Fishing Report

[Phil Lilley]

<img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-132" title="White Bass below Norfork" src="http://www.ozarkanglers.com.php5-24.dfw1-2.websitetestlink.com/norfork-tailwater/files/2011/12/White-Bass-below-Norfork.jpg" alt="" width="500" height="271" />

Tom and I arrived at the boat ramp at 7:15 am this morning to find water running, fast and hard. It took 1 hour and 45 minutes to make our trip from Branson, about 15 minutes quicker than I thought. The SWA chart said they'd be running water for 2 hours and the chart was right. We hurried and slid the boat in the water and start throwing jigs.

I've only fished this water from a boat once, that was with Gabe Cross many years ago. It was the dead of winter, lots of generation and lots of shad in the water. I didn't have to worry about shallow water of where to go and not to... we had Gabe. This time I was in my jon boat with a brand new 25 hp motor and a slick new shiny prop. It didn't stay shiny very long.

We made a drift down to the top of the first shoal and boated two small rainbows on 3/32 oz sculpin/olive jigs. Not very impressive. On the second drift, I was thinking... need to throw a white jig. Then I saw it... a threadfin shad floating right next to the boat! "Oh my gosh!! Put on a white jig NOW!!" We did--didn't get a bite! Well, my guess it was a fluke we saw a shad in the water, not very many coming through or they just started. Bottom line, the trout weren't interested--in anything much.

We made 3 drifts and on the third float the water started dropping, fast. We made our way up--and promptly got high centered on a rock. Man I thought I was going to have to go in and get my boots wet (no waders in the boat) but we kicked off. And yes I garbled up the edges of the new prop--but I expected that. The water is dark from Norfork turning over and you can't see the bottom.

Fished the eddy across from the ramp for a little while before heading out. I hooked what I thought was going to be a pic-fish. Fought hard--but strange. It fought like a white bass... it was a white bass! Just like Taneycomo... warm water fish up below the dam.

We pulled out and headed down to the mouth of the North Fork. The wind had really picked up but we put in to tool around. The water on the White and North Fork were both rolling. We boated up past the rail road bridge on the North Fork and start working our jigs. Tom caught 2 small rainbows before the wind got the best of us. We picked up and headed to Blue Ribbon Fly Shop and the Anglers Cafe for lunch.