John Berry

I concur with Terry. I use the magnetic net holder. I also carry my net handle down. It seems to get tangled in brush less often when hiking into remote water. I have an elastic cord attached to each magnet so that if I drop my net it is still attached to my vest.

My wife, Lori, and I went to the Norfork about 1:30 PM and stayed until dark. It was glorious. I was wearing a flannel shirt and a cowboy hat. The temps were in the sixties and the trout cooperated. We caught ten each. The largest fish was a twenty inch rainbow. We both lost a couple of really good fish. The hot flies were partridge and green, olive scud, and green caddis larvae. All fish were fat and healthy and fought well. I got to hear the reel scream several times. Life is good!

The main reason that I use a net is to land the big ones. As a no kill guide, the idea is to take a photo and measure the fish. That way the client can put an outstanding photo of the fish on their computer as their screensaver or have a replica mount made. I always carry the biggest net that I can find and a digital camera. Dink is vernacular for small fish.

I would also recommend that you get the largest net you can find. The only time I use a net is when I land a big fish. You don't need a net for a dink.

I am teaching a seminar on how, when, and where to fish the Norfork at 9:30 AM on Saturday and how, when, and where to fish the White at 9:30 AM on Friday. I am tying every day. I will cover my dry fly technique in every seminar. Please stop by and let me tie you one! This is an invitation to everyone.

I read this article and I am not surprised. The smart thing for this developer would be to settle out of court. I believe public opinion is definately against him. When you have the Governor requesting $350,000.00 to clean up your mess, you may be in trouble. I am very glad that TU is part of this. I feel that they may be able keep this one on the straight and narrow.

Terry, I am teaching a seminar at sowbug and will repeat it at conclave on when, where and how to fish the White River. I will address dry fly fishing techniques for the White.

Down here on the White and Norfork we also have a pretty good Sulphur hatch in May and June. I use a Sulphur Parachute.

That is a good observation. The hatches still occur but we may not be able to take advantage of them particularly on high water. Last year, a low water year, was the best year of dry fly fishing I have had. A lot of it had to do with being able to fish the hatches. The caddis hatches in March and April were the equal to anything out west.

Great question! I am an avid dry fly fisher and several of my fishing buddies are also dry fly fishers. I know of several local guides that just do not fish dries. I believe a big part of the situation is that we do not have the dry fly heritage here. A lot of the anglers here started as bait fishers and switched to nymphing. When I first started fly fishing over twenty five years ago, it was explained to me that you could not catch a trout in Arkansas on a dry fly. As time went by and as I started fishing in other areas that had a strong dry fly tradition like Montana and the Smoky Mountains, I realized that we had the same types of water and species that they had. I started experimenting and quickly had success. I now fish dries a lot of the time and I introduce my clients to the joys of dry fly fishing. I have had particular luck with terrestials and fish them year round. Take a look at some of the articles on my website, http://www.berrybrothersguides.com .

The Spring River in North Central Arkansas has Tiger Muskie and Walleye. I Have not caught a Tiger Muskie but I have observed one being caught near the Dam Three access a few years ago.

My prayers have been answered. They turned off the generators from midnight to six AM ran one to ten AM and then cranked up the next one. This created near perfect conditions for a ryancophylia caddis hatch to come off. The green butt soft hackle worked early . But when the trout started keying in on the adults, it was time to fish elk hair caddis size fourteen. Maybe spring is here after all.

My understanding of the situation is that the Judge has to grant the State permission to enter the property to do the work. My biggest fear is that the developer will go belly up before he has to pay for this environmental catastrophe.

I too agree that the perpetrator should be required to fix this. However I fear that this thing will be tied up in the courts forever. The idea here is to clean this site up so that the bleeding is stopped. We cannot clean the river until the siltation is stopped. If this guy loses the suit then he should the reimburse the government agencies for fixing his mess.

Today's Baxter Bulletin reports that the Arkansas State Legislature is trying to allocate $350,000.00 to stabilize the fiasco that is Norfork Overlook Estates. An unprincipaled developer scalped a mountain overlooking the pristine Norfork River over a year ago. He did not obtain a storm Water runoff plan as required by federal law, a violation of the Clean Water Act. The first time it rained part of the mountain washed into the river turning it into a mud hole. The same thing happens everytime it rains. ADEQ and TU filed suit to force the developer to cease polluting the river. Since the suit was filed nothing has been done and the situation on site has deterioted. ADEQ is trying to clean the site and prevent further damage to the River. The cost is estimated to be $500,000.00 with the remainder of the money to come from AGFC. I hope the Judge on the case allows the clean up. Otherwise, this case could drag on for years. Save the Norfork while there is something to be saved!

Newbie, I recommend that you obtain a copy of the Home Waters book. It was written by the Mid South Fly Fishers and it contains a detailed description of all the accesses on the White, how to fish them, and a detailed map of exactly where they are. In addition, it contains similar information for numerous rivers and streams in the area (I wrote the chapters on the Norfork and Dry Run Creek). All proceeds go to support conservation efforts in the area. It is available in all local fly shops and Bass Pro.

They have cut the generation back to one generator on the Norfork around 10:00 AM for the last few days creating some decent wading opportunities on there.

For the past few weeks I have been taking my clients that want to fish low water by wading to the Spring River. It has been a bit high and off color but has been fishing well. I fished a father and son yesterday for five hours and we landed thirty. The largest was a brightly colored fat sixteen inch female rainbow. The hot flies were large red san juan worms, Y2Ks, and red copper johns (size 16). If you are tired of fighting a bunch of other boats (a few of which that know what they are doing) and seven generators give the Spring a shot.

I have camped at Quarry park on several occassions and its facilities are top notch. In reality much nicer than McClellan's. The differance is the fishing!

Sadly, I fear that if we get the rain forecast for Saturday, you will be able to get the photos of the damage you are interested in. Any time it rains now the Norfork turns into a mud hole.

In this morning's Baxter Bulletin the article said that Walmart and Harp's would issue a refund for the 2111 peanut butter. That could save you time and postage. Just return the lid on your next shopping trip.

I had 2111 peanut butter on my toast yesterday as I have off and on for the last month with no ill effects. I will however take the lid back to Walmart for a refund. After a couple of tours in Nam, my intestinal tract is more resilient than others. My wife thinks I could digest an anvil.

I was also amazed by the raw honesty in Davy's post. I also feel that there are possibly more problems than we can handle. At the present, it looks like a bleak future for our fishery.

At this point I am in my warm dry house writing a couple of articles. If I venture out I will post a river condition report. I would be willing to bet money that it muds up. Nothing has been done to fix the problem since the lawsuit was filed. ADEQ has been trying to move the hearing up because the conditions on site are deterioting.

The Home Waters book is one of the most successful fly fishing guide books ever published. It was published by the Mid South Fly Fishers in Memphis Tennessee. Each river is described in detail. I wrote the Chapter on the Norfork and Dry Run Creek. All proceeds are donated to conservation projects in the area. I believe that the only Missouri stream mentioned is the North Fork of the White . The book is available at all local fly shops and Bass Pro. May I suggest a copy of Flyfishing For Trout in Missouri by Chuck and Sharon Tryon. It seems to provide more information on Missouri Streams.