RiverRunner

A great read on on a great tasting fish. I have been curious about the Sauger populations in the Ozarks since I watched a large one get caught in the Eleven Point last year. I figure that they have always been here, just not in the numbers that we see now due to stocking.

The word I've heard is that fish are full of shad all the way to Cotter (& maybe beyond) There just haven't been many reports of shad on the surface. I'm not a big fan of the area right near the dam myself, too many people a lot of the time. Plus the fish there can be pretty educated. There is almost 100 miles of river to fish besides the dam area, and a lot of it is good fishing that can surprise you.

There are two boat ramps in the state park. There is the old one at the boat dock and a newer one upriver in the C&R area. I prefer the new one because it has better parking and is easier to manuever a trailer around at. The only problem with either of those ramps is if they cut the water off, and your downriver, its almost impossible to get back up. I would recommend putting in at White Hole Access (7 miles below dam, Marion county side). That way, if the water gets shut off, you can still drift downriver to the ramp. When I was younger and dumber I put in at the state park and went downriver to Newlands Hole. While I was there they went from 5 units to zero, and I about never got back above Dew Eddy Shoal at the end of the park. Thats why I put in at White Hole when I'm on that stretch of river if I think that the water might be shut off. Also, don't think that all of the action will be at the dam, there can be good fishing all the way down to Cotter and below right now, and fewer people!

I will be at Sowbug on that Saturday for sure, but I could swing a trip from Jonesboro before that if necessary. It would be convienient for some people to have the get together then, but not for others I would think since some people will be involved in tying and other activities. I would think somewhere in Mt. Home for sure. If anybody wants to discuss anything about this with me, please PM me and I will get you my email address for quicker communication. Also, we will need a name for this organization. Thanks, Cameron

I think Davy brings up a point that no one has really addressed yet: operation of rented boats. I have some friends who own a dock on the White, and they have several accidents over the years (thankfully none serious) that were caused by incomptence or alcohol. Even though no one was hurt, they have suffered a lot of damage to their equipment and the potential for injury always exists. I have seen things from some boat renters that have made me cringe. I've stood on two docks when boats crashed into them and I've stopped numerous people from dropping anchors in heavy flows. I've also seen the aftermath of drifting into bridge pilings at high flows (20' Jonboat ripped in half) Of course, I can't count how many people I've watched drive the boat right into large rocks where the lower unit is quickly detatched. And this is on an area of the White that I consider tame compared to areas near BS dam or the entire Norfork River. It really surprises me that there are not more tragic boating accidents on the Norfork or White. My point is this: Although I think that there should be tougher regs on guides, the real boating danger on the rivers comes from people who little or no boating experience taking a boat out onto the White in the fog or high water conditions. On top of not knowing the "rules of the road" they do not take into account things like changing water conditions, weather, and so on. When you throw alcohol into the mix, you have some bad potential. I wonder if there is anything that can be done to ensure that people who have no business taking a boat out don't. I would be curious to get Phil's take on this, since he rents boats. The people I know who rent boats will not rent to someone who obviously have no boating experience. But even some people who have experience do not need to be in control of any kind of boat on these rivers.

We ended up going on Sunday and didn't do nearly as well as y'all did. We fished at Bayou Access and caught 5 unimpressive fish between us on Y2K's. There was a big crowd and the powerbait anglers were catching a lot of fish. I just about lost my balance a couple of times in the swift water. I've always done better there in lower & clearer water, besides, I don't think my mending skills are good enought yet for some of the deeper, swift water there. Next time I go I think I'll go to Dam 3 where I've had more success in the past.

Jimmy, How far down are you seeing shad? Are they all the way down to Tucker and Wildcat or are they mainly confined to the area around the dam & state park?

I plan to be there all day on Saturday, barring any unforseen circumstances.

An intersting read. I would be curious to see how this process would work on a larger lake like Bull Shoals or Norfork. The main factor I would think would be to increase the quality of water that is coming into the system, in other words, tougher water quality regs when it comes to runoff. Also, David has a good point, this organization does not need to lawyer up right away, maybe later, but not right away. We first need to educate stakeholders to the benefits of improved water quality, and get them on board before any kind of legal action commences.

That is a great story, I've never heard all of the details of that before. That's a story that anyone who fishes the White, Norfork, or Little Red should know.

I was hoping one of the guys who frequent the area around Mammoth Springs would have an idea how the river looks. I may try to get away for a bit on Sunday if its not still messed up. I drove past it on Tuesday on my way to Southern MO and it was a muddy mess all the way to the warm fork. I am hopeful that it has cleared up some.

Good to have another LR trout bum on the site, you've got a great blog. Hope to see you on the river in a few weeks if the weather and water cooperate.

Taxidermist, That is a good point. I imagine the stuff used to make synthetic fertilizers could peel paint off of your car.

Davy has the right idea; its time for action along with words. I think a good place to start would be with the fly clubs in the area like the NEAFF, NAFF, AFF, MSFF and some of the others in MO and NW Arkansas, throw in the outfitters association and I think we can get a good start at an organization. Someone should also look at getting area bass clubs involved, they have an interest in this as well. One thing we have to remember is to include everyone in this process, which means bait & spin fishermen as well. They have the same stake in this as fly fishermen. We have to present a unified front for the sake of the resource. I would think that Sowbug would be a good time to have a prelimenary meeting on this. I'm pretty new to the world of fly fishing, but I love the White River and the Ozarks. I gave up a good job in another state so that I could be closer to the thing I love, and it pains me greatly to see that thing declining like it is. I may not have much to give but my time on this effort, but I can give that for sure.

I have to agree with Fox on this one for sure. You only have to drive from Yellville to Harrison and see all of the recently constructed chicken houses and cleared land for cattle production to see who the real enemy of clean water in Arkansas is. Clean water and agriculture can co-exist, but they cannot under current regulations. The corporate farming lobby has every politician for the most part under their control. This is a result of arcane laws that allow corporate interests to "own" members of the legislature. So someone like Mr. Davenport is not really a representative of the people of his district in Marion county but a representative of big poultry and cattle interests that will fight tooth and nail to keep from having to do anything that will cut into their bottom line, such as proper disposal of chicken and cattle waste. Some people and politicians who do not care about our fisheries will simply say that the White is a stocked system and that if their is a die off they will simply stock more fish. While I disagree with that statement, it is at least headed in the direction of some kind of truth. Crooked Creek however is a completely natural system that should be a jewel for the state of Arkansas. It is (and has been) an excellent smallmouth stream with national acclaim. It is a darn shame that the people who could care less and doing the most damage are those who own it banks and watershed and only think of it as a sewer ditch or source of cheap gravel. Arkansas is my home, and I love Arkansas, but the actions of my fellow residents and elected officials infuriate me when it comes to the way our natural resources are used and abused for the sake of the almighty dollar. Like was mentioned before, we need leadership on this issue, from people who are respected in the community and whose fortunes depend on clean waters and a healthy fishery. Good to have you chiming in on this Fox, your reputation on these matters precedes you.

Two almost empty jars got thrown away at my house. I guess I'll live, but I hate to waste good peanut butter, well maybe not so good peanut butter...........

It would be nice if Mercury would use the same shallow water drive on their 4 strokes as they do the 2-stroke 9.9 & 15. I have a 15 merc that is 10 years old and I hate to look down at the oil slick that thing puts out at times, but the shallow water drive is unmatched as far as I'm concerned. As far as drag chains, it wouldn't bother me that much if they are banned. I use a bow mounted trolling motor on the Norfork and I could do the same on the White. I fish the Norfork to Calico section more than any other and I think that there was more vegetation in the river last year than usual, due to the lower flows, and I do think that it helped the fish somewhat. The fish I caught there looked better than other areas of the White. But there are long areas of flat gravel bottom that are devoid of vegetation and fish holding structure in that area, esp just above and below Red's.

John, When would you start fishing Crooked Creek? I've always wanted to fish it and I'm going to try and make it a reality this year. I crossed it at Pyatt yesterday and it is up pretty good. Looked like good spinnerbait water!

That makes me feel better about using a drag chain. I've used one on the White for a number of years and I would hate to think that it was causing damage. Gavin is right about the change in the White River from years ago. All the development and fishing pressure has taken its toll for sure. That's one of the main reasons I choose to fish below the confluence whenever water conditions allow, that area has much less development and still retains the "wildness" that is lacking on the upper White & the Norfork. I just hope that it stays that way. I would be curious to the numbers of trophy fish that have been caught in the last 5-6 years as compared to the 1990's on the White & Norfork. I lived out of the area from 2003-2006 and it seemed that the fishing and water quality really declined while I was gone. It also seems that you don't hear many reports of very large browns (15 lbs & up) being caught in recent years. If I were a resort , dock owner, or guide, I would be very concerned about the lack of trophy fish since they are the "selling point" used in marketing campaigns to bring tourists to the area. Just because these fisheries produced record-sized fish in 1988 doesn't mean they still can given the current environmental conditions. Like Davy says though, if given the right attention, these fisheries can recover quite quickly. That should give everyone hope and help focus everyones attention on what needs to be done to correct the problems.

Drag chains are outlawed on the Norfork because there is more significant vegetation there that can be ripped up by a drag chain. I think Tom mentioned the late Chuck Davidson, I believe he is the one that helped pushed the drag chain ban through in 1981. SIO3 is right about one thing, the powers that be don't seem to have a problem with the runoff or didy, they are happy as long as the tourist & retirement dollars are rolling in.

I started fishing the Little Red more this year and it reminds me of what the White & Norfork once were. Fat, healthy fish, and an abundance of forage and aquatic vegetation. It seems more of the fish in the White & Norfork that I've caught recently are mainly the silver fresh stockers instead of the brightly colored fish that have had some time in the river. Like someone was telling me yesterday, the powers that be just don't know (or care) how fragile this resource is. I just hope its not too late to do something to save it.

I just wanted to make it clear that I have no problem at all with JW's forum, I just prefer to post more on this one. I have learned a lot from reading on that forum, and will probably post a little more over there once I get more experience in the sport. I've always gotten excellent answers from people like Davy everytime I ask a question. I just don't want people to think that I am bashing FFAM, because I am not. I just wanted to point out the differences as I see them between FFAM and Ozark Anglers. Both are excellent forums in their own ways

Upon advice from "the mentor" , I've started using the peacock looking SLF dubbing. It looks just like peacock to me and is less likely to break along with being easier for me to tie in.

I was also wondering if all of the slimy green moss that is covering a lot of the rocks & river bottom is a new thing or not. I don't remember it from my last trip there (in 2002). I was pleased to see a lot of scuds in the river however, & the fish I caught were beautiful.

Good to have another smallmouth junkie on here!