netboy

I made a wade fishing trip this morning to the dam C&R area. Fishing started off good with a couple nice rainbows and 1 decent brown in the first 30 minutes. Caught those on a tandem wet fly rig. After that it slowed down and the fish got very picky. Still seeing a few caddis coming up, but nothing like last week. The fish were feeding mostly on midges and I had to scale down to size 20 midge dry fly. Ended the morning with 8, but they were all nice ones. Here's a couple of the better ones....

Here is a link to the National Weather Service report on the tornado last weekend. Interesting that it had a track of 36 miles and was on the ground one hour. NWS updates Briarcliff tornado, says it had 36 mile track that affected two other counties | KTLO

Our friends that own the fly shop, lodge and cafe in Cotter heard their dogs barking this morning and had this visitor in their tree. They live right across the river from us. Facebook

Well, you do. The Guadalupe River below Canyon Dam is a great trout fishery and the southernmost trout fishery in the US. Check out GRTU (Guadalupe Trout Unlimited) website for more info.

Forgot to mention, be sure to try the moussaka and then the Greek pastries, baklava and kataífi (my favorite). They are incredible and readily available in all the street side bakeries for a couple of Euros. One thing that I experienced is that most of the local restaurants in Athens don't open until around 8ish and that is a bit different from around here. Most of our restaurants close around 8. And if you like wine, you need to try the retsina wine. It is a white resinated, wine and the first taste will be "different", but the next glass is better and then the next one is even better.😀

The Greek islands are beautiful, and the Parthenon in Athens is really impressive. I imagine you will be visiting Istanbul which is also very interesting. Have a great trip and enjoy the cuisine. Lots of lamb dishes over there as well as great seafood and wines.

Just received this email from AGFC about the storm damage. Storm Damage in North Central Arkansas A number of Arkansas Game and Fish Commission access areas in North Central Arkansas, especially in Baxter and Marion counties, sustained minor to significant damage from Sunday morning’s storms. Personnel are currently working to assess the damage and clear paths to allow for continued use of most accesses. However, the Bill Ackerman River Ridge Walk-In Access (Ackerman Access) on Norfork Tailwater (North Fork River) sustained major tree damage and will be closed until further notice (effective immediately) to ensure the safety of our stakeholders. We will send out another notice when the area is back open for use. Thank you for your patience as we work to clean up these areas.

I went to Ackerman this morning and what a mess over there. The tornado apparently went through Arkana as the church on 201 lost it's roof and a bunch of big trees were uprooted across the street.as well as some damage to houses close by. It then moved north of Salesville and destroyed some houses in the Briarcliff subdivision. When I left at noon, they had highway 5 closed and lots of utility trucks working on the power lines. They let me through the roadblock as I told them there was no roadblock when I got there this morning and I was going on 201 and not 5. Fishing was good, but there are lots more downed trees along the bank that you have to walk around. I didn't see or hear any cicadas this morning as I imagine the storm blew them into the next county. The local newspaper said there was 2 deaths in Marion County and 1 in Baxter County. The one in Baxter County was a 73-year woman that they found 300 yards from her house trailer that was destroyed. We were without power from 5 am Sunday until midnight last night. Fortunately, no damage in our area except for some broken limbs. Here's a picture of the Ackerman parking lot and the road leading to it.

Still not seeing many cicadas around here on the upper White. Just a few at our house across from Cotter. I've seen lots of them on the Norfork and heard they are on the lower White from Buffalo city on down. Hope they start dropping soon up here.

The water was a bit too high for safe wading this morning, so I took the boat and anchored above an area that has been holding caddis and rising trout. I caught a few on an elk hair caddis dry fly and then changed to a tandem wet fly rig and that worked better. Ended the morning with 15 and missed quite a few more. Here's a pic of the 2 biggest, 23" and 21". I lost another big one due to a faulty knot.

Well break out the long rod toss a cicada.

Those are a couple of fatties. We haven't had any flood gate releases or shad kills down here on the Bull Shoals tailwater as they seem to be storing the runoff in the lake. Also, no significant cicada action yet, but the caddis are still active and fun fishing with elk hair dries and soft hackles. Here is one from this morning...

I made a wading trip to the White this morning hoping to find some cicada action. After 30 minutes I didn't see or hear any cicadas and no rises, so I switched to a traditional Davy Wooton wet fly rig and that is what worked. Ended the morning with a couple dozen rainbows and one nice cuttie, all on the Wooton wet fly rig. Seems strange that the cicadas are active on the Norfork, but not on the upper White at this time. Here's a couple of the better ones....

I heard Jeremy was well stocked with cicada flies. Maybe not so much now. 😀 I went back this morning armed with a couple of freshly tied cicadas and had a good morning. I landed 9 and missed a few others. Smallest fish was around 16". The little guys apparently are not interested in the big bugs. Here's a few of the better ones...

I went to Norfork this morning and had good day. Ended with 18, some on caddis dries, some on eggs and a few on a green butt soft hackle. I talked with a friend, and he caught a 20" brown and a couple 18-19" rainbows on a cicada fly, so that seems to be starting over here. He said he also lost a much bigger brown on the cicada. He gave me one of his cicada flies and I tied a couple this afternoon so I will give them a try tomorrow. I did hear some cicadas in the trees and netted a couple on the river. Also spooked some nice trout holding close to shoreline, apparently waiting on the big bugs. Here is one of the better rainbows from this morning on a soft hackle, lousy pic as the lens was fogged.

Well, you killed it while you were there. That was some of the best fishing I have seen. Looks like some of the peak Caddis/Sulphur action we have here on the White. Well done....

That is some incredible fishing. Congrats

That is a fat one. Gates aren't open down here at Bull, but lots of generation. I haven't heard of any shad up at the dam, but some caddis are still coming up. Got this brown this morning on an elk hair.

I use the smallest WAPSI cylinders and then color them with a green Sharpie. I also burn the end which gives it a nice looking tail.

I If you want to stuff it, then gut and gill it and then cut straight down the lateral line to the bone and then cut along the backbone on both sides of the fish. It makes a pocket where you put your stuffing in and then bake it. Here's what it looks like.

One of my favorite fish to eat. Butterfly it and stuff it with shrimp stuffing then bake it.

Trip was great. Lots of interesting sights as well as great food and wines. Here is a pic of the ship we were on and a visit to Pont Du Gard, an ancient Roman aqueduct near Avignon....

I waded at Roundhouse Shoals this morning and had a fun trip. The caddis hatch has started and I am seeing more bugs every day starting around 9 once the sun warms things up. I ended the morning with around 20, all rainbows and 1 lone cutthroat. All were caught on top on a green foam body elk hair caddis. I fished the dam C&R area yesterday and saw very few caddis up there. It will probably be another week before they get going up there. I did get this nice rainbow....

I have a standing dermatologist appointment every 6 months as I have had many basal cell cancers, a couple of squamous cells and one melanoma removed. With that said, if you are established with a specialist or any doctor for that matter, you will not have to wait 2 1/2 months for an appointment when you all of a sudden have a problem.

No. I don't wanna know... but I will walk it all off in a few days of wading when I get back. As my good fishing buddy always says... live life like you mean it.