White River
(updated 6-8-2023) Cotter Trout Dock (870-435-6525)
said, “We have been blessed with the most perfect
spring weather over the last couple of weeks – we
invite you to step into our world of natural beauty
and peace on the river. The trout are biting and
the take has been more than respectable.”
White River water levels below Bull Shoals Dam have
been a little arbitrary for the past week, ranging
from less than one unit (3,000 cfs) to five or more
generators/turbines (15,000 cfs). The lake level
continues to drop and is currently 661.78 feet msl,
just a little bit below seasonal power pool.
“The best bait last week was the trusty bubblegum pink
worm. We drifted water that was fairly steady at about
6,500 cfs (about two units of generation). It beat out
the gold Blue Fox spinner and the bigger jerk baits.
Rooster Tails seemed a favorite with our anglers: blue
and pink with white skirt, or yellow bodies with
yellow and black skirts.
“With this lower water, it might be fun to try a
lighter weight lure or even a floater (like the Rapala
brook trout No. 7 Floater). Trout Magnet/D2 jigs are
something new on the market. First up: The
chartreuse/white or the peaches colors. You can
experiment with shrimp or with various colors of
floating eggs and you'll bag a bunch, but the action
will be faster when you use them together.
“It's gotten pretty warm – drink plenty of water, get
your electrolytes to stay hydrated, and continue to
enjoy our Natural State.”
(updated 6-8-2023) Dave McCulley, owner of Jenkins
Fishing Service in Calico Rock, said fishing
conditions there have been great this last week.
“We’ve seen water levels as high as 8.5 feet and as
low as less than 6 feet. We are starting to see lower
generation rates out of both Bull Shoals and Norfork
dams. The lower water levels and water clarity are
resulting in some very good fishing. Silver inline
spinners with orange UV glow eggs and a piece of
shrimp have worked the best.
“Additionally, during the lower water periods,
quarter-ounce Colorado spoons (copper and gold),
gold-colored Buoyant Spoons, or rainbow trout-colored
Rapala Countdowns worked well. In the deeper holes,
throwing a purple Descent Shad Rap has resulted in
some 15-inch-plus rainbows and 18-inch-plus brown
trout. Drift-fishing with Sculpins also resulted in a
few 17-inch-plus rainbows and browns.
“Over the last week we have received two stockings of
rainbow trout for a total of about 2,300 trout. In the
last couple of stockings there have been some nice
13-inch-plus rainbows. Take advantage of Free Fishing
Weekend starting Friday at noon and ending Sunday at
midnight.”
(updated 6-8-2023) John Berry of Berry Brothers Guide
Service at Cotter said that during the past week they
had no rain, warm temperatures and moderate winds.
On the White, the hot spot has been Wildcat Shoals.
“We have had higher flows that have fished poorly. 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 a girdle bug dropper (size 8) or an
orange egg dropper.”
Remember that the White and North Fork rvers 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.
John also said, “Last week I guided on Tuesday,
Saturday and Sunday. On Tuesday the hot fly was a
girdle bug, a popular go to high water pattern.
Saturday I tried the girdle bug but did not get a
bump. The hot fly turned out to be an orange egg
dropper fished under a cerise worm. The next day I had
another guide trip that was a last-minute add. John
and Jennifer were a young couple from Fort Worth
Texas. John was an avid angler but Jennifer was not.
She requested that she join us but did not care to
fish. I quickly agreed to her coming with us. She was
as cute as a bug and a pleasant conversationist.
The Corps of Engineers was running over 13,000 cfs or
the rough equivalent of four full generators. Though
the water was high it was gin clear. It was a cool
start at 51 degrees. It warmed quickly as it was a
cloudless sunny day with light and variable winds.
“We fished with my tackle and began the day with a rod
used the day before that was still rigged with an
orange egg below a cerise San Juan Worm. I added a
heavy AAA split shot eighteen inches above the worm
and a three quarter inch strike indicator. I set the
depth of the rig at eight and a half feet from the
strike indicator to the egg,
“We began fishing and did pretty good. We fished for
quite a while, when we got our fly got stuck on the
bottom. The conventional wisdom to handle this is to
have the angler let the line out until the guide can
start the motor and head upstream. The angler reels in
the fly line until the boat is slightly upstream of
the hook up. Then the angler gently backs the fly out.
This had worked three times previously that day but
did not work then. In our attempt to free the flies we
lost it all, two flies and the split shot.
“I set about rerigging the rod. I added tippet, a
split shot and a cerise San Juan worm. I was about to
tie on the orange egg when I thought about a girdle
bug. I discussed the idea with John. I explained how
the girdle bug was a good fly for the conditions and
how successful I had been with it especially on larger
trout. He agreed and I quickly rigged the fly and we
began fishing.
“We hooked a stout trout on the second cast. As he
fought the trout and reeled it in I thought about how
smart I was to figure this out. As I netted the big
trout, I noted that the trout had taken the cerise San
Juan worm and not the girdle bug. I started laughing
as did John and Jennifer.”
Bull Shoals Lake
For the Army Corps of Engineers’ real-time outflow
report from Bull Shoals Dam, visit the Corps’ Little
Rock office website.
(updated 6-8-2023) Del Colvin at Bull Shoals Lake Boat
Dock said Wednesday that the lake level 661 feet msl,
only 2 feet high. Water temperature is about 78
degrees. “Bass activity seems to be in the 10-25 feet
range. I’m spending lots of time graphing offshore
checking summer spots, swings points drops and ledges.
Most fish still seem to be suspended looking up with
the steady generation at the dam making dragging
bottom baits slower than normal. Most the dirty water
is in the larger creeks while the main is getting that
summer color.
For several weeks now, Del has been recommending that
anglers fish Bull Shoals like two separate lakes,
depending on the conditions. Look in large creeks
early in cloudy warm windy rain water powerfishing a
square-bill crankbait, Chatterbait, spinnerbait or a
Rat-L-Trap-style lure. Try on the last couple of swing
banks or in or around the bluegill spawning flats,
pockets, bushes – cover water. Fish runoff if
available. There’s a big Texas-rigged redworm bite in
some of the brush piles close to deep water.
For sunny, flat, stain conditions try points cracking
a tube or stroking a Jewel half-ounce Special Ops
football jig in green pumpkin orange, or perch colors,
in the 10-20 feet range. For sunny, clear water use
natural colors in small profile baits. Look at ledges;
keep your boat off the fish.
It’s that time of year: topwater, topwater, topwater.
Get up early and bomb cast, and look around for
activity as they are schooled up. Try wake shad,
Spook, Lucky Craft Gunfish, Pop-Rs, or Spook Jr.
topwater as well as a flutter spoon early in the
morming – or all day if it’s cloudy. Each day is
different so fish the conditions.
Walleyes are being taken on Bottom bouncers in 15-20
feet feet. Crappie are suspending on trees and brush
piles closer to the main lake
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
For the Army Corps of Engineers’ real-time outflow
report from Norfork Dam, visit the Corps’ Little Rock
office website.
(updated 6-8-2023) Steven “Scuba Steve” Street at
Blackburn’s Resort said the lake level was 557.30 feet
msl at 7 p.m. on Wednesday evening. “We received just
a nice shower earlier giving everything a drink, but
we are very dry. The water level had dropped 1 inch in
the last 24 hours but both generators are inoperable
and they are letting out about an equivalent of 1½
generators through the sluice gates at the bottom of
the dam about half the time. The surface water
temperature is in the low 80s and the water is clear
down to the thermocline of about 16 feet.”
There are a lot of fish at that level, including
Kentucky bass, bluegill and walleye. Spoon main
lake points for walleye and let a plastic worm drop
off the ledge at about 12 feet for black bass – mostly
Kentuckies but they are nice sized. The stripers are
going deeper and when you see a topwater bite early it
is bass, while the stripers are under that at about
50-60 feet – drop a spoon on their heads.
The lake overall is in excellent condition and at a
good level for fishing, boating and swimming. Visit
blackburnsresort.com and click on Scuba Steve's blog
for a daily report.
(updated 6-8-2023) Lou Gabric at Hummingbird Hideaway
Resort 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 6-8-2023) John Berry of Berry Brothers Guide
Service in Cotter (870-435-2169) said that on the
Norfork, they have had wadable water every day. All of
the lakes are at or near power pool. Expect lower
flows in the coming days. All the turbines at
Norfork Dam are inoperable for the foreseeable future.
Minimum release is being made through the siphon at
continuous flows of 185 cfs.
There has been wadable water on the Norfork and it is
fishing well. 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). John says his
favorite rig has been a cerise San Juan Worm and a
ruby midge. The fishing is 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.
Be sure and carry a large net, as most fish are lost
at the net.
Buffalo National River/Crooked Creek
(updated 6-8-2023) John Berry of Berry Brothers Guide
Service in Cotter (870-435-2169) said Crooked Creek
and the Buffalo River are fishing better. With warmer
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.
