John Berry Fishing Report 10/01/2009

[John Berry]

JOHN BERRY FISHING REPORT 10/01/2009

During the past week, we have had cool temperatures, windy conditions and no rain. The lake levels on the White River system have risen a bit. The lake level at Bull Shoals Dam rose two tenths of a foot to rest at five and four tenths of a foot above power pool of 654.00 feet. This is thirty five and six tenths feet below the top of flood pool. Up stream, Table Rock Lake held steady at two feet above power pool or fourteen feet below the top of flood pool. Beaver Lake held steady at six tenths of a foot above power pool or nine feet below the top of flood pool. We have had steady flow of around 5,000 cubic feet per second. This level has been near perfect for floating but not so good for wading. Norfork Lake fell one tenth of a foot to rest at four and seven tenths of a foot above power pool of 552.00 feet or twenty three and three tenths feet below the top of flood pool. There has been little generation on the Norfork with plenty of wading available.

Remember that there is a new size limit on Brown trout. All browns less than twenty four inches must be released immediately no matter where they are caught on the White and Norfork Rivers. Only one brown trout may be kept in the daily limit of five trout.

The fishing in the Catch and Release section below Bull Shoals Dam has been much better this week. With the low level flows, it was difficult to navigate around all the new habitat structures recently installed by the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission and the Corps of Engineers. Midge patterns have been the ticket. The hot flies have been the black zebra midge with silver wire and silver bead, the red zebra midge with silver wire and silver bead and Dan’s turkey tail emerger. Hot pink fluorescent pink San Juan worms and orange egg patterns have also accounted for some nice fish.

Wildcat Shoals has hit or miss. The black zebra midges have been the go to nymph, the hot flies have been the partridge and orange soft hackle and the green butt. Dan’s turkey tail emerger and the olive woolly bugger were also effective. This is a broad shallow shoal that can provide limited wading on low levels of generation. Be very careful, as there is a lot of bedrock in this area, which can be treacherous to wade. Studded boots are highly recommended. It did not fish well on those days when it was severely stained.

The stretch from Wildcat to Cotter has fished well. There has been some good grasshopper action on sunny windy days. Use nine foot 4X leaders and carefully work the banks. Drop the fly on the water with a plop and give the fly a twitch from time to time, to initiate a vicious strike. The best patterns have been Dave’s hoppers and Rainey’s hoppers.Olive woolly buggers and Y2Ks have also been quite effective.

Rim Shoals has been red hot. The go to flies have been Y2Ks and hot fluorescent pink Sa Juan worms. Other flies, specifically black zebra midges with silver wire and silver beads and small pheasant tails accounted for some good fish. The water has been lightly stained and 5X tippet has been the tippet of choice. If you encounter high water, Rim Shoals Trout Dock maintains a water taxi and will ferry you to wadable water for a nominal fee.

Crooked Creek and the Buffalo River have cleared a bit. The cooler temperatures have moderated the water temperature. The hot flies have been Clouser minnows and crawfish patterns.

The Norfork River has fished a bit better this past week. With no wadable water on the White it has been crowded. On low water, small midge patterns have been the ticket. Try black zebra midges, Norfork beadheads in black or olive and Dan’s turkey tail emerger. Soft hackles like the green butt and the partridge and orange have been effective. It should be noted that, the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission is to resurface the parking lot at the ramp at Quarry Park beginning on September 24, and ending on October 9. The ramp will be closed during this process and the area will effectively be closed to fishing. This will leave the Ackerman Access as the only access open on the Norfork River.

There are some spawning rainbows in the Catch and Release section. You should avoid fishing for them to allow them to reproduce naturally. We could use some more wild rainbows. Also avoid walking through the redds (spawning beds). They will appear as light colored depressions in the gravel.

Dry Run Creek has fished well this past week. The hot fly, as always, has been the sowbug. Other hot flies have been worm brown San Juan worms and egg patterns (orange). Be sure and bring a large net and a camera. The habitat improvement project for Dry Run Creek has begun. If you go down there, you will see trucks or cranes operating in the stream. The fish are still there but it is important to avoid the areas under construction. This project will enhance angling opportunities for the handicapped and improve the creeks fish handling capacity.

The Southern Council Conclave is to be held in Mountain Home this week and there will be a lot of out of town anglers fishing our local streams. Remember that the White and Norfork Rivers are infected with didymo, an invasive alga. Be sure and thoroughly clean and dry your waders (especially the felt soles on wading boots) before using them in any other water.

Practice water safety and always check conditions before you leave home.

John Berry is a fly fishing guide in Cotter, Arkansas and has fished our local streams for over twenty five years.

[gabe]

John: Thanks for the great reports! Heading down in 3 weeks and wondered what size beaded Zebra Midges you recommend. Thanks again.

[Zack Hoyt]

Thanks for the report John(not Mr. Berry ). I appreciate the tying lesson as well. Keep fighting the good fight.

[John Berry]

Zach It was nice to put a face with an avatar. I always follow your posts and it was nice to put it all together. Thank you for stopping by! Gabe thank you for your kind words. I generally fish my zebra midges in size 14 and 16 when in the boat and 18 and 20 when wading. Good luck on your upcoming trip.