Troutnut69

I know this has been said many times before, but new regulations will do absolutely no good when there isn't any enforcement. Spent a couple days on a river this past week and witnessed one guy floating string up a smallie on a stringer that already had two fish on it. I don't keep any fish (crappie or walleye for the fryer once in a blue moon maybe) so I'm not up on the catch and keep regs so I didn't say anything to him , not wanting to step out of line and accuse someone of doing something illegal when they weren't. I was 95% sure the season was still closed but again didn't want to make accusations that I wasn't 100% sure of. After getting back to my truck I walked the shoreline at the takeout swinging a streamer on my switch rod and what do I find? A metal stringer with two big smallies tied to a submerged log (with no one around anywhere). I checked the fish and they were still lively so I released them , maybe not the right thing to do but it just irked me to see those fish strung up. After reading the regs I see that both of those individuals were breaking the law, and that's just what I saw in one day of floating a popular smallie stream in the Ozarks. That being said , I've run into the agent for that area more than once and I wasn't impressed at all so their lack of enforcement of the regs that really matter don't surprise me.

The Norfork is one of the true gems for fishing in the area. If you hit it right (weather and generation can be fickle mistresses) you definitely won't be dissapointed in the fishing opportunities provided. Here's the best I can do on answering those questions... 1)There is no good answer for this question. Predicting flows that far out is almost as difficult as predicting the weather that far out! With no generation wading is easy but once generation starts you need to keep a very close eye on water levels. 2)The access at the dam and then the lower access at Ackermann (handicap access) are the only two public accesses I'm aware of. 3)Small streamers , nymphs such as the Copper John..Shop Vac..GBHE...SJ Worm..Midges (zebra , copperhead, miracle are a few of my favorites) 4)I'm a camper so that's what I'm usually doing. If you want a nice rental cabin with all of the amenities check out Blue Heron Campground. It's actually on the White River in Cotter but still a short drive to the Norfork and you won't find a cleaner place owned by nicer people. 5) Dally's in Cotter or Two Rivers Flyshop in the town of Norfork. Steve or Dom either one are great guys who will be able to help you with any fishing questions or gear needs you might have. http://highplainsflyfisher.blogspot.com/

The annual mayfly hatch on the local reservoirs has started in earnest around here in the last week or so, which in turn has practically every fish in the lake up shallow feeding on either the bugs or the baitfish that are eating the bugs. Ive made several trips over to a local lake, both morning and evening, chasing white bass and wipers that have been joining in on the feeding frenzy. The action has been decent in the mornings but fast and furious the last couple hours before dark where at times every other cast ends up doubled up with a white or nice hybrid. I've been really itching to get back down South to my smallie rivers but this kind of action is just too good to turn my back on at the moment. My elbow is getting stiff and the bruise on my stomach from the butt of my spey rod digging in while fighting fish is getting bigger...I may have to take a break and throw streamers for smallmouth this next week to let my body recuperate! For more pics you can visit my blog...the last couple posts are evidence of the mayhem. http://highplainsflyfisher.blogspot.com/

In...a great cause that I'm more than happy to help out in any way I can. Gives me something to do until someone turns off the faucet that's been running non-stop every weekend I get a chance to hit the water!!

I recently wrote a short piece for a local online flyfishing mag () and thought I'd throw it up here as some of you might enjoy it also. Not a new TR , just a short story about Spring smallmouth fishing with a few pics from last year to get you over the hump of reading my worthless drivel. http://highplainsflyfisher.blogspot.com/

Thanks for the comments guys. Joe is doing good , just had to stay home with Mom on this trip. He's getting old enough unfortunately that he isn't up for really cold or hot weather trips. Kind of like myself I guess...getting old and soft!!

As is a long-standing tradition with me , I made it down to BSSP this last weekend for the opening day festivities. The weather kept a whole lot of people at home I would guess from the lack of crowds. I actually enjoyed spending several days fishing in the area with the new snowfall , nothing much prettier than fresh snow on a river. The fishing was good for everyone involved (but that's to be expected I guess since they stock pretty well for the event), both in the park and on the river. Nothing to write home about but still a nice way to spend four days this time of year. I know alot of folks on here who wouldn't attend opening day if you paid them but I always seem to enjoy myself despite the many negatives. I guess it's all a matter of perspective. Full TR with some pics on the blog....Jeff http://highplainsflyfisher.blogspot.com/

Nice looking fly. I tie one very similar except I use two clumps of marabou for a tail (ala claws) and then palmer some schlappen up to the rubber legs and around in front of them. Kind of a creature bait that you can toss with a flyrod...

Just don't throw them on the bank and leave em. As a guy who enjoys fly fishing for (and releasing) common carp there is nothing that gets under my skin more than going down to my favorite backwater flat and seeing fish with big holes through them laying up on the shore. If you shoot them legally and eat them...fine by me. If you're on my lake and I see you throwing them on the bank I'll be calling the warden and trying to get you a nice big ticket for wanton waste. Good on ya for at least trying...but if you can't find a valid use for them you probably shouldn't be shooting them.

Nice looking fly...I use that basic pattern quite frequently for baitfish flies and it produces regularly. As someone else said , when it's wet it'll look great and often times less material is better anyway. It's not too small either , you can tie them in any size you want depending on what your intended quarry is. Without knowing how you might intend to use it and fishing for what...the above statement is just worthless drivel.

Spent some time down in the White River area this past week with a few buddies , we were down in Cotter to attend Dally's Streamer Lovefest on Saturday night and hopefully stick a few streamer fish ourselves. The water flows just didn't cooperate with us for what we wanted to do unfortunately , but we made the most of what we had and fished several different waters in the area trying to find a good bite. We never stuck that real big brown that everyone hopes for when they hit the White but we had a couple of days of pretty good fishing. The Streamer Lovefest was a great event , I saw at least a couple guys from here there that night and I'm sure there were several more that I didn't know. It's hard to beat a flyshop full of guys tying and sharing secrets about the game of streamer fishing. Add a whole smoked hog and some cold beer to the above scenario and it just can't get much better! Full TR on my blog for anyone with interest... http://highplainsflyfisher.blogspot.com/

I wondered if that wasn't you up on the deck of the lodge when we floated by that day Justin. Sean said it looked like a young kid so we didn't think it was. We didn't tear them up by any means but that small window of rising ,off-color but not dirty water provided us enough action to make it a successful trip.

Thanks guys...and yes Lancer , a couple of those flies that I took a shot of on the floor of my tying room came from the streamer swap this year. I still havn't tried any of them just yet but the season is just getting started!

Was able to get out this past weekend with a buddy and float one of our local rivers for a couple days before the weather turned for the worse. We had a mixed bag of results , with the first day being pretty much casting practice and beer drinking. The second day water conditions changed for the better and gave us a short window of opportunity to "make some hay" as they say. We got in a couple of fruitful hours and managed to boat half a dozen , several of which were respectable fish. I'm hoping that the year will bring better days and bigger fish... but it wasn't a bad way to start off the new year! Full TR with a few pics on the blog....Jeff http://highplainsflyfisher.blogspot.com/

A 6-8" double deciever has been one of my best producing flys for all species of bass (mostly rivers with a few pond and lake fish thrown in) and has a general profile that looks kind of like a swimbait. The "Game Changer" is another pattern that looks similar in style , probably even more-so than the DD.

Brittsnbirds - thanks for the comment , I'll have to give that beverage a try as it's one I havn't indulged in yet. My most productive fly was a mink sculpin pattern that I tie alot. Just a size #4 or #6 streamer hook with some ice dub..a mink strip...rubber legs and a conehead. Basically a pine squirrel sculpin tied with mink. I admit to not working at it real hard and changing flies alot though so obviously something else might have been even better.

5Bites wrote...."I guess this is where I differ from some of you. I'm apparently less comfortable around critters like that. DING..DING...DING! My point exactly , you are one of the guys that should stay at home on the couch where the most dangerous animal you have to worry about is your pussy cat. A true outdoorsman enjoys watching nature as well as the sport of the hunt , if big animals scare you...stick to the Outdoor Channel please. By the way , not a Dem or Republican and definitely not a member of PETA. I hunt , I fish and I've spent enough time in the outdoors to feel comfortable without having to shoot everything that's bigger than me cause I'm scared for my life. Again , if you're not comfortable being around WILD animals then stick to petting zoos and the Animal Planet channel!!!

If you don't want to interact with wildlife (possibly dangerous depending on the species) then you should stay at home and watch national Geographic or possibly get your hunting fix from watching outdoor videos. If that cat was stalking the guy he'd have had no idea it was there , it was passing through and he saw a once in a lifetime chance to do something that might impress his buddies. As far as the comment that this guys life is worth much more than a mountain lions , judging from a large percenatge of people I meet on a daily basis , I wouldn't jump to any conclusions.....

Trapshot25 - I was staying at NRO on this trip. Thanks Ham , I liked that one as well. Small fish but he made a cool picture. I love the river myself Oneshot , just wish it wasn't such a Jekyl and Hyde situation depending on the time of year.

Joe and I got out this past weekend for a little r&r on one of our favorite rivers. The weather was just fabulous and from the way the forecast is looking I might have enjoyed the last 65 degree day for awhile around here. The fishing was just average , I caught fish in all of the usual spots just nothing of any size. Managed one small brown and everything else was just stocker bows for the weekend. In all honesty I probably could have caught more fish if I'd worked at it a little harder , but I went fishing to get away from that four letter word...work. As usual , we had a great time regardless of the numbers or size of fish caught. Full TR on my blog... http://highplainsflyfisher.blogspot.com/

It's amazing what fish finders can do these days , neat shot. It's been over 5 years ago or more but I've actually dove on that bridge when the lake was low enough to make it a non-deco dive. It was quite a sight to see even in the dark , deep water. I wish I'd been able to take some pictures at the time but it was a technical enough dive that hauling a camera along wasn't an option for us.

From the looks of those feet and head he's gonna be a horse!! Great looking pup , the best friend a man can have and if you ask me ,the best fishing partner as well.

Got mine yesterday...thanks to those who participated and especially Lancer for handling the business part of the deal.

Thanks again gents...it's pretty amazing what a clueless guy like me can learn from people that actually know what they're doing. And Dave...I had to laugh at that one! Even a blind squirrel finds a nut every once in awhile and occasionally even I get lucky.

First off I want to thank again the guys who replied to my post last week asking about how the weather would affect the stream smallmouth. Those answers helped me to make my decision on what to do over the weekend and while the fishing wasn't stellar I still had a great time and learned a few things about fall smallmouth fishing as well. I had never fished the creek I ended up on for the weekend which made it tougher , but more rewarding in the end as I always love fishing new to me water. The fishing was a little slow in the mornings for me and then picked up considerably after the sun got a little higher in the sky. I didn't catch any real pigs but did get some respectable stream fish (for me anyway) during my two days of fishing. The crayfish pattern fished through deeper pools was the ticket for most of the fish but I did get several on clousers and other smallish baitfish patterns as well. All in all a great trip , thanks again to those who helped me make the right choice. Full TR on the blog for anyone interested...Jeff http://highplainsflyfisher.blogspot.com/