White River
(updated 10-12-2023) Cotter Trout Dock (870-435-6525)
said, Bull Shoals Lake is 4 feet below the established
power pool elevation of 659 feet msl. This means we
have some mornings of pretty low water, around 2,000
cfs, (less than one unit), with mostly gentle releases
later in the day. It’s great for wading and bank
fishing as long as you keep your eye on the water
level; when the water is released it can sneak up on
you and make reaching the bank a little tricky if
you've waded to the channel or landed on a gravel
bar/island. The river claims a lot of tackle boxes and
gear, too, when rising water creeps up.
Trout catching remains good to very good with sunshine
forecast for the next week — perfect fall days
predicted. We'll likely run into some windy days as
summer makes it's exit and fall is ushered in. Cold
mornings and warmer afternoons will pull anglers to
the river where nature will flaunt some gorgeous
autumn colors throughout the Cotter area.
Nightcrawlers and red wigglers provided successful
creel limits for many of our bank anglers, while
sculpins continue to get some attention from the
browns. Crawdads haven't holed up for the winter yet
and are also a popular meal for both the browns and
healthy, fighting rainbows.
The brown trout spawn season is nearing, and as we
approach the shorter, colder days required for the
spawn the browns will be tougher to attract. Annoy
them repeatedly and you'll get some action if only in
an attempt to make you leave. The favorite artificial
bait this week was the Thomas Buoyant red/gold or
blue/silver spoon. Jigs continue to entice a rainbow
or two; find the right color combination for the day
and you'll be busy netting a bunch.
Come join the action and enjoy the changing of the
season.
(updated 10-12-2023) Dave McCulley, owner of Jenkins
Fishing Service in Calico Rock, said that over the
last week they have seen depths as high as over 7 feet
and as low as 3 feet. The depth of 7 feet was due to
Norfork Dam opening six floodgates for about 48 hours.
Because the Norfork River had been so low before that
there was a lot of mud and debris stirred up, this
caused murky water in Calico Rock. During that time
fishing was poor. The last few days we have seen water
between 3-4 feet with a short spike to over 5 feet.
During this time fishing has been tremendous.
Drift-fishing using Uncommon Bait UV eggs with shrimp
has been the most effective for catching rainbows. We
have seen some success dragging sculpins for some
bigger rainbows and brown trout. Rapala Countdown CD7s
in rainbow trout or silver and black have also been
effective as have quarter-ounce Colorado spoons in
nickel/gold. The low water has made it difficult
getting over some of the gravel bars, but it is
doable. Watch the water levels and if you see the
water dropping head back over the gravel bars before
you get stranded on the wrong side and have to pull
your boat over the gravel bar.
(updated 10-12-2023) John Berry, angler and retired
guide/owner Berry Brothers Guide Service at Cotter,
said that during the past week they had two inches of
rainfall in Cotter, cooler temperatures and moderate
winds. The lake level at Bull Shoals fell 0.6 foot to
rest at 3.5 feet below power pool of 659 feet msl.
This is 39.5 feet below the top of flood pool.
Upstream, Table Rock Lake rose 0.4 foot to rest at 3.1
feet below power pool and 17.1 feet below the top of
flood pool. Beaver Lake fell 0.3 foot to rest at 5.4
feet below power pool and 15 feet below the top of
flood pool. On the White, we have had wadable water
every morning with moderate flows in the afternoon
during peak power demand. Norfork Lake fell 0.1 foot
to rest at 0.5 foot below power pool of 553.75 feet
and 26.7 feet below the top of flood pool. The Norfork
Tailwater has had wadable water. All of the lakes are
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
catch-and-release section below Bull Shoals Dam. 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).
John also said, “My wife, Lori, threw a small
retirement party for me last Saturday. My brother- and
sister-in-law, Larry and Terri, came as did their
daughter, Brooke, and her beau, Jonathan. My sister,
Ernestine, was not able to join us due to prior
commitments. Lori and I am both crazy about Brooke and
always enjoy her company.
“I first began fishing with her 20 years ago on Dry
Run Creek. She was 14 then and was a member of the pom
squad at Germantown High School (which competed on a
national level). Now 20 years later and she is a
Doctor of Pharmacy at the VA hospital in Memphis. She
and Jonathon were just here for a short time so our
opportunity to fish was limited. The water was on the
absolute bottom and we should have waded. They did not
have waders with them so we opted for a boat trip.
Larry decided to come and net fish.
“We skipped breakfast to get an earlier start. The
water at Rim Shoals was gin clear. The sun was bright
with no fog and there was little if any wind. The
forecast high for the day was near 90 degrees. There
were a couple of boats out when we started, but they
disappeared downstream a few minutes later. Then we
had the place to ourselves. The only thing we heard
was a kingfisher working the water.
“On the first drift, Brooke missed one. On the second
drift, Jonathan landed one. From then on it was the
Brooke story. She definitely had the hot hand. For
someone who only fly-fishes only once a year she did
very well. From then on she hooked a fish on each
drift. She was able to bring most of them to the net.
Jonathan was catching trout but Brooke was catching
more.
“Then mid-morning she hooked a much better trout. This
fish took a nice run. Brooke was using one of the rods
I keep for Dry Run Creek. It has an Orvis reel with a
heavy drag system that was cranked all the way down.
She carefully took her time and expertly fought the
trout. It finally surrendered to the net. The trout
was an incredibly fat 19-inch female rainbow. It was
the largest rainbow she had caught since her days
fishing Dry Run Creek. We took a minute to grab a
quick photo and then gently released the trout. We
fished for another hour. Jonathon caught several but
Brooke maintained her lead.
“It started to warm up. We decided to pull the plug
and head back to the ramp. I put my boat on the
trailer and stored my gear. We headed back to my house
to drop off the boat and pick up Lori and Terri. We
were headed to the White Sands Cafe for a late
breakfast.
“Life is good!”
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 10-12-2023) Del Colvin at Bull Shoals Lake
Boat Dock said Wednesday that the lake level continues
to fall and is sitting at 655 feet msl. The
temperature is about 73 degrees. “Looks like we are
getting cooler weather. Bass fishing has been fair.
The early morning topwater has been off. A small
walk-the-dog-style bait like 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.
“Fall fishing equals junk fishing, covering water with
a Whopper Plopper or buzzbait in the early morning or
days with wind and clouds. The shad have started their
migration toward the creeks. There are wads halfway to
three-quarters of the way back in the middle of the
channel. A lot of shad are still way off the long
points. Shad balls are everywhere right now. Look for
areas where they are bunched up. I have found groups
from the surface down to 60 feet.
“Graphing can pay off in the 28-34 feet depths; that
seems to be a consistent depth for the drop-shot. On
the points, brush piles, ledges, swings, etc., a big
worm, a shaky head worm and Jewel Jig are working,
seem to have some color in the water for this bite.
“If you venture into the stained water in the backs,
there are some shad there, but most days you’re going
to have to work for them. Square bill Chatterbait and
big worm and a Beaver-style bait are good around the
laydowns. There’s a lot of roaming suspended schooling
fish 20-35 feet over deep water still. These videogame
fish can be tough to fool; try a Damiki or Hover Rig
with a Tater Shad. Walleye have started trolling over
deep shad. Crappie guys are hopping brush piles and
that’s working for them as they are starting to pile
in. Every day is different; be sure to fish the
conditions. It isn’t easy fishing right now, you’re
going to have to work for them.”
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 10-12-2023) Steven “Scuba Steve” Street at
Blackburn’s Resort said Wednesday night that the lake
level was 553.18 feet msl and stable for four days
when he went in at 9 p.m. The surface water
temperature was 75 degrees and the visibility had
diminished just a bit with clear water down to 15 feet
on the main lake and stained green in the creeks. The
White River at Newport was 3.50 feet and still low,
indicating not much water is being let out of the area
lakes. Bink reports catching some stripers on the
spoon in the 6- to 8-pound range back in the larger
creeks in 90-100 feet of water suspended about 35 feet
down; crappie and Kentucky bass are on main lake brush
on windblown banks in 18-30 feet of water. A few
largemouth and smallmouth are with them. Look for
gravelly banks that have the wind blowing into them
near channel swings. Catfish are biting better with
the smaller moon and stable lake level, and bluegill
are biting crickets under docks and in the shade. The
lake overall is in good condition and at a good level,
and fishing is fair and improving. Crappie and
Kentucky bass are the best bite.
Visit blackburnsresort.com and click on Scuba Steve's
blog for a daily report.
Norfork Tailwater
(updated 10-12-2023) John Berry, angler and retired
operator of Berry Brothers Guide Service in Cotter
(870-435-2169), said Norfork Lake fell 0.1 foot to
rest at 0.5 foot below power pool of 553.75 feet and
26.7 feet below the top of flood pool. The Norfork
Tailwater has had wadable water. All of the lakes are
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). My 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 despite a lot of
fishing pressure. With school in session, 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.
Be sure and carry a large net, as most fish are lost
at the net.
Buffalo National River/Crooked Creek
(updated 10-12-2023) 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.
