Fishing Report 3/14/12

[Bill Anderson]

I spent a few hours at the lowest public access below the dam on park property Wednesday morning and caught and relesed 5 rainbows, and broke off a couple more because of my lousy tippet to hook knots. None were over about 13 to14 inches but they were hard fighters and very healthy fish. I took them on a #12 olive green cone head wooly bugger fished with short strips. The bugger has become my go-to fly on the White River over the years, and I catch something on it almost every time I fish it on the White. The water was 51 degrees, clear, and there was no generation at the time. Fishing conditions were just beautiful, but the wind picked up quite a bit around 10:30 a.m., and casting was a bit more difficult after that. I love fishing during the week because you almost have the entire river to yourself. It's only an hour's drive from my home here in Monett, Mo., and the White has been my favorite river for the past 40+ years. I had six family kayakers pass me, and they were the only people within chatting distance for the entire morning. That spot on the river is a deep, narrow channel, with a steep gradient on the access side and a long gravel beach on the opposite side of the river. My bum knee gave me quite a bit of trouble climbing up and down the bank to the car, and next trip I think I will use the next access above that has a bit easier accessibility to the water. It also has a restroom facility, a welcome oasis for us older geezers. I can't add any info about any other species that trout, because I have never caught anything but rainbows up near the dam.