Mike Davis

Dandall .. even my daughter-in-law wants in on this. The 3 grandkids have all "claimed" a couple rods for themselves already. My grand daughter is upset that she's the only one of the three to not catch a fish. It was interesting trying to explain to her why they call the fish like the one in my avatar a brown trout since it's not brown. She doesn't miss a thing. Mike

Zach .. I have the 13' Deer Creek 7/8WT Spey. I'm really wanting to learn more about Spey techniques too. I can do a basic Spey cast but that's about as far as I've gotten. I have the 11' 5WT Pro switch rod and have caught some decent fish on it. Mike

Randall .. I wish .. sometimes .. it were only 19 rods. I have others including a beautifully built 7'9" bamboo rod built by Tony Spezio. My grandkids are going to inherit a fly shop I think. Mike

I am probably one of the biggest TFO fans there is. I have 19 of them from the 6'9" 1WT to the 13' 7/8WT Spey rod with all sizes in between. TFO is definitely a class operation and Rick Pope thinks of them as "one big happy family." They are involved in so many special projects from Project Healing Waters to Casting for Recovery to Reel Recovery. I can only imagine how many thousands of dollars TFO has donated to each of those projects with the $25 donation from each project rod sold. Even the Bug Launcher series that goes for $79.95 carries the $25 lifetime warranty. As far as customer service .. I was at my brother-in-law's cabin in the middle of nowhere in Wisconsin and broke a Pro 2WT. I got it in the mail on a Tuesday morning and I got back to Arkansas 4 days later. There was a notice in my P.O Box that the rod was waiting for me. Four days from Wisconson to Texas to Arkansas. Rick told me at a conclave that he demands a 1 day turn-around. He said he'll accept a 2 day but if it takes 3 days for a turn-around someone will be fired. That kind of service is tough to beat. Mike

According to some of the biologists we won't be seeing clear water for awhile .. possibly years. With all the high water the last couple years we're getting all kinds of run-off from the banks in Greers Ferry. The high water mark on the lake is now up in the trees. Lots of decay from the dead leaves and brush. It's pretty stained right now. Mike

a plan falls into place. For some reason the Corps decided do give us 7 hours of zero generation today. They showed on the predicted schedule they would be shutting down at 10 this morning. I set up my day last night after seeing the schedule and amazingly everything worked out exactly as planned. I figured with all the water they had been running it would take awhile for the water to fall out. I figured if I got to the park about 2:30'ish it would still be falling .. it was .. and the crowd would be heading out .. they were. From 4 o'clock on I was the only person in my area of JFK. I love fishing Zebra midges but decided it's time to branch out some and tried some new patterns. Today I started off with a modified Red Hot .. this was cerise thread, hot pink tungsten bead and pink flashabou coated with Loc-Tite. I wouldn't even want to guess the number of fish I caught but it was a bunch of fun. After awhile I switched to a hot red T-bead, red thread body wrapped with red Uni-wire coated in Loc-Tite. Another bunch of fish on this too. Nothing big sizewise .. maybe 13 or 14 inches but on a 3WT and 7X it was a bunch of fun. Tomorrow's schedule is posted and it's back to around the clock. If this was just a one day break .. I can't imagine a day more fun than today was. Mike

The shop heard Terry and decided to stay open on Mondays so I'll have a place to go. Not really. They did decide to keep someone available in case of guide trips or any other situations they may be needed. For the shop hours and availability please call ...501-887-9988 Mike

I have a few places in mind. Mike

the Little Red Fly Shop will have new hours starting tomorrow. They are: Monday - closed Tuesday thru Friday - 9 - 4 Saturday - 8-5 Sunday 8 - noon These are subject to change but based on the predicted generation we can expect I'm guessing these will be the hours until the water level reaches normal pool. Mike

If I remember right Jimmy started off with yellow and went to orange. Mike

I took a trip with Jimmy Traylor on Tuesday and had a ball. We put in at Cotter and proceeded down to Rim Shoals. The catching was insane. Jimmy always fishes when it's just him and me in the boat. He was using an anvil egg and after I fished an anvil egg with a little success I switched to an orange egg made of McFly foam and split shot about a foot above the fly and it was steadily fish on for me. We started seeing lighter colored fish near the bottom and we thought they were dead fish until we saw them move. They turned out being the golden rainbows that AG&F put in on Monday. Apparently they got them from the Spring River hatchery and put 1000 in the White and Little Missouri Rivers. Jimmy managed to catch one of them so I got to see one "up close and personal." I would imagine that before long the bigger browns, herons and eagles will be seeing them up close, too. After lunch we headed up above His Place Resort to the Hurst area. I was still fishing the egg pattern and JT had switched to a white tungsten bead and white marabou streamer. The catching was still hot and I caught a beautifully colored cutthroat of about 6". We had seen some redds but neither of us caught a brown. Jimmy got a phone call saying they had completely shut the generators down at Bull Shoals for about 2 hours that morning. I got to experience a first then. To have the bite as hot as it was to being completely shut down in a matter of minutes due to falling water was something I'd never seen. We decided to call it a day about 2:30 and headed back to his shop. I've taken 8 or 9 .. maybe more .. trips with JT and have always caught fish while having a great time. He also manages to show me a new technique on most of our trips too. A good day on the river with a good friend is hard to beat. Mike

I'm here ...

got the word that generation will be basically one unit around the clock until December 1st. Then they will run a minimum of the one unit or all the way to a full bore two units until Greers Ferry is back at pool of 461.44. Right now we're at about 476.00. Low DO readings could change the generation pattern. Looks like a long winter for us wade fisherfolks . Mike

Dano .. I have some of the blue tied up in a size 16 on the SE3 Lightning Strike. I have the black Uni-wire Poisom Tung tied up with the Lightning Strike SE7 size 18. I sure hope I get a chance to fish them before long. Mike

Dan .. I probably won't be heading north until after the first of the year. I'm waiting on the VA to decide when they want to do my second cataract surgery. In a way I hope the high water hits us soon. I can hardly see out of that eye to tie a decent fly or tying tippet on to the leader or fly to the tippet. Terry .. like I said yesterday .. if they generate as predicted. They predicted one hour of generation this morning and have been running non-stop since 6 this morning. Mike

How's things bud? I haven't seen much of you lately. Things okay? Mike

continues to allow for a decent day of wade fishing. The predicted schedule is posted thru Monday and the generation .. if they generate as predicted .. should allow for wading. Catching has slowed some in the last couple of days. When the bite is on some slot rainbows are being caught. In the last 3 days I've heard of 3 20+" rainbows being caught along with a couple 18-20". There still are several slot browns being seen and some apparently getting started on redds. I talked with a dad today that had his daughter fly fishing for the first time. She caught some rainbows on an olive woolie bugger and one of them was one of the 20 inch fish. A couple weeks back I had talked with him when he was working with another daughter and I had given him a handfull of Zebra midges. They had worked well he said and one of his sons had caught some decent rainbows today with them. I did manage to find a decent spool of 7X fluoro today and was fishing the Chronicle 3WT with a 6X leader and about 5' of the 7X tippet. I tried some new patterns and caught a few fish .. nothing major size wise again but a bunch of fun anyway. I caught a few on a size 18 red hot .. red thread, red flashabou and a red tungsten bead. Then I fished a red Desert Storm in a size 18 .. a black tungsten bead, red thread and pearl krystal flash. These patterns were both tied on a TMC2487. Both patterns are going to be in my fly box from now on. While I have caught more fish with the Zebras I have been looking for something a "little different." I'll be trying out Charlie Craven's Poison Tung and maybe one or two other patterns as well. Mike

I got to JFK this afternoon and noticed only a handful of fisher folks .. both spin and fly. After about 20 minutes it was down to just one other fly fisherman and myself. I was fishing the 4WT with a size 16 wine and copper Zebra midge. After awhile I switched to the Flyrod Chronicle 3WT and changed to a size 18 Zebra of the same color. I wanted to go to 7X but the only spool I had was old and brittle. I was in the same area as yesterday afternoon and so were the fish. I have no idea of numbers but that doesn't matter. A bunch of feisty 12 and 13 inch rainbows on a light rod and it's a bunch of fun. The biggest fish of the day may have hit 14" and he dumped milt again as soon as I had him in hand. The predicted generation schedule has been right on the button except for yesterday morning when they didn't generate at all. Tomorrow's predicted should make for some great fishing and catching. Right now we are in what the Corps calls "a generation drought." Water releases are restricted until the White River recedes. The White River in the Augusta is holding 8' above flood stage. Georgetown area is over flood stage by more than 3' and rising. Until these levels recede there will be minimal generation leaving some good wade fishing. Right now good doesn't begin to describe the fishing. Mike

I have some Rio lines but mostly I use SA. I fish them hard but with routine cleaning I have had no problems with them at all. I am actually more uncomfortable with RIO lines. It's all a matter of personal preference I guess. Mike

I had some chores to do in Little Rock this morning which with the way the generation for today was predicted, it would have been perfect. Except this time they didn't generate when the schedule said they would.I had been seeing upper slot browns the last couple days I had been out. No browns today but 3 or 4 pairs of either in the slot or very close to slot rainbows probably getting ready for the spawn. Another guy I spoke with said he's starting to see some brookies so it looks like the river's about to turn on. Unfortunately, the generation will be cranking once down river near Augusta and Georgetown gets stabilized. Not a bunch of numbers today but a bunch of fun. Our DO has been a concern but judging by the way the fish fought, it's not all bad .. yet. About 4:15 I noticed a spot that I know usually holds fish was open. Access to this spot gets blocked when the bait fisherman are there. I changed flies to a size 18 Wine and Copper Zebra midge and added some new tippet. I looked up and noticed that everyone was gone. I had this entire stretch of river to myself. The last 45 minutes I ended up with 7 or 8 rainbows. The biggest was a male of about 14" with just the start of a kype. The smallest was about 6" but fought like it was twice that size. So when the Corps decided to generate at 5, I was actually glad to see the water coming down. Hopefully back at it tomorrow. Mike

Not a bunch of fish today but that didn't matter. After all the rain we've had it was just nice to be on the river. I didn't catch many but the ones I did catch were fat and full of fight. The red and copper Zebra midge was the hot fly again. This time I was using the TFO Finesse 8'9" 4WT and 6X. I did notice another big brown in the run I fish and another fisherman came by and said he saw a male and a hen brown in the mid 20" range that were looking like they were starting to build a red. A couple of the rainbows I had caught were dumping milt as soon as I got them to hand. The last fish of the day for me was a surprise. The way the fish hit and fought I thought I had a nice brown on. It just stayed deep in the water and made some decent runs without showing itself. I was pleasantly surprised to see a very bright red band on the fish's side and bright red gill plates. The fish was either in the low end of the slot or just short of the slot, probably a 15" fish. Not much generation "scheduled" for tomorrow so I'm going to try to get at them again. I don't expect to see much generation until the down stream areas drop out of flood stage. Of course now saying that I probably just jinxed us. Mike

You can also go to troutnut.com. That's about an in-depth site as you'll probably need for awhile. Mike

You can have the Winstons. I like TFO. Mike

More like a Finesse Terry. Maybe even between a Pro and the Finesse. You can definitely feel it load up. Mike

There's a few guys here that know me and also know I am a TFO junkie. At last count I had 19 all the way from a 6'9" 1WT, a 6' 2WT to a 13' Spey rod with several in between. At the last conclave I won a TFO rod of choice .. actually 2 of them but I've only fished one of them so far. We finally had a day of low water on the Little Red Saturday and I got in about 4 hours of fishing with the new Flyrod Chronicles rod. The one I picked was a 8'9" 3WT. I'd lawn cast it before so I had a pretty decent "feel" of it and how it casts. In the four hours I managed about 30 fish .. all rainbows .. using various color combinations of size 16 Zebra midges with 6X tippet. The rod is a dream to cast. There were no monster fish .. the biggest was about a 14" male but the rod is a bunch of fun. Casts weren't long .. maybe 30 to 40 feet and the rod handled everything. I can't say as it will be my go to rod .. that's an 8'9" 4WT Finesse .. but the 3WT is now right near the top of my favorites list. A really sweet rod IMHO. The rod has gold trim so the Loomis Venture reel I matched it up with makes for a sweet set-up. I'm hoping to get the other new rod out but it may be awhile with all the high water. That rod is an 8'9" 7WT Clouser. It may end up being my steelhead rod when I travel to Michigan. Mike