BDS Report _ June 2

[Guest flyfishBDS]

G'day y'all from the Beaver Dam Store crew!

Another weekend is upon us and we have been fishing and playing hard. The Eureka Springs Bluesfest is on and for blues lovers this a great time to visit our area. Shake off the post party headaches with some time on the water, floating fishing or funning about.

This week check out a very cool new look for our flyshop, a hi-tech fly fishing website, some very cool trout mugs and of course the fly fishing report.

NEW LOOK FOR OUR FLIES

Ok if your not into fly fishing or more particularly fly shops it might not seem that exciting. But we here in the Dam Store fly shop were as giddy as a schoolkid laced with Moonpie and RC Cola this week.

We have worked hard to update, consolidate and reinvigorate the Fly Shop over the past year and our centerpiece, pride and joy and trophy cabinet is now in place. We have in place our first of two beautiful Adams & Sons flybins for both your and our convenience and pleasure.

These beautifully Montana-crafted oak bins will make it a Dam site easier to find new patterns, locate your old favorites. Our first completed bin is already up and loaded with our favorite striped, largemouth, smallmouth , carp, crappie and panfish patterns on one side, woolly buggers, trout streamers, worms and egg patterns on the other.

The second bin, which is really cool, will hold all our small midge, nymph, soft hackle and dry fly patterns in superbly designed shallow individual bins. . No more digging deep, always at the risk of impalement. It should be up and running by next weekend

Stop in and check out the new fly displays, you might be suprised what you can now find.

FLY FISHING BLING

Summer fishing mean going light, and more and more fly fishers are tackling Beaver on 8' to 9' 4wts, 3wts and even 2wts. These longer light rods require a light reel to balance them properly _ and nothing feels nicer than the modern light outfits.

If you truly want the benefits of a large arbor reel in a lightweight frame, and you don't mind having one of the world's coolest looking reels, than the Sage 3000 series click drag models are for you.

The Sage 3100 is a jewel _ any prettier and you'd be hanging it around your neck on a gold chain. This is fly fishing "Bling" _ except that is works just as sweet as it looks for rods in the 00 to 2 weight range. It will hold 80 yards of 12lb backing and a 2WF line. Actual weight is 2 3/4 ounces. $295 and we have silver models in stock

Next up in size is the 3200 reel ($320) designed for 3wt and 4wt rods. At 3 1/8 ounces its no anchor either and a beautifully smooth piece of equipment. Steve lines his up on his SLT 8'9" 3wt for fishing Beaver and the Bull Shoals flats. The rest of us keep trying to relieve him of it.

FLY FISHING INTERVIEWS ONLINE

We were just sitting down to write this bit on Fly Fishing podcasts available online at The Itinerant Angler website when the man behind the show, former NorthWest Arkansas resident Zach Matthews wandered into the store. As well as running the website he is a fly fishing photojournalist, contributing writer for American Angler magazine alongside his real "work" study for his law degree at the University of Nashville.

Zach's actually a fan of Beaver Tailwater, and probably one of the few national flyfishing writers, Dave Whitlock aside, to actually know anything about Arkansas.

The site features a neat bulletin board, articles and photographs (worth peeking through) but the ultra-cool stuff is Zach's use of podcasts to get insides the minds of some fly fishing gurus and innovators. Podcasts are basically a "radio" interview easily and relatively quickly accessible, when you want it through the internet. Even better they are free. But you better have a high speed 'Net connection. Since they download as an MP3 you can slip them onto a CD for the car, load them onto your Ipod or listen at your leisure.

So far the list of interviews includes Temple Fork Outfitter's and good guy head Rick Pope, flyline design guru, casting instructor and one of the duo behind the Sage casting analyzer Bruce Richards, and most interestingly an interview with White River guide and another of our friends John Wilson on Arkansas' big browns.

Check out the site and sit yourself down for a listen.

TROUTY HOMEWARES

Now what else would you want to tackle some serious Dam store Community coffee from, in your favorite armchair as your perusing this weekly tome. A 20-oz stonewear ceramic coffee mug handpainted with your favorite trout design. Well unless its brown trout which won't be available for another month. But you can collect the brook, rainbow and cutthroat trout mugs while you wait. At $12.95 you won't get a better mug to celebrate your love of fly fishing.

You can also add rainbow and brown trout salt shakers and spoon rests, each also $12.95. Ask about ordering other products from our North Creek Cabin range including airtight kitchen canisters, and dinner settings.

FISHING REPORT

Beaver Tailwater: Early morning mist across the Tailwater is punctuated by trout slurping some of the smallest midges of the year. These little bugs are ridiculously small and the trout are eating them both as adults and emergers. You can try some teeny dries like Razor Midges, size 26-20 Cream Midges, or our Adult Midge Light. This is probably some of the most challenging fishing of the year.

Soft hackles can be a better bet, but don’t expect a fish on every cast _ even though you will see more fish up on the surface than at any other time. Cooee Soft Hackle, Red butt, Patridge and Yellow and Partridge and Orange are good bets. The hatch even slows up the subsurface action until the mist burns off.

Bruce’s TDM in green, red and gray/silver are always productive. Or you might try a bright Y2K Bug or a stripped woolly bugger to try and distract one of the midge feeders

Daytime fishing is still productive during the morning hours. Bryce’s TDM, Charlotte’s Redneck Midge, Razorback Midge, Tungsten Rainbow Warriors, Lightning Bug’s and Craven’s blue Poison Tung are all working very well. By lunchtime the action slows a little.

Hot windy days are also bringing out ants and beetles into the trees (and we should be seeing some early hoppers too). Schroeders Parachute Ant is one of our favorites as is Lawson’s Foam Beetle. Fish these downstream on long fine 6x or 7x leaders and on windy afternoons, tight to the windward shore, where trout will be mopping up all the food caught against the shore.

Bull Shoals Tailwater: We have just started running trips below Bull Shoal Dam and we mean right below. The "flats" above the first shoal is fishing superbly with some big big fish in shallow gin clear water. This is some of the most challenging fishing going, and Steve rates it as much fun as the tough wade polaroiding of his native Tasmanian lakes and streams.

Try small black midge patterns, like black beauties and rojo midges fished shallow on long fine leaders under small indicators. Soft hackles, beadless woolies and Woven V-Rib sowbugs are also working well. Don't be afraid to try dries too in this shallows attractors like Stimulators, or smaller imitative midge emergers. Further down on the shoal try sowbugs, worm brown San Juans, zebra midges and other Arkansas standards are pulling some nice fish.

Tight Lines from the Beaver Dam Store staff,

Lisa, Steve, Shirley, Tom, Dennis and Bryce.