kevcarr59

Are the Zig Jigs a local commodity, and where would I be able to find them? Where we fish the Guadalupe by the dam, we would throw 1/16 Rooster Tails across to the other side of the channel into 6" of water, and watch the trout jump all over them. You almost had to start reeling before the lures hit the water, but it was a blast to watch. My buddy said the little Cortland 6' fly rod probably would not survive the Dry Run. Lent it to a friend when he went to NM with our Boy Scout group, very nice little creek rod. I know he wasn't into any size fish like on DRC. Looking at a new Cabela's RLS+ 9' 5 wt. rod & reel combo. They use a line a 1/2 wt. heavier, makes it a little easier to cast. Looks like I may have to dig out the vice again and see what supplies I've still got. It's probably been 10 years, at least, since I've tied anything, or picked up a fly rod. Got rotator cuff/dislocated bicep surgery last April, and now the shoulder feels a lot better. Doc had to put 5 anchors in the bone, the end of the muscle was almost totally shredded. Sounds like to fish DRC I'll need to go a bit heavy on the tackle. I'm getting all new leaders and tippets for sure. I like to use light tackle when I can. One time we fished Matagorda Bay on the Texas coast, and I caught a 25# Jack Cravelle on a 6' Berkley bass rod and a little Shimano bait-casting reel. Fought him for 90 minutes, the line was absolutely SINGING in the breeze. Left about 6 wraps on the spool, I didn't dare spook him any further. Only big fish caught on the boat, one of the other guys caught a gaff-top catfish, about 3 pounds. Needles to say he wasn't happy I won the pool.

Thanks for the info, Ham. It looks like I'll be getting to do Dry Run, my doc signed the mobility card form, and I've already sent it off. Should be back in plenty of time. I guess I was expecting more fishing stories here in the forums, that's all. BTW, what's NFOW?? Would I be correct in thinking it's North Fork of the White River?? I also do some hardware chunkin', so if the flies don't work, I have another option. Some nice ultralight rods and 4# line, with Rooster Tails and Panther Martins at the terminal. With us usually hitting stockers here in Texas, I hardly even eat trout anymore. With these fish being in the rivers for a time do they have the nice white, sweet-tasting flesh that I remember from the old days. I know they use a liver-based feed at the hatcheries here in Texas, and the liver taste is in the flesh. Do they do the same over there in AR/MO?? Thanks again for your input...

I've talked to the guys in the fly shop at work, and he ties at the Sowbug, and he explained some of the "etiquette" about that area, and how it's so different in other parts of the state. For example, he said, around Heber Springs, the fly shops are much more informative with reports and recipes as to what they're hitting. Plus, they're more open as to location. I'm curious about Lake Taneycomo, and fishing Branson area. Is the info as closely-held as Norfork, or is it any better?? I'm just trying to get ANY GENERAL info, for the planning stage of the trip. My wife started talking about Bull Shoals/White River State Park, and that could also be a possibility. I've heard the BIG browns run Nov/Dec on the White, but trying to get that time off would be tough, since I'm in retail. What success would be had up there the middle of April??

I thought that with the seemingly rampant "lack of interest" in this fishery, by almost non-existent posts, that I might be making a mistake by fishing up at the Norfork tail water, and hopefully at Dry Run Creek. I could easily add a day or 2 up in Branson on the Taneycomo, which seems to be a better choice for some big fish. The allure of Dry Creek has been burning for almost 20 years, and that's what is driving my interest in fishing there. I won't have river access, except by wading when the conditions permit, and have heard that the best way to fish the Norfork is by drift. My wife & I are camping at COE-Quarry Park, so I will be able to fish right there, and be right across from the hatchery, and Dry Run Creek. I realize the requirements for the mobility card, and have printed some copies for my doctors to fill out. I'm totally optimistic that it will go through, and be able to fish the creek. If that option doesn't pan out, then serious consideration will be adding the days to Branson. Right now I"m keeping the options open, just in case things don't go as planned.

Wouldn't the minimum flows help with the trout holdover, and be beneficial to the fishery overall. We've had 4 or 5 years of drought conditions here in central Texas, and have a decent trout fishery on the Guadalupe River, below Canyon Lake dam. The Guad is the southernmost trout fishery in the nation, and TU was able to get minimum flows several years ago. We have had a couple of decent rainfall years, and have had a few flood events included. Going from winter flows of 25 CFS outflows, to more suitable flows of around 100 CFS, we've had better water, and possibly had some holdover and reproduction. I don't know what effect the flows have had on the fishery directly, but it still seems to be a popular fishing destination during the winter stockings, which run from beginning of December to the end of January. It's mostly a put & take fishery, but there is also a trophy section with only one 18" rainbow, and artificial-only restrictions of about 3 miles. TU also has lease agreements with landowners/resorts, and they do a lot of stocking for their lease areas. The Guadalupe TU chapter was the largest in the country for several years, with about 4500 members. Those stats are a few years old, so I don't know if that is still the case. The Guadalupe River is a highly-used water recreation area during the summer, with Schiltterbahn Waterpark, and probably 2 dozen other tubing/rafting outfitters dotting the river from about 2 1/2 to 3 miles below the dam, all the way down to New Braunfels, about 18 miles away.

I work for a large outdoor retailer that's been around since 1961,(hint hint), and talking with a few of the guys in the FF dept. One of them goes and does a lot of tying at the Sowbug Roundup, so I should be able to get a decently updated report. The more I talk about the trip, the more excited I'm getting. Friday morning the travel trailer goes into the shop for some warranty work, so that will be done in plenty of time. I've looked for some other boards & forums and have gotten a few more hits, but most of them don't have much participation. I'm just wondering, with the prominence of the fisheries, and supposed large number of anglers, isn't there more up-to-date information.

BFTMASTER.... Thanks for the site, just checked it out, and it looks VERY similar to what the second version of the site format from the early 2000's. The site was a FF site and the AR/MO forum had a lot of local fishers involved. This was a HUGE site with something like 8 or 10 regions, and the sheer amount of info was incredible. BTW, I was curious about the mobility card comment. I'm getting the application online and getting my cardiologist and ortho to look at it, and get it filled out. Is there a bunch of hoops to jump thru?? Thanks again...

This will be a second trip to Norfork Tailwater, and was wondering what to expect on the river. The first trip I took my two sons, when they were in grade school, so it's been more than a few years. I'm guessing it was probably '98 or '99. All I know is we had a BLAST, and the boys got to fish Dry Run Creek. Forgot my fly reel bag, so we had to get casting bubbles, and the trout were mouthing them like sharks. This time I'm getting the Mobility Card and will fish the creek. How easy is it to get around the area of the creek? My recollection of it, across from the walkways down by the hatchery, it was all brush and overgrown on the opposite side of the creek. Has that been cleaned up, because looking at some of the sat photos, they may have done some work. This trip is going to be the 3rd week of April, looks like the 19th thru the morning of the 21st. Are we going to have freezing nights, or is it generally warmer by then? Obviously, it's all speculative weather-wise, but I'm thinking by that time I would expect upper 30's/low 40's at night. I did pull out my old copy of Home Waters(??) but it looks like most of those outfitters/camps are gone. I'm having a difficult time getting any new info on the area. Back in those days, there was a flyfishing forum from the area, but I haven't been able to find it for many years. Does anyone remember what I'm talking about? All I can remember is that the format of the site was a tan/light brown setup and it was highly trafficked, with many local users. I know it's a lot of questions, but this is really the first chance I've had to be able to get up there to do some fishing there. We're also going to Branson, MO., for some shows, and for some Taneycomo fishing. Thanks in advance for any insights or suggestions.