sfiser

Dan is correct, I put in at RB on Tuesday and it was a greenish/brownish stain. not muddy but not clean, just a good fishing color. When I got up into the clifty areas there was 5-6" of visibility. I would imagine its much clearer near the dam.

if you watched FLW live on Saturday/Sunday you would have seen the guy tossing the crap out of the buzzbait. He didn't start throwing it a whole lot until Saturday and he said that in the interview. There were no co anglers in the boats on Saturday and Sunday so the co that said he threw the tube wasn't in the boat when the guy went almost exclusively to the buzzbait. I know the camera boat driver that was on him Saturday and he said that guy was a magician with that buzzbait all day long Saturday, said it was one of the best casting displays he had ever seen. He did catch one of his 2 fish sunday on a jig or something like that due to him scrambling when they were missing the buzzbait.

the downstream flooding will handcuff bull for several weeks. They can not run more than a certain amount of water (I believe 3 units or 10,000 CFS) unless there is a dire situation with the dam, if the Newport gauge is over 18 feet. Its currently at 32 feet. Until that comes down, expect Bull to hold all the water it can unless we have another big rain event and they need to make room fast.. Looks like another high water summer!

I had a pretty good day pitching jigs and plastics in the cleaner water around the clifty arms. I don't like fishing that chocolate milk water so I ran from that. Rocky branch had a nice stain with 3-4 feet of visibility and clifty had probably 5-6 feet of visibility.

I will say this about Lowell, having had 2 topwaters that both had issues. He WILL fix your boat, but be prepared to wait on it if you do need it worked on. Mine spent the better part of a month at his shop for issues that were related to how it came out of the mold... Twice. Thats what ultimately drove me to another brand but if you are set on topwater, he will honor his word and is an all around nice guy.

my new boat is done so my 207xp is over at Supreme for sale if anyone is interested. Not sure what Rob and Chris have it priced at but its been babied its whole life and they offer the best customer service around.

I will answer for him since I just went through the Yamaha/merc change. The 60/40 merc is actually cheaper than the 40/30 Yamaha and all dealers will tell you they are much easier to get parts for. My Yamaha was great but was out of warranty so I traded it to Hodges Marine for the new merc jet. Getting harder to find the Yamaha around here. Tohatsu also makes a jet you see once in a while around here, its a 2 stroke 50/35 that's pretty sweet.

Are there any ramps that are high and dry yet? I remember when the lake got low a few years ago they blocked off 1 or 2 lanes at PC. I was out walking the dog at hickory creek last weekend and the corp ramp looked high and dry. Folks were still launching at the dock. Anyone having issues at any of the ramps yet?

I have to disagree with this. The river and everything around it is hopping. More guides and shops then you can shake a stick at. Blue Ribbon closed due to bad management and has since reopened. Dallys fly shop is really the place to go and two rivers is over at norfork. You go out on a nice weekend and the river is jam packed, same thing with the lakes. Flood years are hard because fewer people come fish due to the high water but minimum flow has helped everyone. When they ran big water all summer during 2015 there were noticeably fewer folks on the river (mostly less tourists) but still a fair amount. The whole area is booming. I have guide buddies that rarely get a day off.

There was a restoration project on the creek and they now have a boardwalk that goes for a good ways down the creek to fish off of where there once was just a path and brush. Might be chilly, might be warm... no way of telling what the Arkansas weather will do. Stop by one of the local fly shops and they can help you with any fly/bait you may need for dry run.

that's the plan Ham. they are hoping for a natural reproducing strain of cutts. All the little red river browns are results of egg boxes so that's a possibility. The white is full of browns so I'm not sure what the difference in egg/hatchery would be but the stocked fish are reproducing well on the white... lots of reproducing going on out there in the shoals as we speak. Would be cool to have the egg boxes going for browns on the white.

gotta remember one of the reasons the entire lake got muddy last year was due to the flood gates open at record levels and it pulled all the mud down the lake. That scenario will not be in play this weekend so we will still have a large amount of clear water after this weekend.

2015 207xp. Will be boat, seats, trailer, and frigid rigid cooler when rob gets it. Im taking my motor and also the trolling motor you see will go to my new boat. Its loaded with options, if you want a list let me know and i will message it to you along with some better pics. It will sell quickly so if your interested, call rob at supreme and let him know. Should be available sometime mid/late march

i order new boats because im always thinking of things i wish i could add to make it better and If you keep your motor and just switch it from boat to boat then Its relatively inexpensive to do. Theres not a thing wrong with my current boat and ive taken insanely good care of it but ive thought up a few ideas of things i want to add and if i can sketch it out on paperfor the guys at Supreme, they can make it happen and thier customer service is the best there is.

Oh and if your looking to go for a used rig, call the supreme factory as they take boats in on trade all the time (they will have mine soon and theres not a scratch on it since i only use it on the lake and when the waters turned on at the white/norfork). Hodges marine usually has some used jets w/ warranty on them for sale that can save you some good cash. I know they currently have a merc 60/40 and a yamaha 40/30 for sale.

I get a new trout boat about every 18 months and just keep my yamaha 40/30 jet and move it to the new boat. I have had 2 custom topwaters and currently own a supreme 207xp. I like the look of the topwater better but the fit/finish of the supreme is far superior to the topwater (seriously, its not close). And a major factor in a new boat is customer service. Ive had my boat at both manufacturers for this and that and once for a major fix. Rob and the guys at supreme get it fixed and get you out the door quick. My bot sat at the topwater factory for longer than it should have. I have another 207xp ordered and it will be here in a few weeks. Call rob at supreme and go give them a look. I will even meet you for a test run too. The 207xp is designed for a jet and runs flatter and gets on pad faster than the topwater did. Im not saying topwater doesnt make a fine boat but the difference in the new supreme and the topwater is night and day. If you fly fish, it also rows better and sits a bit lower in the water which is really nice. Theres a reason The majority of the guides run a supreme.

There is really no predicting what they will do from day to day. Yesterday we fished a full 2 units that ran the entire day and did fantastic and today its minimum flow till late afternoon. If its off in the AM you can always start farther down and that will allow you more time to fish until it rises in the PM. Just be mindful of the water schedule for the day and call the number for the powerhouse periodically. There are tons of places to wade down river Wildcat, Roundhouse, Rim and all can provide great fishing. Worse comes to worse, you can go to norfork. They have had some lower flows throughout the day to allow for some wading.

are you running a prop or a jet? how is it getting up to spider creek? Do you do any dragging or rock kissing on the way?

are you guys talking about the red/white ski boat that goes out super early in the morning pulling a female skier? I fish a bluff end near his dock and he comes flying out of there and gets within 15-20 yards of me each time when he has the ENTIRE lake (and its a wide piece of lake right there). guy is a real tool bag

They put out a bulletin 2-3 weeks ago about needing to work on a floodgate or something at the dam and work could not commence until the lake level hit 553 feet or lower. They said they will run 1 unit (or 2 if needed due to rain) until the lake reached 553. Seems like each time it gets close, we get a rain and the lake jumps a foot.

totally agree with this. I have fished RR since I was a kid and I wade all the less trafficked spots like the lower end and the catch and release area. I have seen a lot of snakes there but not once have I seen a cotton mouth. The place is full of banded water snakes but those things are harmless (still I wouldn't pick one up because they will give you a nip). I feel bad for those banded water snakes because they are always confused as cotton mouths and a lot of them get the ax because of it. Not saying there isn't a few cotton mouths on the river but in the thousands of hours I have spent there, I haven't encountered one.

isnt there a big bass tournament tomorrow too? Soldiers Wish or something like that? anyone doing that one?

looks like that's a spotted bass and not a largemouth to me... and if it is a spot that's a really nice one

Clay can I ask what ramp you used to put your boat in? Did you run on pad or idle your way up the river? I have a 207xp as well and have been thinking about dropping it in beaver when they are generating but just haven't done it yet. I rarely see people fish it in high water and am rather curious and want to give it a try.