(update 10-4-2017) Cotter Trout Dock (870-435-6525)
said fluctuations in the water levels below Bull
Shoals Dam have challenged the anglers, including
professionals. They've seen a few mornings with
fairly low water, almost wadable, then a couple of
days of higher levels making drift fishing a
priority. On low water, shrimp and PowerBait have
been the go-to baits again for good sized rainbows;
anchor over a deeper hole and drop your line –you
won't have to wait long. The browns have been more
skittish, but will nibble at a sculpin if drifted at
mid-depth or lower. While drifting worms (red worms
or bubblegum pink), they saw a few days of brook
trout catching, but the catch has slowed. Come to
the river – you can't catch a trout from your office
desk.
(update 10-4-2017) Sportsman’s White River Resort
(870-453-2424) said the water clarity was has a
green tinge to it. The river level is low. There
have been two to eight generators running the past
week. The trout bite is fair to good. Rainbow
reports were good. Don’t expect much on the brown
trout bite based on the bad reports from the past
week.
(update 10-4-2017) John Berry of Berry Brothers
Guide Service in Cotter (870-435-2169) said late
last week that for the previous seven days they had
no rain, warm temperatures and moderate winds. The
lake level at Bull Shoals dropped 1.8 feet to rest
at 0.6 feet below seasonal power pool of 661 feet
msl. This is 34.6 feet below the top of flood pool.
Upstream, Table Rock rose 0.3 feet to rest at 0.2
feet below seasonal power pool and 14.2 feet below
the top of flood pool. Beaver Lake dropped 1.9 feet
to rest at 0.3 feet above seasonal power pool and
8.3 feet below the top of flood pool. On the White,
we had no wadable water with moderate generation.
Norfork Lake fell 1.5 feet to rest at 0.3 feet below
seasonal power pool of 555.75 feet msl and 24.5 feet
below the top of flood pool. On the Norfork, they
had moderate generation and no wadable water. All of
the lakes in the White River System are now at or
below the top of power pool. We should expect
wadable water in the near future. Hopper season
continues. 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 size 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 (John’s current favorite is a size 10
Y2K with a size 14 prince nymph suspended below it).
Use lots of lead and long leaders to get your flies
down.
Bull Shoals Lake
As of Wednesday, the Army Corps of Engineers reports
the lake’s elevation at 659.41 feet msl (normal
conservation pool: 659.00 feet msl).
(update 10-4-2017) Del Colvin at Bull Shoals Lake
Boat Dock says anglers are still catching some
walleye. The magic numbers seems to be 28-32 feet,
either trolling or bottom bouncing the main lake or
the main lake points. The lake level is still at 660
feet msl, about 1 foot or 1.5 feet over the normal
summer pool. The Army Corps of Enginees has been
dropping it and dropping it and they've just
starting slowing down the generation the last couple
of days. The water is dirty in a lot of places,
there has been a lot of changes going on in the
lake. Del says they still have bushes in the water,
which he says is great. The fish are waiting in the
bushes, and it's that time of year when you're going
to have to work for them. Some days it's a feast and
the next day it's a famine. So, as you go through,
just keep in mind, don't stay in one place, cover
some water and you'll catch some fish. It's the junk
fishing time of year, he says. As these fish are
following shad into the creeks, try to cover water
using a buzzbait or a squarebill. With a squarebill,
Del says, he's been keying in on the flats in the
backs of creeks, in the shallower areas. It's the
time of year you've got to go into the backs and see
if the fish are there. If they are there, you can
hang out, have a topwater tied on. On a bluebird
day, in the middle of the day, they'll start blowing
up. The colors to use are going to change depending
on where you're at. Del says he's going with more
natural colors if the water clears up a bit. Rightn
ow there's a lot of dirty water in the lake, so bone
has been working. For the Whopper Plopper, he says,
what a fun bite there is now! Just parallel along
the outsides of the bushes, and try to find some
wind. That will help you key in on some of those
fish. Del said he did notice that a lot of the fish
he's catching had big 4-inch, 5-inch tentacles
hanging out of their stomachs, so he's moved to the
bigger jig and has started to catch more fish on it.
They're not afraid of that. The crawdads in Bull
Shoals get fairly large so don't be afraid to throw
that big jib this time of year. Another tool that
Del is using, if it is super windy and with wind and
clouds, is throwing the spinnerbait. The color will
depend on the water. But the Sexy Mouse is working,
or try whatever your favorite bait for dirty water
is and go with that. If it clears up and maybe gets
really stormy, you might throw a spinnerbait and
you'll catch a few on that. The weather is getting
very nice and these fish have been going through a
lot of changes. The lake has seen hot weather and
cold weather and that's pushed the fish around.
Anglers just have to get out there, he says. You'll
work for them but you'll get them.
(update 9-27-2017) K Dock Marina said the lake is
almost back to seasonal pool of 661 to 659 feet msl.
The boat launch is now being used by a small number
of people with access from the top of the bluff on
Warren Road and Parksley Lane. All species are still
very slow. Lake conditions should be back to normal,
and walleye, bass and Crappie can get back into
normal pre-fall patterns. Surface water temperature
was 76 to 78 degrees. Water is stained.
Norfork Lake
As of Wednesday, the Army Corps of Engineers reports
the lake’s elevation at 554.50 feet msl (normal
conservation pool: September-April 552.00 feet msl;
April-September, 554.00 feet msl).
(update 10-4-2017) Lou Gabric at Hummingbird
Hideaway Resort said Norfork Lake is trying to cool
down a little. For the second time in the last month
the lake surface temperature has dropped to around
76 degrees in the early morning. If this cooldown
continues it will help energize the fish and help
make the fall bite take off. The striped bass bite
for Lou, he says, is good one time out and
nonexistent the next. Tuesday was one of those good
days, but Lou said he was having difficulty getting
a good hook set and when he did have a good fish on
he was breaking off. “I guess I still need more
practice,” he joked. “I was fishing with live thread
fin shad. I managed to land five striper/hybrids,
but should/could have had many more.” All but one
hybrid were released. The bite started around 5:15
a.m. and lasted until about 7 a.m. He was fishing in
25-35 feet of water and the fish were at all depths.
Lou said one of his trolling guests is starting to
pick up a few nice stripers later in the mornings in
100 feet of water. The fish are still 25-30 feet
down. When you find shad in the deep water, there
more than likely will be some stripers hanging close
by.
Lou says the crappie bite is still decent, but not
great. There are crappie on brush in 23-30 feet of
water and the fish are anywhere from 8 feet down to
the bottom. You just need to keep fishing different
depths until you find the level where the fish are
feeding. Lou has found some big white crappie
scattered on the big sandy flats. A live minnows on
a slip bobber is a great method, but jigging a small
hair jig or a spoon has also been working. Walleye
are scattered though out the lake and are shallow
before dark, then in about 25-30 feet of water the
rest of the time. Crawler harnesses with a bottom
bouncer or a drop-shot rig are working very well.
Lou landed a nice 22-inch walleye on a live minnow
in 27 feet of water Tuesday. Largemouth, smallmouth
and spotted bass are also scattered though out the
lake. There are a lot of smaller fish on brush piles
(great spawn the last two years). Lou has been
finding the larger fish in about 28 feet of water
lying on or close to the bottom along bluff lines
and also close to bluff line points. Lou has been
vertical-jigging a spoon looking for walleye when he
runs across big bass. Drop-shot rigs with a jig or
plastic crawler should also work. Lou has also
noticed many suspended fish 10-20 feet down along
the bluff lines. He has caught some of these fish
with my spoon, but most are small, with a few bigger
fish mixed in. There has been some topwater feeding
going on early in the morning and then again at
sunset. All sizes of fish are feeding at this time
when you run across this action. Catfish are also at
this same 25-35 feet depth. Tuesday Lou landed two
really nice channel cats while striper fishing, he
said. “They really do not want to come off the
bottom once you get them hooked. Lots of fun.” He
says, “I guess in a nutshell the bite is basically
the same or very similar to my last report and I
don't expect much change until the water cools down
into the 60s. There are many fish that can be caught
at this time, but you do have to work for them. Work
(hahaha) that is what I tell my wife when I head out
to go fishing. I am going to work!”
Lake level is falling slowly, close to 2 inches per
day with slight power generation. The current level
is 554.68 feet msl. The main lake is somewhat clear,
but the creeks and coves are stained. The current
surface water temperature Tuesday morning was 76.5
degrees.
Norfork Tailwater
(update 10-4-2017) John Berry of Berry Brothers
Guide Service in Cotter (870-435-2169) said Norfork
Lake fell 1.5 feet last week to rest at 0.3 feet
below seasonal power pool of 555.75 feet msl and
24.5 feet below the top of flood pool. On the
Norfork, they had moderate generation and no wadable
water. The water is stained. It fishes well one day
and poorly the next. Navigate this stream with
caution as things 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 pheasant tail dropper
(size 10). Dry Run Creek is stained but still
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.
Buffalo National River/Crooked Creek
(update 10-4-2017) 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. 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.
