(updated 6-16-2022) Cotter Trout Dock (870-435-6525)
said summer is officially here in temperature, as
things are getting hot not only weather-wise, but also
in terms of fishing. The river level has been
consistently high for the past week, so it's been a
great time to pull up to a favorite brown trout spot
and throw out a minnow or sculpin. The rainbow bite
has been excellent with many 13- to 14-inch rainbows
being brought to the boat daily. The pink worm has
been successful – combine that with frozen shrimp for
great results.
Releases from Bull Shoals Dam have been heavy and
round-the-clock with continual output of four or more
generators, 14,000 to 17,000 cfs all day. The lake at
this writing is sitting at 687.05 feet msl and slowly
dropping. All this high water provides lots of places
for trout to run and hide in (and grow big and feisty)
and has tested the skills of the anglers. Look for
clear water to drift, cast toward the bank and you'll
most often pull in a rainbow in no time. Get their
attention with fluorescent, bright baits and flashy
silver spoons.
Plenty of sunshine requires plenty of sunscreen. Come
prepared, but make sure to keep the sunscreen away
from your fishing gear and baits. Seems that sunscreen
not only repels harmful rays from above, but repels
fish as well. Clean your hands of sunscreen before
handling rods, reels and baits and don't use a spray
in the boat. “Be prepared for the heat and join us on
the White River for a some great fishing – regardless
of water releases from the dam.”
(updated 6-16-2022) John Berry of Berry Brothers Guide
Service said that during the past week they had a
couple of minor rain events that combined for just a
trace in Cotter, brutally hot temperatures (to include
heat advisories) and moderate winds. The lake level at
Bull Shoals fell 1.1 feet to rest at 25.2 feet above
power pool of 662 feet msl. This is 7.8 feet below the
top of flood pool. Upstream, Table Rock Lake fell 1.8
feet to rest at 3.2 feet above power pool and 10.8
feet below the top of flood pool. Beaver Lake fell 0.5
foot to rest at 6.3 feet above power pool or 1.3 feet
below the top of flood pool. The White has had no
wadable water. Norfork Lake fell 0.7 foot to rest at
15.5 feet above power pool of 556.75 feet msl and 7.7
feet below the top of flood pool. The Norfork
tailwater has had much less wadable water lately.
All of the lakes in the White River system are now
well above power pool. With the current lake levels,
expect some wadable water on the Norfork to prevent
downstream flooding.
“On the White, the hot spot has been the Wildcat
Shoals,” John said. “We have had much heavier flows.
The hot flies were Y2Ks, prince nymphs, zebra midges
(black with silver wire and silver bead or red with
silver wire and silver bead), pheasant tails, copper
Johns, pink and cerise San Juan worms, gold ribbed
hare’s ears and sowbugs. Double-fly nymph rigs have
been very effective. Try a San Juan worm with an
orange egg.”
John also discussed an angling situation to which most
of us are familiar: “Anyone who has ever wet a hook
knows that tangles are a bane on fishing in general
and fly-fishing in particular. The dictionary
definition of tangle is: a confused mass of something
twisted together. When your line is tangled, the flies
are not properly presented to the fish. Therefore, if
your line is tangled you will not catch any fish.
“Tangles are a particular problem for the most popular
method of fishing we employ around here: nymphing.
When nymphing we attach a weighted fly, a split shot
and a strike indicator to the leader. To further
complicate things, most fly-fishing guides and other
serious anglers then add a dropper fly suspended below
the lead fly on a length of tippet. When things go
bad, the flies, weight and strike indicator all move
in different directions causing a serious tangle to
form.
“The best way to deal with tangles is to avoid them.
Most tangles are caused by rushing your back cast.
This results in a tailing loop, which creates the
likelihood of tangling. Slow down and give your line
time to straighten out on your back cast. False
casting a heavy nymph rig is also an invitation to
disaster. The only time that you should false cast is
when you are drying your fly, when fishing dry flies.
“Another way to prevent tangles is to use a Belgian
cast. This is a continuous-motion cast. There is no
stop between the back cast and the forward cast. By
not stopping as you do in a normal cast, you are able
to cast large weighted flies and complex rigs with
ease. This is also an effective cast to use in windy
conditions. I use the Belgian cast all the time I fish
nymph rigs.
“Another cause of tangles is for the fish to slip the
hook when the fish is being retrieved. The leader is
sprung back to the rod. The flies go one way, the
split shot another. The resulting tangle can be a
mess. The bad thing is there is little you can do to
prevent it. This is where I tangle my line.
“If you do tangle your line, the best way to untangle
it is to remove the flies before you start. I know
that this sounds counterintuitive but you can untangle
the knot much more quickly without the flies in the
mix. They just catch on the leader and tippet and make
the tangle more complex to fix. It only takes a minute
or two to tie the flies back on.
“Tangles are no fun and it always seems that when you
are tangled, your fishing buddy is catching trout
after trout and you are stuck with a mess in your
hands. I often carry a spare rod already rigged for
these occasions.”
(updated 6-16-2022) Dave McCulley, owner of Jenkins
Fishing Service in Calico Rock, said the Army Corps of
Engineers has started releasing a lot of water out of
both Bull Shoals Dam and Norfork Dam. “We are seeing
Bull Shoals with eight generators running, and Norfork
has two generators starting in the morning and
stopping in the evening. We are seeing clear water and
cold water (averaging in the mid-50-degree range) in
Calico Rock with the river averaging around 8 feet in
the morning from the Bull Shoals water and rising
about 2 feet when the water from Norfork arrives. As a
rule of thumb, plan on the water from Norfork to take
five hours to reach Calico Rock and for 1 foot of
depth for each generator they turn on.
“Fishing has been good in the mornings and just before
the river rises from the Norfork Dam water. Watch the
water levels, and if the water starts rising try to
stay ahead of the rise. The trout start feeding as
they sense the rising water. Once the water passes,
the bite slows down for about an hour as the trout
adjust to the new water. Drift-fishing with Power Eggs
(sunrise or orange seems to work best) with worms,
shrimp or corn has produced some nice limits of fish.
Using sculpins has produced some very nice larger
trout. If you prefer to throw lures, use larger Rapala
Countdowns (either 9- or 11-inch) or deep-diving lures
such as Rapala Shad Raps (purple or silver). The Shad
Raps have produced several 18-inch-plus brown trout
and an occasional smallmouth bass.
“With the abundant available food we are seeing some
nice 15-inch-plus rainbows with fat bellies. While
cleaning the fish we are finding the larger trout have
a mixture of sculpins, crawdads and freshwater shrimp
in their stomach. Over the last week there have been
two stockings of rainbow trout at the Calico Rock boat
ramp and other nearby locations both up and down
river.
“With the hotter weather, remember to take precautions
such as using sunscreen, drinking plenty of water and
wearing a hat. Many people also keep a cooling rag to
dip in the water and wrap around their neck.”
Bull Shoals Lake
As of Thursday, the Army Corps of Engineers reported
the lake’s elevation at 686.99 feet msl (normal
conservation pool: 662.00 feet msl; top flood
elevation is 695.00 feet msl). Total outflow from the
dam is 16,849 cfs, and releases have been constant
this week. The reported lake elevation at Table Rock
Lake was 919.34 feet msl (normal conservation pool:
916.58 feet msl; top flood elevation is 931.0 feet
msl), with outflow of 9,442 cfs.
(updated 6-16-2022) Del Colvin at Bull Shoals Lake
Boat Dock said Thursday morning that the high lake is
still proving problematic for some folks trying to
find a parking spot. The limited parking with water up
in some of the lot can be an issue, so plan your visit
head.
Despite the high water, Del says, the lake is “really
clear in the main part.” The back of the bigger creeks
have stain, he said. The water temperature is ranging
about 79 degrees.
An early topwater bite has been key. Target windy,
main lake secondary points, especially when the Army
Corps of Engineers is generating water the dam. Use a
topwater lure, an LC Gunfish or a Zara Spook. Or get
in the back of feeder creeks that have shad. The creek
fish have pulled back with the water dropping some.
The topwater bite will end when the sun starts getting
high. Slow-dragging a Jewel Special Ops football jig
in green pumping orange or variations of that is a
good way to fish. Keep your boat around 30 feet. A lot
of fish are on the old shoreline. The flipping bite is
tougher now as the submerged vegetation is starting to
lose its leaves. Around standing timber and laydowns,
use a Beaver or big worm, or small jigs. The drop-shot
bite has been heating up. As always, fish the
conditions.
Visit Del’s YouTube site (Bull Shoals Lake Boat Dock)
for more information and tips on fishing Bull Shoals
Lake.
Norfork Lake
As of Thursday, the Army Corps of Engineers reported
the lake’s elevation at 571.83 feet msl (normal
conservation pool: Sept.-April, 553.75 feet msl;
April-Sept. 556.75 feet msl; top flood elevation 580.0
feet msl). Total outflow from Norfork Dam at noon
Thursday was 5,632 cfs.
(updated 6-16-2022) Steven “Scuba Steve” Street at
Blackburn’s Resort said the Norfork Lake level is
572.98 feet msl as of Wednesday and has dropped 2⅓
inches in the last 24 hours with both generators
running for about 16 hours. Water has dropped about a
foot from its high of 572.98 feet msl on June 6. The
White River at Newport is 14.22 feet and has been held
steady for several days. The four-lake system is 59
percent full. Surface water temperature is in the low
80s and rising with the hot, dry weather. “We could
use some rain. The water remains clear in both the
creeks and main lake. There are several ways to catch
Norfork lake fish at this time. First, the stripers
are in open water on shad early before they go deep
later in the morning and can be caught dragging live
bait or umbrellas through schools of shad or dropping
a spoon on their heads.
“The topwater bite is over for all practical purposes,
but a few bass may come up early at or just before
sunrise. Crappie are on wood back in the creeks in
26-28 feet of water and are biting on jigs cast past
the structure and letting them sink into it. They are
hitting on the drop near the bottom and can be caught
throughout the day but you may have to have some slow
periods before they bite.
“Catfishing has slowed with the dropping water level
and the moon getting bigger, but a few are being
caught. Some nice flatheads are coming with a few
channels on throw lines partway back in the creeks in
about 20-25 feet of water on live bluegill. The
flatheads are the last to spawn and are ready. You can
catch fish of different species casting plastic worms
and other soft plastics to the shore and slowly
retrieving near the bottom.
“I caught several white bass in about 23 feet of water
(Tuesday) using this method in front of a brushpile,
which was deeper. Look for walleye on main lake points
or just around them in 20-26 feet of water near the
bottom on spoons.
For a daily fishing report and lake condition go to
www.blackburnsresort.com and click on Scuba Steve's
Blog.
(updated 6-16-2022) Lou Gabric at Hummingbird Hideaway
Resort had no recent report. Lou typically provides
daily fishing reports on the Hummingbird Hideaway
Resort’s Facebook page. Check his page for the latest
updates.
Norfork Tailwater
(updated 6-16-2022) John Berry of Berry Brothers Guide
Service in Cotter (870-435-2169) said Norfork Lake
fell 0.7 foot to rest at 15.5 feet above power pool of
556.75 feet msl and 7.7 feet below the top of flood
pool. The Norfork tailwater has had much less wadable
water lately.
All of the lakes in the White River system are now
well above power pool. With the current lake levels,
expect some wadable water on the Norfork to prevent
downstream flooding.
There has been little wadable water on the Norfork and
it has fished poorly. The most productive flies have
been small midge patterns like zebra midges (black or
red with silver wire and silver bead). Grasshoppers
have produced fish, particularly when used in
conjunction with a small nymph dropper (try a size 20
black zebra midge). Double-fly nymph rigs have been
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). The fishing is much
better in the morning and late afternoon, and tapers
off midday.
Dry Run Creek has fished moderately. School is out and
the creek is busy. Weekends can get a quite crowded.
The hot flies have been sowbugs and various colored
San Juan worms (worm brown, red, hot fluorescent pink
and cerise). Small orange or peach eggs have been very
effective. Carry a large net, as most fish are lost at
the net.
Remember that the White and North Fork rivers and Dry
Run Creek are infected with didymo, an invasive alga.
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
(updated 6-16-2022) John Berry of Berry Brothers Guide
Service in Cotter (870-435-2169) said Crooked Creek
and the Buffalo River are low and navigable. With
warmer temperatures, the smallmouths are active. The
most effective fly has been a tan and brown 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.
