Trout Fishing Report-White River-Arkansas

From Arkansas Game and Fish Commission

February 18, 2009 Edition                                      

White River: John Berry from Berry Brothers Guide Service said the generation pattern has been no generation over the weekend and heavy generation during the week. The major action in the area has been on the upper White. The long awaited opening of the catch-and-release section at Bull Shoals Dam drew large numbers of anglers. Hot flies were egg patterns in orange and peach. Midge patterns, particularly Dan’s turkey tail emerger, accounted for some nice fish. The Narrows has been fishing particularly well. Olive woolly buggers and black zebra midges have been the go-to flies. Be careful when fishing here. The river can come up fast. Leave as soon as you detect rising water. Wildcat Shoals has been a real hot spot. The lower shoals have fished particularly well with partridge and orange soft hackles and Dan’s turkey tail emerger, while the upper section has fished well with a variety of nymphs. Try Y2Ks, olive scuds and sowbugs. Roundhouse Shoals has been another hot spot. This section is one of the easiest areas to access in the area. While the crowds have been light, the fishing has been good. Swinging olive or black woolly buggers in heavier current has been particularly effective. Another hot technique has been to high stick nymphs like the olive scud, Y2K and sowbug in fast water. Take care when wading here as there is quite a bit of bedrock. The catch-and-release section at Rim Shoals has been spotty. One day it fishes well and the next day it is not as productive. However, this is one of the areas that have wadable water available even when they are generating. To access these spots contact Gary Flipin at Rim Shoals Trout Dock ferry you to wadable water with his water taxi.

Mountain River Fly Shop said the shad kill was very good on the White last week, but with a warming trend for the next week, we can expect the shad action to slow. Stay tuned as cooler temperatures, plus higher flows will have the shad back. The low-water fishing has been very good on the upper White. We have heard good things from Cotter upstream to the dam. Black and silver Zebra Midges have been reliable and we scored some nice fish on Davy’s Whitetail Black Silver 14 wading in one unit of water. Sowbugs continue to be very successful, with patterns from Davy Wotton and Clint Wilkinson plus the McLellan's Woven V-Rib Sowbug.

Sportsman’s White River Report (870-453-2424) said the water is running fast and the river level is high. Trout are fair on heavily weighted White River rigs baited with nightcrawlers, wax worms and marshmallows.

White River (Below Cartney Access): Jim Brentlinger at Linger's Guide Service and Fishing Lodge (870-499-5185) said the Buffalo River rose 11 feet in the past few days, causing high muddy water downstream from the confluence with the White River. Fishing has been slow, but as the water subsides trout are starting to be more active. By the weekend, the river will be back to normal and fishing should be just fine. Ginger-colored White River Zig Jigs, Rapalas and Power Bait are the baits of choice for the spin-fishermen. Fly-fishermen can focus on egg patterns in orange or peach, along with white and pink jigs under strike indicators. You can strip the jigs as well with a sinking line and let it sink a few feet before you start your retrieve.