation, the Buoyant Spoon, Super Dupers and Little Cleo's are the bait of choice. With a fair amount of generation, the fly-fishing has been limited, but olive Woolly Buggers, sow bugs and scuds have done well. The Brown trout are spawning, and most of them are in the seasonal catch and release. However, people who fished for browns further down the river did well on Countdowns, Shad Raps and Rogues.
 
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