RiverRunner

Drag chains are illegal on the Norfork tailwater only. They are OK on the White. If you do use one, make sure that you have a knife handy in case it snags on the rocks. If your not careful, you can sink a boat if it snags. Also, I'd try to avoid standing up with a drag chain out, when that thing catches, you'll go flying (and maybe swimming). But, like Jeremy says, they won't do you much good on a dead drift since they slow you down so much.

I was told by the warden working out of Norfork that as long as it appeared that you had made an effort to make the hook barbless, it was OK. She said that the story about the warden using cotton balls to test hooks (where only factory barbless hooks passed the test) was not true. Also, the barb smasher pliers do a better job than regular needle nose pliers IMO.

Don't forget about the jigs! I've caught a ton of fish on the White River System (& the Spring River) on 1/16 oz olive, black, & brown jigs. I guess you could use 6 lbs line, but 4 is better. I really like the "Zig Jig" made in NW Arkansas. I would think that they would be very easy for the young angler to use.

Your saying what most people I know are thinking. Its real sad to see what is happening at Norfork and in lots of other places in the Ozarks. What is even more sad is how our state government, which is supposed to be an instrument of the the people of Arkansas, seems unable to stop the destruction or do anything to correct it. I guess that's what happens when developers and poultry processors bankroll state political campaigns. . . . Just my two cents.

As someone who fishes the LR as much as I can, I have mixed feelings about the new regs. I'm all in favor of the slot limit. But I don't like the fact that the AGFC is going to allow people to harvest fish in the former C&R areas that are now "no bait" areas. These areas offer the best fishing on the LR, maybe even some of the best in the Ozarks, for trophy size fish. IMO, the fish in the C&R areas were doing just fine before these new rules were enacted. I just don't see why the AGFC wants to let people take fish home from these areas. I know that the AGFC is under a lot of pressure from resorts and the catch and kill anglers to liberalize regulations (the original plan called for bait anglers to use barbless hooks), but I think that they should have thought about it more before they changed regs. The LR, esp the lower end (due to lack of commercial operations), is a fine fishery that needs more friends to look out for it.

Two sided picture hanging tape can also work pretty good. The advantage being that you can more tape if you have trouble seeing the indicator.

Norfork has been generating non-stop for almost a month. If the lake level ever reaches 552 they might slow it down, but the forecast is calling for more rain, so I would doubt that they will cut back on generation any time soon unless there is a major flood on the lower White. I'm not a high water expert, but I would think that micro-jigs and egg patterns would be worth a shot, along with the Y2K or any other bright fly. I 'm sure that Mr. Berry will chime in with more info than I have. I am going to try and hit the Norfork next weekend. I will post a report then.

Minnesota has some great bass fishing I hear, both bronzebacks and largemouths, I'd sure like to check it out one of these days.

Norfork has been running around the clock, and Bull Shoals is now at normal (654) level and is running up to 7 units at times. If the rain continues as it has lately I would count on high water just about anywhere, so be prepared to fish from a boat. It would probably be best to stick to highly visible flies such as larger SJ's, eggs, & Y2K's. Also be sure to try a bright 1/80 or 1/100 oz microjig under an indicator. Like Terry says, the river just below Norfork (Bluff Hole) can be quite productive in the Winter.

I wish that I could say that this kind of thing was an isolated incident, but things like this happen all the time around boat ramps that I launch at. I would say that at least 1/2 of the people that launch boats on the Bull Shoals Tailwater park in the middle of the ramp to get their boat ready instead of using the parking lot that is provided for that purpose. I have lived in other parts of the country, and it pains me to say that this kind of activity is much more prevalent in this area. When I lived in Alabama, there would be 200 boats launching at one time at one ramp, but you rarely had problems because everyone knew what the protocol is. This also reminds me of an incident about 10 years ago at the Norfork Access at the confluence. I was trying to take out during a rainstorm with 8 units of water from Bull Shoals and 2 units from Norfork rolling down the river, a fun task to say the least. There was a family from out of state (Texas I think) that was fishing in the middle of the ramp for trout that had been stocked about 20 mins prior. I asked them to move out of the ramp and they refused, claiming that this was "their" fishing spot. Tired, wet and not wanting to argue, I slowly backed down the ramp and they finally moved out of the way, cussing me the whole time. I got the boat on the trailer, and ran my motor wide open to get the gas out of the carb, which did not please them to say the least. They quickly returned to their "spot" and resumed catching stocker rainbows that were still dizzy from the truck ride from the hatchery. I try to avoid the heavily used accesses on the White to save my patience. I think that I could write a book about this stuff

I echo earlier sentiments, FF is very addictive, its almost the same thrill for me that bass tournament fishing used to give me. I just have to sit back and take stock of everything and remember that this is not something that you can master overnight, it takes time practicing, fishing and tying to master it, and even then, I know that I will only have a fraction of the vast knowledge that is out there. That's what makes this sport so intriguing. No matter how good you think you are, you'll never master it all.

Its kind of ironic, there has also been a movement in bass fishing back to fiberglass rods for crankbait fishing. The action of glass is a lot slower than graphite, thus you are less likely to rip the hooks out of the fishes mouth with a hard hookset. I have used fiberglass crankbait rods for several years and have boated more fish with them. I would have a harder time going to a glass fly rod because of the weight, but I can see how it would be easier to cast due to the flex and slower action.

I like the larger football shaped palsas for jigs, they will not sink a 1/80 jighead and are fairly easy to see but do not stand out too much.

I had a situation this weekend on the White River at the Wildcat Shoals boat launch that makes me wonder if the AGFC needs to put up signs explaining what not to do on the boat ramp. I was idling down river about dark on Sunday evening, it was beginning to rain and I wanted to get my boat on the trailer so I could get on the road home. There was one other boat on the river, a guide boat. When we pulled up to the launch, the guide had someone there with a truck and trailer already on the ramp and in the water. I let my partner off on the bank so that he could back my trailer down to take me out. The guide boat, instead of loading on the trailer, pulled onto the bank, let out passengers, and then proceeded to clean fish, all the while his associate is sitting in his truck and blocking both lanes of a two-lane ramp. I idled around for 15 minutes in the river waiting for him to take out and move out of the way. Not wanting a nasty confrontation, I had my partner back the trailer down next to the ramp so I could take out. I guess he got the message then, and he moved so that we could put all of the truck wheels on pavement and take the boat out. After we put my boat on the trailer, he backed it back down and loaded his boat. He then parked on the ramp for about 20 minutes and loaded his gear. There was one other trailer in the parking lot, so I'm glad they didn't choose to take out at that time. I see this kind of thing all the time and I am sick of it. If this had been someone who didn't know what he was doing or didn't get on the water all the time, I could understand. But this guy is a guide and I would think that he would no better. If everyone would remember a few basic rules, boat ramp problems would be minimized. GET YOUR BOAT & GEAR READY IN THE PARKING LOT, NOT ON THE BOAT RAMP! LOAD & UNLOAD YOUR BOAT AS FAST AS POSSIBLE, IF YOU ARE BY YOURSELF, DON'T HESITIATE TO ASK FOR HELP! IF YOU ARE NEW TO BACKING A TRAILER, PRACTICE IN AN OPEN PARKING LOT BEFORE HEADING TO THE WATER! IF THE RAMP HAS MORE THAN ONE LANE, DO NOT BLOCK BOTH LANES. Enough of my rant. I'm sure that some of you folks who use Table Rock in the summer have some good boat ramp horror stories

I was wondering how often I should clean my fly line. I invested in Rio grand line and I want it to last as long as possible. I have been cleaning it after fishing and when I go to the park and practice. Is it effective to clean it that often?

I'd have liked to, but we had planned to fish the Little Red, and upon arriving in Heber Springs and seeing the bad conditions, decided to drive on to Mt. Home and at least get a 1/2 day in. The bad part was that I had met my brother in Bald Knob, AR and had to drive back him back there to his truck from Mt. Home and then on to Jonesboro. So a 2 1/2 drive was over 4 hours for me. I was wore out for sure. I am going to try in hit Taney this spring and see what it is all about.

Fished Tucker Shoals from about noon to dark. Had a good day despite the wind. My brother and myself caught about 40 fish between us. Water was a little dingy, so we used pretty bright patterns. Caught fish on eggs, san juan worms, and pink microjigs. Most fish were stocker sized, but very well colored. I did lose a nice 18" rainbow on a SJ worm and I saw a huge brown working the shoal. I've never used anything in hot pink before, but that seemed to be what they wanted.

Darren, Did you have access to a boat, or did you just wade from the accesses? The White has been tough on me lately and it makes me feel better to hear a good report

To make matters worse, I hear that a group on Lake Norfork is trying to force the corps to enact a "minimum lake level" that would be significantly higher than the current bottom end of conservation pool (around 510 feet msl). This would force any water releases to cease after this level (around 543 msl was what I heard) is reached. This is in response to the low water levels seen last fall & winter which hurt marina operators. It goes without saying that this would not be good news for the Norfork tailwater.

After 3 trips to the ER in one year for hook removal, I fish barbless on anything I can. The little barb smasher pliers that BPS sells work great. I would agree that you do get a better hookset, you just have to be careful that you maintain pressure at all times.

I've had good luck with the blue Kendall grease.

Do any of you 11 pt regulars ever run into any walleye or sauger in the sections above Riverton. I have caught several in the AR section that I fish for smallmouth and would like to know where I could catch some more.

Glad to here everything went well. Everyone that I know who has had the knee replacement has done well and always wished that they had done it sooner. I just hope that I can avoid more sinus & nose surgery

My vote is for Les. He's entertaning and I think that he's educational and gives real world advice that may come in handy for anyone that spends any time in the outdoors. He tells it like it is and he doesn't take chances just for the sake of the camera. The situations that he puts himself in are completely within the realm of something that could happen to a lot of people who visit and post on this forum. Basic survival skills are always good to have, esp in places like the Buffalo River country of north Arkansas. You never know when you may have to spend a night in the woods and hike back to civilization. I wish that they would make some new episodes though. Maybe something like dropping him into an unstable third-world country or something like that.

Just my opinion, but the Y2K is a great fly for someone like me who is just starting out. It is a real fish catcher and gives me practice with hooksets, detecting strikes and so on. I really don't care right now how silly it looks. I doubt that this fly will work on freestone streams with brookies in the Smoky mtns, but it is effective on our tailwater streams. I have caught browns in the Little Red on this fly, so it will fool wild fish. It may not be as sporting as catching a trout on a size 28 dry fly, but I guess it is a step up from Power Bait.