Sculpin

[brettc]

were makin our first trip to the white this weekend and was wonderin if the sold sculpin for bait close to the white and norfork rivers?

[taxidermist]

NOone sells sculpins that I know of.

Most of the people here fly fish for trout, so thats why you have not had any respose.

Some docks on the lake have minnows and I have heard of gold fish being used.

Honestly we have torn up the fish bows, browns , small cuts and a couple brooks on white rooster tails. We fished White from the dam to Cotter two days and did a repeat on Taney como last night.

[Randall]

I saw a guy fishing sculpins once but I think he had to catch them himself. He also killed a 22" brown. I know its legal in some areas but its still looked down on. To tell you the truth, if you're spin fishing you'd probably be better off with jigs, spinners, or rapalas, just make sure you're within the law wherever you decide to fish.

[rps]

Use a very small hook - 12, 14, etc. and put a tiny piece of worm on the point. Dangle the bait in front of openings and near the bottom of large rocks. The sculpin hide under the rocks like crawfish. You need the 2 to 5 inch size if you are after browns.

I urge you to use circle hooks when you rig the bait. When the fish takes the bait and you feel it is time to set the hook, don't. Merely start reeling until you feel resistance, then sweep the the rod smoothly sideways. The hook will catch in the corner of the fish mouth. High odds the hook will not permanently injure the fish.

Regardless of whether you use the circle, if the hook is not in the lip/jaw but is farther down and you want to release the fish, snip the line as close to the hook as possible. Unless you've ripped gills or torn the stomach, recovery odds are very high. As a matter of fact, I believe them to be as high as fly fishing. The key is avoiding tearing gills or stomach.

[Whiteriver]

Woodsman's Sport Shop in Norfork sell sculpins/bait. Most people in this are do not fly fish by the way. Bait fishing is the largest generator of income around here too. Most fly fishers do rent a room, but that's about it. Most do not rent guides and boats from the docks which have been in business a long time before Dave Whitlock, John Gulley, Chuck Davidson, Davy Wooton, and the rest of the fly fishers came. I fly fish too, but I don't knock the bait fishers like most fly fishermen do. I understand that the bait fisherman were here a long time before us.

[hoglaw]

For some reason I thought it was illegal to sell sculpins, but I suppose if they're imported through a distributor maybe it's okay? I've always caught my own and I've never needed more than two or three.

[bigredbirdfan]

NOone sells sculpins that I know of.

Most of the people here fly fish for trout, so thats why you have not had any respose.

Some docks on the lake have minnows and I have heard of gold fish being used.

Honestly we have torn up the fish bows, browns , small cuts and a couple brooks on white rooster tails. We fished White from the dam to Cotter two days and did a repeat on Taney como last night.

Without giving up all your secrets. How did you fish the rooster tails on Taney? I've fished them a bunch with very little success. Thx.

[Randall]

Nobody was knocking bait fishermen. I was just pointing out the fact that when you see somebody keep a big fish its generally a bait fisherman. I also pointed out the fact that keeping big fish is looked down on by most fly and many spin fishermen.

Taxidermist did not seem to be knocking anybody either. He accurately pointed out that the people you see post on here are mostly fly and spin fishermen who use artificials.

As far as offering advice on spin fishing with artificials, I don't think either of us were out of line. We both posted productive non-fly methods. As long as a person is within the law and exercises ethical fishing practices, i.e. not releasing fish that are hooked too deeply and will not survive, there is absolutely nothing wrong.

[ozark trout fisher]

Nobody was knocking bait fishermen. I was just pointing out the fact that when you see somebody keep a big fish its generally a bait fisherman. I also pointed out the fact that keeping big fish is looked down on by most fly and many spin fishermen.

Taxidermist did not seem to be knocking anybody either. He accurately pointed out that the people you see post on here are mostly fly and spin fishermen who use artificials.

As far as offering advice on spin fishing with artificials, I don't think either of us were out of line. We both posted productive non-fly methods. As long as a person is within the law and exercises ethical fishing practices, i.e. not releasing fish that are hooked too deeply and will not survive, there is absolutely nothing wrong.

I have luck with scuplins in several ozark streams, although not the White. Rig it through the lips on a tiny hook, stun it a little, cast out and hold on. The smaller ones will catch the average rainbow, bigger, and you'll be targeting trophies. Oh yeah, I almost forgot you'll want to add a split shot a foot above.

Based on my limited experience trout fishing on the White, pink berkely trout worms and earthworms have worked from me when rigged on a long shank hook on a white river drift rig. I have also had good success on Mepp's Spinners, size two is good for the average stocker.

1/16 and 1/24 rooster tails also are killer for stocked rainbows and the occasional brown, although I say this from experience on rivers other than the White.

I know this isn't exactly the advice you were looking for, but its something, and at least its not insulting. There is a certain part of the fly fishing community that will always be bitter towards bait fisherman. I truly believe most fly-fisherman aren't like this, but it is a fact of life that some are. Except for our more vulnerable streams that can't handle bait fisherman (a number in which the White River certainly wouldn't be included), its a very silly argument that will probably never end.

[gotmuddy]

I am resurrecting a old post because I have a few questions about sculpins.

1)what is the proper way to rig them?

2)where is the best place/method for fishing them?

Today is the third time I have tried them out and got zero bites.