John Berry

Sorry that you were already booked Fishmeister. Terry come on down. We will have a great time.

I think you would be way ahead if you let Lori do it. About the time you told Marsha to keep her back cast up she would be thinking about you forgetting her birthday three years ago.

COUPLES FLY FISHING CLASS My wife, Lori, and I are teaching a fly fishing class for couples on May 17 and 18 at River Ridge Inn on the banks of the Norfork River, Arkansas’ true blue ribbon trout stream. While I have been teaching fly fishing for over fifteen years at colleges, universities fly shops, and for the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission, Lori and I have been teaching together for the last six years. Her background in corporate training and teaching psychology at the university level make her a natural. Lori has been fishing all her life and has been a professional guide for the last six years. River Ridge Inn is the perfect place to host this class. Jim and Liz Smith, the owners, go out of their way to make guests comfortable. The Inn is the most luxurious and comfortable place to stay on the Norfork. There are private cottages or private rooms in the main lodge. All of the accommodations have all the comforts you would expect in a five star hotel. The weekend package includes lodging at River Ridge Inn, a continental breakfast on both mornings, lunch on Saturday and Sunday, and fourteen hours of professional instruction by an experienced guide couple. All terminal tackle is included. All of this is only $650.00 per couple. If you want to hone your own skills and introduce the quiet sport to your significant other or both of you want to take up the exciting sport of fly fishing this is the perfect opportunity. The class is designed for beginners but I think this would be of benefit to anglers with a bit of experience. The subjects covered include equipment selection, fly casting, basic fishing knots, entomology and fly selection, rigging for success, stream strategies, reading water and water safety. Then there is an outing on the water. This could be the beginning of a love affair with the gentle sport of fly fishing. To make reservations, contact Jim or Liz Smith, River Ridge Inn at (870) 499-7775, (888) 754-1542, or http://www.riverridgeinn.com .

JOHN BERRY FISHING REPORT 4/03/2008 We have had two major rain events and the reservoirs on the White River system continue to rise. The lake level at Bull Shoals Dam rose nine and eight tenths feet to rest at twenty eight and two tenths feet above power pool of 654.00 feet and continues to rise. This is twelve and eight tenths feet below the top of flood pool and it continues to rise. Up stream, Table Rock Lake remained steady at twelve and five tenths of a foot above power pool or three and five tenths feet below the top of flood pool. Beaver Lake rose five tenths of a foot to settle at nine and two tenths feet above pool or four tenths of a foot below the top of flood pool. At the time of this writing the flood gates are open at Beaver. Beaver and Table Rock Lakes have been generating heavily. The water has been collected in Bull Shoals Lake which still has excess carrying capacity. Norfork Lake has risen three and eight tenths feet to rest at twenty five and three tenths of a foot above power pool of 552.00 feet or two and seven tenths feet below the top of flood pool. Norfork Lake is nearing capacity and the Corps of Engineers will begin drawing it down first, running at max capacity of around 7,000 cubic feet per second until it is at power pool. There is a possibility that they will open the flood gates and run even more water. As flooding clears down stream, the Corps of Engineers will begin drawing down the Dams on the White River. The weather has been cool and very wet. There have been several days with lake wind advisories. There have been no wading opportunities on the Norfork River and precious few on the White. Boating conditions have been excellent. The Buffalo River and Crooked Creek are still high and off colored. The White River below these streams is stained and not fishing well. The Upper White River is fishing particularly well. We have had low level generation (one to two generators). During this period, the upper river from the Bull Shoals Dam Catch and Release area to White Hole fished well. The productive flies were black zebra midges, olive scuds and San Juan worms. The Catch and Release section below Bull Shoals dam has been a real hot spot. Another hot spot was Rim Shoals particularly the Jenkins creek area. The water was still lightly stained from the recent flooding but it did not affect the fishing. The hot flies were San Juan worms in bright colors (hot pink, fire orange, cerise and red). The water along the island and below it fished well with Y2Ks and olive woolly buggers. On the Norfork River, they have been running a couple of generators and it has been fishing well. High water tactics have been the secret to success here. Be sure and use long leaders, plenty of lead and large strike indicators. Brightly colored San Juan worms along the weed beds have produced some nice fish. The hot colors have been red, hot pink, pale pink, and cerise. Other effective flies have been Y2Ks, black zebra midges, and egg patterns. Dry Run Creek is still producing trophy trout at a prodigious rate. It must have been spring break this week because there were a lot of kids fishing there this week particularly on the nice warm days. There were a few kids there on the wet cold days and they were rewarded with some true trophy trout. The hot flies have been sowbugs, San Juan worms (worm brown and red were the hot colors), olive woolly buggers, egg patterns and Y2Ks. Be sure and carry a big net and do not forget the camera. The fish in this creek are huge. The trout of a lifetime lives here and is waiting to have his picture taken. Practice water safety and always check conditions before you leave home. John Berry is a fly fishing guide in Cotter, Arkansas and has fished our local streams for over twenty five years.

Wow! Nice brown Don.

I guided a couple of gentlemen from Idaho at Rim Shoals. They both live on the Henry's Fork and are accomplished anglers. We had a beautiful day and about two generators worth of water, which was a bit stained. It was very windy (lake wind advisories) but these guys could cast and it did not bother them. We boated over fifty trout and had the time of our lives. The hot fly was the Y2K but we also caught fish on a cerise San Juan worm.

JOHN BERRY FISHING REPORT 3/27/2008 The lake level at Bull Shoals Dam rose three and six tenths feet to rest at eighteen and four tenths of a foot above power pool of 654.00 feet and continues to rise. This is twenty two and one tenth feet below the top of flood pool. Up stream, Table Rock Lake remained steady at twelve and five tenths of a foot above power pool or three and one half feet below the top of flood pool. Beaver Lake fell one half of a foot to settle at eight and seven tenths of a foot above pool or nine tenths of a foot below the top of flood pool. Beaver and Table Rock Lakes have been generating heavily. The water has been collected in Bull Shoals Lake which still has excess carrying capacity. Norfork Lake has risen two and seven tenths feet to rest at nineteen and five tenths of a foot above power pool of 552.00 feet or eight and one half feet below the top of flood pool. As flooding clears down stream, the Corps of Engineers will begin drawing down the Dams on the White and Norfork rivers. With round the clock generation at maximum capacity they estimate that it will take from now to May, 10 to return the lakes to power pool. This estimate is based on no further heavy precipitation. This will be a great time to hone your high water skills. The flooding has receded from the upper White River and the Norfork. The Buffalo River and Crooked Creek are still high and off colored. The White River below these streams is stained and not fishing well. The Upper River is fishing very well. Last weekend we had low water and the Catch and Release area below Bull Shoals Dam was red hot. There were several reports of large numbers of trout caught which included numerous trophy trout. The hot flies were black zebra midges, olive scuds, and red and worm brown San Juan worms. There were some very productive midge hatches which had a lot of trout feeding on the surface. The hot fly for this action was Dan’s turkey tail emerger. Later in the week we had some low level generation (one to two generators). During this period the upper river from the Bull Shoals Dam Catch and Release area to White Hole fished well. The productive flies were black zebra midges, olive scuds and San Juan worms. Another hot spot was Rim Shoals particularly the Jenkins creek area. The water was still lightly stained from the recent flooding but it did not affect the fishing. The hot flies were San Juan worms in bright colors (hot pink, fire orange, cerise and red). The water along the island and below it fished well with Y2Ks and olive woolly buggers. Some of the rhyacophilia caddis have been seen at Rim Shoals but the hatch was so sparse that the trout did not seem to key in on them. The Norfork River has cleared up and all flooding has receded. They have been running a couple of generators and it has been fishing well. The area around McClellan’s has been a hot spot. Brightly colored San Juan worms along the weed beds have produced some nice fish. Other effective flies have been Y2Ks, black zebra midges, and olive woolly buggers. Dry Run Creek is slightly stained but still producing trophy trout at a prodigious rate. The flooding has scoured the creek and rearranged a bit of the structure. The trout do not seem to mind. It must have been spring break this week because there were a lot of kids fishing there this week. The hot flies have been sowbugs, San Juan worms (brown and red), olive woolly buggers and Y2Ks. Be sure and carry the biggest net you can lay your hands on. The fish in this creek are huge. The trout of a lifetime lives here and is waiting to have his picture taken so carry a camera. Practice water safety and always check conditions before you leave home. John Berry is a fly fishing guide in Cotter, Arkansas and has fished our local streams for over twenty five years.

The Red is 13 feet above power pool also. I do not know when they will start generating there. The White and Norfork will be slowly ramped up this weekend. The fishing here will be good. I will be fishing high water over the next couple of months. The fish are still there you just need to get down to them. The high water is good for the fish and we will reap the benefits.

Greg, The Norfork is 19.5 feet above power pool and 8.5 feet below the top of flood pool. They are going to have to get rid of that water. Reality is a bummer.

I talked with the Corps of Engineers this morning. They said that beginning Thursday they were going to start increasing the number of operating generators by one per day untill they were running at maximum. They will run around the clock untill the lakes are below flood pool. They estimate that to be May 10.

I am glad to see that the river is getting back to normal and fishing well.

It is back to normal. They were running about one generator today.

I guided a couple of lads from Memphis on Dry Run Creek this morning. I was pleased to see that it had cleared up after the flood. It has been thoroughly scoured and a lot of the holes are bedrock now. There have been a lot of changes; logs gone, old holes gone, and new holes have appeared. A lot of the aquatic weed has been flushed out and I wonder about the sowbug population. The fish are still there and we caught a bunch. The hot fly was an olive woolly bugger. We also caught fish on sowbugs, SanJuan worms and Y2Ks. John Wilson was there with a couple of clients and seemed to be doing well also.

Phil, they were running three this morning. That is a great level for floating. We have had some low water the last few days and the Dam was clear as a bell.

With most of our local waters either at flood or still very muddy, I took my clients to the Catch and Release section below Bull Shoals Dam to take advantage of the low, clear water teeming with trout. It has been sunny and the temperatures have hit the seventies. We did the best on black zebra midges but also caught fish on San Juan worms and Dan's turkey tail emergers. The big fish were a twenty inch brown, an eighteen inch rainbow and a twenty two inch cutthroat.

I figure a week maybe two. Then they will run full bore for about two months.

JOHN BERRY FISHING REPORT 3/20/2008 We have had a horrific three day rain storm. At the time of this writing the lake level at Bull Shoals Dam rose eight and nine tenths feet to rest at fifteen and three tenths of a foot above power pool at 654.00 feet and continues to rise. Up stream, Table Rock Lake rose twenty one and five tenths feet to settle at twenty two and two tenths of a foot above power pool. Beaver Lake rose seven and eight tenths of a foot to settle at nine and two tenths of a foot above pool. Beaver and Table Rock Lakes are at flood pool and have been generating heavily and have even opened the flood gates. The water is being stored at Bull Shoals which is expected to crest at 675 feet next week. Norfork Lake has risen thirteen and one half feet to rest at sixteen and eight tenths of a foot above power pool of 552.00 feet. The Norfork is expected to crest at 572 feet next week. It is estimated by the Corps of Engineers that it will take about two months of constant generation to return to power pool on area lakes. This will be a great time to hone your high water skills. The Buffalo River and Crooked Creek are at flood. The old timers say that this flood is worse than the flood of 1982. The water from The Buffalo and Crooked Creek is unencumbered by dams and is spilling into the White River causing widespread flooding on the White. In addition, the water pouring into the Norfork River from Dry Run Creek, Otter Creek and others has no where to go and has backed up in the Norfork causing flooding on it. It will not be fishable in the immediate future. If you are boating in the White and Norfork, exercise great caution. Wear your Personal Flotation Device, move slowly to avoid obstacles and utilize your automatic kill switch. The upper White near Bull Shoals is quite fishable at the present. As the water clears, there will be more places to fish down stream. The fishing has been good on San Juan worms, Y2Ks and soft hackles. In addition, the Rhyancophilia caddis has begun to hatch. This is our big hatch of the year. They are size fourteen and have a bright green body. The best way to fish them is to use soft hackles like the green butt (I developed this fly for this hatch) and the partridge and green when they are keying in on the emergers (this is when you see the trout feeding just below the surface and there are no adult insects present). When they begin keying in on the adults, switch over to a size fourteen elk hair caddis. Cast your fly approximately eighteen inches above the feeding trout and let the fly drift over the fish in a perfect drag free float. When the trout takes the fly, you should set the hook after allowing it to close its mouth. When there is no top water activity, fish with nymphs like the fluttering caddis. This hatch is just beginning. It should last till the end of April. With the flooding on the White and Norfork River the Corps of Engineers will not be releasing any water for some time to allow the flood water to recede. Dry Run Creek is currently at flood. Yesterday the waterfall just below the road was four feet under water. I know that this is a big disappointment to a lot of youngsters particularly as this is Spring Break, but I expect it to be fishable very soon. Practice water safety and always check conditions before you leave home. John Berry is a fly fishing guide in Cotter, Arkansas and has fished our local streams for over twenty five years.

The Buffalo and Crooked Creek are out of the banks. Norfork is being flooded with a lot of people already evacuated. The water at the handicap access is eight feet deep in the parking lot. River Ridge Road is closed. It is time to start on the Ark!

I also carry a small tape measure so that I can measure the girth. That allows me to calculate the weight of big fish.

No didymo is white. It looks like disintegrating toilet paper. The ruler is a decal. They are available at most fly shops. Come on down. I would enjoy fishing with you.

Thank you. I took the photo in the Catch and Release section of the Norfork. The fish was nice sized but I thought the color was awesome.

JOHN BERRY FISHING REPORT 3/13/2008 There has been virtually non-stop heavy generation on the White River system and overall the lake levels have begun to ease down a bit. The lake level at Bull Shoals Dam rose seven tenths feet to rest at six and four tenths of a foot above power pool at 654.00 feet. Up stream, Table Rock Lake fell one and six tenths feet to settle at seven tenths of a foot above power pool. Beaver Lake rose one half of a foot to settle at one and four tenths of a foot above pool. The pattern has been for extremely heavy generation twenty four hours a day. This has created some excellent boating opportunities with no wading available. The weather has been warm and very windy including lake wind advisories. Norfork Lake has fallen one and one tenth feet to rest at three and three tenths of a foot above power pool of 552.00 feet. The pattern on the Norfolk has been similar to that on the White. There has been near constant generation. There were a few days with short periods of generation late at night. Why can’t they do that during the day so that some of the people attending Sowbug could get in a little fishing? The forecast is for the weather to remain warm with the possibility of a little precipitation. With the existing conditions above power pool, I would expect heavy generation and no wading on both rivers. With higher water conditions, you will need to employ radically different techniques. The fish will be in different areas. In low water, they tend to congregate in the main channel. In high water, they will be closer to the shore and around weed beds and sunken islands. The best flies for this type of fishing will be brightly colored San Juan worms. The best colors are red, hot fluorescent pink, cerise and fire orange. One fly that has been particularly effective lately is the Y2K. Be sure and weight them heavily so they get down to the bottom. This will necessitate using a larger strike indicator to support the added weight. This rig is not going to be easy to cast. First you will need a bit bigger rod. I would suggest at least a nine foot six weight. Next, open up your loop a bit. With this much weight, it will be very difficult to throw tight loops without tangling your line. This past week, the action was definitely up stream in the Catch and Release section below Bull Shoals Dam. The shad were coming through and a lot of anglers were up there in their boats and there was a lot of reported success. When no shad were coming through the most action was on brightly colored San Juan worms. When the gulls got active below the dam this was the signal that the shad were coming through. The anglers would switch to shad pattern and begin picking up fish. As soon as it starts it ends. Some of the shad have somehow slipped through the feeding frenzy up stream and been washed down stream. I have heard that anglers have done well with basic shad patterns in white as far down stream as Rim Shoals. The Norfork has fished a bit better. The nice weather has drawn a few more anglers here. There has been good fishing on the high water, particularly on Y2Ks and brightly colored San Juan worms. The best colors have been cerise and hot pink. If you are not fishing in Catch and Release water try a dropper tied on the bend of the hook of the San Juan worm on two feet of tippet. Black zebra midges work well for this application. With Spring break coming up coupled with the great weather we have been having, I would expect Dry Run creek to get a bit more crowded. If your favorite spot is taken, do not despair. There are fish every where. Just walk the bank until you find some fish. I have had clients catch fish from one end of the creek to the other. Be sure and carry the biggest net that you can lay your hands on and a camera. If you are from out side the area and fishing our waters, please be aware that the White and Norfork Rivers are infected with Didymo, an invasive alga. Carefully wash in warm water and fully dry your waders before using them in your home waters to prevent the spread of this disease. Practice water safety and always check conditions before you leave home. John Berry is a fly fishing guide in Cotter, Arkansas and has fished our local streams for over twenty five years.

I never quit fishing the green butt!

There have been shad coming through some days on the White. As of yet I have not seen any on the Norfork.

This is all happening real fast. They are setting up a seperate bank account and I will post that as soon as I find out. I should meet with the committee tomorrow.