2/02-2/04....white River Browns - Part Two

[Troutnut69]

After looking at the two other posts recently on the White I had to think twice before posting this report , those guys had some great fish to show for their time and unfortunately I can't say the same. But hey , I pride myself on posting all of my trips whether I'm successful or not. If I didn't ,often times I wouldn't have anything to write about!. It's not the first time I've been outfished by better fishermen and it definitely won't be the last.

Got an invite from Matt Tucker to hit the White River again this past weekend and try my luck at those big browns that eluded me two weeks ago. We had a great group of guys down , fishing out of three driftboats for the weekend. I wish I could say that we turned it around and nailed some big fish this go-round but it just wasn't to be. The first day four of us floated from the dam to Wildcat and everyone threw streamers all day. Ray and I didn't have a bad day , ending up with 7 browns and a handful of bows , but nothing was over 19".

The second day there were seven of us doing the same float and the results weren't any better for the streamer guys but the ones who chose to use a nymph setup hammered the small rainbows pretty good. I chose to stick with chunking streamers and didn't fare nearly as well , with only a couple of small fish to hand for the day. That's the nature of streamer fishing , hero or zero so to say, and this weekend it just didn't come together. As you can imagine , when you get a group of guys together like that , we still had a fantastic time and I'm pretty sure no one left dissappointed with the trip. If anything it just gives me a reason to start planning the next road-trip , that next cast might just be the one!

Full TR on my blog....Jeff

http://highplainsflyfisher.blogspot.com/

[BFTMASTER]

You caught fish, had a good time with friends, enjoyed the great white......I look forward to that no matter what size of catch. Every time I get to fish the white, big fish or not, I learn a little knowledge about the river and that makes future trips that much more productive or at least highly anticipated. Small fish trip or big fish trip, I cannot wait to get back. Great report, like reading even though no "epic" rating.

[Ham]

It is interesting that a Brown has to be > 20 inches to be considered worthy on the White.

[OKFlyFisher44]

It is interesting that a Brown has to be > 20 inches to be considered worthy on the White.

I think that's because when guys go to the White to throw streamers, they anticipate that big bite of a 20" or bigger brown. The White is known for it. We were the same way this past weekend. We were sticking 17-19" fish in my boat but couldn't break the magical 20" mark till Sunday afternoon. Don't get me wrong, I was excited about the 17"-19" browns as well as all the stocker size rainbows and browns we were catching. But we wanted to stick a 20" or bigger brown, that was the goal of us spending both days throwing streamers.

[Greasy B]

Yea the white is known for big browns, now. The new length limit helped a bunch but all we need is a couple of dry years, extended periods of low water and the bait fishing will take it's toll. It's hard to be optimistic about the future of the fishery without meaningful science based regulations.

[Ham]

I'm all about following the science, BUT if you're going to put 1.5 million trout in the system EVERY YEAR, you've got to allow for harvest. Grey Blue herons take their share to be sure, but fishing harvst is needed also. The regulations need to be clear and enforcable. Extended areas of NO BAIT, NO BARBS, AND NO HARVEST would likely help. I'd support that even if it meant creating more river access areas for the lawn chair crowd.

[mic]

I'm all about following the science, BUT if you're going to put 1.5 million trout in the system EVERY YEAR, you've got to allow for harvest. Grey Blue herons take their share to be sure, but fishing harvst is needed also.

Good point, but that isn't 1.5M brown trout. I'm all for put and take of rainbows. I think (for what that's worth) is browns should be managed for trophy fishing via catch and release only. Mix those two, and the tourist money shall follow.

[MattTucker]

Jeff, it was a good trip and glad I finally got to hook up with you and Ray. Only wish we would have hung with the guys from OK a bit one night. Perhaps another trip.

On a different note, few people realize how truly lucky we are to have the tailwaters we have in Missouri and Arkansas. They are unlike any other place in terms of fish size. They used to be better than they are today, if you listen to the old timers such as Dave Whitlock, Fox Statler, or Tom Rogers and a host of others. When I first started going to the White, it was the shear number of fish that surprised me. Then I noticed the average size of those fish and the ability to target the bigger fish. After years of trips to the White, a 20" fish is still a good fish, but depending upon how you are fishing....they can be a little more common than most people think. I have a personal goal to break 30" on one of our tailwaters............where else in the midwest can you go (lake run browns excluded) and know that every cast you have a legitimate shot at a fish that size? There may be a couple of other places, but the list is a short one.

--Matt Tucker