Zack Hoyt

It has been said they purchased these due to short comings of hatchery roduction last year. There were so many trout wiped out by the floods, that hatchery's could not keep up a healthy rate of reproduction. Also, they used to stock these fish in the Beaver Tailwaters section of the White years ago. No ill effects I have been able to find. Fiveweight, can you site your sources for information?

Great report Z. It has been a good while since I was on the Quachita. Just don't make it south much anymore. I do remember it being a pretty fishy area. Phil, it gets a good bit of canoe traffic in the spring and summer. Z, are you using a regular weight-forward line? I swapped to a 10' DC sink tip for getting the flies down lower or even on the bottom. Helps alot fishing with a bit of current.

If I remember right Phil, they tied the logs together. I would imagine this, along with the weight of the rock on top would keep movement downstream to a minimum. I would think(been a few years since my hydrology class) that the water would work around the logs, just as it would a rock. Possibly letting the setup reach a more solid floor. I had also saw instead of a pile under the larger rocks, they had used longer full tree lengths with rocks at either end. Running parallel to the current. Just a thought. Anything will help and I hope they listen to a specialist as well as the general public.

Beaver Tailwaters has large boulders on top of some wood frames. It seems to work very well. The rock holds the wood in place and the wood holds lots of bugs and provides shelter from the sun and aerial predators.

A little late.....but here are some fish pics...... You can't grow fish like these in a hatchery!!

I upload all my pics to Webshots. They have coverted option for different sizes and placements(forums, emails, etc.).

Looks like low water tomorrow till 6pm again per SWPA.

Good report. The SWPA site showed very little generation today, and I was really wanting to sneak away from work to get some fishing in. They have been drawing it down a bit at a time, but it is still pretty high. Minimum flow is a nice thought, but it would take some work on Beaver. But with Norfork and Bull Shoals getting it, who knows. The fish we have beenc atching have been very, very healthy. Lots of color. Which area were you fishing in? If water permits, I am thinking about snekaing up there on friday.

Thanks for posting the pic Z. That rock garden was about 200yds upstream from the Yellville bridge.

It is a good stretch. Let me know when you make the plans to try it, if I cant join you, i will sure tell you what I know about the stretch.

Good pics. I have the same pontoon and love it.

One of the pictures I took of Kevin rowing through one of the rougher sections. Was nothing to take a drift boat through it. Having trouble uploading.

From Mr Bryan Hendricks article on the Norfork flow..... This was voted on last Friday I believe.

Took this from Mr. Bryan Hendricks article on norfork flow. This may be a very, very good thing.

Norfork is going with flow By Bryan Hendricks Saturday, November 21, 2009 STUTTGART — The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission voted Friday to implement a minimum flow agreement with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers on the Lake Norfork tailwater. The agreement, some 30 years in the making, will provide a national model for other waterways with water quality issues across the country, said Mike Armstrong, assistant director for the AGFC. Once the agreement is enacted, it will provide a constant flow of water on the lower North Fork River below Lake Norfork. That is expected to eliminate chronic low oxygen problems in warm months and improve the river’s world-famous trout fishery. The vote was dramatic, passing by a 4-3 margin. During Thursday’s work meeting, Commissioner Emon Mahoney objected to language in the agreement with the Corps that placed the entire risk of all damages on the AGFC. He insisted that the AGFC conduct a risk assessment before approving the proposal. He also said the AGFC did not have the authority to waive the state’s sovereign immunity as the Corps required. Jim Goodheart, the AGFC’s legal counsel, concurred and said that, as written, AGFC Director Scott Henderson does not have the authority to sign the agreement and, as legal counsel, Goodheart did not have the authority to endorse it. The only remedy, Goodheart explained, was for Arkansas Attorney General Dustin McDaniel to confirmthat the AGFC has the authority to assume such a burden. If the attorney general issued a negative opinion, Goodheart said the AGFC would have to ask the Arkansas Legislature for authority to enter into the agreement. A long and contentious debate followed, including pointed input from former commissioners Forrest Wood, Jim Hinkle, Mike Freeze and Freddie Black. They and Armstrong argued that the federal government budgeted $6.5 million for the project. If the AGFC failed to approve the agreement by March 31, about $2.1 million would probably beallocated elsewhere, essentially killing the project, and that the opportunity would not arise again. Mahony proposed two amendments to the proposal Friday. One was to require a written opinion from McDaniel confirming the AGFC has authority to accept the agreement as written. The second amendment required the AGFC to conduct a risk assessment that demonstrates the agency’s potential financial liability. The f irst amendment failed, but the second amendment passed. The commission voted to accept the proposal as amended. Voting for the proposal were commissioners Rick Watkins, Ron Pierce, Ron Duncan and Brett Morgan. George Dunklin, Craig Campbell and Mahony voted against. In a wildlife management-related manner, the commission voted 4-2 to eliminate the gauge on the White River at St. Charles as a criterion for opening and closing deer hunting in Flood Prone Zone F. David Goad, chief of the AGFC’s wildlife management division, said the St. Charles gauge has no bearing on actual water conditions in Flood Prone Zone F. He said the gauge at Norrell Lock & Dam is more accurate and should be the sole criterion. The measure goes into effect immediately. Goad added that the measure does not affect the White River National Wildlife Refuge, which uses its own guidelines to open and close deer hunting. In fisheries-related business, the commission heard a proposal to allow fishermen to use trotlines on Lake Maumelle according to guidelines set by Central Arkansas Water, which owns and manages the lake. The commission also approved a budget increase of $110,000 to improve trout habitat in the White River below Beaver Lake. The money will come from a federal grant through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. Similarly, the commission approved a $250,000 budget increase, by way of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, to improve a sectionof Crooked Creek at the Fred Berry Conservation Center near Yellville. The money will be used to remove Kelly’s Slab, build part of a new bridge over the creek and to stabilize the stream bank. The commission also voted to accept a donation of 2 acres on the Little Red River in White County by Mary Womack, D.F. Womack, Bob Monaghan and Patrick Monaghan. The AGFC will use the property for public fishing and boating access. In other business, the commission approved a $403,000 budget increase to purchase a conservation easement on 119 acres next to the Logan Cave National Wildlife Refuge in Benton County. Sports, Pages 21 on 11/21/2009

It took us about 8hrs, but we were fishing heavily and stopped for lunch. Fish were on the bottom and keyed in on red for some reason. Basically setup texas rigs with smaller red lizards and tubes. Saw lots of fish, but the big ones werent biting. Alot in the 8-13 inch range. TONS of carp. Never seenheards of carp like I did on this trip. I have never had a ton of luck on the Buffalo. There are some good sections, but it just doesnt fish as well to me as the other smallie places(Elk, Kings, Crooked, etc.). The weather was definately nice.

Have them sign a waiver if it worries you that much. Kinda a......I am not responsible for anything that your dumb @$$ might do to hurt youtself. Technically he is not purchasing a trip, he is donating to a non-profit. Since there is no record of the non-profit buying the trip from you, the chance of something bad hapening and coming back to you is little to none. You boat insurance policy will cover extra people on the boat for injuries. If you are not directly making money or receiving a payment of some sort, it is not technically guiding. Given the climate of sue happy people, all bets are off. Hope that kinda helps.

We floated this section yesterday with two clients. After loosing coolers at launch, we had hoped the day could only go uphill from there......it did. This five mile stretch of waterway was prime smallie habitat. Lots of rock structure. Deeper pools followed by rock gardens, and great tail out. I stopped counting at 30 fish between two clients with the larger being 15 and 17 inches. I was truly afraid the smallies would be slow for the winter, but definately not the case. This is an awesome stretch of water for both fishing and site seeing. Water level was about 13.25. This was a great level for floating. Not many places dragging, but there were a few spots that had a good set of rapids. None without a way to portage the boat or walk it down the edge.......we took the drift boats right down the middle. Will have pictures in the next day or so.

Construction is under way. They have the supports for the new bridge set and part of the Kelleys Slab bridge tore out.

I will be on Crooked Creek Sunday and the White Saturday. If you happen to see a Subaru outback with a wooden drift boat behind it....thats me.

With the cold nights, water temps are lower than best for fall feeding. Most of the fish will be off for the winter. This is not saying they cannot be caught. I go for larger flies/lures druing the winter. Their thought process is, if I am going to go after food, it is going to be a big meal. They will be holding in the deeper pools. With air temps getting into the 60's, there is a possibility they will hit a top water lure that makes alot of noise. I would stick to leech imitations.......woolie buggers, articulated flies, or even crayfish imitations. Wacky Worms and tube jigs for the spin gear. I have found a shad hardbait imitation that runs deep and fished slow does well. Takes are going to be light. Probably feel like hitting rocks, so dont be afraid to do a few light hook sets. I always say your better off false setting the hook, than not setting the hook often enough. Best of luck.

Dave Whitlocks Guide to Aquatic Trout Foods Flies, Ties and Techniques - Charles Jardine Anything Geirach A Good Life Wasted: Or 20 Years as a Guide - Dave Ames Fly Fishers Guide to Arkansas and Missouri - Dan Limbaugh Home Waters - Mid South Fly Fishers

I have mentioned many times the DMV needs to drop the largemouth and trout license plate and do a smallie......it is arkansas only native species.

Smallmouth are one of the only original fish in Arkansas.......I dont know that they even raise smallies.

per the AGFC's newsletter....... Over 152,000 pounds of fish stocked in state’s waters LITTLE ROCK – Arkansas Game and Fish Commission crews stocked over 823,200 fish in Arkansas lakes and rivers during October, according to Mark Oliver, chief of fisheries. The total stocking of fish weighed more 152,000 pounds. October stockings: Lake Atalanta, Benton County, 1,400 catchable rainbow trout Beaver Lake, Benton and Washington Counties, 35,684 yearling blue catfish Beaver Lake, Benton and Washington Counties, 60,000 yearling channel catfish Beaver Tailwater, Carroll County, 7,636 catchable rainbow trout Beech Springs Lake, Ouachita County, 400 yearling blue catfish Bicentennial Lake, Sebastian County, 300 catchable channel catfish Blue Mountain Lake, Logan County, 5,940 yearling channel catfish Bob Kidd Lake, Washington County, 1,003 yearling blue catfish Boyle Park Pond, Pulaski County, 1,200 catchable channel catfish Bull Shoals Lake, Boone, Baxter and Marion Counties, 47,307 yearling blue catfish Cane Creek Lake, Lincoln County, 310 catchable channel catfish Lake Catherine, Hot Spring and Garland Counties, 4,000 yearling channel catfish Cavester Cove, Sharp County, 250 catchable channel catfish Champagnolle Creek, Calhoun County, 1,300 yearling blue catfish Lake Chicot, Chicot County, 48,000 yearling black crappie Lake Chicot, Chicot County, 2,000 yearling white crappie Lake Columbia, Columbia County, 60,900 yearling black crappie Crossett City Park Lake, Ashley County, 400 catchable channel catfish Crowley’s Ridge State Park Lake, Greene County, 500 catchable channel catfish Dorcheat Bayou, Columbia County, 500 yearling blue catfish Desoto Park Pond, Garland County, 300 catchable channel catfish Dupree Park Lake, Pulaski County, 300 catchable channel catfish Eagle (L’Aigle) Lake, Bradley County, 500 yearling blue catfish El Dorado City Pond, Union County, 2,000 catchable channel catfish Entergy Park Lake, 450 catchable channel catfish Eudora City Lake, Chicot County, 400 catchable channel catfish Fair Park Pond, Hempstead County, 400 catchable channel catfish Family Park Lake, Garland County, 1,100 catchable channel catfish Felsenthal Pool, Union County, 8,167 yearling hyrbrid carp Forrest City Sports Complex Pond, St. Francis County, 200 catchable channel catfish Grand Lake, Chicot County, 10,800 yearling black crappie Grandview Lake #2, Hempstead County, 3,510 yearling black crappie Greers Ferry Lake, Van Buren County, 10,800 yearling blue catfish Greers Ferry Lake, Van Buren and Cleburne Counties, 40,634 yearling channel catfish Lake Greeson, Pike County, 1,400 yearling blue catfish Lake Hamilton, Garland County, 10,252 yearling channel catfish Lake Hamilton, Garland County, 250 catchable channel catfish Hindman Park A, Pulaski County, 500 catchable channel catfish Lake Hindsville, Madison County, 3,000 yearling redear bream Hogue Lake Kids Fishing Pond, Poinsett County, 350 catchable channel catfish Horseshoe Lake, Crittenden County, 15,158 yearling channel catfish Huckleberry Lake, Pope County, 1,020 yearling blue catfish John Benjamin Glenwood Community Fishing Pond, Pike County, 200 catchable channel catfish Jones Lake, Union County, 500 yearling blue catfish Kiwanis Park, Pulaski County, 808 catchable channel catfish Lee Creek Lake, Crawford County, 600 yearling channel catfish Little Bay Lake, Calhoun County, 500 yearling blue catfish Little Johnson, Ouachita County, 500 yearling blue catfish Little Red River, Cleburne and White Counties, 23,787 catchable rainbow trout Long Lake, Calhoun County, 500 yearling blue catfish MacArthur Park Lake, Pulaski County, 750 catchable channel catfish Mansfield City Lake, Scott County, 360 yearling redear bream Marion City Park Lake, Crittenden County, 150 catchable channel catfish Martin Luther King Park, Jefferson County, 800 catchable channel catfish Mike and Janet Huckabee Kids Pond, Hempstead County, 1,100 catchable channel catfish Mirror Lake, Stone County, 1,440 catchable rainbow trout Lake Monticello, Drew County, 30,000 yearling black crappie Moody Pond, Jefferson County, 400 catchable channel catfish Murphy Park Lake, Washington County, 300 catchable rainbow trout Mustin Lake, Ouachita County, 500 yearling blue catfish Lake Nimrod, Yell County, 2,710 yearling blue catfish Lake Nimrod, Yell County, 6,050 yearling channel catfish Norfork Lake, Baxter County, 13,800 yearling blue catfish Norfork Lake, Baxter County, 88,125 yearling black crappie Norfork River, Baxter County, 8,274 catchable rainbow trout Oak Grove Elementary Pond, Greene County, 702 catchable channel catfish Ola City Lake, Yell County, 1,700 yearling black crappie Ola City Lake, Yell County, 3,000 yearling redear bream Otter Creek Park Pond, Pulaski County, 650 catchable channel catfish Lake Ouachita, Garland County, 5,250 yearling blue catfish Lake Ouachita, Garland and Montgomery Counties, 60,830 yearling channel catfish Pedron Lake, Ouachita County, 500 yearling blue catfish Pinnacle Mountain Pond, Pulaski County, 500 catchable channel catfish Pirogue Lake, Bradley County, 500 yearling blue catfish Pleasant Hills Training Center Pond, Garland County, 400 catchable channel catfish Poteau Mountain Lake, Scott County, 300 yearling channel catfish Prairie Grove Lake, Washington County, 600 yearling channel catfish Regional Park Pond, Jefferson County, 400 catchable channel catfish SAU Armory Pond, Columbia County, 750 catchable channel catfish Saline River, Grant County, 11,800 yearling black crappie Sebastian County Lake, Sebastian County, 300 yearling channel catfish Shadow Lake, Sebastian County, 300 yearling channel catfish Sherwood City Pond, Pulaski County, 200 catchable channel catfish Spirit Lake, Faulkner County, 200 catchable channel catfish Lake Springdale, Washington County, 900 catchable rainbow trout Spring River, Fulton County, 16,062 catchable rainbow trout Sunset Lake, Saline County, 1,300 catchable channel catfish Table Rock Lake, Boone County, 2,000 yearling channel catfish Tri County Lake, Dallas County, 18,000 yearling black crappie War Memorial Park, Pulaski County, 200 catchable channel catfish Webb Lake, Ouachita County, 500 yearling blue catfish Wells Lake, Sebastian County, 1,000 catchable channel catfish White Oak Lake Lower, Ouachita County, 2,500 yearling blue catfish White Oak Lake Upper, Ouachita County, 1,600 yearling blue catfish White River, Izard, Stone, Baxter and Marion Counties, 113,285 catchable rainbow trout Lake Wofford, Sebastian County, 300 yearling channel catfish