netboy

The goldens were mixed in with the normal rainbows and came from Crystal Lake Hatchery. They were paid for by FEMA funds in mitigation for flood damages to the Jim Hinckle Hatchery in 2017. I have not heard of any more stockings from Crystal Lake this year so I guess it is a holdover. With that said, I still see quite a few goldens in the river. They show up like a neon light.

I took the boat out this morning and ran to a shoal that has been producing a decent hatch of sulphurs and midges in the early mornings. The fish were coming up at 7am when I got there and it lasted until the fog burned off around 9ish. I caught around a dozen rainbows, including this 23" male that put up quite a fight with 3 nice jumps. Also caught 1 average size brown and a golden rainbow, all on a size 16 sulphur dry fly. After the bugs quit, I caught a couple more using a Y2K/ruby midge combo under an indicator.

I took the boat to a shoal that has been holding some decent fish lately. Got the waders on and saw a few sulphurs coming up and then some noses coming up and eating the bugs. I put on a size 14 sulphur dry fly and had a take on the second cast. It turned out to be a 22" rainbow. I caught 6 or 7 more on the sulphur and then the bugs and trout just disappeared. I tried some dropper combinations under an indicator and picked up a few more, including another decent rainbow. Best combo was a San Juan Worm with a ruby midge dropper. Off the water by 10 as it was getting pretty hot. Here's a couple of the better ones....

Wade fishing opportunities are pretty limited right now with the high water. They are running all 8 generators 24/7 and I don't see that changing any time soon with the lake being 20 feet over power pool. With that said, you can always wade the area around Wildcat ramp, both upstream and down. White Hole access has some wading downstream of the ramp. There is some wading at Tucker Shoal on the Marion County side, but you will need a boat to get there. There is also some wadeable water on the Baxter County side above and below Cranor's, (boat access). Hope this helps.

I have a friend that I fish with who is a very good fly tier. He showed me his collection of small nymphs and dries he used on the San Juan River in NM. He ties them down to a size 32. I had to use a magnifying glass to see the workmanship and it was amazingly accurate.

Well, it seems the sulphur hatch is getting fewer and far between and coming to a close. I saw very few in the areas where they were hatching so I went looking for new options. The hoppers and other terrestrials are starting to get the attention of the trout. The last couple of days have been challenging but small hopper dries, and foam beetle dries have turned up some decent rainbows. Also caught some on the old standard egg and midge dropper combo. Here's a few from the last couple of days....

The last couple of days have been good sulphur dry fly fishing. Yesterday I took my friend out on an afternoon trip from White Hole access and we had fun with the browns. We drifted down the shoreline and there were pods of browns waiting on the emerging sulphurs but it was challenging fishing with all 8 units running. You only had 1 or 2 chances at each group. We caught some nice browns and my friend bested the day with a 25" on a size 16 sulphur dry. We ended up with a dozen including some nice browns and rainbows. I forgot my camera so pics of that day. I went back early today and anchored up where the rainbows were feeding, put on the waders and was able to cast to the trout coming up. Today it was mostly rainbows and only a couple of average size browns. Here's some of the better rainbows this morning...

Took the boat out this morning and found some nice rainbows. Best fly today was a sulphur crackle back stripped just under the surface. Here's a couple of the better ones.... biggest was 22".

I haven't fished much this week as our friend from Texas was here for a visit. She left yesterday so I went to an area that has some protected water and put on the waders. Turned out to be a pretty good morning. An egg/midge combo under an indicator worked early for a few and then when the fog burned off some sulphurs started coming up. I caught some bigger rainbows on a foam sulphur dry fly. It was a bit challenging to cast as there are lots of trees on the bank, so I was able to make short roll casts and then mend the line downstream to make long drifts over the flooded grass. Ended the morning with a dozen and lost a few more due to quick hooksets. Here's a few of the better rainbows...

They would probably end up as alligator bait.😄

Same high water today, so I went up to White Hole and launched the boat. Anchored above a big weed bed and the trout were wanting a sulphur colored crackleback. Caught 6 nice ones and missed as many more on that. It slowed down a bit and then I went to a tiger tail and caught another 8. Then around 11ish it got really hot, but the sulphurs started popping along the shoreline and I caught more on a sulphur dry fly drifting back down to the ramp. Ended the day with a couple dozen. Overall, a pretty good day. A couple of the better ones.

Interesting story. I launched at Wildcat ramp this morning and had a decent day of fishing. They were running 7 units which is a pretty good flow. So, when I come back to the ramp at Wildcat, I beach my boat on the downstream side of the ramp and there was a Jeep with a Supreme boat submerged on the downstream side of the ramp. Okay no problem, he is probably pulling out. Then I look and nobody in the Jeep or anywhere around. If you know the Wildcat ramp, the downstream side is pretty calm on 7 units and the upstream side is a challenge. Well, I walk to my truck and there is a guy sitting on the picnic table under the trees. So, I ask him if he knows what is going on with the truck blocking the ramp. He says, that's my truck and I am waiting for my friends to come. I say, can you please launch your boat and pull it over the beach like everybody does or simply pull it out until your friends show up? He says he doesn't want to do that and his friends have "walking problems". So I say how in the hell are they going to climb up into your boat sitting on the trailer??? Oh well it went very downhill from there and he got a very "color full" (expletives deleted) piece of my mind. Bottom line.. our boat ramps are not parking lots or fishing piers, launch your boat and move on. Rant over.

I talked to a friend that lives in Hot Springs Village and they got 7" in one day this past week.

The flows are getting a bit too much for wading so I took the boat out this morning. Went to an area that has some protected water, anchored up and had a decent morning. No big numbers, but the size made up for it. I caught 6...2 on a Tiger Tail, 2 on a crackleback and 2 on an elk hair caddis dry. Also missed another 4 or 5 from setting the hook too early. The biggest was 23". No small ones today, all nice size.

If you walk in just below the Dam there is an area called the braids. It is a good wading area with lots of shallow water and channels around some small islands. Be sure to keep a sharp eye out for creepy crawlers on the way in. I almost stepped on a big rattlesnake a couple of years ago. No warning rattle...

Good looking reels. Congrats.

How about a pic of the new reel? They are pretty nice.

I made a quick trip to the Cotter access this morning before the predicted monsoons hit. Water was running around 14k cfs so it limits the wading opportunities. I found an area with lots of suckers stacked up and some looked to be actively spawning. I put on a Y2K and fished downstream of the suckers. I caught a bunch of rainbows, 1 brown and this pretty golden. I fished for the golden for about 15 minutes before he finally took the fly. He would come up and look at it and either turn away or a rainbow would eat it. Lots of fun to watch and it is amazing how visible they are and how well camouflaged the rainbows around him were. Looks like they are predicting another 2-3 inches of rain over next couple of days so more high water.

Just call it Lilley's Fly Shop.... Kinda like Dally's Fly Shop down here in Cotter. Seems to work pretty good for Steve.

We had a light rain this morning and the forecast called for it to end around mid-morning. The SWPA schedule showed minimum flow until 3pm so I headed over to Ackerman access and got there at 8. Fishing was pretty good in the light rain and foggy conditions. Best fly was a green butt soft hackle swung in the current and then stripped back upstream Then just after 10 the water came up and I left. I caught around 20ish in the 2 hours of fishing including this decent rainbow. I checked the actual flows when I got home and they only ran water for about an hour and shut it down again. Makes no sense, but not the first time they have shortened my day.

I think you are right. The flows on the Bull Shoals and Norfork tailwaters have been low with some bumps in the afternoons. It looks like Bull Shoals and Norfork lake levels have stabilized for the time being and lots of water coming in from the Buffalo and Spring rivers system downstream. That said, fly fishing has been great recently. Took the wife out this morning and we caught some really nice rainbows on top. I am sure the flows will be increasing soon.

They ran a little over 1 unit today and the fishing was good. Started out with a soft hackle and caught around 10 and then switched to the EHC and caught another dozen. Lots of boats out but I was the only wader. Here's a few pics....

Try a size 18 parachute Adams next time.

Thanks, it gave a great fight with some good jumps and oddly enough it had one of those nasty chestnut lamprey ells attached to it.

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