John Berry

No trip to this area would be complete without a stop at Rim Shoals. There are a lot of fish, some interesting water to wade and beautiful scenery. Please add it to your itinerary.

I would recommend a TFO TICR nine foot four weight. They retail at $.209.95 and are the best buy out there. Since you have a five weight I think a move up of two rod weights would be just right. This would definately be a great rod for small mouth

I concur with Dano. How long are you talking about leaving your vehicle unattended? I am not aware of any one ever having a problem with security at any access in the area.

I am an avid Shawnee owner. I bought mine second hand and it was very reasonable. I would avoid an aluminum boat in favor of a fiberglass one. The aluminum boats tend to grab the rocks. If you have ever canoed in an aluminum canoe you know what I mean.

Don, Sorry about not posting a fishing report lately. The fishing has been a bit tough. I went yesterday with a neighbor. We caught several in Cotter. The biggest was an eighteen inch Cutthroat. The zebra midges were the ticket. Black with silver wire and silver bead size eighteen.

I concur. I now have a factory installed rack that works fine on both of my cars. Before though I used a Yakima. No problems!

Dano, I am not a biologist, just a fishing guide. It does seem to me that we do not have as much coon tail moss as we used to. There are some University of Arkansas doctoral candidates that are doing some really detailed studies on food sources on the White and Norfork for the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission. They are scheduled to talk about their preliminary results at the Mid South Fly Fishers Expo. I am going to be there to present a seminar and I will try and talk with them about this subject. They are much better informed than I and they have been studying these streams for months. Articles have been written but I would be more interested in reviewing the scientific data before I draw any conclusions.

I was writing an article about this yesterday. It seems that the sow bugs have all but disappeared on the White and Norfork. However, the Little Red is loaded with them. In fact it is my understanding that the sow bugs account for over 50% of the trout's diet on it. It should be noted that the sow bugs are the major food source on Dry Run Creek also.

If you have a tatoo of two brook trout spawning with the inscription "Catch And Release", you might be a trout bum.

Here is my favorite fishing story. I wrote it up several years ago. BIG_UGLY.doc

Wow! I had not heard this. I will give Leon Alexander a heads up. The White River and Crooked Creek were also chocolate like on saturday. I had a guide trip that day and the rain was unrelenting. We got four and a half inches in Cotter. Thanks for the update Dano.

May I suggest the White River below Bull Shoals. There is a wonderful State Park there with great facilities and world class fishing running through it.

Terry, Excellent input. You got me on the fly box quip. May I use some of these in future articles?

If you honestly believe that you can save money by tying your own flies, you may be a trout bum.

After reading all of the posts on this subject, I feel that you guys would be happier with an FFF affiliate club. I have been active in the FFF for about twenty five years and the emphasis is at the local level. I read about a bad experience from someone that visited the Springfield club. That points out that the club will prosper only if you make a personal commitment to make it happen. It is important to make every one feel welcome. I was President of the Memphis club for two terms (700 Members)and we worked hard at making new members comfortable. There is a lot of differant things you can get involved in flytying, casting, conservation. casting for recovery, education, boy scouts,etc. The Southern Council of the Federation of Fly Fishers is the fastest growing and most involved in the Federation.

I too find my self with a problem fit. I wear a size eight shoe and have a fourty-four inch chest. I have found that the better (more expensive)the wader the more sizes they have. I have settled on a Simms wader size Large Short (I am five foot eight inches tall). I would not recommend any wader that is not breathable. Been there done that!

I have a few spots that I prefer. It should be noted that I prefer to fish riffles and very short lines (ten feet or less). I generally start at the big riffle at the top of the island. I avoid the heaviest water (it is difficult to keep the hopper afloat). I do the best on the island side. I position myself where the water drops off and cast upstream and let it drift over the drop off. I work the water carefully and hang on. I do the same thing at the next two riffles down stream. On the railroad side there is some terrific pocket water that is very productive. My biggest problem is beating my wife to the choicest spots.

Yesterday afternoon my wife, Lori, and I went fishing at Rim Shoals. It was beastly hot and underneath my waist high waders I had on shorts. We fished with nymphs for a couple of hours and caught a few fish. At best, it was slow. The most productive fly was an olive scud size 18. To try and get something going I tried about a dozen flies. I decided to try something a bit differant. Even though there was no surface activity, I tied on a size ten grass hopper (the smallest that I had). I was immediately rewarded with a fat fourteen inch rainbow. I fished the hopper for the rest of the day and I caught way more fish than I had been tagging with the nymphs. If you have never fished hoppers, you need to give it a try. The take can be very agressive! On the way out, I was talking to another angler and he remarked that it was early for hoppers. Luckily the trout didn't know that.

Thanks for the comments guys. I wasn't going to post anything about the event because it was such an emotional thing for me. My lady was pretty ill. She had to fish from a chair all day and really had a lot of trouble getting around. Yet with all that she had a positive attitude and really enjoyed the outing. My wife Lori, my brother Dan and his lady friend Judy Boston were there as well. We feel that it is important to participate in things like this. There is more to fishing than pictures of large trout.

Summer is here. My wife Lori and I went fishing at Rim Shoals and it was a roaster. The temperature was about 95 degrees. I opted to wet wade and was pretty comfortable.If I got a little hot I just waded deeper. The fishing was also hot. I was nymphing with a size 18 olive scud and nailed them. my biggest fish was a seventeen inch rainbow. Lori was swinging soft hackles, a partridge and orange, and also did well. She wore her waders and when we got out I don't know who was wetter. Summer is definately here.

TFO is the best rod for the money! They all cast well but a quality rod for $100.00. I bought one the other day and now my wife wants one. If you don't have one buy one.

The Norfork River is the best trout stream in Arkansas! That said, it is a bit tougher to fish. The fish seem to be a bit smarter and the fishing pressure is generally greater. Take more care with your presentation and be advised that the insects run a bit smaller. If you regularly fish size sixteen zebra midges go to size twenty twos here. Use six X or smaller tippet. Be sure and take a camera. This is where I consistently catch my big fish!

I have been fishing the Spring River for twenty five years and I love it. Since it is a spring fed river and not a tailwater you do not have to worry about generation. What you have to worry about is the wading. There are several areas that have a bedrock bottom that is pretty slick. I always wear cleated wading boots and carry a wading staff. There are plenty of places that are deep enough to float your hat. My favorite place to fish is about a mile or so down stream from Dam 3 access. I generally walk the railroad tracks untill I get to the first island below the dam. I scramble the bank and fish the next couple of miles. The most effective way to fish it is with a sink tip and woolly buggers. To find out more about this area obtain a copy of the Home Waters Book published by the Mid South Fly Fishers. They have a listing of several other areas to fish and great maps. Good luck!

I looked at Scott Branyan's website and it is helpful. I would also suggest that anyone interested in more information obtain a copy of the Home Waters book published by the Mid South Fly Fishers. It has a collection of maps of the White and every other river in the area. It has a listing of access points not just the AG&F public accesses but also the obscure spots where you can park and scramble the bank. These are places that get less pressure (where the locals fish). It is available at all area fly shops.

You are staying in a great place to fish. About a month ago I fished there with a Grant Carter a fishing buddy that was staying there. We waded up to the riffle at the top of the property just below the Hurst Hole and fished soft hackles (partridge and orange size fourteen) and Grant, my wife Lori, and I caught about fifty apiece. This spot is about ten miles from the dam. The generation pattern on the white lately is to run water in the afternoon. This means low water here most of the day with high water coming in late afternoon. I would recommend fishing near the dam at night. They have been turning the water off at about ten PM. It clears out by eleven. I recommend fishing near the dam at night because if they turn on the water you will hear the horn. Never mind that this area is loaded with trophy trout that are pretty skittish during the day. Be careful and always check the water conditions before you begin.