White River
(updated 3-23-2023) Cotter Trout Dock (870-435-6525)
said springtime temperatures are finally here – for
good we hope – and the fishing is hot on the rivers
here in the Arkansas Ozarks. The water level on the
White River below Bull Shoals Dam has continued to
stay steady: high water of about four or five units
(12,000 to 15,000 cfs). Expect this to continue as the
Army Corps of Engineers weathers through the spring
rains. Bull Shoals Lake is 665.35 feet msl and the
Corps and the Southwestern Power Administration are
prescribing heavy releases to bring the lake level
nearer to seasonal power pool of 659 feet msl.
How to fish this high water? Use a heavier weight to
float your baits nearer the bottom in this water; cast
near the banks where the trout don't have to fight the
current and always keep some wiggly worms on hand.
This is great water for sinking Rapalas, even as heavy
as a CD9 or maybe even an 11. We're hearing that the
best-kept secret is the brook trout Rapala.
Worms work very nicely with the high water level. The
brown trout have been biting anything from minnows to
sculpins and some silver flash lures. Some browns have
even been caught on the old standby of PowerBait and
shrimp.
The kids enjoying spring break on the river are
staying busy catching rainbows with shrimp and bright
fluorescent orange or yellow eggs. You can begin your
catching day with a quarter-ounce silver and blue
hammered spoon, and finish up with a Rapala Rainbow
CD5. “We're sending them back to school with some
great fish tales. Come test the waters and enjoy a
spring day in the Ozarks. Bring some rain protection –
it's March in Arkansas!”
(updated 3-23-2023) Dave McCulley, owner of Jenkins
Fishing Service in Calico Rock, said that again this
week in Calico Rock they are seeing river levels near
11 feet. Both Bull Shoals and Norfork lakes are
releasing a lot of water. Norfork Dam reopened 10
spillway gates. Current weather forecasts predict
another 2-plus inches or rainfall on Friday. “Although
the river continues to be high, it seems like the fish
have gotten accustomed to the high water and fishing
has picked up. With Norfork opening the spillway gates
we continue to see the trout gorging themselves on
shad. Drift-fishing with shad has proven effective as
has a silver inline spinner with yellow or orange
Power Eggs and shrimp. There was one trout stocking
this week with the AGFC using their pontoon raft to
stock fish downriver of Calico Rock.”
(updated 3-23-2023) John Berry of Berry Brothers Guide
Service at Cotter said that during the past week they
saw a few minor rain events (combining for a half-inch
here), colder temperatures and heavy winds. The lake
level at Bull Shoals fell 1.1 feet to rest at 6.5 feet
above power pool of 659 feet msl. This is 29.5 feet
below the top of flood pool. Upstream, Table Rock Lake
fell 0.8 foot to rest at 0.5 foot below power pool and
15.5 feet below the top of flood pool. Beaver Lake
rose 0.3 foot to rest at 5.8 feet above power pool or
3.8 feet below the top of flood pool. The White has
had no wadable water and heavy flows. Norfork Lake
fell 1.5 feet to rest at 3.5 feet above power pool of
553.75 feet msl and 22.7 feet below the top of flood
pool. The Norfork tailwater has had a lot of wadable
water the last few days. All of the lakes in the White
River system are now above power pool. We can expect
higher flows on the White and some wadable water on
the Norfork.
Streamer season continues. The brown trout that were
spawning for three months are working their way back
downstream. Anglers are now targeting them by banging
the bank with big streamers on sink tip lines.
He said, “On the White, the hot spot has been the
catch-and-release section below Bull Shoals Dam. We
have had higher flows that have fished well one day
and poorly the next. 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, “Last week I got an email from my old
fishing buddy, Joe Nicklo. He is a regular tyer at the
Sowbug Roundup and an avid fly-fisher. He wanted to
know when the caddis would hatch. Caddis is a prolific
aquatic insect and our biggest hatch of the year. This
means topwater action, a fly-fishers dream.
“My answer was that the hatch always occurs during the
Sowbug Roundup, when I am working in my booth. I sit
there and talk to angler after angler when they come
in from the river and talk about how prolific the
hatch was and how many trout they caught on dry flies.
“This is nothing less than torture for me. As an avid
fly-fisher I live for dry fly action. There is
something about watching a big trout taking a fly from
the top of the water column that rings my bell. We do
not get much topwater action here in the Twin Lakes
area and this is our biggest and most reliable hatch
of the year. I yearn for it.
“Now, like all of nature’s phenomena the actual timing
of the emergence of a hatch of aquatic insects is not
a reliable thing. I cannot guarantee that it will
occur during the Sowbug Roundup this year, but that is
when it usually happens. I know that I will be
carrying plenty of caddis flies on all of my trips for
the next few weeks.
“Another thing to consider is the current water
conditions. Due to some heavy spring rains, the lake
levels on all of the lakes in the White River system
(Beaver, Table Rock, Bull Shoals and Norfork Lakes)
have risen above power pool into flood pool. As a
result, the Army Corps of Engineers are running 16,000
cfs around the clock at Bull Shoals Lake. That is the
equivalent of five full generators.
“The river rises about a foot for every generator they
turn on. That means the river will be about 5 feet
higher than minimum flow, which means no wading unless
the Corps ramps down the flow. It also means that the
trout are unlikely to rise that high to feed from the
top. Look for side channels and quiet banks.
“Fly selection is pretty easy. Before the hatch, my
favorite fly is the prince nymph in a size 14. Look
for them with a brass bead so they will sink quickly.
If you observe rises but see no insects, switch to a
Green Butt soft hackle in size 15. This is my
signature fly and I will be tying it at Sowbug. When
the trout begin taking adult insects from the top of
the water, switch to a green elk hair caddis size 14.
“My final thought is: If you go fishing during Sowbug
and catch the hatch, do not come in and tell me how
well you did.”
Bull Shoals Lake
As of Thursday, the Army Corps of Engineers reported
the lake’s elevation at 665.11 feet msl (normal
conservation pool: 659.00 feet msl; top flood
elevation is 695.00 feet msl). By midday Thursday the
flow was 16,405 cfs and has ranged about that same
level past two days; tailwater elevation was 457.40
feet. The reported lake elevation at Table Rock Lake
was 915.35 feet msl (normal conservation pool: 915.00
feet msl; top flood elevation is 931.0 feet msl).
(updated 3-23-2023) Del Colvin at Bull Shoals Lake
Boat Dock said Bull Shoals Lake level is 665 feet msl,
or 6 feet above normal pool level. Water temperature
is 50 degrees give or take. The cold rain and cold
nights didn’t help this fishing this week. Temperature
and conditions will dictate your game plan and
success. Bass fishing is up and down like the weather;
there are some fish moving up. While some warmer
creeks have a wave of fish up skinny, they are mostly
bucks with an occasional big. Windy, dirty, cloudy and
warm rainwater calls for power fishing with
crankbaits, Chatterbaits, a square bill. You’ll have
the watch the Rock Crawler or Wiggle Wart with all the
bushes. Try on the last couple of swing banks or in or
around the pockets. Cover water. Sunny, flat water and
stained conditions try slow-dragging a Jewel
half-ounce Special Ops football jig in green pumpkin.
If you have clear water try a green pumpkin
three-sixteenth-ounce shaky head or a Ned. Also go
with the ol’ Wobble Head with a menace, slow-banging
on the rocks, ledges and points in 5-15 feet early;
look in 15-20 feet by midday, outside spawning areas.
The fish are in prespawn mode. It’s getting to where
you can beat the bank and run into a few targets
staging early prespawn areas in the creeks, as well as
swings and points outside the spawning areas. A Chick
Magnet fished on flat sides are putting a few in the
boat; fish the dirty rocks. A Megabass Jerkbait on
breezy day on bluff ends over steeper swings and
points with shad nearby will fool a few, but has been
hit or miss. I’m not a rig guy, but they are set up
for that. The shad are moving up again, and video
gamers everywhere from main to backs of the creeks
look for bigger spreads shallower than 30 feet. Gulls
and loons can help or hurt; if they are over deep
water, expect drum and walleyes. Throw around the ol’
McMinnow 2.8 Swimbait in white or shad colors; this
has been the deal for me.
The bass are definitely grouping up if you can find
them. They are in packs! Whites and walleyes are
spawning or in prespawn, so early or late in the day
is the deal to fool them. 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 midday Thursday, the Army Corps of Engineers
reported the lake’s elevation at 556.56 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 midday
was 8,198 cfs, with constant generation in that range
for several days.
(updated 3-23-2023) Lou Gabric at Hummingbird Hideaway
Resort said the bite for most species has been pretty
good Tuesday and Wednesday of this week, but it will
get better once we get some stable weather and a
stable lake level. Normal early spring requests. “I
have several guests in and they are all catching fish.
The bite in the dark is going strong as long as you
find where the fish are hanging out. Casting a small
3.5- to 5-inch paddle tail swimbait with a
quarter-ounce jighead has been working the best.
“You can catch just about any species in the lake,
including walleye, crappie and stripers, by casting
out a swimbait. I prefer white or a Sexy Shad color.
Once it gets light out, the fish tend to move off the
shoreline and into deeper water, about 30-40 feet deep
on the same points. I found fish yesterday morning on
main lake points. I have been using Tater Baits, Tater
Shads in the Bayou Magic, Key Lime and White Trash
flavors. I catch most of my stripers by keeping the
bait motionless about 3 feet off of the bottom.
“On Tuesday morning before the heavier rain started, I
landed my limit of stripers/hybrids, including a
9-pound-plus hybrid. He really gave a great battle.
Bob, another guest, found nice largemouth bass back in
a creek in very shallow, muddy water. He was also
casting out a swimbait. Another area that has been
holding a ton of bait and fish is partway back in a
creek where the fish are in 30-60 feet of water. Most
of the stripers in this area are suspended 20-30 feet
down. You will also find a lot of white bass in the
same areas with the striped/hybrid bass.
“Wednesday morning was another good day to be on the
lake. I checked out a new area and fished a flat in
30-40 feet of water. On one end of the flat I found a
lot of bait and found white bass and a few stripers
feeding heavily. The fish were at all depths, but the
fish on the bottom were the most aggressive. I managed
to land a monster striped bass weighing in at 30
pounds that was suspended 20 feet down in 37 feet of
water. All my fish Wednesday were caught by slowly
vertical-jigging a Bayou Magic Tater Shad. This big
guy took 30 minutes to land on 8-pound test
monofilament line.”
The surface water temp is holding around 50 degrees.
The lake level is falling and currently sits at 556.92
feet msl. The northern part of the lake remains
stained. Enjoy Norfork Lake.
Lou also posts almost daily on his Facebook page with
photos and where the fish are biting and what’s
biting. Check it out.
(updated 3-23-2023) Steven “Scuba Steve” Street at
Blackburn’s Resort said the lake level is 556.88 feet
msl and has dropped 4 inches in 24 hours as of 6:30
p.m. Wednesday. They are running one generator about
half the time and are varying spillway gates
discharge, and recently were cutting back. The White
River at Newport is 23.36 feet and they are trying to
drop the area lakes as fast as they can. “They are
predicting 2-3 inches of rain Friday and I hope we do
not get it, especially in the Norfork watershed.
“The surface water temperature was 51 degrees when I
came in at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday. The clarity is
remaining about the same but wants to clear up. I
could see my lure down 3-4 feet. Trollers are catching
a few temperate bass dragging live bait and umbrellas
through shad and others are casting artificial lures
back in the bayous and bays.
“Crappie fishing on brush is not the best, but a few
fish are being caught every day. That is about the
same for most species. Shad are moving under docks
under lights about 9 p.m. and bringing spawned out
white bass and walleye and a few crappie with them. If
you can find feeding fish it can be good, but that is
not happening every day. Some bass are back in the
creeks near the shore, but not a lot.
“Overall, fishing is just fair.”
Visit blackburnsresort.com and click on Scuba Steve's
Blog for a daily report.
Norfork Tailwater
(updated 3-23-2023) John Berry of Berry Brothers Guide
Service in Cotter (870-435-2169) said Norfork Lake
fell 1.5 feet to rest at 3.5 feet above power pool of
553.75 feet msl and 22.7 feet below the top of flood
pool. The Norfork tailwater has had a lot of wadable
water the last few days. All of the lakes in the White
River system are now above power pool. We can expect
higher flows on the White and some wadable water on
the Norfork.
John said, “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-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 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. Some students may be on spring
break during the week. 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 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 soled wading boots that are easier
to clean and are not as likely to harbor didymo.
Buffalo National River/Crooked Creek
(updated 3-23-2023) John Berry of Berry Brothers Guide
Service in Cotter (870-435-2169) said Crooked Creek
and the Buffalo River are fishing poorly. With cooler
temperatures, the smallmouths have not been 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.
