(updated 7-18-2018) Cotter Trout Dock (870-435-6525)
says fishing from Cotter on the tailwater of Bull
Shoals Dam produced a good quantity of fighting
browns and healthy rainbows this week. All of the
browns were less than legal limit but fought hard
and gave the anglers a thrill. The new norm for
water releases: half a generator (2,200 cfs)
throughout the morning, then the rise begins in the
Cotter area at about 3 p.m., falling out again
around 4 a.m. Again, sculpins were the bait for
browns – even an artificial sculpin tied with a jig
pulled in a nice brown for a couple of pictures then
back to the river. “The brown bite increased in the
afternoons several days this week, which is a little
uncommon; the pop-up showers and changing pressure
systems can be credited for the change in the
action, I think. This week, a mixture of baits was
called for: One day we had luck with the brown trout
Thomas Buoyant spoon, the next day the red/gold
spoon won the bite. So keep a variety of smaller
artificial baits on hand. Always be ready with some
shrimp and scented egg pattern baits for a limit of
nice rainbows.”
(updated 7-18-2018) Sportsman’s White River Resort
(870-453-2424) said the water is clear and the river
level the past week was low. There are two
generators running at the dam. Trout reports were
good. The rainbow trout bite is OK, about the same
as it was last week. Rainbows are biting PowerBait
and Power Worms.
(updated 7-18-2018) John Berry of Berry Brothers
Guide Service in Cotter (870-435-2169) said last
Friday that during the past week, they have had no
rain, brutally hot temperatures (to include heat
advisories) and moderate winds. The lake level at
Bull Shoals fell 0.9 feet to rest at 1.4 feet below
seasonal power pool of 661 feet msl. This is 35.4
feet below the top of flood pool. Upstream, Table
Rock fell 0.3 feet to rest at 0.8 feet below
seasonal power pool and 14.8 feet below the top of
flood pool. Beaver Lake fell 0.5 feet to rest at 0.8
feet below seasonal power pool and 9.4 feet below
the top of flood pool. On the White, we had less
generation with some wadable water. Norfork Lake
fell 0.5 feet to rest at 0.7 feet below seasonal
power pool of 555.8 feet msl and 24.9 feet below the
top of flood pool. The Norfork had less generation
and wadable water every day. Seasonal power pool has
been reset for the lakes in the White River system.
All of the lakes in the White River System are now
below the top of power pool. With warmer weather and
increased power demand for air conditioning, we can
expect more generation in the afternoons but there
is a possibility of wadable water in the cooler
mornings.
The White has fished well. The hot spot has been Rim
Shoals. There are sulphurs coming off. 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
(size 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 with a
size 18 ruby midge suspended below it). Use lead to
get your flies down.
Bull Shoals Lake
As of Wednesday, the Army Corps of Engineers reports
the lake’s elevation at 659.23 feet msl (normal
conservation pool: 659.00 feet msl).
(updated 7-18-2018) Del Colvin at Bull Shoals Lake
Boat Dock said last week the lake level was at 659
feet msl; water temperature is about 90 degrees,
mid-90s, depending on location. We’ve been under a
heat advisory, so we're doing half-days. If you guys
want to get out, learn how to drop-shot, it's a
great time to learn how to do that. Definitely
sticking with the half-days,” he says. The biggest
thing is to fish the conditions. It's that time of
year, got the thunderstorms rolling in – it might
rain, it might not rain, that's going to affect the
bite. Early in the morning there's still a topwater
bite. Any walk-the-dog style baits are going to
work. If you get around the fish you’ll notice
they’ll be schooling pretty much out toward the main
lake, any of those long points or saddles. If you
see them busting you get in there right away, you
can catch a few on it. Also started catching a few
throwing a spoon at them. If they're a mile out
there, if you chunk a piece of lead in there and let
it sink, if you get in there right away, you'll
catch a few. The top water bite, if you do get one,
the most predominant bite for Del is picking up the
spinning rod and putting a drop-shot on them. Places
you're going to drop-shop: main lake points, main
lake bluffs, secondary points, anywhere where you've
got the channel swing banks where it comes in, if
you've got deep-water ledges, that's where you're
going to want to key in on the drop-shot. The
conditions that Del will fish the drop shot: If the
water is laying flat, or sunny, or the fish just
aren't cooperating. “We love to power fish just like
you guys. I'd love to go out and throw a Whopper
Plopper and catch them.” Whopper Plopper is catching
a few fish depending on the conditions. If you stick
with it you'll catch a few. “A Whopper Plopper is
one of my favorite ways to catch them just like a
lot of you guys, so if you're gonna throw the
Whopper Plopper with the lake level being where it
is – we're right where we're supposed to be, 659
feet – there's a little bit of bushes left in the
water, Whopper Plopper fish have been on those
transition banks with bushes, points of bushes, a
little bit of cover for them to get on.
“Another thing I'm doing is, if it's flat, sunny,
some of the deeper docks, you can throw a Flutter
Spoon in, pitching that around the docks, any of
those docks that have 20 or more feet when you get
around them. Those seem to be the ones that are
holding the fish. They'll get in around the shade;
make sure you fish the shady side of the docks. With
all the boat traffic the lake is dirty, he said. He
adds that there's a Sweet Beaver bite going on,
that's catching a few and these are shallow. These
are going to be your largemouth bass. He’s also
catching a few on a square bill. There's a lot of
shad that are up right now. Found a nice pocket of
shad and went and fished them relatively shallow and
caught some fish off of them. Fish very early, then
go back in the evening.
Norfork Lake
As of Wednesday, the Army Corps of Engineers reports
the lake’s elevation at 554.71 feet msl (normal
conservation pool: September-April 552.00 feet msl;
April-September, 554.00 feet msl).
(updated 7-18-2018) Tom Reynolds of STR Outfitters
said the striper bite continues to be great the
first two hours of light on Norfork Lake. “I did
find a striper bite after 7 a.m. but it took a lot
of searching to find active fish. What I found was
stripers that were off points next to a channel
swing in waters ranging 60 to 120 feet. The stripers
are feeding on crawdads then moving to the deeper
water to find this year's hatch of shad. Once you
find the fish you will limit out very fast. We
average less than 30 minutes to get a limit. Since I
set out seven rods we usually will have two to four
rods get hit when a school swims by,” Tom says. He
adds that the oxygen level in the lake is great this
year with good levels as deep as 115 feet, so “we
should see a great bite well into September. As we
get to August I expect to see some great action on
Robinson Point. Every few years when we have good
oxygen and normal water levels the stripers will
school on Robinson Point; the best bite is usually
middle afternoon into evening.” Tom says they will
also see a strong movement toward the dam. Anglers
should find large schools of stripers on the lake
side of Koso Point near or next to the channel. This
should be fantastic late-summer fishing season, he
said. Stripers are being caught from Diamond Bay off
Point 2 in the channel, Georges Cove, Koso Point,
Hudson, Hand Cove, Dam Cove and Thumb Point.
“Remember, we are now in the summer period of
striper fishing so you should stop releasing legal
stripers caught on live bait. The slogan for the
summer is ‘Grow Trophies, Catch Your Limit and Go
Home.’ Catch your limit and quit for the day or
change your target species. Save some fish for your
next trip and watch them grow into trophies,” he
says.
(updated 7-11-2018) Lou Gabric at Hummingbird
Hideaway Resort said Norfork Lake is in its summer
pattern. Fish are going deeper as the thermocline
continues to drop. The thermocline appears to be in
the 22-30 feet range, depending where you are
located on the lake. Striped bass fishing continues
to be very good. The best artificial method has been
vertical-jigging with a spoon. If you are trolling,
use a large swimbait or an umbrella rig with the
same swimbaits attached to it. Live bait (threadfin
or gizzard shad and large shiners) has been working
the best for him, Lou said. “I am catching stripers
40-70 feet deep in 45-100 feet of water. Most of the
fish I've caught over the last week that were 40
feet down have been hybrids. The striped bass has
been deeper. Locations for the striped bass have not
really changed much since my last report. I am
finding them on the main lake as well as in some of
the creeks. Channel swings where the water drops off
to 80-plus feet very close to shore are one of the
best areas. Long points where the channel is close
are also holding some really good fish. I am finding
striped bass from the 62 bridge area all the way
down towards and beyond Hudson Point, a little east
of the dam.”
Largemouth bass fishing has also been good. There is
still some good topwater action right before sun up
and as the sun is setting. Other times of the day
you need to look for these fish on or slightly below
the thermocline. Brush piles near the thermocline
are also holding some nice fish. Catfish and walleye
have also been biting very well. Lou says he has
caught some really nice-sized channel and blue cats
on live shad while fishing for striped bass. Most of
the catfish came from 60-70 feet deep close to the
bottom, especially when he has found deep bait. The
same, as above, holds true for the walleye. You will
also find nice walleye below the thermocline
especially early and late in the day. Crawler
harnesses are work very well, as well as live larger
minnows.
Norfork Lake level is holding fairly stable and
currently sits at 555.28 feet msl. Periodic power
generation is occurring to hold the level close to
the current normal seasonal pool. The surface water
temperature is in the 86-90-degree range. The main
lake is clear with some of the coves and creeks
slightly stained.
Norfork Tailwater
(updated 7-18-2018) John Berry of Berry Brothers
Guide Service in Cotter (870-435-2169) said last
Friday that over the previous week Norfork Lake fell
0.5 feet to rest at 0.7 feet below seasonal power
pool of 555.8 feet msl and 24.9 feet below the top
of flood pool. The Norfork had less generation and
wadable water every day. Seasonal power pool has
been reset for the lakes in the White River system.
All of the lakes in the White River System are now
below the top of power pool. With warmer weather and
increased power demand for air conditioning, we can
expect more generation in the afternoons but there
is a possibility of wadable water in the cooler
mornings. On the Norfork, the water has fished very
well. There have been some nice midge, caddis and
sulphur hatches that have provided some good
topwater action. Navigate this stream with caution
as things have changed a bit during last year’s
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 Nutt. 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 red fox squirrel nymph with a ruby midge dropper.
Dry Run Creek has cleared and is fishing much better
though there are fewer fish in the creek. 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). 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 soles that are easier to clean and are not as
likely to harbor didymo.
John adds, “Yesterday (Thursday, July 12) I had one
of my best days ever fishing on the Norfork
tailwater. I only caught four fish. How can that be
a great day? When the smallest fish you catch is a
fat 18-inch rainbow, it can be a spectacular day.
I have not fished the Norfork much for over a year.
Last year’s 500-year flood devastated it and it is
just now returning to its prominence as Arkansas’s
premier blue ribbon trout stream. I have been
spending most of my time fishing the White River and
doing well.
“I have a couple of neighbors who live elsewhere and
have weekend places here in Cotter. Mike lives in
Collierville, Tenn., and Scott lives near Tampa,
Fla. They were both in town and we have fished
together a few times while they have been here the
last two weeks. Yesterday we decided to fish the
Norfork.
“We left Cotter at 6:15 a.m. and drove to the
Ackerman Access. There were three cars already
there. We put on our waders and headed upstream into
the catch-and-release section. It was cool with a
light fog and virtually no wind. The forecast was
for 97 degrees and a sunny sky. We agreed to quit at
11 to avoid the heat.
“We all chose different spots. I was nymphing a
fast, deep run and hooked a big trout. It made a run
upstream and wrapped a rock, spitting the hook in
the process. Two casts later I hooked another good
one and he hung on to the hook a bit better. He made
a long run and I moved out of the fast water toward
the bank to fight him better. I finally landed a
stout 24-inch male brown. A couple of anglers nearby
came over to see what the fuss was all about. One of
them took my phone and got a good photo. I gently
released the brown. I fished there a while longer
and caught another trout; this one was a 19-inch
rainbow. Both were caught on a ruby midge dropper
below a Y2K.
“It was time to move on. I could see Mike and Scott
upstream. I decided to walk up there and try some
new water. I asked Scott if I could fish a favorite
spot nearby. He said sure and I began fishing there.
On the second cast, I hooked a big rainbow and
quickly lost it. On the next cast, I hooked a big
fish that took a long run. I waded out of the fast
water so that I could fight it better.
“I finally landed it to discover that it was a nice,
healthy, 21-inch Bonneville Cutthroat trout. These
are the trout that our local Trout Unlimited Chapter
has been growing for the past several years. The
idea was to develop another natural sustainable
species of trout like the brown trout on our trout
streams.
“This is the largest specimen of the Bonneville that
I have seen, much less caught. It was living proof
of the success of the stocking program. I was
excited to catch it and was quite pleased. Scott
came over and took a photo and I released the trout,
hopefully to catch it again in a few years when it
was even bigger.
“I fished there a bit longer and landed another
rainbow. This one was 18 inches long and put up a
great fight. It was about 10:30 a.m. and it was
getting warm. I had caught all of the trout I
needed. Two trophies in one morning were way more
than I had expected. I found a shady spot to sit and
relished in the day’s events.
“At 11, Mike and Scott quit fishing they had also
had a spectacular day. We waded back to the access,
pulled off our waders and drove over to Heidi’s Ugly
Cakes for lunch. It was the perfect end to a perfect
day. The Norfork is back!”
Buffalo National River/Crooked Creek
(updated 7-18-2018) John Berry of Berry Brothers
Guide Service in Cotter (870-435-2169) said the
Buffalo National River and Crooked Creek are
navigable but low. The smallmouths are 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.
