(update 9-6-2017) Cotter Trout Dock (870-435-6525) said
if you're waiting for perfect weather to go fishing,
now's the time to fish the White River in the Arkansas
Ozarks. If you're waiting for a catch of fat rainbows,
now's the time to fish the White River in the Arkansas
Ozarks. Although they are still experiencing continual
generation from Bull Shoals Dam, the catch has been
plentiful and healthy – quick bites on Berkley pink
worms, sometimes tipped with shrimp. Try salting your
shrimp supply to keep your bait in place longer. Still
good opportunities for experimenting with your larger
rogues and stick baits. You'll want to keep several
colors of PowerBait on hand – yellow, orange, pink and
sunrise are good to have – and change up your bait if
you don't get a hit soon enough. Use gold spoons and
white bodies when selecting spinnerbaits. Most of all,
keep fishing! See you at the river.
(update 9-6-2017) Sportsman’s White River Resort
(870-453-2424) said the water level is high and there
are six to seven generators running 24/7. A few rainbows
were caught in the past week but the catches were in
high water. Otherwise, fishing is very slow. Sportsman’s
rates it fair for the week.
(update 9-6-2017) John Berry of Berry Brothers Guide
Service in Cotter (870-435-2169) said last Friday that
during the past week they have had a rain event (just a
trace of rainfall in Cotter), unseasonably cool
temperatures and heavy winds. The lake level at Bull
Shoals dropped 2.9 feet to rest at 12.1 feet above
seasonal power pool of 661 feet msl. This is 21.9 feet
below the top of flood pool. Upstream, Table Rock
dropped 0.3 feet to rest at 0.4 feet below seasonal
power pool and 14.4 feet below the top of flood pool.
Beaver Lake dropped 0.7 feet to rest at 5.1 feet above
seasonal power pool and 3.5 feet below the top of flood
pool. On the White, we had no wadable water with heavy
generation. Hopper season is here. Many guides are
banging the bank with grasshopper patterns. Add a nymph
dropper (ruby midge) to increase takes. If the
grasshopper is hit or sinks, set the hook. John’s
favorite grasshopper pattern is a Western Pink Lady. The
hot spot on the White has been Rim Shoals. The hot flies
were olive Woolly Buggers (sizes 8, 10), Y2Ks (sizes 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 (sized 10), and sowbugs (size
16). Double-fly nymph rigs have been very effective
(John’s current favorite is a size 14 bead-head pheasant
tail nymph with a ruby midge suspended below it). Use
lots of lead and long leaders to get your flies down.
John also said, “This year the Arkansas Game and Fish
Commission is updating the Trout Management Plan for the
White and Norfork rivers. The plan was last updated
about 10 years ago. The first public meeting was held a
few weeks ago at the Vada Sheid Center at Arkansas State
University-Mountain Home. I attended and we were asked
what we disliked and liked. Based on those likes and
dislikes the AGFC put together a number of proposals for
regulation changes that will affect our trout fisheries.
Two weeks ago the AGFC had another meeting where the
agency presented these proposals and the public was able
to vote for their favorites. I was there. The first
thing that I noticed is that there were about half of
the number of attendees that were there for the first
meeting.
“Second, there was a question-and-answer period for each
proposed change where the public was allowed to ask
questions and make comments. The format of the first
meeting did not allow for this. I was intrigued by some
of the comments and was amazed by others. Several
attendees complained about blue herons and the number of
trout that they ate. One attendee suggested a bounty on
them. It was noted by an AGFC employee that blue herons
are a federally protected species.
“Most of the proposed regulations related to protecting
rainbow, brook and cutthroat trout on the White and
Norfork rivers. At the first Trout Management Plan
meeting it was noted the regulation limiting the harvest
of brown trout to those trout 24 inches or larger had
been a great success and the public wanted similar
regulations protecting other species, particularly the
rainbows. We are just not catching larger rainbows,
brook trout and cutthroats. There were several proposed
regulations for each species and we were asked to vote
on our favorite.
“I was glad to see more restrictive regulations on these
species but did not think they went far enough except
for a proposed change to protect all cutthroats under 24
inches. I think a similar regulation on brook trout is
called for. My big disappointment was the proposed
changes on rainbows. The propose changes centered on
allowing anglers keep one rainbow over 14 inches and
another proposal for keeping one 16-inch trout. There
were also proposals allowing the angler to keep two such
trout. I would rather see a regulation calling for
rainbow trout between 14-24 inches to be released.
“Other proposed regulations concerned catch-and-release
sections. The AGFC recommended closing the Monkey Island
section because it is not working. I agree. The section
in the state park below the Bull Shoals
catch-and-release section is closed from November
through January to accommodate the brown trout spawn.
The section below that is seasonally catch and release
during the same period. The AGFC wants to simplify the
regulations and make both sections in the state park
seasonal catch and release. This sounds logical.
“The AGFC had the University of Arkansas study the
catch-and-release section at Rim Shoals. The study
concluded that the section was too small and should be
enlarged to make it more effective. They recommended a
1-mile extension upstream or a 2-mile extension
downstream. I fish at Rim Shoals more than any other
piece of water in the area. I totally support either of
these proposals. It will be interesting to see how this
all turns out.”
Bull Shoals Lake
As of Wednesday, the Army Corps of Engineers reports the
lake’s elevation at 670.41 feet msl (normal conservation
pool: 659.00 feet msl).
(update 8-23-2017) Del Colvin at Bull Shoals Lake Boat
Dock said they’ve still got 23 extra feet of water in
the lake. The Army Corps of Engineers is bringing it
down. The fishing is starting to pick up pretty good
this week. Del said they had some weather move in and
the cold nights have got the fish moving around quite a
bit. They’re schooling really hard. “I’m going to let
the cat out of the back,” Dell said, saying that he’s
starting to catch them really shallow. The baitfish is
starting to move in to the backs of some of the creeks
that have runoff coming into them. If you can find a
temperature change of a degree or two, those areas will
be better than the ones that are more pockets. There are
threadfins back there, there are gizzards back there.
Del says that’s the hot bite he likes, catching them
back there. He’s used a squarebill, just burning it
through 0-4 feet of water; he says it “seems like you
have to bump that thing into something to get bit.
“There are a lot of what they call bushes that are out
on the flats now, and he’s starting to pick up a few
fish on a frog. The topwater bite seems like it’s been
hit or miss, so you want to have one ready to go. Del
says he did pick up a few on the Whopper Plopper. He
says he’s not doing so hot on the walk-the-dog style
baits; he’s tried Spook or a Sammy and will I’ll pick up
a few, but the bigger bite seems to be on the Whopper
Plopper. Also, as the fish start to migrate into these
creeks, they’re going to use these channels, so wherever
that old channel comes up along the bank, you can do
right with a jig there. If it’s super windy, throw a War
Eagle Spinnerbait, either Blue Shad or Sexy Shad or
Mouse, depending on the color of the water – it varies
throughout the lake, they’ve had quite a bit of water
traffic lately. The clay banks with the boat traffic,
those are really dirty, he said. If you get some wind in
there, those fish will be in there and you can pull a
few out with a spinnerbait. The ledges, 25 feet is about
as deep as Del has been having to fish and most of the
fish he’s been catching 10-15 feet of water – a lot of
times less – he’s throwing a half-ounce Right Bite Jig
in green pumpkin orange or green pumpkin blue, whatever
the angler prefers. The NetBait Paca-Craw Senior in
either green pumpkin or summer craw, that seems to be
getting quite a few fish, he said. When going in the
back water areas, because they have a lot of structure
in the high water, if you can find the pole timber of
the trees, Del will throw a Strike King Rage Tail
Structure Bug in there. That will help you pick up a few
more fish. Conditions are everything, he says. If you’ve
got wind, if you have a quality day, you can power fish
with a spinnerbait or topwater. And watch for baitfish.
If you get into some fish, you can get right back in
there; a lot of times you’ll catch 2-3 fish in the same
little area. They’re schooled up pretty hard. Del says
he caught two on a squarebill the other day on the same
cast. He also likes to cover some water. It seems to be
more productive – points, channel swings, not very deep.
Smallmouth are out a little deeper. The drop-shot bite
has been so intermittent, and the weather is changing,
so he says he’s going to stick to the shallow fish. The
fishing is going to get even better – these rains come,
it cools down, the shorter days, it’s a great time to be
on the lake. Water temps are about 84-85 degrees so it’s
starting to come down.
(update 8-23-2017) K Dock Marina said the lake is
continuing to drop about 4-5 inches per day. This has
had a big impact on the number of fish being caught.
Fish do not react well to extreme changes in water
level. Water color and temp are great, just a slow bite
for all species. Live bait working the best right now.
Hope to get a better report from some of our anglers
after this weekend. Water level is 20 feet above normal
as of last weekend. Water temperature ranging 80-82
degrees. Water is clear to stained.
Norfork Lake
As of Wednesday, the Army Corps of Engineers reports the
lake’s elevation at 561.55 feet msl (normal conservation
pool: September-April 552.00 feet msl; April-September,
554.00 feet msl).
(update 9-6-2017) Tom Reynolds of STR Outfitters says
striper fishing has slowed down on Norfork Lake. The
oxygen levels are too low to support an active striper
bite, therefore the stripers are in survival mode and
have quit eating. Tom says he has suspended striper
fishing until the water turns colder, which is usually
around the beginning of October. Then he will start
fishing north toward the Missouri state line because the
water is shallower and the fish become more active
sooner. Now is the time to chase bass, hybrids,
bluegill, and crappie. Don’t waste your time or money
chasing stripers. Tom says, “Our last trip we had three
boats fishing and between all of us we had one bite.”
The hybrids are chasing young shad in the 30-foot water
column. Hybrids are not affected by the oxygen so look
for them in the late afternoons around the Robinson
Point area. They are being caught on topwater with
swimbaits along with live shad.
(update 9-6-2017) Lou Gabric at Hummingbird Hideaway
Resort said the thermocline on Norfork Lake has been
slowly dropping and currently is about 30 to maybe 35
feet down, and is holding most fish and bait species to
this depth or shallower. If you plan to fish Norfork
Lake take note of the thermocline level, as lots of fish
will hang at this level. Striped bass is the only
species that Lou is aware of, he says, that will go way
below the thermocline to reach cold water. There have
been some really nice spotted (Kentucky) bass caught
over the last week. The bass are being found in two main
areas; up in the flooded buckbrush and suspended over
deep water close to structure. Lou says he went out bass
fishing one morning this week and found some nice bass
suspended down 10-20 feet in 60-100 feet of water. Bluff
line points and the mid-lake bridge columns are great
places to check out. He also went out Tuesday evening
for a few hours. There are plenty of bass feeding on
shad up in the flooded buck brush. Topwater baits,
plastics and crankbaits are all catching nice fish. Live
bait has also been doing very well in catching bass.
Tuesday evening Lou found the white bass nursery.
“Norfork Lake had a great white bass spawn this year, if
what I saw this evening is any indication,” he said. At
first the whites were in about 16 feet of water on the
bottom, but as the sun was lowering in the sky the
whites started busting all over the lake chasing and
feeding on tiny shad. “Most of the whites that I found
were small, but it was a blast catching one fish after
another,” Lou said. He started out jigging a spoon on
the bottom, but as the fish starting hitting the surface
he switched to a Kastmaster. If this year is like prior
years, the big whites will start to show up very soon,
he said.
Striped bass fishing has slowed, at least for him, Lou
said. He has been striper fishing only about one day a
week. He was limiting out each time, until his last trip
out on Labor Day. He found a lot of fish down 80-90 feet
on the bottom and some suspended in deeper water, but he
only got one light bite on his threadfin shad in a
2-hour period. The boat traffic over the holiday weekend
may have affected the bite. There have been a few
stripers caught suspended down 30 feet over deep water
in the dam area, as well as in the mid-lake area.
Typically around mid-September the stripers in the dam
area start to migrate north for cooler water. More and
more stripers will show up in the mid-lake area, as well
as up around the Missouri border. The upcoming cooler
nights and days will help lower the water temperature,
which will benefit all species of fish.
Norfork Lake level is falling about 3-4 inches per day
with one generator being run continuously during the
day; the lake currently sits at 561.71 feet msl as of
Tuesday. The surface water temperature Tuesday evening
was 81.5 degrees. The main lake is clear with the creeks
and coves stained.
Norfork Tailwater
(update 9-6-2017) John Berry of Berry Brothers Guide
Service in Cotter (870-435-2169) said last Friday that
Norfork Lake fell 1.8 feet to rest at 7.3 feet above
seasonal power pool of 555.75 feet msl and 16.9 feet
below the top of flood pool. The Norfork had no wadable
water and the water stained. It fishes well one day and
poorly the next. Navigate this stream with caution as
things have changed a bit during 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. Berry’s favorite rig has been a cerise San Juan
worm with a ruby midge dropper.
Dry Run Creek is fishing well. 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.
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.
Buffalo National River/Crooked Creek
(update 9-6-2017) John Berry of Berry Brothers Guide
Service in Cotter (870-435-2169) said the Buffalo
National River and Crooked Creek are low and clear. With
the warmer weather the smallmouths are more active.
Berry’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.
