February trip report. White, Norfork, Spring & 11 pt.

[netboy]

Just returned from a month long trip to our place in north Arkansas. Fishing was good with lots of nice size trout brought to hand. Fished the White, Norfork, Spring and Eleven Point rivers. The White and Norfork rivers were the hot spots this trip. It's been a dry winter so the lakes are really low and very little generation at the dams which results in lower water levels and some great wading opportunities.

Toward the end of the trip there were some decent caddis hatches and elk hair caddis and green butt soft hackles worked well. Also had good luck with zebra midges in black or ruby fished behind a bright egg pattern attractor. About half on the egg and half on the midges. 

A few pictures....

1. White river rainbow

2.Norfork cutty

3.Spring river brown

4. Pretty colored White river rainbow

5. Another White river bow

 

[Phil Lilley]

World class fisheries... we're so blessed!

[snagged in outlet 3]

A month!!!  Sweet.  I hope to get to do that one day.

[netboy]

2 hours ago, snagged in outlet 3 said:

A month!!!  Sweet.  I hope to get to do that one day.

Yep, retirement is great!

We share our time between North Padre Island (Corpus Christi area) and Cherokee Village (Hardy/Mammoth Spring area).

 

[snagged in outlet 3]

I'm trying to get to that point

[trythisonemv]

The life sir, the life.

[netboy]

9 hours ago, Phil Lilley said:

World class fisheries... we're so blessed!

Absolutely Phil.

We have traveled to Colorado, New Mexico and Utah and I would say Arkansas and Missouri have better public fisheries. That said, if you want to pay big bucks for fishing "private water" in Colorado, then that's really great. I have a friend up there that took me on of those trips and it was great. Not really much better than the C&R areas on the White/Norfork but much better than the public areas up there.

[joeD]

Plus, one can't go catch smallies within a short drive of trout waters in Colorado or New Mexico, like we can here.

Setting is important for trout fly fishermen, I know.

"Nobody puts (the Ozarks) in a corner!"

 

[Terrierman]

There is that mountain weather and scenery.....