White River
(updated 10-6-2022) Cotter Trout Dock (870-435-6525)
said there's a sharp nip in the air these mornings –
autumn is finally popping out. Cool mornings, warm
days, perfect weather for float fishing on the White
for trout. Bull Shoals Lake remains more than 2 feet
below power pool so it's not surprising that
generation flows have been low. During this past
week the water level on the White River in the
north-central Arkansas Ozarks has remained steady with
only small upticks in generation, mostly in the late
afternoon. “So we're treated to low water in the
morning hours and varying amounts of generation in the
afternoon, anywhere from 2,300 cfs to 10,000 cfs,
returning to low flow by early morning the next day.”
The rainbows are chasing shrimp, especially when it's
paired with a small piece of orange Power Bait. “We're
still having success with white baits, Rooster Tails,
small Rebels with white bellies, and other baits
imitating shad after that late shad kill we just
experienced. As we move into autumn and closer to the
brown trout spawning season, change your bait color to
orange, Sunrise or pink.
It's hard to beat a good day of jig fishing – again
with the white. But an orange/brown jig
(one-eighth-ounce works best right now) will stir up
some excitement, too. Fly-fishers are using jointed
mouse flies during very early morning hours.
“Whatever you're casting and whenever you can find you
way to the river, we hope you'll enjoy these cool
mornings and sunny days in our Natural State.”
(updated 10-6-2022) Dave McCulley, owner of Jenkins
Fishing Service in Calico Rock, says, “How about this
beautiful weather!? Temperatures in the 40s in the
morning, rising to the 80s during the day, have made
for a comfortable day of fishing. This week we have
seen varied generation from both Bull Shoals and
Norfork dams, resulting in the river levels rising and
falling. Due to the varied river conditions the
preferred fishing method changes during the day. When
the water is low, using spoons, Blue Foxes, Rapala
Countdowns or Shad Raps work well. As the water gets
higher, drift fishing using Power Eggs (with or
without inline spinners) and shrimp has worked best.
Fishing is best if you recognize the river is starting
to rise and if you can stay in front of the rising
water. There was one trout stocking this week at the
Calico Rock boat ramp and another at the Chessmond
Ferry boat ramp.”
(updated 9-29-2022) John Berry of Berry Brothers Guide
Service said that during the past week, they have had
no rain, hot temperatures and moderate winds. The lake
level at Bull Shoals fell 0.9 foot to rest at 3.1 feet
below power pool of 661 feet msl. Upstream, Table Rock
Lake fell 0.6 foot to rest at 6.6 feet below power
pool and 20.6 feet below the top of flood pool. Beaver
Lake fell 0.6 foot to rest 3 feet below power pool.
The White has had some marginal wadable water. Norfork
Lake fell 0.6 foot to rest 1.7 feet below power pool
of 555.75 feet. The Norfork tailwater has had more
wadable water. All of the lakes in the White River
system are now below power pool. With the current lake
levels, expect lower flows and more wadable water.
The hot spot on the White this week has been the
catch-and-release section below Bull Shoals Dam. “We
have had lower flows in the morning that have been
fished very well. On the higher flows in the afternoon
we have had shad coming through the generators (use
big white flies). 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. My favorite has
been a pheasant tail nymph with a ruby midge dropper.”
He also said, “This past Monday I looked at the
weather and the generation schedule for the day. It
looked like prime fishing conditions. That is the
advantage to living here. We wake up every morning and
check the conditions. Then, when we find a stellar
opportunity, we can go take advantage of it. I live
for those opportunities.
“The first thing I did was to ask my wife, Lori, who
is my absolute favorite fishing buddy, to join me.
Unfortunately Monday is laundry day at our house.
Sometimes I am able to get her to postpone it till the
next day or begin a bit later. She would have none of
it. She was committed to doing the laundry then. I
asked her again on Tuesday but she had dog training.
On Wednesday she was able to join me.
“On Monday, I decided to go alone. I hooked up my boat
and headed out. The river was low and the weather was
perfect. It was sunny and a little cool. I started
with a rod I had rigged for a client a couple of days
before. It had a pheasant tail nymph with a ruby midge
dropper, a small split shot and a strike indicator.
“On my first drift, I saw the strike indicator go down
and I quickly set the hook. It felt like I was hung up
on a rock. I was about to start the motor on my boat
so I could go upstream and back the hook out. About
that time, the rock moved. It was a fish, and a big
one. The trout fought valiantly but finally succumbed
to the net. It was a really thick 22-inch female
rainbow.
“We see several big browns but big rainbows are much
rarer. Since there are no slot limits on rainbows, big
ones are quickly removed by anglers. About the only
place you see rainbows this big is the
catch-and-release section below Bull Shoals Dam or Dry
Run Creek.
“I wanted to take a photo before I released it. This
is where the trouble began. How do you take a picture
of a big fish when you are in a boat alone? If you are
wading you can place it in the shallow water at the
bank next to your rod. That gives you perspective.
About the only thing you can do in the boat by
yourself is taking a picture of it in the net. This is
not as good and doesn’t give you anything next to the
trout to give you an idea of how big it is.
“I tried that. As soon as I got the camera out, it
bounced out of the net and landed on the deck. I
quickly shot a photo and scooped the fish back in the
net and carefully returned it to the water. I did not
want to harm it.
“It is the worst fish photo I have ever taken. This is
one reason to never fish alone.”
Bull Shoals Lake
As of Thursday, the Army Corps of Engineers reported
the lake’s elevation at 656.65 feet msl (normal
conservation pool: 661.00 feet msl; top flood
elevation is 695.00 feet msl). Total outflow from the
dam at noon Thursday was 3,708 cfs. The reported lake
elevation at Table Rock Lake was 910.22 feet msl
(normal conservation pool: 917.00 feet msl; top flood
elevation is 931.0 feet msl), with outflow of 20 cfs.
(updated 10-6-2022) Del Colvin at Bull Shoals Lake
Boat Dock said Thursday that the lake level is back to
normal pool level. The water temperature has dropped
to around 74 degrees. Junk Fishing 101 has begun.
We’re seeing typical fall patterns. The cooler nights
have the shad starting to move. There are always
shallow fish. Try a Chatterbait, square bill or
spinnerbait. Target channel swings, points and ledges
close to deeper water. On the right day, Del says, he
is covering water with a Whopper Plopper, or using
buzzbait if it’s overcast and windy. Brushpiles are in
play, 25-35 feet deep. When the sun starts getting
high, move out toward the main lake and use a Jewel
Special Ops Football Jig in green pumpkin orange or
other green pumpkin variations and keep the boat
around 40 feet.
Del regularly posts new YouTube videos. Visit his
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 553.47 feet msl (normal
conservation pool: Sept.-April, 553.75 feet msl;
April-Sept. 556.25 feet msl; top flood elevation 580.0
feet msl). Total outflow from Norfork Dam at noon
Thursday was 204 cfs. Wednesday saw 8 hours of
generation (2-9 p.m.) averaging 2,476 cfs.
(updated 10-6-2022) Steven “Scuba Steve” Street at
Blackburn’s Resort said the lake level is 553.52 feet
msl as of Wednesday and has dropped a half-inch in the
last 24 hours with three-quarters of a generator
running for about eight hours. The White River at
Newport is 3.72 feet and is very low, indicating not
much water is being released. The surface water
temperature is still 77 degrees and the lake turnover
has finished, resulting in lower visibility and most
fish moving in shallower. The fish that were in 37-40
feet of water are now in about 20 feet. Bass and
crappie are the best bite with crappie in brush and
bass on main lake river channels just off steep banks.
A plastic creature bait on a jighead is working very
well on the drop-offs and a small spoon or live minnow
on a slip float in the brush. Place the minnow about
5-6 feet lower than you can see your bait and let the
crappie come up to it.
Many large bluegill are in the same place. The water
is clearing a little already and fishing will get
better and better as the water cools. Some black bass
have also moved in from open water and are also on the
banks. The creeks are not holding as many fish as the
main lake. There is very little oxygen below 40 feet
so there is not much sense fishing there at this time.
“The weather has been perfect and is scheduled to stay
that way for the next week, but we are very dry with
no rain for a month.”
For a daily fishing report and lake condition go to
www.blackburnsresort.com and click on Scuba Steve's
Blog.
(updated 9-29-2022) Lou Gabric at Hummingbird Hideaway
Resort said Tuesday, “Norfork Lake has changed every
day that I have been out. The surface temp is slowly
dropping and the thermocline is dropping as well.
“I went to a flat where I had been fishing and doing
quite well, but found that the fish have vacated this
flat, no matter what depth I checked. After about 45
minutes of trolling and marking nothing, I headed
northward. I found a large rounded point that was
holding lots of fish. I landed a striped bass along
with a couple mid-sized hybrids. Plenty of white bass
were schooling in the same area. I found the fish in
42-45 feet of water on the bottom. My best bait today
was the Tater Baits, Tater Shad in the white trash
color. Previously, the spoon had been working the
best, but today they only wanted this soft,
shad-shaped bait with a chartreuse 3/8-ounce jighead.
I found lots of bait from 35 feet out to 45 feet deep
either on the bottom or suspended. There weren't a lot
of fish in the bait, but they will find it soon.
“Yesterday, I fished a log along a bluff line that was
stacked with crappie and bluegill. I landed three nice
crappie and several thumper gills. I was using the
Tater Baits Small Fry in silver flash with a
1/16-ounce jighead. One of our guests landed a nice
striped bass and a bunch of crappie several days ago.”
The surface water temp was around 78 degrees Tuesday
morning and the lake level is dropping roughly an inch
per day and currently sits at 553.95 feet msl. The
lake is clear on the main lake and stained in the
coves. “Have a great time fishing Norfork Lake.”
Lou posts nearly daily on his Facebook page with
photos and where the fish are biting and what’s
biting. Check it out.
Norfork Tailwater
(updated 9-29-2022) John Berry of Berry Brothers Guide
Service in Cotter (870-435-2169) said Norfork Lake
fell 0.6 foot to rest 1.7 feet below power pool of
555.75 feet. All of the lakes in the White River
system are now below power pool. With the current lake
levels, expect lower flows and more wadable water.
There has been more wadable water on the Norfork in
the morning and it has fished much better. 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 very effective. Try a small bead-head
nymph (zebra midge, copper John or pheasant tail)
suspended 18 inches below a brightly colored San Juan
worm (hot fluorescent pink or cerise). “My favorite
rig has been a size 14 pheasant tail nymph and a size
18 ruby midge. The fishing is much better in the
morning and late afternoon and tapers off midday.”
Dry Run Creek has fished poorly. School is back in
session and the creek is not as busy. Weekends can get
quite crowded. The hot flies have been sowbugs,
various colored San Juan worms (worm brown, red, hot
fluorescent pink and cerise) and white mop flies.
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 River, Norfork tailwater 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 9-29-2022) John Berry of Berry Brothers Guide
Service in Cotter (870-435-2169) said Crooked Creek
and the Buffalo River are low. With cooler
temperatures, the smallmouths are more 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.
