White River
(updated 11-10-2022) Cotter Trout Dock (870-435-6525)
said the White River below Bull Shoals Dam has been
running at minimum flow most of each day over the last
week. We fish very low water in the morning hours and
see varying amounts of generation in the afternoon
(between 2,300 cfs to 10,000 cfs), returning to low
flow by early morning the next day. We expect releases
from the dam to remain very low because Bull Shoals
Lake is 4 feet below power pool–that means you can
expect great wadable waters for the foreseeable
future.
Experienced guides and other fishing boat operators
are still able to access favorite fishing holes, and
the low water allows for even better viewing of the
river bottom and your targeted trout. Be courteous and
generous to your fellow anglers on the river. Waders:
allow boaters to move down the channel safely (that's
the only way to get past you and out of your way);
boaters: stay clear of lines already in the water and
be patient while waders clear a path for you.
The rainbow fishing has been exceptional. Florescent
orange or bright yellow baits, especially under
overcast skies brought success. Shrimp and crawdad
tails added to the size of the rainbow, plus the
larger bows have started hitting on bigger baits
including sculpins and minnows.
Yellow and orange bellied stick baits (iridescent blue
backs) are working well right now. Standard zebra
midges (silver/red are best) and the tried-and-true
red or natural San Juan worms attracted some
attention. Because the browns are spawning you'll have
to get their attention using shiny baits and lots of
jiggle: you might need to rile them into a bite. To
date, the mornings have been very mild, but cold
weather is definitely on the way – get the hand
warmers ready. Keep angling and we'll see you on the
river.
(updated 11-10-2022) Dave McCulley, owner of Jenkins
Fishing Service in Calico Rock, said the storms that
passed through last Friday muddied the river and
washed a lot of debris from the banks. As a result,
the river rose to almost 7 feet and fishing was poor
Saturday through Tuesday. By Wednesday the river had
dropped down to about 3 feet and was still dingy but
cleared enough to be fishable. Using silver inline
spinnerbaits with Power Eggs and corn have worked best
in the dingy river conditions. As the water continues
to clear up, Power Eggs with shrimp will work well,
and with the lower water try throwing spoons or Rapala
Countdowns. This week there was one trout stocking of
1,200 trout at the Calico Rock boat ramp and an
additional 1,200 at the Chesmond Ferry boat ramp.
(updated 11-10-2022) John Berry of Berry Brothers
Guide Service said that during the past week, they had
about an inch and a half of rainfall in Cotter, cool
temperatures and heavy winds. The lake level at Bull
Shoals rose 0.3 foot to rest at 4 feet below power
pool of 659 feet msl. This is 40 feet below the top of
flood pool. Upstream, Table Rock Lake rose 1.4 feet to
rest at 7 feet below power pool and 21 feet below the
top of flood pool. Beaver Lake fell 0.1 foot to rest
at 4.4 feet below power pool or 14 feet below the top
of flood pool. The White has had significant wadable
water daily. Norfork Lake rose 0.4 foot to rest at 0.6
foot below power pool of 553.75 feet msl and 26.8 feet
below the top of flood pool. The North Fork tailwater
has had less wadable water.
“On the White, the hot spot has been Wildcat Shoals.
We have had lower flows in the morning that have been
fished very well. 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 size 14 with a ruby midge
size 18 dropper.
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.
John said, “Over 20 years ago, I wrote an article on
the flies that I use the most. Though I carry
literally hundreds of fly patterns, most of my fishing
is done with six patterns. I have written this article
every five years or so and I always see changes.
My original article listed the following: Partridge
and Orange Soft Hackle, Woolly Bugger, elk hair
caddis, gold ribbed hare’s ear, Red Fox Squirrel Nymph
and sowbug. The first three are still on the list, but
the last three have changed.
“The Partridge and Orange Soft Hackle and the Woolly
Bugger (my favorite color is olive) are the easiest
flies to fish that I know of. These two patterns are
the ones that I frequently have beginners start with,
as they produce fish on a regular basis. Both are
tight line techniques and strikes are easy to detect.
The Partridge and Orange is fished near the top and
imitates emerging or drowned insects. The Woolly
Bugger is fished on the bottom and is a streamer that
imitates bait fish or small crawfish.
“The elk hair caddis is a dry fly that imitates adult
hatching caddis. It is easy to see and floats like a
cork. It is a dead-on imitation of a caddis. I carry
it in a variety of sizes and frequently use to imitate
other hatching insects. My eye sight is not so good,
and this fly is easy to see. When fishing dry flies,
presentation is often more important than a dead-on
imitation of the hatching insect.
“The gold ribbed hare’s ear has been replaced by the
pheasant tail nymph. This is a solid imitation of the
nymphal form of the may fly. To make it more
effective, I add a little flashabou when tying it to
make it a flash back, making it easier for the trout
to see. I tie it on a jig hook and add a copper bead
to allow it to sink quickly and not hang the bottom.
“The red fox squirrel nymph has been replaced by the
San Juan worm. It imitates aquatic worms or worms that
have been washed into the river. It is very effective
after a rain or during high levels of generation. I
tie it in worm brown, red, hot pink or my favorite,
cerise.
“The sowbug is still effective on Dry Run Creek, but
on the White or the North Fork River I prefer the ruby
midge. These rivers are tailwaters, and tailwaters are
known as midge streams. The ruby midge is a real
producer. For the last seven years, I have caught more
trout on this fly than any other.
“I am sure that many of you have your own favorites.
Drop me a line and let me know what they are.” Email
John at:
berrybrothers@infodash.com
(updated 11-10-2022) White River Trout Club
(870-453-2424) says fishing is not great now because
the water there at White Hole is so low. No reports.
Bull Shoals Lake
As of Thursday, the Army Corps of Engineers reported
the lake’s elevation at 656.16 feet msl (normal
conservation pool: 659.00 feet msl; top flood
elevation is 695.00 feet msl). Total outflow from the
dam at noon Thursday was 631 cfs. The reported lake
elevation at Table Rock Lake was 910.13 feet msl
(normal conservation pool: 917.00 feet msl; top flood
elevation is 931.0 feet msl), with outflow of 20 cfs.
(updated 11-10-2022) Del Colvin at Bull Shoals Lake
Boat Dock said Thursday the lake level is 3 feet below
normal pool at 655 feet msl. The water temperature is
64 degrees, give or take a degree or two depending on
location and sun and the “fall funk,” he says. He’s
seeing typical fall patterns. The cooler nights have
the shad starting to ball up and moving out deeper,
25-45 feet in the middle of the hollows and creeks.
The main lake is clear. There are always a few shallow
fish. Try covering water in the wind with a buzzbait,
Whopper Plopper, Flopper, Chatterbait, square bill or
spinnerbait, or try flipping the brush in the skinny
stained water early. There are a few fish there, but
spread out. Try a rock crawler on the windy channel
swings, points and ledges covering water. Fish the
windy side if you have ANY wind. Target bushes and
rock transitions close to deeper water.
The jig bite is starting to improve, 10-25 feet. As
the sun gets up, target the steeper banks; also points
with brush at 25-35 feet. “For me, the deep bite is
still the best, 35-45 feet. I’m using a drop-shot,
Damiki with a Tater Shad, Jewel Scope, Shad Jigging
Rap Spoon or a Roboworm. I’m focusing on points,
ledges, bluff ends, and channel swings. Looking
forward to cooler temperatures. Fish the conditions.”
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 553.04 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 2,361 cfs during a 4-hour generation,
dropping to 340 cfs at 1 p.m. Wednesday saw 15 hours
of generation, with 1 hour off in between, from 7 a.m.
to 10 p.m., averaging 2,469 cfs.
(updated 11-3-2022) Steven “Scuba Steve” Street at
Blackburn’s Resort said the lake level is 552.82 feet
msl as of Wednesday morning and has dropped
three-quarters of an inch in the last 24 hours with
about 8 hours of running three-quarters of a
generator. They seem to like three-quarters of a
generator and just vary the times they run it. There
is not much effort to drop the area lake levels. The
surface water temperature is around 66 degrees and has
held steady with the warm weather in the main lake and
warming quickly in the backs of the creeks. The runoff
from last week's rain has moved downriver and is now
in the Blackburn's Creek area, diminishing the water
clarity, “but has either dropped out or not gotten to
the area around Robinson Point where I have been
fishing which is much clearer.
“The fish that I caught Tuesday evening and Wednesday
morning were on brush, on and just to the inside of
main lake points about 20 feet down. Several
smallmouths are showing up on the inside of points
just partway back in the creeks and some are in the 3-
to 4-pound range. Walleye and crappie are together and
black bass are together in different places.
“It has been very foggy in the early mornings making
navigation difficult and dangerous, and does not burn
off until about 10 a.m. It is not worth going out to
get fish and endangering other people who also should
not be out there. You may be able to navigate with
GPS, but cannot see other boats that may be parked or
running too fast.
“It has been nice not having wind, but it should pick
back up with a low pressure moving in on Friday,
bringing a good chance of rain. When that happens,
fish windblown shoreline for bass until it rains you
out.
“There are schooled temperate bass chasing shad from
Mallard Point to Cranfield Island in the mornings in
about 30 feet of water, and trollers are catching some
white bass and 3- to 4-pound hybrids dragging
umbrellas and crankbaits with weights clipped on the
line in front of them to get them down and through
shad.”
Overall fishing is just fair but improving and the
lake is in excellent condition and at a good level.
For a daily fishing report and lake condition go to
www.blackburnsresort.com and click on Scuba Steve's
Blog.
(updated 11-10-2022) Lou Gabric at Hummingbird
Hideaway Resort had no new report. 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 11-10-2022) John Berry of Berry Brothers
Guide Service in Cotter (870-435-2169) said Norfork
Lake rose 0.4 foot to rest at 0.6 foot below power
pool of 553.75 feet msl and 26.8 feet below the top of
flood pool. The North Fork tailwater has had less
wadable water.
“There has been less wadable water on the Norfork in
the morning. 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-headed 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 pheasant tail nymph size 14 and a ruby midge size
18. 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
a 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.
Buffalo National River/Crooked Creek
(updated 11-10-2022) John Berry of Berry Brothers
Guide Service in Cotter (870-435-2169) said Crooked
Creek and the Buffalo River are fishing well. 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.
