Jigfest - The Dirt!

[Phil Lilley]

Duane broke the 20-inch mark today, fishing below the Buffalo on the White River this afternoon.  He caught it on an 1/8th ounce sculpin/ginger jig.

Ham, DD and myself boated about 90 trout, fishing below and above the Buffalo Access.  Jig colors:  white/gray, white, brown, black/olive, ginger/sculpin and olive/ginger and double brown.

[Johnsfolly]

Congrats to all! That's a great looking fish! I'm still at work at 6:30 pm trying to get the work off my desk to be able to get down there tomorrow.

[JestersHK]

Dang!  Nice job DD.  Glad you guys are tearing them up.  

[Phil Lilley]

Today, we started about 8 am at the Norfork Dam.  One unit running at 28 megawatts, the water was cooking but still not deep.  Foggy, one other boat on the water when we arrived, couple more showed up before we left at 10 am.

Boated up as far as allowed a 3 times.  Drifted down to the Trophy Area.  Fished jigs -- mainly 1/8th ounce.  Colors:  Black/olive, sculpin/ginger, white

Caught a nice walleye close to the dam.  Les caught a real nice smallmouth.  We did well almost everywhere, catching about 35 trout.  We had 6-7 cutts, no browns.

The water started to drop at 10 am so we got out of there.  Sent over to the White, put in at Rim Shoals.

We boated up way past the 62 bridge.  Bull Shoals Dam had starting running water at 8 am and ran it till 10 am.  It hit that area about the time we got there so there was plenty of water to boat up river.  But it was messy... lots of moss, leaves and grass.  We tried to get above it and think we did.  But fishing was tough.

Short report - we drifted all the way down to Rim, fishing the sides and middle.  Duane flat tore them up.  Don't know how many he caught.  Me and Les played net man and photographer.  Nothing of any size expect another exceptional brown.  Best color jig - sculpin/ginger.

[Phil Lilley]

Now to make you really jealous....

[Daryk Campbell Sr]

Very nice! 

[LittleRedFisherman]

Great day on the water fishing with Richard Cross today.  Caught over 100 together on the jig!  Made a move round 11 to find some clean water again and it was a great move.   Even got some good brown action on the jerkbait late in the day!  Caught two 20 inchers and a 19!   Great time at jig fest!!

[Phil Lilley]

Last morning for us.  Duane and I drove over to the Norfork Tailwater just to see that they weren't running water like they said they would.  We couldn't navigate any water there in DD's boat so we turned around and drove back to the Buffalo/White access and put in there. 

Overcast but little wind, it did started misting a little while we fished.  Boated up to the first shoal and started there.  Use an 1/8th ounce jig in the fast, deeper spots and a 3/32nd ounce jig in the slower water.  Sculpin/ginger was the best.  Caught rainbows between 10 and 12 inches all the way to the ramp and beyond.  It's crazy how many trout are in there but nothing of any size.  DD did get one rainbow about 18 inches and we did see what we thought was a nice brown in the wood along the bank.  Rainbows were really pretty though.

Went on down below the lower shoat past Riley's.  Caught this brown in the skinny fast water above their dock.  Caught larger trout in that faster water at Riley's and down to where the water gets too shallow to boat.

[Phil Lilley]

  

[Mitch f]

Looks like fun!