netboy

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".

I started using nothing but barbless hooks many years ago after getting a few barbed hooks buried in my hand.

Another question on the subject... Does MDC currently require barbless hooking points in the Taneycomo Special Regulation area?

Here is a collection of various lures I have picked up in the C&R areas on the White and Norfork. Most of them were barbless, but not all. I usually find a lure or two while wading immediately after a sustained highwater event. Also recovered a couple anchors, an Orvis Battenkill Disc reel (in great condition) and a really nice drag chain.😀

They are legal in the C&R areas but must be barbless.

I believe treble hooks are legal on the White and other Arkansas trout waters with the following exceptions...Treble hooks must be barless in the C&R areas. Multiple point hooks with barbs are allowed, unless fishing inside the Catch-and- Release Areas (see below). Bait fishing only allowed with a single hooking point.

SWPA schedule was for minimum flow all day today, so I headed to Ackerman access. The limited parking lot was half full when I got there at 7am, so lots of fishers. I decided to wade downstream and avoid the crowd. As usual it started out slow and then when the fog burned off at 9 the fish started to get active. Best fly rig was a sulphur colored tandem wet fly setup swung in the surface film. Ended the morning with around 30ish including mostly rainbows. 3 browns and a cutthroat. No monsters but here's some of the better ones.

Hope she did also, I thought about trying to walk out in the back forty (actually 9) to see if I could find her, but it is so thick and full of ticks and chiggers that I said no.

I checked our game cam a while ago and this picture was on it. Stupid deer got its head stuck in one of my wife's tomato cages. The cage and deer are nowhere to be found. Hope she got her head out.

The SWPA forecast was for minimum flow until noon today, so I made a trip to Ackerman. Fishing started off slow with 3 stocker size rainbows in the first hour. Then around 9 the fog burned off and fish started getting active. They were feeding on what looked to be very small mayflies in the surface film and wouldn't take any of my dry fly offerings. I switched to a tandem wet fly rig with size 16 wet flies and started getting some action. Ended the morning with a couple dozen and lots of missed strikes. Here are a couple of the better ones...

I went to the dam C&R area this morning as the schedule showed minimum flow until 3. I caught a few early on a tandem wet fly rig and then around 9 some sulphurs started coming up. I switched to a size 16 sulphur dry fly and had fun watching them take it. Caught a dozen or so on the dry fly and missed quite a few others. I got some nice size rainbows and this personal best tiger trout.

Fortunately, it was a sparsely populated area it hit. Five miles north would have put it through Mountain Home.

Here is Clay Henry's article on the storm and the end of cicada season down here. Tornado changed the sounds in Baxter County » Hit That Line from ESPN Arkansas

We made a trip to the Norfork National Fish Hatchery below the dam this morning to help out with their free fishing day and trout tournament for kids. On the way there we drove through the path of the Memorial Day tornado in Briarcliff and Salesville and it was quite an eyeopener. The tornado was a mile wide and literally topped most of the trees in the path and pulled lots of big oaks out by the roots and destroyed many houses. Prayers to the people in the path. Here's a few pictures... First are the 5 year old kids fishing in the swimming pools and then the older kids fishing in the freshly stocked river. Lots of trophy's were given and memories made with families. They had a great crowd and cooked hot dogs and all the fixings. Great job by the Norfork Federal Hatchery and the supporting volunteers from North Arkansas Fly Fishers and Trout Unlimited.

I go an email from AGFC that Ackerman access has been cleared and is now open. I made a trip there this morning and fishing was good, but lots of people there. I started with a tandem wet fly rig and caught one on the first cast. That is usually the kiss of death when fishing, but it wasn't today. Ended the morning with a couple dozen rainbows and a couple of browns and one cutthroat. I saw no caddis this morning, but I did see a few sulphurs coming up. I changed to a sulphur colored wet fly and that worked. Here's a few of the better ones...

Got an email from AGFC this morning and Ackerman is now open.