Bill Butts

Greetings Folks~ Less than a year ago, Phil allowed the addition of forum topics related to the Striped Bass family. It has been fun, helpful and informative for those who have participated and shared. I have enjoyed being moderator of these topics despite time limitations during the middle part of the year due to demands of a new job. Striper forum topics certainly won't be as popular as trout fishing forum topics but they do have their place. The popularity and respect for the Temperate Basses is growing steadily across the country. What I would appreciate your input on is how we can improve/change the topics to make them more helpful to more fishermen. The original topics were selected to introduce and educate folks that might not have been previously familiar with fishing or fly fishing for these awesome fish. The current topics are "what is the Striper Family?", "why do you fish for these species?", "where do you fish for these species?", "tackle and flies", and "conventional tackle". So, what do you like and suggest we keep, what would you suggest we omit, and what would you like to see added? Please provide as much detail and explanation as you can. All your collective input and comments will be greatly appreciated and seriously considered. Thanks in advance to all who respond. Bill

Greetings Striper Enthusiasts~ Want to post a quick request for any recent fishing experiences you've had or heard about. From watching the water levels in the Tulsa/Zink Dam area recently, it doesn't appear there is much water flowing. Keystone Lake is just a few feet low, but they're really holding it back. Perhaps the rains this week will help. The lower IL River may be getting more water flow based on the generation schedules, but I don't know if they actually ran the water they scheduled. The past week's schedule indicated some generation every day. The other well-known tailwaters of Eufala and Ft Gibson have indicated very little or no predicted generation. Can anyone share some recent reports or information? If you have information about other Hybrid or Striper fisheries, that would be helpful and greatly appreciated also. Great fishin' to you all!!! Bill

tim, Regarding Pagosa Springs, you might call Glen Tinnin at Duranglers in Durango. I haven't talked with him for a while, but he had been the shop manager for quite a while and lives over toward Pagosa Springs. If he is still there, I am certain he would be the best resource for you to connect with. You can get the contact info at www.duranglers.com in case the following number is not accurate.....(888) 347-4346 Good luck on your trip.

Greetings Everyone~ This is very late notice I realize, but sometimes better late than never. Since there has apparently been very little or no advertising/promo for this upcoming event, I offered to provide some basic info in the form of this post. The 2nd Annual Fly Fishing Expo, as I understand, is a collective effort by many of the Bennett Spring area merchants to promote the arts and skills of fly fishing, not just for trout but other species also. The event is being hosted again by Reading's Fly Shop on Hwy. 64 just east of the park. Many industry reps will be on hand including Sage, Winston, Rio, St. Croix, Albright, Loomis, Orvis and Simms. There will be lots of fly tying demos, casting demos and seminars on "Warm Water Fly Fishing", "Fly Fishing Gear", "Striped, Hybrid and White Bass", and others. Live Bluegrass music from 5-7pm by Randy Rowe's Oak Hill Corral. Concessions on-site by Ollie's BBQ. And, Door Prize drawings thoughtout the weekend!!! If you don't have unchangeable plans for Saturday and/or Sunday, I'm sure this will be a great opportunity to expand your base of fly fishing knowledge. For further details, please don't reply to this post, but do call Reading's Fly Shop at (417) 588-4334.

Greetings Everyone~ This is very late notice I realize, but sometimes better late than never. Since there has apparently been very little or no advertising/promo for this upcoming event, I offered to provide some basic info in the form of this post. The 2nd Annual Fly Fishing Expo, as I understand, is a collective effort by many of the Bennett Spring area merchants to promote the arts and skills of fly fishing, not just for trout but other species also. The event is being hosted again by Reading's Fly Shop on Hwy. 64 just east of the park. Many industry reps will be on hand including Sage, Winston, Rio, St. Croix, Albright, Loomis, Orvis and Simms. There will be lots of fly tying demos, casting demos and seminars on "Warm Water Fly Fishing", "Fly Fishing Gear", "Striped, Hybrid and White Bass", and others. Live Bluegrass music from 5-7pm by Randy Rowe's Oak Hill Corral. Concessions on-site by Ollie's BBQ. And, Door Prize drawings thoughtout the weekend!!! If you don't have unchangeable plans for Saturday and/or Sunday, I'm sure this will be a great opportunity to expand your base of fly fishing knowledge. For further details, please don't reply to this post, but do call Reading's Fly Shop at (417) 588-4334.

Greetings~ John and Mike and I met Todd from McLellan's Fly Shop early this am in Goshen to hunt for Hybrids on the Upper White. We fished very hard all day (no rain) above and below the Walker's Bluff area (we agreed we'd rename it "Cardiac Bluff" due to the prox 200' vertical approach) with no Hybrids landed or seen landed by anyone. Numerous small White Bass did keep the day interesting, and the 2 Hybrids I hooked and lost without seeing still haunt me. Water temp was low 70's. Very few fishermen, but lots of beautiful water looked just perfect for the desired Hybrids. Old saying still applies....."that's why they call it fishing, not catching".

Arkamo~ Your inquiry regarding possible additional low Dams in the Tulsa area is correct. I don't know who has proposed them, but the OK Dept of Wildlife Conservation has just started a telemetry study of Stripers above and below Zink Dam related to the potential negative effects of additional Dams. I hope to be able to provide further details on the proposed Dams in the near future. Okie~ I hope to make it down one day this week, but there is not plan yet. I would like to fish the river on a darkish rainy day if the opportunity presents itself. Have you been on it in recent days? Kevin~ You asked about whether we use sink-tip lines, at times. Yes, in fact, that is all I have used on the past two trips when the water has been between 2000 and 700 cfs. Many guys use only floating lines, but I believe that is not properly equiping yourself for this massive praire river. I am also experimenting with an intermediate clear Striper line (very slow sink...kind of a neutral buoyancy) which is less affected by the waves (swells) on super windy days. I was told a few months ago that the best water level to flyfish 300-500 cfs, but after several trips my personal preference is the 1000-1500 cfs range. More fishable holding water. Also, I would suggest fishing flies not less than 4" long. Chartreuse/White and Gray/White have accounted for the majority of the larger fish. Hope this is helpful to you. Please keep us posted on your trips and successes.

It's been super hectic in between trips, so I'll just post a report for both days. Phil Lilley has also posted a report and pics, related to our fishing together on Tue. April 11th (Tuesday) Arkansas River below Zink Dam Fished with Phil Lilley and Vince Elfrink. Water= 62 degrees in pm (prox 58 in early am) Water level= 2000 cfs in early am to 900 cfs in late pm Air= low 80's with 25-40 mph sustained winds. Caught 5 Stripers in this order….2, 4, 7, 8 and 13#; and 2 White Bass ______________________________________________________________________ April 14th (Good Friday) Arkansas River below Zink Dam Fished with Smallwood & Dave Whitlock Water= 68-70 degrees Water level= 2800 to 450 cfs Air= high of 90 degrees with strong gusty winds all day. Caught 1 White Bass, John and Dave no success. (Jason and Rodney were there and caught only 3 small Stripers; however some bait fishermen were catching some large Stripers up to 19#, weighed by Rodney, around the the PSO area.) Sorry for the brevity. Been up for 21 hours and beaten by the wind for 12. Today was the perfect example of why it's called fishing, not catching.kkkkk Bill

I searched some of the area below McCord's Bend yesterday pm and didn't find one. The timing seemed good now that there's been rain and warm sunshine. Shouldn't it be good for a while now, as long as there are occasional showers?

My buddy John talked me into hitting the lower James at McCord's Bend access yesterday. We arrived about 330 to find about 10 cars on the gravel bar with mostly bank fishermen. The water looked great, very clear, and 66 degrees. Lots of nice Whites mostly in spawning groups doing or getting ready to do their thing. This is very cool to watch, but only frustrating to try to catch. In 3 hours, John caught 3 nice ones and I managed only one. Pretty humbling considering we are still smitten with Striper Fever and used to catching a lot more and bigger fish. But, as they say, that's why it's called fishing and not catching. Reports from friends the past two days have yielded similar results from folks I consider very skilled white bass fishermen. Additionally, we observed the ravines along 176 just full of dogwood trees that are beginning to open up (have that greenish tint). So, whatever your beliefs are about the timing of the peak of the white bass run and blooming dogwoods, there's an update. I also heard from some guys in a boat and along the bank that their observations indicated few if any whites up to Rollie Blunk access, yet. That is a little hard to believe, but that's what they said. No doubt, we've got lots of great fishing ahead of us.

Greetings Fellow AR River Enthusiasts~ While talking with the OK Fisheries folks, today, they said that a number of larger (8# plus) Stripers have been surgically implanted with transmitters for a Telemetry Study (tracking the movement of the fish) both above and below Zink Dam, recently. These fish have been tagged with a blue OK Fisheries tag just above the dorsal fin. They request that if anyone catches one of these Stripers that you take extra care in handling, reviving and releasing these fish. They also request that any fisherman catching one or more of these fish report the day, time and location (and of course the weight and/or length) of their catch to the OK Dept of Wildlife Conservation. Their web url is www.wildlifedepartment.com You can send an email to their office and it will be forwarded to the proper fisheries staff. Michael, Rodney, Wayne and others that take groups of fishermen to that area, please make your fishing partners aware of this request. This study is very important as they work toward long term fisheries planning to ensure the health and success of this awesome Striper fishery that we have quickly learned to appreciate and value. Thanks very much for your cooperation. Let me know if any questions.

Kayaker, The water was somewhat dingy so I used a #1 Chartreuse/White Clouser. It got to be kind of a joke with my buddies because after loosing the fly I started with I used the next one for the rest of the day and all the next day. It accounted for 50 white bass and about 15 Stripers including both in the pictures. I even changed tippets a couple times (wind knot), re-tied many times, and very importantly kept touching up the hook point with my file. It's now in my fly box. I'd say among all the folks I know that have fished down there over the past several weeks, a Gray/White Clouser has probably accounted for more fish that any other single color. We have been using 8 and 9 weight rods, usually with floating lines and about 9 feet of leader, with 8-10# tippets. I think a #3 sink-tip is very advisable to carry especially when the water is 800 cfs or greater. Use no more than 4' of leader with a sink-tip line. Hope this is helpful to you.

Steve, Very nice pic of a nice White Bass. You indicated he also caught some Hybrids, but didn't provide any detail. So this was below Beaver Dam, if I am understanding you correctly? I've heard that there has been some very good White Bass action below the Dam, recently, but it is a mystery to me why your reports and the reports from McLellan's have no info related to this opportunity. Am I missing something? Please set me straight, if I missed some info you shared, on what's going on or share the reality of the existing opportunity for these great fish. There are folks that will appreciate your info. There is no doubt the best of the spring run is yet to come. Let's hope and pray there are some good spring rains to assist the desires of our Temperate Basses to ascend the rivers. Thanks for any additional info you can help us with.

Greetings Folks~ My long-time fishing buddies John Smallwood and Mike Crocker and I fished the AR River on Friday and Saturday. Both mornings we were the first fishermen at the spots we chose to fish below Zink Dam, but to our surprise there was almost no activity until the sun warmed the water enough to generate some feeding activity. This was our first experience with not finding it good to very good in the very early morning. Along with catching a bunch of male white bass (mostly small), we were blessed for our efforts both days. On Friday, with the water between 800 and 500 cfs, John improved his personal AR River best on Stripers by landing and releasing a 9#er. On Saturday, with the water between 1800 and 1200 cfs, I was fortunate to land a Hybrid Striper just shy of 9# that dragged me at least 200 yards downstream (in this case, almost the width of Zink Dam), and later a 16#, 31" Striper. Both personal bests for me, and released. If I can get the photos edited and attached, they will appear below. There wasn't a photo of John's fish since we were about 800 yards apart at the time. I felt kind of bad I wasn't there, but it is the first really nice striper or hybrid he's caught that I wasn't there to photograph. Lots of Springfield/Branson area fishermen on Saturday, and a several from Tulsa area. It is beginning to produce fish that I have been hearing about for 25 years. The best is of course yet to come over the next few weeks.

Beaver and Swan Creeks, both crystal clear at normal flows, are at their absolute best for White Bass when rain (especially a warm rain) has elevated their flow and the muddy water is beginning to clear but isn't as clear as normal. Timing is an important factor because they don't stay high or muddy very long, unless there are recurring rains that keep them running high. You should find that in murky to muddy water that brighter colored flies and lures with flash will usually catch the most fish, whereas in clear water neutral colors like gray and river minnow colors (tan, brown, olive) are best. I generally use smaller sizes in clear water, 1.5 to 2" long, but 2 to 4" in murky water. The added feature of a small spinner or rattle on any lure or fly in murky water is usually a positive factor, too. You will also find the fish to be a little more line or leader shy in the very clear streams. Four and six# line are usually appropriate for clear water, whereas 8# is adequate for murky water.

riverrat, Interesting info for everyone re the stocking quantities of Hybrids in MO. Did you call someone in Fisheries or get the info off the MDC website? Those numbers don't appear very large, but we would need the stocking rates for each lake for the past 5 years to get a better focus. The 700,000 stocked in Grand Lake last year were the first since 2001, so there had been no consistency to maintain year classes of fish. It was the Fisheries Biologist for Grand Lake that told me the number one request from fishermen they receive for Grand Lake is requesting more Hybrids to be stocked. The key for that fishery, now, will be to see if they are consistent in stocking some each year.

I've not done an exhaustive study of where Hybrids are stocked significantly in MO, but the lakes and reservoirs in KS, OK and AR that have good populations of them are extensive. I live in southwest MO, and there are no Hybrids stocked in TRock (some come down from Beaver), Bull Shoals, Stockton or Pomme De Terre by the MDC. Of course, Truman and LOZ do have them. I've not yet inquired about their stocking rates from year to year. Wayne, your point about stocked Hybrids not reproducing is a very good point since that creates a finite population that is somewhat trackable and manageable. The only significant negative factor I am finding from talking with fisheries biologists is that Hybrids are "negative flow" fish and tend, especially when very small" to travel down lake and down river(through the dams)somewhat easily. This creates some frustration which can't be controlled, but can affect their data from a management perspective on a given lake. I recently talked with the biologist for Grand Lake in OK, who said they get more letters and emails from fishermen requesting more Hybrids in that lake than any other comments about that lake. In the past, they've had both Stripers and Hybrids but quit stocking Stripers a long while back and hadn't stocked Hybrids significantly for many years, until 2005 when they stocked 700,000. The last stocking before that was 2001 when they stocked 150,000. What few of them that remain would be very nice in size now. I heard recently of a 20# Hybrid caught there, and some 5-7# up in the Spring River a couple weeks ago. Two to 3 years from now, those 2005 Hybrids will be putting some serious strain on fishermens' rods. As I mentioned previously, I intend to take up the issue with the MDC to better understand their position. I was told by one of their biologists that Stockton and Pomme probably won't ever get them, since they have Walleye and Muskies, respectively. That makes sense, but I want to learn more about their management strategy and see if it makes sense to nudge them a little to consider Hybrids for more of the other large lakes, and perhaps greater stocking in Truman/LOZ where they already exist. I hope this Forum will get lots of reports from those 2 fisheries this year, especially with respect to Whites and Hybrids. Please encourage your fishing friends to join the Forum and post their experiences.

As I mentioned at the seminar on Tue. evening, about 25 years ago some local guy on the James River told me the PEAK of the White Bass run would coincide with the peak of the Dogwood bloom. I thought, right! I've watched every year, and it is almost exactly that time. The key is temperature and daylight hours are apparently a common denominator for the Whites and Dogwoods. And, it will be a little different around each river, since temps will vary. The peak of the Dogwoods will be different on the Sac Rivers, the James, the Kings, and the White and War Eagle in AR. Slightly different latitude. I'll try to make it a point to notice whether the dandelions are blooming at the peak of the Whites running.

Wayne, I have been somewhat quiet recently on the posting due to lack of responses on the Striper Family topics I moderate. I expect this to change shortly as the spring runs really get going. If you notice, my previous post to yours was in late January, no questions or comments were posted until yesterday. Not exactly a hot topic apparently. I post some of the info intending to be educational and helpful, but am surprised there aren't more comments and questions. MDC doesn't have much priority on the Hybrids as you stated. As I do more and more research on these great fish, it becomes more puzzling to me why they don't raise and stock more of them. I intend to take up the issue with them in the future. Riverrat was correct in stating the Hybrids are more tolerant of low DO (dissolved oxygen) and overall lower water quality than Stripers. They also grow faster than any of the three species and fight harder, pound for pound. I too encourage folks to release the small Hybrids. While they won't be reproducing babies for future years, releasing a 1 to 4# Hybrid this year might be freeing a future 10# plus trophy which I assure you would be an unforgettable fishing experience.

Vince, I'm pretty sure the guys you saw were my friends from MO. They would have been fishing with spinning rods. You didn't mention whether there is wadable water below the bridge. The Google Earth satellite photos of that area are poor quality but don't appear to show any downstream of the bridge. I've been told there are some, by fishermen. ???

Greetings, My fishing buddy for 35 years, John, and I hit the AR River this past weekend. We were pleased to find excellent fishable low water all weekend. Our success came primarily below the Zink Dam area on Saturday, when we immediately started hitting some nice fish when we started about 10 am. Very few people at the time. The largest Striper was caught by John (photo below if I can get it attached. Oddly, we both lost 2 really good fish well after the hook-up that we thought we had stuck solid. We spent a good part of the pm looking at some other spots downstream but only caught some small Whites. Sunday, we drove 1.5 hours to reach Sooner Lake by daylight to fish the warmwater discharge for Hybrids. The reports had been positive so we decided it was time to make the effort. Sooner is the location of the very first Hybrid stockings in OK, back in 1977. We caught no Hybrids, but were impressed with the fishery and access. It appeared we might hit it right, as the gulls and fishermen were all assembled waiting for the fish. They did push the bait to the surface just at sun-up but it only lasted about 5 minutes. We returned to the Zink Dam area about noon to finish the pm, fishing with Todd from McLellans Fly Shop in Fayetteville. Only caught dink Stripers, but did have some fun with a bunch of small whites (prox 25 fish each) bouncing a small olive or tan Clouser along the sandy bottom. The run of spawning Stripers should commence by late March and last to about mid-April. Can't wait!!!

Greetings, Nice to see some Whites showing up early in some fishable water. Had a call from a buddy yesterday who said he had made multiple trips to the Spring River (OK) over the past 8 days (it's a 3 hour drive for him) and that they had really caught a lot of fish. They mostly fish the water above the 10C bridge within the first mile. They use light ultralights with 4# line with small plastics, but I didn't ask the colors (it's not critical if you are on the fish). I was amazed that it sounded like the water was in good shape. It is flowing around 135-140 cfs whereas last year we were easily wading and caught lots of fish when it was flowing 1000-1800 cfs. Vince, I've always wanted to see if there are wadable gravel bars and shoals below the bridge. I would assume right now there would be. ?? The Spring River is one of the greatest rivers I've fished for quantities of Whites and nice easy wading. The run also lasts for several weeks.

vince, Good idea to be checking out the lower Spring R. I heard a week or more ago that some Whites were being caught in the lower river above Twin Bridges, but that was second or third hand info. Even the OK weekly fishing reports have completely neglected the Grand and its tributaries. Disappointing. The Spring is very low and has consistently been flowing around 135-140 cfs for 2 months. To put that in perspective, last spring when we were catching a ton of whites above Hwy 10 the river was flowing 1100 to 1800 cfs. Personally, I've never fished it as low as it is now so it will be interesting this spring if water conditions don't significantly change. That river channel is very wide but shallow, so it could be the best fishing will be in the lower stretches above Twin Bridges, unless we get lots of rain. Any and all reports, good or not, would be appreciated. Does anyone have any good connections with a local tackle shop or boat dock in the Miami / Twin Bridges area?

Below is an announcement from the McLellan's Fly Shop for a White Bass Seminar this Wednesday. If you live in the area, or will be in the area, Michael and Todd can help you learn more about this great passion that is growing in popularity. BB Free White Bass Seminar Where: McLellan's Fly Shop in Fayetteville AR (www.mcflyshop.com) Date: Wednesday, Mar 1, 2006 at 6:00pm Everything you wanted to know about White Bass but were afraid to ask. Where, when, how, (why?)... tackle, techniques, flies-- we'll even show you our secret map! There's no charge for admission, so you have nothing to lose. This is the most exciting time of year for local fly fishers-- come down to the shop and see what the fuss is all about! Seminar is on Wednesday, March 1st from 6 to 7pm; feel free to stick around for questions afterward. Cost is zero and is open to the public. No registration necessary-- just bring yourself and a buddy.

Fox, What specific Dorber blank model are you building the 9 wt. from? From their website, it is unclear to me which model is the NEW one, or do all the models in the line now have the ultra-weave feature? Would enjoy seeing it at the Sowbug. Will Dorber have a display also? The diamond weave pattern sounds like the old Diamondback rods, though there are no close-ups to see. Does Dorber roll their own graphite, or outsource it by contract? I'm curious why they haven't offered very many 4 pc. models in their line? There is no doubt that larger and closer-spaced guides produce a more efficient line flow, but it would be very noticeable in the added swing weight unless the guides are much lighter than standard snakes and strippers on premium production rods. The finished rod weights I see on their website are all heavier than Sage XP and Winston BIIx rods, from 7 weight and heavier, and about the same on 5 and 6 weights (all 4 pc. I compared). Do you recommend a little heavier reel to counterbalance the hardware? Look forward to meeting you at the Sowbug in March.