Trout Fishing Report-White River-Arkansas
February 24, 2010 Edition
White River:
John Berry from Berry Brothers Guide Service said fairly steady levels of heavy generation have impacted the fishing. The catch-and-release section below Bull Shoals Dam is open. Remember that there are numerous spawning beds (redds) containing freshly laid and fertilized eggs. Please avoid dragging chains through these areas. The redds will appear as clean depressions in the gravel. Some shad are coming through the dam. Be on the lookout for gulls feeding on the shad below the dam. The most effective flies will be white shad patterns. Be sure and have both floating and sinking versions. The hot fly during the past week has been a white marabou jig. The shad have been trickling through a few at a time. Concentrate on the bank or any heavy structure where fish can escape the current.
Sportsman’s White River Resort (870-453-2424) said the water is still running high. Trout fishing is good on Power Bait, frozen shad and white jigs.
Zachary Hoyt at Just Fishing Guides said Bull Shoals is running around the clock with seven units. Drift-fishing nymphs for numbers of fish or streamer fishing for fewer but larger are the two most popular techniques. For high water nymph rigs, use split shot and large indicators and adjust your indicator to maintain the proper depth. Use San Juan worms, scuds, copper Johns and egg patterns. Streamer fishing with integrated shooting taper sinking lines with 3-4 foot 0x-2x leaders and large flies is producing large fish. Try dead-drifting shad patterns with a twitching action near the dam or pound the banks with sculpin patterns further downriver. Fly patterns for streamer fishing should include circus peanuts, zoo cougars, fathead minnows, Arkansas beadheads, Davy's shads, white zonkers and woolly buggers.
White River (From Shipp’s Ferry to Red’s Landing):
Jim Brentlinger at Linger's Guide Service and Fishing Lodge (870-499-5185) said fishing has been steady, but not fast-paced. The best fishing is before noon each day. For the artificial bait fisherman, the Rapala still reigns as the best producer. Black/Gold/White is the best color and the best size is No. 7 or 9. There is still plenty of water, as the Buffalo River is still 4 feet above its normal winter range. Combine that input with the six or seven generators coming from Bull Shoals dam. One-quarter ounce White River Zig Jigs will produce a few trout when worked slowly near the bottom.
Buffalo River:
Zachary Hoyt at Just Fishing Guides said the water is too high for fishing pretty much through the entire river.
Crooked Creek:
Zachary Hoyt at Just Fishing Guides said the water level is 13.71 feet, about 11/2 feet over the low-water bridge at Kelly's Slab. The creek is too high for fishing.
Bull Shoals Lake:
As of Tuesday, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reports the lake’s elevation at 654.16 feet MSL (Normal conservation pool – 654 MSL).
Lake Norfork:
As of Tuesday, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reports the lake’s elevation at 552.11 feet MSL (Normal conservation pool: Sept.-April – 552 MSL, April-Sept. – 554 MSL).
101 Grocery and Bait said cold weather has kept some anglers off the water, but fishing has been good for those who have managed to get out. Live bait and jigging spoons are catching fish well. The surface water temp is in the mid-30s depending on the area of the lake you are in. (Last updated 2-3-2010)
Norfork Tailwater:
John Berry from Berry Brothers Guide Service said there have been several windows of no generation at night. On the high flows, brightly colored San Juan worms (red, cerise and hot fluorescent pink) and egg patterns (peach and orange) have been the go-to flies. Work the banks and submerged weed beds. Dry Run Creek has fished well. The hot fly has been sow bugs in size 14. Worm brown San Juan worms and egg patterns have also done well.
Zachary Hoyt at Just Fishing Guides had no report.