netboy

I have been checked 6 or 7 times this year in the C&R areas. Thet want to see license and then check the barb, The last couple of times the GW came by in his kayak and didn't bother to check. He asked how I was doing and said, "have a good day". He did check the other guys.

If you mash the barb on your jig, you are good to go in the C&R areas. Just be sure you totally mash them down.

Pretty close to this one.

It's been pretty good lately with the low water.

Made a trip to Rim Shoals this morning and had a good time. We have been having minimum flow at the dam until around noon each day for the last few weeks which means Rim Shoals is low until late afternoon. I ended the morning with around 20 including this decent brown. Best flies were a tandem wet fly rig and a crackleback. Caught the brown on the wet fly rig.

SWPA has been running minimum flow in the mornings recently, so I made a trip to the dam this morning. Fishing was good on a variety of flies including soft hackles, scuds and eggs. Caught around a dozen rainbows, 1 cutthroat and a brookie. As I was getting ready to call it a day, I hooked this nice rainbow and had quite a time getting it to the net. I measured where it was in relationship to the rod when I got home, and it was 24" and pretty fat.

Hope you guys brought a bunch of speckled trout fillets home. They are pretty darn good. We used to catch a bunch of them off our deck at night when we lived in Corpus Christi on the Laguna Madre. We called it commercial fishing, because when you caught one, the rest of the school would scatter and then you went back in and watched TV until the next commercial, then they would be back. I remember one night I put one in the refrigerator that I knocked on the head and put in a plastic grocery bag. I thought it was dead and then my Mom, who was in her 90's at the time, opened the refrigerator door and the fish flopped out onto the kitchen floor. Scared the crap out of her. We all had a good laugh at that. And then a wonderful fish fry the next night with the evenings catch.

The SWPA schedule showed minimum flow until 10am this morning so I made a quick trip to the C&R area. Fishing started out good as I caught a nice rainbow on my second cast on a crackleback. The crackleback worked great until the fog burned off and the sun came out. After that I had the best luck using a grey scud under an indicator. The horn blew right on schedule at 9:50 so I left. Ended the morning with 11 rainbows and 2 cutthroats. Here is the best one this morning....

I don't think they have stocked any brookies yet this year. I am catching an occasional holdover which are usually in the 11-12" range.

That is a beautiful river. Used to fish it when we lived in Cherokee Village. Thanks for the report.

We had lots of rain around the Cotter area yesterday. My rain gauge (5" max) was full and overflowing. A friend that lives close to Wildcat access said he got 8.6" in his gauge and also lost power for 6 hours. The river was high and muddy from the runoff all day yesterday. With the runoff situation, the best option for fishing was the BS dam access this morning. I started out using a tandem scud rig and caught quite a few on that. Later in the morning, I saw a few fishing rising, so I tried a sulphur dry fly, but only had 1 take (and a miss) on that. Switched to a crackleback and that was what they wanted. Ended to morning with around 20ish including a few nice ones. The water has cleared up and back to normal level here at Cotter this afternoon. Here's a couple of the better ones on the crackelback....

SWPA schedule called for minimum flow until 11 this morning, so I made a trip to the dam. Fishing started slow but picked up when the fog burned off around 9ish. Ended the morning with 14 including a couple of really nice rainbows. Best flies were an olive woolly bugger and a yellow crackleback. Saw very few sulphurs, so I think the hatch is about over. Around 10 I hooked the best rainbow of the day and while playing it, I noticed the water started coming up. No horn... imagine that! I let some line out and worked my way back across the river to the bank and was able to land the fish. Water came up about a foot which was 1 full unit. I called my friend who was wading about 1/2 mile downstream and told him the water was coming. Later he said it was a bit dicey getting back to shore. It sure would be nice if they blew the horn when they increase the water. Here's a pic of the best rainbow today...

I went to the dam access this morning and it was pretty crowded. Fishing started off slow, but after the fog burned off some sulphurs started coming up. Not as many as there has been, but enough to get the trout interested. Ended the morning with 8 rainbows and 1 brown on sulphur dry flies. I think the sulphur hatch is winding down. Here is best one today...

Made a trip to the Dam this morning and had a good day. Fishing was better early in the morning and then slowed down later, which is opposite of the normal pattern. I saw fewer sulphurs today and the fish were very picky on dry flies. Had a few that would come up with their mouth open and then turn away at the last second. Best flies today were a tandem sulphur colored wet fly rig early and then a sparkle dun sulphur dry fly later in the morning. Here's a few of the better ones...

Suplhur dry flies were good this morning on the minimum flow. Caught around 20ish and missed a bunch more due to setting the hook too quickly. I have a hard time trying to slow the hookset when I see the take, especially when it is close. Had an old British Navy Captain I used to fish with and he always said, say "God Save The Queen" after you see the take before you set the hook. Old guy passed away a couple years ago. He was a character, always the expert on any subject, we used to call him Admiral John...RIP. A couple of the better ones....

Our local TU chapter worked with AGFC to install new stairs down to river at the end of the Rim Shoals trail. That last descent was pretty dicey for us old guys, but no problem now. Kudos to AGFC, Tom Emerick and Gary Flippin. Facebook

SWPA forecast was for 1 unit this morning, so I went to the dam C&R area. Water was more like 1.5 to 2 units, but much lower than it has been. Fishing was pretty good however I think the fish were adjusting to the drop in water levels. They have been running 5 to 6 units continuously for the last few weeks. Nothing worked great, but by switching between cracklebacks, sulphur wet flies, woolly buggers and Y2K's I ended up with a dozen. Looks like some minimum flow tomorrow morning, so I'll head back up there. Hopefully some dry fly fishing for a change. Here's a few of the better ones...

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I heard Ranger laid off some recently and they have a bunch of finished rigs sitting on their lot. I imagine the high interest rates are taking a toll on sales.

The flows are still high on the White with 5 or 6 generators running all day. I took the boat out yesterday and ran to an area that has been hosting a decent sulphur hatch starting around 9 each morning. Fish are holding in eddies and waiting on the bugs to drift by. I anchor the boat upstream of the eddies and then drift my dry fly back into the eddy. I ended the morning with 15 and missed quite few others. Mostly rainbows along with 2 smaller browns. I think we will start to see reduced flows since the lake is almost back to power pool level. Here is the best one of the morning...

I don't fish Taney, but the AGFC sure enforces the regs on the White and Norfork. I have been checked 7 times this year, 4 times on Bull Shoals and 3 on Norfork. They wade the C&R areas and some carry a fly rod and wear a fishing vest. They want to see license and then check for barbless hook point. I am glad they are out there, but I tell them they would have better luck finding violations by following the stocking truck and showing up 30 minutes after they dump fish.😀

Well, I have had the senior pass for the last 16 years, but the $5 entrance fee is still a great deal. That park is immaculate. Restrooms are always clean and everything is perfectly maintained. The park rangers and the park managers are always cruising the area.

You and I catch and release a bunch of trout so it sort of sounds like it to me.

I think barbless hooks help to make an easier release for the fish. Quite often my barbless flies come out when the fish is flopping in the net and the pressure is taken off the fish. No need to even touch the fish in those cases, just let it swim out.

Made a trip to Quarry Park the other day and saw they are now charging $5 to park or use the boat ramp. They installed an automated fee collection machine at the entrance to the park. If you have a federal Senior Pass AKA America the beautiful pass, the entrance fee is free. You need to display the pass on your dashboard. Also, there was a new sign at the parking area by the boat ramp that said, "Parking for vehicles with boat trailers only".