(updated 7-5-2017) Cotter Trout Dock (870-435-6525)
says, “Welcome back; we hope all were able to celebrate
Independence Day with family and friends, especially if
you were able to be on the river or one of Arkansas'
beautiful lakes.” The river saw much less traffic than
usual for a holiday weekend due to daylong showers on
the 4th. Good news: The steady inflow of fresh water
from the dam will help clear out any debris or dinginess
from the rain in a short time. If you're fishing the
river in dingy conditions, find the mud line and cast
you bait right there, mid- to lower depths, bright
colors. Try a white, fluorescent yellow or chartreuse
body with a gold blade if using Rooster Tails, or
same-colored eggs or egg patterns. A soft peach-colored
egg will earn a few bites, too. The Headhunter lures
continue to astound us, best luck coming with the orange
belly gold 4.5-inch lure in overcast skies. A nice brown
took the bait from the bank next to the access area in
Cotter yesterday. Tie on redworms or nightcrawlers in
the afternoon when generation flow increases. Don't
rush; take your time; enjoy the whole gamut of your
fishing experience in our great Natural State of
Arkansas.
(updated 7-5-2017) Sportsman’s White River Resort
(870-453-2424) said it was a very good week. Anglers
reported lots of rainbows, brown trout, walleye and
bream. The water clarity was fair and the river level
was high, with 4-6 generators running.
(updated 7-5-2017) John Berry of Berry Brothers Guide
Service (870-435-2169) said on Friday that during the
past week, they had had a rain event, warmer
temperatures and moderate winds. The lake level at Bull
Shoals dropped 0.8 feet to rest at 27 feet above
seasonal power pool of 661.5 feet. This is 6.5 feet
below the top of flood pool. Upstream, Table Rock fell
1.2 feet to rest at 4.5 feet above seasonal power pool
and 9.5 feet above the top of flood pool. Beaver Lake
fell 0.5 feet to rest at 6.5 feet above seasonal power
pool and 2.1 feet below the top of flood pool. On the
White, we had no wadable water with moderate generation.
All of the lakes in the White River System are now below
the top of flood pool. We should expect a lot of
generation with limited wadable water in the near
future. On the White, the hot spot has been Rim Shoals.
The hot flies were olive Woolly Buggers (sizes 8, 10),
Y2Ks (size 14, 12), prince nymphs (size 14), zebra
midges (black with silver wire and silver bead or red
with silver wire and silver bead sizes 16, 18), pheasant
tails (size 14), ruby midges (size 18), root beer midges
(size 18), pink and cerise San Juan worms (size 10), and
sowbugs (size 16). Double-fly nymph rigs have been very
effective (my current favorite is a cerise San Juan worm
with a size 15 bead-head pheasant tail nymph suspended
below it). Use lots of lead and long leaders to get your
flies down.
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 also said, “This week I was guiding a local
gentleman and his visiting son-in-law on the White River
at Rim Shoals. We had a pretty good morning and we
stopped fishing for lunch at a picnic table under a
shade tree at the Rim Shoals ramp. It was a surprisingly
pleasant day, with unseasonably cool temperatures,
partly cloudy skies and light winds. The water was a bit
high at around 9,500 cfs, or the rough equivalent of
three full generators with a promise of more to come
soon. As we walked to the shaded picnic tables, I
noticed two kayaks on the bank near the ramp. There were
a couple of older guys (younger than me) rigging their
rods. They were wearing waders and I surmised that were
preparing to fish from their kayaks. I discussed with my
clients that it seemed to me like a lot of water to fish
from a kayak. When Lori and I fish from a kayak, we
don’t actually fish from the kayak itself but use the
boat to access wadable water. With this much generation
there is no wadable water.
“As we sat there eating lunch, I made a couple of
observations as they loaded the kayaks and launched
them. First, they had some cheapo personal flotation
devices (PFDs), also called life jackets, which they did
not put on but put in the back of their kayaks. Second,
one of the anglers looked like he had never been in a
kayak before. I was concerned that anyone would get into
a kayak without a PFD. I read in this publication that
there was a kayak-related fatality last week where the
kayaker drowned. He was sitting on his PFD and was not
wearing it. I was also concerned that anyone would get
into a kaya, with this much flow without the most
rudimentary instruction. Lori and I have both taken
canoe and kayak whitewater classes. That has not kept me
from flipping my boat a couple of times in the past few
years. I was wearing my PFD and got wet but was not
injured. Lori has never flipped but always wears her
PFD.
“We finished our lunch and headed downstream to fish.
About a half-mile from the ramp I spotted an angler in a
kayak trying to get control over an upside-down kayak.
Upstream from him I noticed an angler on the bank. I
pulled the boat alongside of the angler wrestling with
the two kayaks and asked if I could help. He said that
he was all right and asked that I pick up his buddy and
link them up. It would have been impossible for him to
get the boats upstream to his buddy in that current. The
angler upstream would have to bushwhack through some
heavy brush in order to link up with his boat.
“I carefully worked my way over to the stranded kayaker.
As he got into my boat, he said, ‘Hi, I’m Gordon.’ I
looked up. I knew this guy. He is related to my
son-in-law. I have guided him on several occasions. He
had shaved his mustache and I did not recognize him at
the access. We quickly caught up and I learned that he
had lost a $700 Winston fly rod in his mishap. That is
an expensive lesson. There were a few more items that
escaped from the kayak when it overturned. He had been
lucky to make it to the bank and have his buddy secure
his boat.
“I linked him up with his buddy and told him to wear his
PFD. We went back to fishing. After a while we saw them
return to the water and began working their way
downstream. They were wearing their PFDs. Kayaks are a
great way to enjoy our lakes and streams but can be
dangerous. Take a while to learn how to safely handle
them and always wear a PFD. I do!”
Bull Shoals Lake
As of Wednesday, the Army Corps of Engineers reports the
lake’s elevation at 688.18 feet msl (normal conservation
pool: 659.00 feet msl).
(updated 7-5-2017) Del Colvin at Bull Shoals Lake Boat
Dock said last Thursday that at 688 feet msl the lake is
still high but is dropping slowly. Del said he doesn’t
know how long it’s going to take for the water to go
down. Water temperature is about 82 degrees starting
out, 88 by the end of the day depending on location.
Fishing is in the summer pattern, and a couple of
different things are working. For Del, bluffs, points,
saddles. And, he said, because of where the water is at,
29 feet above normal, those fish that are normally deep
(the drop-shot fish, the spoon fish) are still in the
bushes. You can pick up a few on the bluff walls. When
you come off the bluff walls, try drop-shotting, either
using worm or shad-style bait. Del also says that you
want to have a topwater tied on at all times and ready
to go. They’ve had it where the fish are just blowing up
anytime of the day. All those little shad balls, there
are “wolf packs” going through. You’ll see the shad
popping and if you can get that bait in there, you’ll do
all right. Del suggests a Whopper Plopper; he says he’s
excited about the new 110, it’s catching some fish.
Buzzbaits are catching the fish. Zara Spoon, whatever
topwater you’re comfortable with. Natural shad pattern
seems to be the key. It’s summertime, you want to be out
toward the main lake. The long points that go way out to
the lake, those points are holding lots of fish. You can
drag a jig off the points. Del says he is still not
dragging it, he’s swimming it or stroking it off the
tops of bushes. The fish in there are just going to
hammer it. If he’s covering water, Del says, the Keitech
is catching a few – quarter-ounce head, shad pattern,
whatever color you like, depending on the day. And
spinnerbait – if you have plenty of wind you can still
catch fish on a spinnerbait. A lot of these fish he’s
catching are still shallow, 20 feet or less. Walleyes,
lot of guys are asking about them, Dell says he’s
catching a few fairly shallow on a jig, 15 feet. “I know
that’s messed up for the walleye guys. Usually this time
of year you can bottom bounce one but the ones I’m
catching on the jig are in the 10-15 feet range. All
that bait is up there so the fish are up there eating
and they don’t have any need to go deep. They have cover
and they’ve got food. I don’t know if the deep bite is
going to turn on. A lot of those fish are suspended too.
The suspended fish can be tougher to target,” he said.
(updated 7-5-2017) K Dock Marina said they have been
preoccupied with the devastating flood that hit there at
the end of April and apologize that it’s been so long to
post a report, but they have been very busy trying to
straighten the marina out. However, things are looking
up! The lake is still very high (688.7 feet msl, or 29
feet above normal) but in perfect fishing and boating
conditions this week. Water temperature is ranging 83-86
degrees and the water is clear to stained. Here is what
they have been hearing from the anglers the past two
weeks. Black bass (Largemouth, smallmouth and spotted
bass) are Good on big 10-inch plum-colored plastic worms
off of flooded roadbeds. Also good on ½-ounce jigs in
10-20 feet off of flooded flats and points. Crankbaits
are also good off of points and rocky bluffs. Topwater
bite is good to fair in flooded brush. Try a weedless
frog. Walleye are good to fair on nightcrawlers on
flooded flats. Medium-size crankbaits are also working
being trolled along the points and bluffs. Many are
being caught still shallow in 6-15 feet. But look for
suspended walleye in 20-30 feet on your graph. Drop a
white or silver ½-ounce spoon if you get on top of them.
Crappie are slow due to high water. Swimming minnows or
live minnows around flooded trees work best. White bass
are slow due to high water. Catfish are good to fair on
trotlines. Also nightcrawlers in the entrance to coves.
Bluegill are very good on crickets about anywhere. Also
it’s a great time to rig the kids up with a worm and a
bobber in any cove.
Norfork Lake
As of Wednesday, the Army Corps of Engineers reports the
lake’s elevation at 573.36 feet msl (normal conservation
pool: September-April 552.00 feet msl; April-September,
554.00 feet msl).
(updated 6-28-2017) Tom Reynolds of STR Outfitters says
striper fishing continues to be very good right now. The
stripers continue to feed on crawdads very close to the
bottom. If you have a 2D depth finder, you will miss
most of the fish. Structure Scan will show you the
stripers that you would otherwise think was not there.
The only way, Tom says, they get them to hit is by
putting the bait at the bottom then bringing the weight
up a foot and let the shad swim right off the bottom.
The stripers have been very aggressive when they take
the bait. Most often Tom and his groups have a hit on
one pole and then another pole will get hit. The best
places to fish are still around the dam area off the
main points and flats. Tom says he has caught stripers
from the mouth of Big Creek to the dam. This action
should continue well into August, so now is the time to
get on the lake.
Tom also says, “I received a call from Kathy who was
staying at Mockingbird Bay Resort. Kathy and Iris wanted
to try striper fishing. The ladies were from south
Arkansas and were up here to spend a weekend on Norfork
Lake. It was their first time out on the lake and they
could not get over how beautiful the lake was and the
clear water. We left the dock at 6 a.m. and headed to my
first spot. It did not take long and we had our first
striper. Kathy took the pole and was having the time of
her life. You could have heard halfway across the lake.
The action was very fast at times with two and three
poles having stripers on the line. Within two hours we
had our limit and were heading back to the dock for
pictures. Both Kathy and Iris were already planning
their return trip with friends and spouses.”
(updated 6-28-2017) Lou Gabric at Hummingbird Hideaway
Resort said striped bass fishing on Norfork Lake has
been outstanding for the last couple of weeks. This year
the stripers are in the summer pattern a little earlier
than normal. You can find the striped bass in 40-55 feet
of water close to the bottom. Early morning, after
sunrise, Lou has been finding large schools of fish
feeding heavily on shad. As the morning wears on, the
stripers are staying at this same depth but will be
hugging the bottom. Small live bait is working the best
for Lou, he said, either threadfin shad or shiners. For
his live bait poles he is using a 2-ounce weight with a
swivel on both ends, then he ties on a 4-5-foot leader
with a No. 6 hook. Yes, this is a very small hook, but
Lou tries to match the hook to the bait so the bait can
still swim around. Lou will drop the bait to the bottom,
then give two cranks of the reel to lift the weight off
of the bottom. Best places to fish are from point 2 back
to the Sand Island area. Start looking for the stripers
on the points and both sides of the points and when you
find them, hold on!|
Lou added that the largemouth bass bite is also very
good. They can be found all over the lake. The best
areas to start fishing is part way to all the way back
into the creeks and coves. The largemouth are up in the
sunken brush early and late in the day and move out to
20-30 feet of water during the sunny part of the day.
Swimbaits, plastic worms, crankbaits and spinnerbaits
are all working well at times for the largemouth bass.
The largemouth will also come up for a topwater bait
early in the morning. Crappie, bluegills and walleye are
all feeding inside of the sunken brush early and late in
the day. The crappie and bluegill stay inside of or on
the edge of the brush during the day. The walleye are
starting to move out onto the flats into 20-40 feet of
water. Live bait is a great choice for all these
species. The lake as of Tuesday was falling slowly with
sporadic power generation; it is dropping 1-2 inches per
day. The majority of the lake is clear with the creeks
and coves partially stained. The lake surface water
temperature was 81-82 degrees Tuesday morning.
Norfork Tailwater
(updated 7-5-2017) John Berry of Berry Brothers Guide
Service said Norfork Lake fell 0.7 feet to rest at 16.5
feet above seasonal power pool of 556.25 feet and 7.2
feet below the top of flood pool. On the Norfork, we had
limited wadable water. All of the lakes in the White
River System are now below the top of flood pool. We
should expect a lot of generation with limited wadable
water in the near future. On the Norfork, the water is
stained. It fishes well one day and poorly the next.
Navigate this stream with caution as things have changed
a bit during the recent flooding. There has been major
gravel recruitment at the bottom of Mill Pond and the
dock hole. The most productive flies have been small
midge patterns (sizes 18, 20, 22) like ruby midges, root
beer midges, zebra midges (black or red with silver wire
and silver bead) and soft hackles (sizes 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 18 inches below a brightly
colored San Juan worm (hot fluorescent pink or cerise
size 10). The fishing is better in the morning. John’s
favorite rig has been a cerise San Juan worm with a ruby
midge dropper. Dry Run Creek is fishing well. With
school out it can get a bit crowded. The hot flies have
been sowbugs (size 14), Y2Ks (size 12) and various
colored San Juan worms (worm brown, red, hot fluorescent
pink and cerise size 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.
Buffalo National River/Crooked Creek
(updated 7-5-2017) John Berry of Berry Brothers Guide
Service in Cotter (870-435-2169) said the Buffalo
National River and Crooked Creek are navigable. With the
warmer weather the smallmouths are more active. John’s
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.
