White River
(updated 9-28-2023) Cotter Trout Dock (870-435-6525)
said, “Perfect Arkansas Ozark autumn days — cool
mornings; warm, sunny afternoons — are unmatched for
making memories on the White River. Bull Shoals Lake
is approaching 656.66 feet mls, 3 feet below the fall
pool elevation of 659 feet mls. The current generation
schedule continues to follow the pattern we've seen
for the last six weeks or so: minimum flow in the
mornings (very low), gradually increasing to over
three units (9,000 cfs) in the late afternoon.
“The rainbow bite has been steady and plentiful here
on the tailwater of Bull Shoals Lake in the Cotter
area. Favorite baits: orange/brown or mossy/olive
green jigs, 1/8 ounce, and Thomas Buoyant red/gold
hammered spoons. Cast those spoons toward the bank,
then use a slow and steady retrieval. Don't ever leave
your shrimp at home. Tie that on with your favorite
colored egg (salmon egg, Power Bait, fluff ball) and
enjoy a lot of excitement.
“September may not provide the best catches of brown
trout, but a sculpin drifted near the bottom can still
generate the desired outcome. You'll never know how
good an air-filled nightcrawler works until you try
it. Get a worm blower, fill a worm with air, float it
out there and watch the action.
“The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission’s Trout
Management Program keeps our resource healthy and
stable and our natural resources have stayed strong.
If you've not visited Cotter before, come join us. The
river will capture your heart.”
(updated 9-28-2023) Dave McCulley, owner of Jenkins
Fishing Service in Calico Rock, said most of the last
week they have seen depths as low as 2.5 feet and
rising to about 6 feet. “The last few days we’ve seen
lows around 4 feet and rising to 7 feet. With the
varying river depths and conditions, fishermen have
had to be flexible on how they fish. During the low
clear water, quarter-ounce spoons worked well. As the
water rises the water gets dingy, artificial lures
don’t work as well and switching to drift-fishing with
UV Eggs with shrimp worked best. Later in the day as
the water stops dropping and starts to clear up,
Rapala Countdowns CD7 in silver or gold worked well,
as did ShadRaps in crawdad colors.
“The next few days we will continue to see some
beautiful weather with cool mornings and temps rising
into the upper 80s.”
(updated 9-28-2023) John Berry, angler and retired
guide/owner Berry Brothers Guide Service at Cotter,
said that during the past week they had several rain
events that combined for about an inch and a half,
cooler temperatures and moderate winds. The lake level
at Bull Shoals fell 0.1 foot to rest at 4.3 feet below
power pool of 661 feet msl. This is 38.3 feet below
the top of flood pool. Upstream, Table Rock Lake rose
0.7 foot to rest at 3.4 feet below power pool and 17.4
feet below the top of flood pool. Beaver Lake rose 0.2
foot to rest at 5.9 feet below power pool and 14.5
feet below the top of flood pool. The White has had
wadable water every day with heavy flows in the
afternoon during peak power demand. Norfork Lake rose
0.1 foot to rest at 2.5 feet below power pool of
555.75 feet msl and 28.7 feet below the top of flood
pool. The Norfork has had wadable water. All of the
lakes are well below the top of power pool. Expect
wadable water in the coming days with heavy flows in
the afternoon during peak power demand. On the
Norfork, all turbines are inoperable for the
foreseeable future. Minimum release is being made
through the siphon at continuous flows of 185 cfs and
additional flows are made through the flood gates.
John said, “On the White, the hot spot has been The
Narrows. We have had 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
Pheasant Tail (size 14) with a ruby Midge Dropper
(size 18).
He added, “Last week my wife, Lori, and I fished the
Rainbow Trout and Game Ranch in Rockbridge, Missouri
(commonly called Rockbridge). This is a pay-to-fish
resort located in south-central Missouri. It is
located on a spring-fed stream and has its own
hatchery. You can pay by the fish you catch or choose
a catch-and-release option. There is a nice
restaurant, a streamside tavern and a variety of
overnight accommodations. It is known to have big
fish.
“Lori walked and fed our dogs while I loaded our
fishing gear into my Suburban. It was about an hour’s
drive from our house in Cotter. We ran into some road
construction that took a few minutes to get through.
We registered at the lodge and were on the stream
donning our waders by 9:30 a.m. It was a bright sunny
day without a cloud in the sky. The high for the day
was forecast to be 78 degrees.
“We chose to fish the catch-and-release option. The
catch-and-release section is downstream from the
lodge. The water was crystal clear and easily waded.
There was a slow, mild current. There were a few other
anglers but there was plenty of water to fish. We
chose a pretty spot with high cliffs on the opposite
bank and a lot of large trout.
“The fishing was unexpectedly challenging. There was a
heavy midge hatch occurring as we arrived. I dug
through my fly boxes and located some size 18 Adams
Dry Flies. I struggled for a while but managed to land
a couple of trout. Meanwhile, Lori was doing her best.
She is a better caster and was able to land her fly
near the opposite bank. She got several takes, but the
flies were so small that the big trout easily broke
off during a momentous struggle. She did manage to
land a couple of large rainbows.
“I tried to fish a larger Adams. I then tried a Dave’s
Hopper and a Woolly Bugger with no success. I then
tied on a brown San Juan Worm. I was immediately into
a big rainbow. I was fishing one of the rods we use
when guiding on Dry Run Creek with 4X tippet. With the
drag cranked all of the way down I was able to get the
fat 24-inch rainbow into the net fairly easily. I
followed with a matching rainbow a few minutes later.
My next two trout were lost when they straightened out
the hook. Both were much bigger than the previous
trout.
Lori changed over to an Elk Hair Caddis and caught a
couple more good trout. She then tied on a
Crackleback. This was the ticket. This is a fly that I
do not generally carry, but all of that is about to
change. She landed some really nice trout on it. About
then it was time to quit. We went over to the
restaurant for a nice lunch and then headed home.
“Easy wading and big trout — what is there not to
like!? We are already planning our next trip.”
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 9-28-2023) Del Colvin at Bull Shoals Lake
Boat Dock said Wednesday that lake level continues to
fall. The lake is now at 656 feet msl, while the water
temperature dropped to about 79 degrees. Bass fishing
has been fair. The early morning topwater bite
continues to be hit or miss. A small
walk-the-dog-style bait such as a Zara Spook or Lucky
Craft Gunfish will work. If they’re busting don’t put
it away, though; they can go to the middle of the day.
Typically September is junk fishing, covering water
with a Whopper Plopper or buzzbait. Wind and clouds
will definitely help that bite.
The shad have started their migration towards the
creeks. Graphing can pay off; the shad are getting
balled up way off deep points, channel swings, turns
and creek intersections. It seems 32-40 feet is a
consistent depth for the drop-shot. On the points,
brush piles, ledges, etc. a big worm or shaky head
worm and Jewel Jig are working. If the shad are
around, you’re probably going to get bit.
It’s hoped they will generate some water at the dam.
If you venture into the stained water in the backs
most days, you’re gonna have to work for them. Target
areas with shad. Use a square bill Chatterbait or a
big worm in the laydowns. Overall there’s a lot of
roaming suspended fish 20-35 feet over deep water
(60-feet-plus). Still, these videogame fish can be
tough to fool. Try a Damiki or Hover Rig with a Tater
Shad drop-shot with a Robo. Fall Fishing can be hit or
miss as conditions change. Walleyes stopped eating my
drop shot. Some guys are still catching a few
bottom-bouncing in 35-40 feet. Crappie guys are still
hopping brush piles and that’s working for them they
are starting to pile in. Every day is different; be
sure to 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
For the Army Corps of Engineers’ real-time outflow
report from Norfork Dam, visit the Corps’ Little Rock
office website.
(updated 9-28-2023) Steven “Scuba Steve” Street at
Blackburn’s Resort said the lake level is 553.26 feet
msl and stable with no discharge for the last 24
hours. Both generators are still inoperable. The White
River at Newport is 4.15 feet and still low. The
surface water temperature is 79 degrees and also
stable with the very warm ambient temperatures. The
water is stained green in the creeks and fairly clear
on the main lake but also a little green with the lake
turnover. The summer thermocline is gone and the water
is the same down to about 40-feet where it starts to
get cooler. Few fish are below 40 feet and most are
between 25-35 feet on and around brush on steep river
channel banks and main lake points. Kentucky bass and
crappie are the best bite. Try a live minnow just
above the brush for crappie on a slip float and a
creature bait on a 3/16th-ounce jighead on the first
drop-off for the bass or a small jigging spoon in the
brush in general. Some walleye are still coming in but
most are throwbacks. Temperate bass are scarce and
catfishing is also slow with the full moon. The lake
is at a good level and condition but overall fishing
is fair at best but getting a little bit better with
fish scattered, roaming and spooky.
Visit blackburnsresort.com and click on Scuba Steve's
blog for a daily report.
Norfork Tailwater
(updated 9-28-2023) John Berry, angler and retired
operator of Berry Brothers Guide Service in Cotter
(870-435-2169), said Norfork Lake rose 0.1 foot to
rest at 2.5 feet below power pool of 555.75 feet msl
and 28.7 feet below the top of flood pool. The Norfork
has had wadable water. All of the lakes are well below
the top of power pool. Expect wadable water in the
coming days with heavy flows in the afternoon during
peak power demand. On the Norfork, all turbines are
inoperable for the foreseeable future. Minimum release
is being made through the siphon at continuous flows
of 185 cfs and additional flows are made through the
flood gates.
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 Worms 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 despite a lot of
fishing pressure. School is back in session and
weekdays are not as 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 9-28-2023) John Berry, angler and retired
operator of Berry Brothers Guide Service in Cotter
(870-435-2169), said Crooked Creek and the Buffalo
River are fishing well but are quite low. 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.
