Where's Waldo - Part 2 Home Edition

[Johnsfolly 6,299]

We left Texas behind on Friday afternoon thankful that we 1) still had Waldo in good shape, 2) we were out of the rain, 3) had on dry clothes, and 4) neither of us had hypothermia ! This is a bad picture if you are a boat owner.

Ham dropped me off at the Little Rock airport so that I could pick up my rental car that I would use to get to Columbia for work once this trip was over. He and I met for dinner and I followed him back to Flippin. Sat we headed to White Hole access and were met with a nearly full boat ramp. Could have been an ominous start. At one point I counted well over 60 boats and then just stopped counting. It's a good thing that we were after the yellow perch run and not those stocked rainbows. Ham pulled up to a hole that he has seen and possible caught perch previously. I had a casting weight with a dropper loop armed with a #10 Aberdeen hook and some redworm. I pitched the bait into an opening in the weeds. It was less than 20 seconds that I missed a small bite. I repositioned the bait and hooked into my first yellow perch of the day. Took about a minute ! I am no stranger to this fish. So maybe it was familiarity with my quarry, but more likely just that Ham put us in the right spot.

 

I gave my rod to Ham since he was champing at the bit to catch one of these guys himself. Took a little longer but not by much until he had his first of the day as well.

Ham and I proceeded to drop into grass edges, under grass mats, etc. to catch more. Ham caught a few more from this spot. I got trout blocked and only landed one more perch from that spot. First I was blocked by what I am inclined to consider as a Bonneville cutthroat (my first ever; let me know from you knowledgeable guys if this should be considered a Yellowstone instead @netboy or @mojorig) followed by a rainbow. I was halfway to a slam, but wanted to catch more perch .

We moved to a new spot upriver. At the confluence of this small tributary. I caught bluegill and two more yellow perch one of which took the hook too deep and didn't make it. Ham hooked some trout. I couldn't get the suckers to bite at this location either. Further upstream we went and into another small creek. I saw brook trout, rainbows and what looked like a decent brown trout as we went into the creek. The only fish that we could see were trout as we went further up the creek. Some of those trout were less than 5 to 6 inches in length. We headed back to the confluence and Ham hooked one of the brookies on his Zig jig. Then another. Now he had half a slam as well.

I also caught a snakeriver cutthroat trout at that spot.

I caught a rainbow but no other trout. I did land a new species for 2019, a male hornyhead chub. He was "dressed" for the ladies with a bright red spot and sported a head covered in breeding tubercles.

We looked over a few more creeks and rock piles, etc. looking for interesting fish. Still not too worried about a slam. Then we made the big run uplake where we met @snagged in outlet 3. I had on an olive ginger 1/32 oz Zig jig and was casting towards the shore line or running the jig down through the troughs between the weed lines while Ham was talking with Pete. Just as we said goodbye to Pete I hooked and landed my first brook trout of the day!

Three quarters of the way to a slam (or maybe 4/5? ). I caught another brook trout and Ham caught brooks and rainbows. We drifted downstream where Ham landed his cutthroat.

We did come to the White to get me on knobfin sculpin. So it was decision time - go for the slam or head downstream for the knobfin. I wanted the slam. Problem was that water had been flayed over by boat after boat after boat. We soldiered on anyway. Ham came closest to a slam but lost the one brown that he hooked. I caught a couple more brook trout and a few rainbows, but don't think that I had on and lost a brown. We gave it a shot regardless.

Headed back to the boat ramp. We tried a couple of rocky points and Ham caught a knobfin sculpin. I hooked a 5 inch rainbow. I did end up landing a knobfin sculpin at Stetson's dock.

It was another great day fishing from Waldo. I appreciate Ham taking me on this adventure. I look forward when we can do it all again!

[ZigJigman 160]

Sounds like you guys had an all around great trip!!!

[netboy 1,001]

John that was a great trip. I had no idea there were yellow perch in the White river.

I think that cuttie is one of the Yellowstone guys the AGFC stocked earlier this year just to confuse us. The true Bonnevilles have most of their spots on the back half of their bodies. 

 

Next time you are up here come by for a beer....

[Ham 4,364]

Waldo got his numbers

[snagged in outlet 3 5,635]

44 minutes ago, Ham said:

Waldo got his numbers

Mine are utilitarian as I wanted to get it wet right away.  Yours match the rig perfectly. 👍

[Daryk Campbell Sr 1,238]

Excellent report gentlemen.  That trip sounds fantastic.   Glad you guys were able to do it.  

[Quillback 7,433]

Good job on finding and catching the elusive White river yellow perch.  Makes me wonder how well they will do in the White, hopefully not too well as they can get over populated.  Thinking back to when I lived in Massachusetts, I can't remember there being any of them in the swifter trout type streams,  but sluggish rivers like the Charles had bunches of them.  

[Johnsfolly 6,299]

The sizes that we caught seems to indicate that there may be a small established population.

[Ham 4,364]

Having seen them in at least 4 locations from just below Gaston’s all the way down to Cartney and in sizes ranging from 4 to 10 inches makes me believe they are established. 

I am not the least bit concerned about them becoming over populated. I think the Brown Trout will keep them in check. 

[snagged in outlet 3 5,635]

17 hours ago, Johnsfolly said:

This is a bad picture if you are a boat owner.

What are you referring to here, @Johnsfolly?