Fishing Report For Spring River Ar, 3/9/13

[Idylwilde]

I started fishing at the Mammoth Spring Campground around 8:30 A.M. The river was flowing at full bank and very off color. The water was a lite Tan and visibility at about 1 foot. This made wading a thrill because you could not see the large rocks that cover the bottom. I fished the first Edie at the falls and caught 4 rainbows on a orange/Char Y2K. Then after having to go to the bank to find a way up to the big hole above the falls and about 15 min trying to not break my neck and downed I got to the big boulders above the falls.

I fished the Y2K with no strikes. The fish were deep in the holes and the flow to fast to be able to get down fast enough to get the fly in view of them. I changed to a 1/64 oz Flow Orange /Char Trout Magnet with a split shot about 16" above and a float set at 6'. This was just the thing and I caught 5 Rainbows in a 9 cast. The roll cast with this set up was just about all a 5W rod could do but with a tinny bit of slop it was working. I mover down to the shallower water just above the fall's and I hooked up with 3 Smallmouth and one 18" Rainbow. It was looking like another great day.

At about 10:00 A.M. the wind started and in 20 min it became apparent that that section of the river was going to be almost imposable to fish. 35 to 40 mph wind coming straight up the river and fishing the type of set up is just to much work for me.And it was like someone threw a switch and turned the fish off also. So I moved up to just below the dam, I had not fished this section and a few years. This area was out of the wind but just a little to shallow and not many resting areas for the fish to hold in the swift water. I was able to hook up with a small rainbow one perch and a grass pickerel. Desperate to find water without the wind I mover down river to the Bayou Access. This was the best water I had seen all day. Nice gravel bottom and water flow fast but just right for Czech Rigging. I went to an anchor fly of a #10 stone-fly nymph and up about 18" tagged lined a #16 orange sowbug. I wadded out into about waste deep and started letting the rig tumble down the gravel below me. I was very pleased at the out come. In the next 2 hours I was able to loose 8 flies about 20" of tippet and land 9 rainbows and two smallmouth. All the smallmouth were hooked on the #10 Stone-Fly, And all the rainbows on the Sowbug. The stone-Fly was the only anchor fly i had that was heavy enough for this flow of water I would rather has a heavy #12 weighted scud, but it worked!

At 4:30 it was time for me to go north but not before a stop at Fred's Fish House for catfish supper. If you have never been there your missing out on a special meal.

For better fishing the river needs to settle in a bit more. I did see one young man fishing orange power bait just above the falls at Mammoth Spring campground and it appeared he was catching fish. ( He had two stringers with 5 rainbows on each and still fishing! That seemed strange to me LOL. But I was in a strange area and didn't know if I should say anything. I would have hated to fight a young man on slick rocks over a few trout. LOL And his (I guessed father was setting on the bank with his stringer of 5 trout waiting on him. Two against on in swift Rockie water is not what I wanted.

NOTE: I did see 5 other anglers at the bend just below the Bayou Access catching fish.

[jdmidwest]

You could have told him about the Conservation Agent watching up on the hill or tell them you passed one in the bushes downstream that checked your license, that usually breaks them up and gets them off the river. But they will just move to another spot or change clothes. Ark. has a toll free number to report stuff like that, a license number of a vehicle and description of the violater helps.

1-800-482-9262 is the hotline number for Ark. Text 847411 if you have AT&T if you want to go that route.

http://www.agfc.com/enforcement/Pages/EnforcementHotline.aspx