Brian Wise

Amazing...

Dagum Scott! Sounds like that boat is getting a workout! Brian

I finally got a phone number to call the MDC to see how long they are planning on waiting to remove the tree and to fix the launch....if you could ever call it that. I do have to say that with the Norfork backed way up above the Dam at Dawt that I'm a little worried about the trout in the lower river. I am guessing that if you go to the first semi-shallow riffle on the river upstream of where the lake has backed in the you could get into all sorts of different species. I have heard that the stripers haven't been fishing very good up in the river arm anymore so that is a good thing. Another good thing is that when you get below Patrick Bridge the numbers of young of the year Rainbows drops significantly and the MDC will stock the browns back. We'll be cool--if this RAIN WOULD STOP!!! Brian

It is totally going to depend on how much rain we get this week. I am scheduled to be on the river Saturday and it should drift pretty well by then...unless we get quite a bit of rain. Watch the gauge and look for under 1000 cfs and more like 700 (but that is still quite a while yet) Brian

I totally just jinxed it though... Bear with the photos, this lens is not good in direct sunlight. The water cut 2 new channels in the riffle below the Blair ramp. The ridge in the middle was not there before it is a really good thing though becuase it is a massive dropp-off right now. Patrick has changed the most so far that I have seen (but I haven't floated yet so that will change) The bad thing is that I won't be puting in or taking the drift boat out at Patrick for a while.... Brian

wgm, Good rod choice. A whole lot of people use 4wt's on the tailwaters, they are great for protecting light tippets which are used a TON on the tailwaters. The reel, I would honestly rather have the Hobbs Creek than the Venture. Rio and Scientific Anglers are right beside each other on quality. Both of them have "affordable" lines and you really can't go wrong with either. Having said that though, SA has a beginners line called "Headstart" that is cheaper and can help you 'feel' a little more of the cast....but you will feel PLENTY with that Loomis. Brian

I would say it completely depends on how much line you have on each end. If it is the true "tip section" that is broke you are talking about somewhere around a foot of line that is actually broken off of the rest of the line. If this is the case and you are talking about using this as either a total backup line or for 'gills and bass I personally wouldn't even worry about it and would loop your regular set-up on the end of the line and call it good. If it is several feet down the line I don't think I would nail knot a piece of amnesia becuase of a massive hinging effect on the cast. The Whitlock system would have a hinging effect as well just not one that might not be as problematic as the amnesia. Basically if the break is under say 10' from the end of the line you probably won't have to worry too much about how ever you fix it sliding through the guides smoothly since most bass and panfish set-up are usually shorter than that 10 or so feet. The only problem I have with the shrink wrap loops is that if you forget to change them every once in a while they will fail. I have had this happen a couple of times with fisherman, one lost a dink and the other lost a hog. That has been added to the list of things I check with my fisherman before the day starts. They are handy, I just think that there are better ways to attach your leader to the line. Good luck and let us know how you end up doing it and if possible shoot a photo I think it would be cool to 'see' it! Brian

"A Duane Doty Clouser Minnow" who is that guy and how do I get one of those Clousers!! Nice work Michael. Brian

Yeah, I had forgotten that there are other things to do at ROLF than fish! Brian

The best way I can think to do this is to make two knotless loops (one on side of the break) and put them together with the loops, kind of like the versa tips. There will for sure be some floatability issues though. Try googling Whitlocks knotless loop or something like that. Good luck Brian

Hey guys, Myron and Ann just left my house. They said that everything has been ok through all of this high water. They have had some people get stranded downstream of the little bridge over the spring (Eagles Nest, Cedar Chest, Tree House, and the Hideaway area) but a lot of them thought it was neat and didn't want to leave! The water is WAY down compared to these photos...lets just hope we don't get a lot of rain next week. Sorry to hear about your trip Glen. Brian

smac, I'm not sure I am finding where you are seeing that was posted? The photo was taken about 6:00'ish yesterday evening (10th). John did post something about hoping the hatchery came out intact but the only thing I can think of is if Dry Run backed up enough to get into the hatchery? Brian

The family and I went down to Norfork this afternoon. I don't want to say it was a circus with people coming to see the dam but it was for sure very organized caos. The park is closed so we had to park in the hatchery parking lot and could not get as clear shots of the dam as we wanted to. Brian

Hey Glenn, If you are going to be on the Little Red and wanting to learn how to fly fish you need to call Chuck Farneth. He is a Great Outdoor Games Gold Medalist, Certified Casting Instructor, and one of the greates guys you could ever meet. He guides on the Little Red and also runs a great program called Outdoor Legacy...check him out here: www.outdoorlegacy.com Brian

Here is that link. There is 1 thru 5 days of predicted rainfall amounts. Kind of cool, but we will have to see how close they are. NOAA Predicted Rainfall Outlook Brian

Brian

Hey guys, Thought you might be interested in this. Brian

Hey Aaron, Lets just hope it is possible for you to get to know the NFOW again this spring! Getting really sick of high water. Rodney(Muleball) basically listed THE main flies to consistantly catch fish. When the river is fishable this spring I would also add a caddis green bead-head Crackleback, and since we have had all this high water I would also be sure to have some San Juan worms...they always do pretty good after long periods of high water. My go-to rig for most of the year is a stone and a dropper, as the year progresses the dropper will change. Generally for spring a stone/beadhead Crackleback is the go-to but that for sure isn't set in stone(no pun intended ) During the summer we will go with a little smaller stone and a smaller dropper (copper John, Micro May, etc) Thanks for the kind words about the blog! I can't take credit for most of the photography, my wife shoots probably 95% of those photos. Thom, That site would be from Arkansas Game and Fish.....this is the "original" North Fork of the White. Brian

Ahhh, the all-too-sexy green? Brian

I am probably about 50-50 variegated and solid. Also, not all of mine have Spanflex for the legs. Jeremy, What exactly is the "inside" lengthwise lines of the Spanflex made out of? Does that make any sense? Brian

Not a chance. Even if we weren't to get any rain tonite or Thursday (they are calling for rain both of those night) it wouldn't be down to a wadeable leve. Sucks.... Brian

Terry, tie them in solids, dubbed bodies, whatever....just tie them and fish them. I am thinking one of these tied on a #18 scud hook would catch all the fish you wanted in the tailwaters. Brian

I heard about a couple of big, BIG stripers caught at Dawt Friday. What was the color of the water that day wildminnow? Brian

Jeremy, I have to be honest and say that I started using this pattern again this fall...should have never stopped using it. Most of the time I drift it under an indicator but the bigger ones make a good anchor for czech nymphing. Brian

I don't know how much rain moved through the area but geez, the river is completely blown out again (and that is an understatement.) We peaked at 18,000 cfs today. The family and I drove around looking and it really was amazing how high the water was when we hit 60,000 not long ago. This is my boys and I today, you can see in the trees how high the water was during the first flood...basically 10' over our heads from where we are standing in the photo. This is the Blair Bridge boat ramp. Thank God for the dam at Dawt Mill...we would have stripers all the way to Twin Bridges! Muleball, It looks like you are blown off the river this weekend man. Brian