Fishing Report - Feb 15, 2010

[Zack Hoyt]

Bull Shoals is running around the clock with 7 units currently. Lake level is 656.31 as of 2/15/'10. Drift fishing nymphs for numbers of fish or streamer fishing for fewer but larger are the two more popular techniques. For high water nymph rigs, use split shot and larger indicators and keep adjusting your indicator to maintain the proper depth that will garner strikes. Use San Juan Worms, scuds, Copper Johns and egg patterns. Grass beds, channels, drop offs and in stream rocks or logs are areas to look for. Streamer fishing with integrated shooting taper sinking lines with 3-4 foot 0x-2x leaders and large flies are producing large fish in the 18-24inch range and larger. Try dead drifting shad patterns with a twitching action near the dam or pound the banks with sculpin patterns further down river, looking for rock and log cover to target casts. Fly patterns for streamer fishing should include; Butt Monkey's, Sex Dungeon's, Circus Peanuts, Zoo Cougars, Fat Head Minnows, Arkansas Bead Head, Davy's Shad, white zonkers and woolly buggers.