John Berry

I fished the upper section of Rim Shoals today. There was a caddis hatch coming off(tan size 18). It was very windy and overcast making it difficult to fish dries. I concentrated on emergers and did very well. The biggest fish was a fat well colored rainbow.

I am an Orvis CFO man. I have been fishing them for twenty five years and one has never failed me. They are light and the old ones have a click drag. This is 1870 technology and could be repaired in the field. I left one on the roof of my car in Yellowstone. It got run over by a pickup and it cracked the frame. I sent it back to Orvis and they sent me a new frame and returned the original for ten bucks. I now own about a dozen and it is all that Lori and I fish. I keep an Orvis Battenkill on the rod we use to practice casting in the side yard.

Welcome aboard Woodchuck. Fly fishing can be as expensive or economical as you want it to be. I think Terry had some sage advice. Get involved with the local FFF club. That is what I did twenty five years ago and I have made a lot of lasting friendships and learned more than I thought possible. This is not a slight to any other clubs, just the way I did it. The TFO is made in Korea.

Lori and I watched the show with Moose and Tina at the White River Inn this afternoon. I thought Lori came across very well but there was not enough time spent covering her. They did manage to have me on screen for two seconds. The show will be on the versus network at twelve noon on April 21.

I sold the Mighty Shawnee to the first guy that looked at it.

On this last trip we caught all of our fish on sowbugs mostly size fourteen. Fish by high sticking with a strike indicator (there is no room to cast). Use at least 5x tippet and a reel with a good drag system. Carry the biggest net you can find. Do not concentrate on the fish you can see. Work the deepest fastest water you can find. You will lose a few. Just hang in there as long as the kid is interested. Terry my father's name is Mr. Berry. I am John!

Picked up my clients early and headed to the Norfork. When we got there I called the dam. While I stood there on the pier at the Handicap access watching the water rise (and a fisherman go swimming)they told me that no generators were running. We helped the fisherman out of the water and drove to Wildcat. We fished there and caught several. Around eleven AM the caddis started coming off and we switched to elk hairs and began picking the trout up on dry flies. At noon the water came up and we headed to Rim. We quickly got into the hatch there and did well. The hot fly was the green elk hair caddis size fourteen and the green butt. The big fish was a seventeen inch male brown at Rim.

I do not think I have enjoyed a day on the river any more than that one.

We waded Rim Shoals with about 3/4 of a generator yesterday morning. My clients caught about ten a piece. Halh on the green butt and half on the copper midge. After lunch, we took Andrew to Dry Run Creek. It was the best day of fishing I have had in my fifteen years of guiding on Dry Run. We caught twelve fish over twenty four inches long and countless smaller fish. The biggest was a twenty six inch bow with a sixteen inch girth. We lost two fish that were larger.One brown the rest were bows.

Yellow or orange might be interesting with the sulphurs coming next month. This does not constitute permission to raid your wife's embroidery thread collection.

Thanks RiverRunner. I do not mind at all. I want to share.

My recipe for the Green Butt is: Hook: Tiemco 102Y or 103BL (the barbless equivalent of the 102Y) Thread: 6/0 Danville Brown Tag: I/8 inch tag of single strand bright green floss Body: one strand peacock herl Rib: five wraps of fine gold wire Counterribbed Collar: Hungarian partridge tied in by the tips, two wraps It is tied and fished like any soft hackle. Good luck!

Phil, I believe so. I can't remember what I had for breakfast much less what I did in October. I tied it at sowbug.

Tough weather! Rain, Hail, Lightning and Cold Temperatures. In spite of it, all caught fish. Fished Rim in the morning. The water was up a bit but we still managed to catch several. After lunch, we went to the Norfork and my clients caught some really nice fish including an eighteen inch rainbow and a twenty inch brown. We caught everything on the green butt.

The Baxter Bulletin said she was struggling to put on her PFD when she drowned. They only work if you are wearing them!

Yes, you can drive this fine river craft for the paltry sum of $1,800.00. It is currently located in my back yard in down town Cotter, AR and is available for inspection.

I tend to agree with you. The winds yesterday were horrendous. On Norfork lake a woman drowned when the boat she was in capsized due the the rough water and winds. Lake wind advisories had been posted.

I am selling my old Shawnee. It is the older narrow boat. It is in good shape. Pedastal seats, dry lockers, custom top. It comes with a trailer and motor. It is ready to fish. The motor is a ten year old 15 horse evinrude with ten hours on it. Electric start complete with battery. I am ready to sell!

I knew it was going to be a tough day when I checked the weather channel and saw the Lake Wind Advisories. I picked up my clients and headed to Rim Shoals. The Caddis were coming off when I got there. The hatch was heavy. One client fished elk hair caddis and caught fifteen the other was fishing green butts and caught thirty. This was before lunch. After lunch we went to Roundhouse. The hatch was heavier than at Rim. The problem was that the wind had picked up to around thirty miles per hour. In the afternoon, the guys caught around five a piece. It was very difficult to cast but if you could get a decent drift you would pick up a trout. We quit around 3:30 PM so they could catch a flight. The biggest fish was a seventeen inch brown.

We fished them no differantly than we usually do. It was a fairly light rain and if we got a good drift, we would pick up a fish. The trick was to keep the fly as dry as possible. I kept brushing frog fanny in it to keep it afloat.

Fished a couple of clients yesterday at Rim Shoals. Floated early before the water dropped out, No luck. Around ten we motored over to the island and had a good day and caught plenty of fish. It rained on and off all day. The hot flies were green butt, partridge and orange and elk hair caddis. The biggest fish was fifteen. We started with nymphs and caught several on zebra midges. We fished soft hackles before the hatch and switched to elk hairs when we saw fish keying in on the adults (around two o'clock). Insects will hatch in the rain and you can successfully fish them as long as the rain is not too heavy.

Charlie is no longer with us and alas the shooting range is closed. As a Vietnam Vet the hair on the back of my neck would stand up every time he popped off a few. I don't mind gunshots as long as I know they are coming. With Charlie, you never knew.

It is my belief, that since these tailwaters are controlled by the Corps of Engineers they are deemed federal navigable waterways and therefore subject to federal law. The deputy was very polite and explained to the land owner that he needed to talk to the Corps and that he (the deputy) had no jurisdiction. By the way, the land owner was Charlie Cook on the Norfork. If you notice there is a sign on his property that says that this is a riparian rights water. That sign was put there for Charlie not us.

The Arkansas tailwaters are riparian rights water. You can legally walk up to the high water mark. You also have the right to egress (if the water comes up you may exit through someones property) the government does not want to lose any taxpayers. This does not mean that you can cross someones property to enter. Be advised that not all property owners understand this. I had to explain this to a Sheriff's deputy one day.

They interviewed me, but I don't know if I made the cut.