White River Fishin Do's/donts

[Redhorse]

Going to start fishing the White from a jet boat this year. I have experience on most MO rivers and have been on Taneycomo and the White with a guide. Any advice on how to fish and basic boating skills on the White would be appreciated. I have read a lot of the posts and articles and was just interested in the basics to get started, like best places to put in and basic equipment, must haves for fishing the White from a boat.

[John Berry]

I wrote this article several years ago.

FISHING FROM A RIVERBOAT

BY JOHN BERRY

Fishing from a riverboat is one of the most effective ways to catch trout and it may be the only game in town on high water. I am constantly amazed at just how easy it is to catch fish this way. The basic concept is to cast your fly out from the boat and let it drift with the boat when a fish hits you set the hook. You can either motor upstream or drift back down to where you started or you drift downstream from point a to point b (this requires that someone shuttle your car and trailer from point a to point .

The problem with the concept is that someone has to steer the boat. The river is a very dangerous place and someone has to be constantly monitoring where you are and where you are going. For this reason I really enjoy fishing with my cousin Quinn. He has his own boat and lets me sit in the front and fish without having to run the boat. For me it’s like a busman’s holiday.

When the water is low you rig up just like you would if you were wading. I generally fish a nymph, a dry or a nymph on a dropper below a dry. It is important that you cast the fly at least 30 feet from the boat. As you drift down stream you can see fish scattering away from the boat if you fish too close to the boat you will not catch as many fish. On the other hand you should not be casting 70 feet. You would be working too hard. Why not just drift the boat closer. At this water level you would essentially fish the main channel. I generally concentrate on shoals and deep runs.

When there is low generation (one to two generators) I use the same rigging as I do for low water. I find the fish in different places. The trout have generally moved to side channels. When you locate fish drift over them repeatedly. At this water level navigation will be easier. My favorite flies for this situation are San Juan Worms on heavy wire hooks.

For heavy water the trout are located in weed beds, over submerged islands or close to the bank. I fish large streamers and San Juan Worms tied on 1/32-ounce crappie jigs. In addition to being weed less these things sink like rock. They are so heavy that I have to use huge strike indicators. Note: if you hit yourself in the back of the head with one of these you are going down. With this much water you are not going to have much top water action. Another technique is to troll a large streamer on a full sinking line behind the boat.

One other thing to think about is having more than one person casting from a twenty-foot boat. If you are not careful you will spend your time untangling lines instead of fishing.

My favorite area is Rim Shoals. It has a good ramp and all the necessary amenities.

Good luck!

[bluebasser86]

Would you be able to fish the White from a larger aluminum river jon boat? It's a 16' Lowe Roughneck and I have an outboard with a shorter shaft on it and had no problem with it on Taneycomo all the way up into the trophy area below the dam. We are planning on fishing the area around Cotter and planning on getting a guide for the first day to help show us around and hopefully help us find some fish.

[Greasy B]

One thing most great fishing destinations have in common is that they can be dangerous. White River is a prime example. A great deal of respect is required. Get used to looking at the Bull Shoals generation chart. Pay special attention to the volume of water measured in cubic feet per inch or cfs. Cfs is a much better way to judge river conditions than elevation. The depending on the current level and the stream channel the volume of water can double or triple without raising the elevation much at all. I typically look at the chart before I get on the water then check it again at the end of the day. After a while you get a feel for what to expect and how to deal with it. Just today the volume varied from 50 cfs to 18890. 50 cfs is what trickles out if the dam’s idle generators. In some areas it’s enough water to float a kayak or canoe but little more. 18890 cfs is big water. Sometimes river goes from zero generation to the big stuff very quickly, it will scare the crap out of you the first few times you see that happen. Where you go and what you do on any given level can change from hour to hour, that what makes the river so darn interesting.

See the link below for the generation chart.

My link

[gotmuddy]

Always, Always, ALWAYS be aware of what is sitting downstream of you. When fishing low water your boat will sometimes drift so slowly that rocks will sneak up on you. Be aware that even with a jet there are places you cannot go with no generation. I really like buffalo city and norfork for low water fishing. The ramps upstream from cotter seem to be way too flat for my tastes.

When the water is low I really like using countdowns and other jerkbaits. If I am not using them then I use zigjigs religously.

*edit*

If you fish norfork river while generating be VERY careful because it moves far faster than the white.

And if you use a drift anchor keep a knife handy at all times. I nearly sunk a boat with a drift anchor and now I just use a trolling motor to slow down my drift.

[Ham]

1) NEVER anchor in current.

2) Make sure you know how long it takes to get the motor started IF you are going to turn it off at all.

3) Be considerate with your wake and mindful of other boats even if they wipe their feet on you all day long.

4) Consider other boats drift BEFORE starting your own drift. ie don't run up 100 feet below another boat that is drifting and start drifting yourself.

5) Always consider obstructions down current from you carefully. Currents and wind can and will really screw you if you let them. Also watch for current disturbances that hint at objects just below the surface.

6) don't tie up a ramp when launching or loading OR WHEN ENTERTAINING GUIDE TRIPS.

7) wear your kill switch and a PFD when underway if not all day.

John Berry has written multiple columns about boat control and proper boater behavior. Read them twice. Great stuff.

[gotmuddy]

1) NEVER anchor in current.

2) Make sure you know how long it takes to get the motor started IF you are going to turn it off at all.

3) Be considerate with your wake and mindful of other boats even if they wipe their feet on you all day long.

4) Consider other boats drift BEFORE starting your own drift. ie don't run up 100 feet below another boat that is drifting and start drifting yourself.

5) Always consider obstructions down current from you carefully. Currents and wind can and will really screw you if you let them. Also watch for current disturbances that hint at objects just below the surface.

6) don't tie up a ramp when launching or loading OR WHEN ENTERTAINING GUIDE TRIPS.

7) wear your kill switch and a PFD when underway if not all day.

John Berry has written multiple columns about boat control and proper boater behavior. Read them twice. Great stuff.

all these are great but 3 is the biggest one. It pisses me off when people do this and they do it all the time, guides are the worst. I had never seen anything like it until I started fishing the white/norfork.

[Redhorse]

Thanks for the helpful tips, do you just avoid other boats that are drifting down river. Gotmuddy, I am RutStrut on the Tinboat.net forum, we had corresponded the other day. Thanks for the advice on spider bases, I contacted Deans and he seems to have what I need. Where do you get or find out how to make a drift anchor? Is it possible to fish and drift the White by yourself or does it require 2 people, one to steer and the other fish?

[Ham]

Thanks for the helpful tips, do you just avoid other boats that are drifting down river. Gotmuddy, I am RutStrut on the Tinboat.net forum, we had corresponded the other day. Thanks for the advice on spider bases, I contacted Deans and he seems to have what I need. Where do you get or find out how to make a drift anchor? Is it possible to fish and drift the White by yourself or does it require 2 people, one to steer and the other fish?

I'm not GM, but

I use a section of chain tied to a rope that it loop to loop connected to a bicycle inner tube. I have a 18 inch section of noodle that I split open over 1/2 of the innertube length. I have a heavy duty spring clip to attach to my bow eye.

The inner tube acts as a shock absorber WHEN the drag chain gets hung. Which it will do from time to time. The noodle keeps the rope up if it somehow comes off the bowtie. Which has hapened one time when I let a buddy attach it for me.

Make sure the rope is short enough that the the chain can't reach for prop or intake.

I leave the chain out all day until I make the run to put it on the trailer. No muss no fuss.

I often fish the White with a drag chain out ALL day solo on the White. I feel like it can be done in a safe and effective manner. no problems yet and the boat doesn't spin all the way down the river. The boat stays at almost the same speed as the river.

I CAN NOT safely or effectively fish the Norfork alone. It seems like the generation on the Norfork has been an all or none deal the last few months. I'd love to fish the Norfork from my boat on about 1000 cfs, but it always seems to be 6000 cfs.

The Norfork on 6000 CFS is a dangerous river to try to fish by yourself. Drag chains are illegal on the Norfork and it is a much tighter deal.

Your mileage my vary.

[bluebasser86]

Good stuff guys, thanks for the insight. I fish quite a bit of moving water in my area (including the Mighty MO) and I understand how dangerous moving water can be and how fast you can get in a bad spot. The sudden dropping of the water is my biggest concern I guess. It should like it would really be possible to be left high and dry if you're not careful. Sounds like we might just have to bring the boat and only plan on using it when they are generating plenty of water and stick to deeper areas to reduce the chance of getting stuck somewhere.