White River
(updated 1-26-2023) Cotter Trout Dock (870-435-6525)
said, “We have snow on the ground here in the northern
Arkansas Ozarks. It won't last long, but it sure is
pretty. And wet. Chances are good that the lake level
may rise some; Bull Shoals Lake is currently at 657.05
feet msl. Yesterday's rain and snow caused a slight
rise – we'll probably see more in the next few days –
but the lake is still almost 2 feet below power pool,
so there is a safety net. The Corps of Engineers and
the Southwestern Power Administration have been
varying outflows quite significantly over the past
week, from just under a unit (2,500 cfs) to 4 units
(12,000 cfs), so be very careful and pay attention to
the river conditions if you choose to wade or anchor
fish. Rapid rises can increase the trout bite but can
also increase debris and may catch you off guard.”
Changing water conditions has made finding the trout's
favorite hiding spots a little more difficult, but as
they move away from spawning grounds, browns are more
than ready to grab a minnow or sculpin. Most white
lures or jigs have also proven successful, orange
bellied stick baits are always a good bet, too. Any
type of yellow or peach-colored egg pattern was
popular with both fly and spin fishers. Rigged just
above the hook, it mimics the trout eggs after the
spawn and has brought a number of browns up for
pictures. Rainbow trout get a break during the winter
to grow, and they're now eagerly taking worms, both
live red worms and nightcrawlers or molded, scented
sunrise or orange PowerBait.
“Make sure you bundle up for early morning trips to
the river; the temperature can be 5-10 degrees colder
on the river than the thermometer reads. Our afternoon
temps have been very pleasant for January. Stay warm
and keep anglin’.”
(updated 1-26-2023) Dave McCulley, owner of Jenkins
Fishing Service in Calico Rock, said the rain a week
ago Wednesday caused some dinginess in the river but
by Friday the river had cleared. The river has seen
spikes as high as 7 feet and lows of 4 feet.
Drift-fishing with yellow or sunrise Power Eggs with
shrimp worked well catching rainbow trout.
Quarter-ounce gold-colored spoons when the sun if out,
or silver colored spoons when it is cloudy, also
worked well in lower water. Size 7 or 9 Rapala
Countdowns in rainbow trout colors worked well for
some nice 20-inch-plus brown trout. We have also seen
success using jigs. There was one stocking this week
of a 1,000 rainbow trout at the Calico Rock boat ramp.
“The snowstorm Tuesday evening knocked out power for
many people in the area and as of Thursday many
thousands are still without power. I would like to
give a shout out to the linemen of the various
electric companies working to restore power,” Dave
said.
(updated 1-26-2023) John Berry of Berry Brothers Guide
Service said that during the past week they had
numerous rain events that combined for a half-inch in
Cotter, cold temperatures and heavy winds. “As I write
this I am waiting for 8 inches of snow to hit here in
Cotter. The lake level at Bull Shoals rose 0.4 foot to
rest at 2.1 feet below power pool of 659 feet msl.
This is 38.1 feet below the top of flood pool.
Upstream, Table Rock Lake fell 0.1 foot to rest at 0.3
foot below power pool and 16.3 feet below the top of
flood pool. Beaver Lake fell 0.3 foot to rest at 2.2
feet below power pool or 11.8 feet below the top of
flood pool. On the White, we have had some wadable
water and more moderate flows. Norfork Lake fell 0.2
foot to rest 0.3 foot below power pool of 553.75 feet
msl and 26.6 feet below the top of flood pool. On the
Norfork, we have had more wadable water.”
All of the lakes in the White River system are still
at or below power pool. With cooler temperatures,
expect higher flows and less wadable water. Expect
heavy generation during peak power demand.
The catch-and-release section below Bull Shoals Dam is
closed through Jan. 31 to accommodate the brown trout
spawn. The State Park will be seasonal
catch-and-release for the same period. All brown trout
must be immediately released. In addition, night
fishing is prohibited in this area during this period.
This section will reopen next Wednesday!
“On the White, the hot spot has been The Narrows. We
have had some lower flows that have fished 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 cerise San
Juan worm with an orange egg dropper.”
John also said, “Today (at this writing) would be my
late brother Dan’s 70th birthday. He passed away
unexpectedly seven years ago. When we were young Dan
and I shared a bedroom and attended the same public
schools. I went in the Army and he entered the Navy as
a photographer’s mate. I went to Vietnam and he was
clever enough to get a job taking pictures of the
admiral playing golf.
“He took up fly-fishing first and soon introduced me
to the sport. He taught me how to cast a fly rod, tie
flies and fly-fish. We were fishing buddies for
decades. We became known in Memphis as the guys to
introduce others to the sport. As a result, we decided
to start Berry Brothers Guide Service. We obtained
guide licenses, bought liability insurance and
developed a marketing plan. We were soon guiding
others.
“The first thing we noticed was that while I loved
guiding, Dan did not. He thought if he was on the
water, he wanted to fish. I began doing all of the
guiding. We had to come up with an alternate source of
income. We began teaching fly-fishing. We taught at a
local junior college, the Arkansas Game and Fish
Commission and a local sporting goods store.
“To enhance this, we took the Federation of Fly
Fishers Certified Casting Instructor exam from no less
a teacher than Dave Whitlock. We began teaching
fly-casting for a local sporting goods store and also
giving private lessons. This was well received.
“Dan was a great caster and casting instructor but he
was best known as a fly-tyer. He was a commercial
fly-tyer for several years. He was a regular tyer at
the Sowbug Roundup and the Southern Council Conclave
where he tied several midge patterns like Dan’s turkey
tail emerger (my favorite) and chucks emerger. He was
adept at tying very small flies. In addition, to his
tiny midges he tied size 32 (the smallest hook made)
dry flies.
“Once I moved to Cotter to guide full time, we did not
work together as much. He stayed in Memphis and taught
Wounded Warriors at the VA to cast and tie flies. He
had a cabin in Norfork and we got together to fish as
often as we could. Our favorite trip was to wade fish
the Norfork tailwater. I would wade upstream and fish
nymphs and he would fish the ring of rocks near the
access. There were always fish rising there.
“His loved to fish one of his size 32 dry flies with a
70-foot cast. I asked him how he could fish that small
of a fly on that long of a cast. There is no way that
he could see the fly. When you are fishing dry flies
you must see the fly to see the take. He said that he
would set the hook when he saw a rise near where he
thought the fly was. He caught fish doing this! Our
last fishing trip was there.
“I miss him and think of him often.”
Bull Shoals Lake
As of Thursday, the Army Corps of Engineers reported
the lake’s elevation at 657,13 feet msl (normal
conservation pool: 659.00 feet msl; top flood
elevation is 695.00 feet msl). Flow on Thursday midday
was 2,502 cfs, and tailwater elevation was 452.60
feet. The reported lake elevation at Table Rock Lake
was 914.64 feet msl (normal conservation pool: 915.00
feet msl; top flood elevation is 931.0 feet msl).
(updated 1-19-2023) Del Colvin at Bull Shoals Lake
Boat Dock said the Bull Shoals water level 656 feet
msl, or about 2 feet below normal pool. The lake came
up a little. Water temperature Thursday was 48
degrees, give or take. "Fishing is good. Shallow guys,
there are plenty of fish on the bank. If there are
wind and clouds, I’m covering water where the wind
hits square on the bank – hopefully on a point, chunk
rock, steep bank or ledge rock. I’m saying close to
deeper water. A Spro Crawler, Wiggle Wart, Red Craw or
green variations. You’ll have keep moving to find
them, but when you do there’s usually a few close.
"There are always fish to be caught on a jig. If it’s
flat, try sunny points with brush or ledges 30-40
feet. The winter patterns are working. Offshore video
gaming. Shad are still spread out; target bigger bait
balls and shad becomes the structure. Creek hollers,
50-90 feet overall depth. Every day every creek will
be different. Watching the loons and graph time pays
off this time of year. Use a single 2.8 white swimbait
or jerkbait or flutter spoon around those high
swimming shad balls. It’s usually best early or late
in the day when shad are up in the water column. If
they are being finicky, hang a Tater Shad over the
side. For schooling fish, use a Jewel Scope or spin a
Jigging Rap. Jewel Scuba Spoon for the bottom
dwellers. Lots of different species showing up out
there in the middle of the lake. Each day is
different, so 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 553.41 feet msl (normal
conservation pool: Sept.-April, 553.75 feet msl;
April-Sept. 556.25 feet msl; top flood elevation 580.0
feet msl). Flow below the dam Thursday morning was
about 6,200 cfs for six hourws before dropping to 205
cfs.
(updated 1-26-2023) Steven “Scuba Steve” Street at
Blackburn’s Resort said the lake level is 553.45 feet
msl and has risen a half-inch in the last 24 hours
with one and two generators alternating for just a few
hours. “We officially received 8 inches of snow, but
it did not look like it with it coming right after the
rain and it took a lot before it started to stick. It
was very wet and heavy causing some power outages. The
surface water temperature was still 47 degrees when I
came in Wednesday evening at dark.
Not much has changed since last week, with clarity
about the same, and I could see my lure down about 4
feet. Both crappie fishing and bass fishing is just
fair but some temperate bass are being caught deep.
Bluegill are starting to bite again, but you have to
work for everything you get. It is not easy, but the
lake is in excellent condition and at a good level.
Spoons are the best overall lure.
For a daily fishing report and lake condition go to
www.blackburnsresort.com and click on Scuba Steve's
Blog.
(updated 1-26-2023) Lou Gabric at Hummingbird Hideaway
Resort had no new reports, but Lou posts almost daily
on his Facebook page with photos and where the fish
are biting and what’s biting. Check it out.
Norfork Tailwater
(updated 1-26-2023) John Berry of Berry Brothers Guide
Service in Cotter (870-435-2169) said Norfork Lake
fell 0.2 foot to rest 0.3 foot below power pool of
553.75 feet msl and 26.6 feet below the top of flood
pool. On the Norfork, we have had more wadable water.
All of the lakes in the White River system are still
at or below power pool. With cooler temperatures,
expect higher flows and less wadable water. Expect
heavy generation during peak power demand.
There has been more wadable water on the Norfork. The
most productive flies have been small midge patterns
like zebra midges (black or red with silver wire and
silver bead). 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). John says his 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 a bit better. 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.
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 1-26-2023) John Berry of Berry Brothers Guide
Service in Cotter (870-435-2169) said Crooked Creek
and the Buffalo River are fishing poorly. With colder
temperatures, the smallmouths are much less 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.
