John Berry

My wife, Lori, and I waited untill mid afternoon before going fishing at Rim Shoals yesterday to avoid the weekend crowd. There was a little wind but it was warm and pleasant. We started off fishing Elk Hair Caddis because that is what we have been fishing everyday for the past few weeks. We caught a couple of trout each on the dries but it was much slower than before. When I pumped the stomaches of the first few fish they contained mostly adult caddis but had a few small midges. I switched to a black Norfork Beadhead and immediately began picking up fish. I caught over a dozen but nothing over 14 inches. Lori stayed with the Elk Hair most of the afternoon with limited success. She tried a Partridge and Orange (her favorite soft hackle) and picked up a few. The hatch was a virtual no show. It was still a nice outing and nymphing produced fish. John Berry

I do not know this spot. The next time they start running eight generators twenty four hours a day I will take My wife Lori and search it out. We fish the section below Kelly Slab a lot usually accessed by a canoe. John Berry

Brian, My suggestion is to hang the waders up in the shower and fill the feet with water. Note where the wader leaks and mark it. My experience has been that most of the leaks are in the sole. Which can easily be repaired. If the leak is in the tape it will be better to send them back to Orvis. But if it is not in the tape just dab on some Loon Outdoors UV Wader Patch (in the shade) and carry it into sunshine. It will set instantly and be ready to use instantly. I have done this on several occassions and it works like a charm. John Berry

I was there a couple of weeks ago. The water was very low and gin clear. The fishing was OK but not great. I fished swinging bridge and it was pretty crowded. At that time zebra midges was the fly. I also fished the catch and release area by the dam. Not as crowded but a might slow. John Berry

I have been fishing the Caddis Hatch all week. It seems to be dying down. Yesterday I went to the Hurst Chamberlin Area. In the morning I fished Elk Hair Caddis and caught a half dozen fish. The largest was a fat 15 inch wild brown that put up a great fight. I walked up to the riffle below Hurst and tied on a Partridge and Green Soft hackle. I started catching fish immediately. In the next half hour, I caught maybe ten fish. I looked at my watch and remembered that I had promised to take my wife, Lori fishing. I rushed home, picked her up, and we went back to the run. We fished it all afternoon and caught over fifty fish a piece. It was nice because there were no other people around. The word on the caddis hatch is out and the popular spots like Rim Shoals were swarming with fly fishermen. At the end of the day Lori and I were exhausted but had enjoyed the fishing immensely. John Berry

Yesterday morning I helped guide a troop of Boy Scouts on Dry Run Creek. There were lots of big trout and happy campers. In the afternoon, I went to Rim Shoals. When I got there the caddis hatch was in full bloom. There were fish rising everywhere. I walked the trail down stream and headed for my favorite spot. Someone was already there. It was an old fishing buddy. I set up shop nearby so we could visit as we fished. It didn't take long before I began hooking fish.I was fishing a size fourteen green elk hair caddis on a short line. The action was intense. The only time I stopped fishing was to revive my fly with dry fly crystals. We caught a lot of fish but no trophys. The largest fish was maybe sixteen inches. The fish were all healthy and fought well. About four o'clock The hatch subsided and I started walking out. When I got to the top riffle, I saw some insects and decided to give it a try. I hooked a nice rainbow on the first cast and decided to stay for a while. The action for the next two hours was non stop. One good fish after another. Around six o'clock the light started to fade and I decided to call it quits. I dont know how many but it was plenty. When I got home I was too tired to eat supper. That is unusual for a chow hound like me. John Berry

If I can throw my two cents worth into this conversation, I would recommend starting with a thompson model A. I used mine for ten years (thats a lot of woolly buggers)and then donated it to the Boy Scouts when I traded up to an HMH. I also recommend a really good pair of scissors, hackle pliers, matarelli whip finish tool(yes I can tie a whip finish with out it, but why), bobbin, and if you are married a waste trol. John Berry

Newby, the simple matter is that to look natural the fly has to come toward you at the speed of the water. If it is coming to you too fast (that is faster than the water)it is because you are getting drag. The line is catching water and speeding up the fly. You need to mend the line. Lift the line and move it up stream. Watch the bubbles on the water. If your fly is going faster or slower than the bubbles something is wrong. John Berry

Sorry to say there is no visable progress. The AQED gave the developers until the middle of April to take care of the problem. The only work I have seen is a few bales of hay. This site is 100 acres and it is going to take some engineering and a lot of work not to mention money to fix the problem. The best thing that I could suggest at this point is to monitor any rainfall. If you call Rainbow trout dock they can let you know the existing river conditions. John Berry

Quin is my cousin. All Berrys fish. John Berry

Yesterday, my brother Dan ,my wife Lori, and I held a fly fishing school on the White River. We had twelve students including nine people that had never fished before. In the afternoon, we took the class fishing at roundhouse shoals. There was plenty of room to spread out. As soon as we arrived at 1:00 PM, a great caddis hatch started that went on for over three hours. Some of our students fished it with a green elk hair caddis size fourteen and others fished it with a size fourteen hares ear soft hackle. The students averaged about ten trout a piece. The largest fish was a twenty inch rainbow with substantial shoulders. The water was literally boiling with fish and Dan, Lori, and I for once, wished we were fishing instead of teaching. After the hatch we still caught fish on soft hackles but it was slower. John Berry

I hope that I am wrong also. I think that right now we have to let the State of Arkansas Government agencies like the ADEQ and AG&F know that we are concerned and we want them to take serious action. The development should be stopped until they have properly addressed the run-off and are in compliance with the Federal Clean Water Act. They should be fined the maximum ($10,000.00 per day)and be assessed punitive damages for screwing up the best trout stream in Arkansas and severely impacting our fishing.John Berry

This is one time that I do not enjoy being right. I fear that whenever we get a half inch of rain the Norfork will be unfishable. This is a crime. The best trout water in Arkansas ruined. John Berry

I am glad you had such a good time at Round House. I live in Cotter,Arkansas, Trout Capital, USA. My wife, Lori, and I consider this our home water and fish it often. It has been fishing well lately. Get ready for some dry fly action. We have been noticing some caddis lately and I have caught a few on the top lately. John Berry

If you buy the book be sure and have Dave sign it. He is scheduled to be at Expo in Memphis, TN in July. When Dave signs a book he takes a whole page and adds artwork. A trout taking a dry fly on mine. It becomes a cherished keep sake. John Berry

I fished the Norfork Wednesday and it was clear. They had run two generators for a couple of hours and that really helped. The problem is that there has been nothing done to alleviate the situation. Therefore any time we get a little rain there will be another few tons of sediment in the river. Sooner or later this is going to choke out vegetation and invertebrates. I am tying at Sowbug and noted that there is a petition. I of course signed it. We have to get involved with this one. We have too much to lose.

According to today's Baxter Bulletin the Arkansas Department of Enviormental Quality (ADEQ) visited the site in February and cited the developer for not having a storm permit for a subdivision of over five acres, a violation of the Federal Clean Water Act. This development is 100 acres. They have until April 12 to clean this up or they could be fined up to $10,000.00 per day. I think they should face the maximum fines.

I took some clients to the Norfork River Handicap Access on Monday. The River was the muddiest that I have ever seen it in my twenty-five years of fishing it on a regular basis. It was muddy from the confluence of Dry Run Creek to its confluence with the White River. It seems that a new development, Norfork Lake Overlook Estates, had scalped a mountain top overlooking the Dam and had made no provision for run-off. When we got our first good rain in several months a good portion of that mountain washed into the Norfork River. At last check every one (ADEQ, AG&F, FFF, Friends of the White and Norfork, etc.) has been contacted and the drama has yet to be played out.A major article should be in the Baxter Bulletin today. This development should be stopped until this crisis is solved. John Berry