netboy

I fished up there a couple of days ago and no sign of shad. There were lots of fly guides up there and they were all drifting with nymph/indicator rigs.

The state park ramp is good also. You probably should avoid the ramp on the east side below the dam (Jim Griffin access). That ramp is tough to use if the water drops to minimum flow.

You should have no problem navigating from the dam down to White Hole with 100mw flow (or more). That is a 7 mile run with lots of good water. The best ramp up there is White Hole. AGFC just rebuilt it and the parking area and did a great job. Good luck.

Kinda hard to tell if it is a brown or rainbow but nevertheless it's a great fish. I would guess a hen rainbow around 7 to 8lbs. Browns usually have larger pectoral and pelvic fins. Congrats and kudos on the release.

Ham just sent me a reminder about this weekend. My daughter and granddaughter are coming for a visit this weekend so daytimes are going to be busy. I am going to try to make it down to the lodge Saturday evening to meet the group and maybe have a beer (or 2).

Great fish and what a story!

You should be good to wade below the dam at minimum flow which is 7mw. Anything higher will be tough wading and dangerous this time of year. They usually blow the horn when they start generating during daylight hours, but they don't always blow when they bump the generation up a bit. I've never fished anywhere on the White or Norfork at night so I can't say what happens when they decide to increase generation. Here is a link to Steve Dally's website that shows the estimated water rise times for various access points on the White. From what I have seen the fallout times are considerably slower. https://ozarkflyfisherjournal.wordpress.com/2017/07/12/dallys-fly-fishing-report-71217/ Hope this helps and be careful.

Try wiping a bit of muriatic acid on the stained area. That stuff does a good job removing the brown stains. Wipe it on, let it sit for a few minutes then rinse off.

I fished the surf along the Texas coast for many years. Best lure for speckled trout was always a 52M series Mirrolure. My favorite color was red/gold sides. I think the actual model was 52M28 (28 being the color scheme). Cast it as far as you can and work it back like a jerk bait.

Forgot to mention that these socks have worked well while wading this winter... https://www.ebay.com/itm/EXTREME-WEATHER-THERMAL-SOCKS-1-Pair-Heated-Insulated-Soft-Mens-Winter-Cold-Warm/192750351146?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2060353.m2749.l2649

I just use my fleece lined Wrangler jeans from Wally World.

This guy showed up in the yard a few days ago and seems to be getting more comfortable. He was there for about 10 minutes and didn't mind the camera flash. I took this picture this afternoon. I hope he gets a good a good appetite for the abundance of squirrels we have.

Wow...those things look great! Beautiful craftsmanship.

Looks like a great time with your daughter. Couldn't have asked for a prettier day weather wise.

Pretty easy wading from just above the boat ramp and downstream from there. You can't get very close to the dam as the water is too deep.

Sounds great.

Nice cutties Ham. The Norfork on 2 full units is a bit too challenging for me.

I saw Bill Dance and crew filming on the White river just upstream from Cotter this past Thursday. He was fishing with Donald Cranor and there was a second boat with a cameraman. Will have to watch for this episode.

Those are some very nice browns. Congrats

Seems to me that anchoring from the stern might be a little dangerous if they are running any kind of water.

Lots of water coming out of Bull Shoals and Norfork also.

Some good eats there.

I've got a 17x42 Blazer with a 25 Merc jet. I usually wade with my fly rod but the water has been up the last few days so only option is drifting with the spinning gear. I am still learning how to fish the jigs. I miss lots more than I catch not to mention the hangups and lost jigs. Not too big a problem as I tie my own jigs.

First brown of 2019 this morning.....

Should be better weather and there may be some early caddis hatches for the fly guys. They usually start downriver and the hatches move up toward the dam later.