BDS Report _ March 31

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Steve

BEAVER DAM STORE REPORT

MARCH 30, 2007

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G'day y'all from the Beaver Dam Store crew!

ANOTHER week when too much fly fishing is barely enough. Trout in the tailwater, fly fishing students to educate, white bass and walleye in the tailwater, whites/ hybrids and stripers in our end of the lake and mayflies coming off just over the border. The Upper White is firing and then what happens, the generators shut down at Bull Shoals and the caddis go nuts. Its enough to send any fair dinkum trout bum crazy with choice. What the Aussie describes as "blue-assed fly" syndrome _ buzzing from place to place searching for the best fishing, without taking the time to fish one place properly

So our advice, just pick somewhere, fish it and have fun

In this week's report, we show off some cool new Simms stuff, rate the Ultimate Tailwater rod and talk some more about our mayfly guide trips, oh and of course the fishing report (pretty extensive this week). And don't forget about the Faith Howie Benefit Tournament on April 21.

NEW SIMMS STUFF

WE LOVE EVERY SHIPMENT FROM SIMMS. Here's a quick look over some of the new goodies just off the truck:

3XDRY RIVERTEK SHIRT: A cool functional and very good looking fishing shirt. 60/40 cotton/poly blend so its easy to take care of on fishing trips. The feel great and the 3X Dry finish sheds water on exterior and wicks moisture from interior. This means no more spill issues, and sweaty armpit circles. $59.95.

G3 GUIDE BOOT: The boot for anyone wanting more comfort, ankle support and protection. New in the Simms boot lineup and built for the ugly wading of the Pacific North-West. Fully neoprene lined - warmer and comfier for Arkansas tailwaters - and a huge gussetted tongue for easy on and off. Currently on a size 12 in stock but we are taking orders. Ask Bryce for more details on his boots. His first comment is "warm"

$179.95.

SOLAR SOMBRERO: Cool, light and very sunprotective. This is a great hat for the Arkansas climate. UPF 50, its Teflon treated so it will stay looking good despite applications of sweat, sunscreen, fish slime and floatant. Chin and crown straps so it will stay on your hear on the windy days. $29.95

DRY CREEK WADER BAG: This is a very smart design. Two halves hold wet and dry gear seperately. Tough 420 denier double-coated polyurethane nylon construction. Full length Delrin weather tight (not submersible zippers). Removable Automat (use it as a changing mat or throw across your car seat to give protection for wet waders. Internal zippered security pocket. Sweet _ $129.95

THE ULTIMATE TAILWATER FLYROD??

YOU have probably heard us say before rod choice is a very personal matter. But we have just taken delivery of what could be the ultimate Ozark low-water trout rod. Before we tell you what it is, lets look at some of the criteria we thought about before posing this question.

Castability: Ok this term might not be in the Webster but we want something we can use from dawn to dusk without losing our edge _ swinging a broomstick all day hurts, and so does trying to punch a noodle into the wind. So for us means light, easy to cast, smooth yet powerful enough for the types of fishing we do most of the time.

Line control: Casting is one thing but what catches more fish is better line control whether you are mending for dead drifts or swinging soft hackles or stripping buggers. This really is a trade-off between length and weight, stiffness and power. More rod length gives you more weight, shorter rod means generally shorter drifts. Life is always a compromise _ you can't get it all, or can you.

Fishability: We could have included line control here but what we are talking about is styles of fishing we do here on the tailwaters, from midging, indicator nymphing, terrestrials, buggers and soft hackles

Sex Appeal: Yeh we knew you would read this one. What we are talking about is cost factor and cool factor, plus the way it looks. Some like carrying high dollar rods, others like the cachet of doing the job with a cheaper model - personal choice once again.

So against all of these criteria how does this rod _ the 9'6" 4wt Z Axis stack up? We think pretty Dam well.

In terms of Castability this really shines. The whole Z-Axis series are incredibly light, which really shows up in the longer rods which generally can be more work. Very approachable action which means a lot of different casters can acess all the good stuff in this rod. It throws very well across normal fishing ranges, from tippy short casts for sight fishing pocket water and shoals, and very easily into the 30' to 50' range most of us fish at. It will definately handle some wind, but ultimately strong winds will means putting any 4wt away.

The extra length might only be 6" over a standard 9' but on the water than means a lot in Line Control. Lift more line for both mends and dead drift hook sets, and really nice for high-sticking pockets at places like Rim, Wild Cat and State Park.

Most of us in the Ozarks fish small beaded flies under small indicators, toss small woolly buggers, throw soft hackles and some occassional dry fly fishing with terrestrials or midges. We want delicacy for spooky low water fish, yet enough power to also reach through some wind and push indicators and long leaders. This rod handles those sorts of issues with a minimum of fuss _ meaning you get to fish more. The soft tip is great for protecting 6x in those fast strike situations and some of those hard hits on soft hackles. We wouldn't favor this rod on high water or with big streamers 6 and up, where your better off heading for a 6. But overall the Fishability is excellent in low water.

Nine-foot rods are the standard flyrod for good reason, they are a good allround compromise. But there is something very Sexy about standing out from the crowd and the extra 6' does that, without making you look like a very lost Spey caster. Plus this rod looks sweet in its olive tones, understated and very cool. On the other hand we understand that the price tag on this rod, $650, is a chunk for most budgets.

If your like us high end rods require a commitment, you have to want them bad enough to scrimp and save in other areas, thankfully if your priorities are on other things like family, mortgages etc then we have a whole bunch of other rods at cheaper prices to do the job. But this rod will get a lot of low water useage, it would become your everyday fishing tool and of course there is Sage's great warranty _ you have this rod for life.

Bryce: "It will do the job of a 5wt, with the lightness of a 3wt. It will punch through some wind, and its a whole lot less work to fish.''

Steve "This rod will cover 90% of your fishing needs and do it better than most in most areas. I really like this one.''

So this just might be our ultimate low water Ozark rod. If you want to find out for yourself come in and take it for a test drive _ its free, and you'll get some casting tips, even if you don't buy the rod. Plus it's fun

ROARING RIVER MAYFLY MAGIC

IF you are the type who dreams of mayflies and small streams, like you read about in the magazines, then you really need to check out Roaring River for the next few weeks. We are now offering Ephemeralla Introduction Guide Trips over the border, the perfection preparation for a trip of a lifetime out West. This really does set you up for coping with layering hatches, checking out mayfly bugs, how to spot them, where to look and what to look for.

We will also cover dry fly leaders, casting, line control and we have a few tricks up our sleeves you might not have seen before. The good thing is with Spring Break over this weekend, the midweek crowds should be light and we can stick some fish without it being shoulder to shoulder along the bank.

Bryce and Steve have been having a blast working over these fish _ and its not just the dinks eating the surface patterns we have been hitting 17" and 18" fish _ both browns and 'bows, and we think it won't be too long before the 20" barrier is broken. It could be you.

What do you need? Rod selection is up to you, for the lower part of the water, a 9' is handy for longer casts in anything from a 3wt to 5wt. Spring can be windy so check the forecast. We also have a selection of real dry fly action rods, from TFO and Sage you can use, both short and long. Bring you waders, felt soled boots and a light layer of fleece. We may be walking the bank in sandals and shorts or jeans in the morning, then wading after lunch. Bring a jacket and your polarised sunglasses.

EVENTS

APRIL 9: Steve will be speaking about fly fishing Beaver Tailwater at the Fort Smith Fly Fisher's Club monthly meeting in Fort Smith. 6.30pm. Creekmore Park Community Building.

APRIL 12: Tulsa Fly Fisher's Monthly meeting. Steve will be speaking on Beaver Tailwater at 7pm, Martin East Regional Library, 2601 S. Garnet . More details on the club click here

APRIL 21: Faith Howie Benefit Tournament, Beaver Tailwater. 8am-3pm

MAY 4-5: Smallmouth Rendezvous in Tahlequah, Oklahoma. A really fun event, lots of tying and lots of casting, plus you can go play in the Illinois river for smallies and more. More details click here.

FISHING REPORT

BEAVER TAILWATER: SPRING has sprung and the most frustrating little midge of the year is back. This teeny-weeny size 60 midge is starting to emerge big time and can drive you nuts. But hey "Man Up" as out Texan regulars say, or "show some ticker" as the Aussie's say, and you can still stick some nice fish. Just be thankful you aren't fishing bait _ flies are actually out performing bait big time.

This midge, which has hints of cream and green (or at leats we think so without having an electron microscope) emerged in blankets last spring through these foggy April and May mornings. Its tiny but we actually examined the contents of trout stomachs last year and it was a midge soup. No wonder it will bring all the trout up in the water column. Our best shot during the peak of the hatch last year was on Steve's Cooee Soft Hackle, in green/yellow and red/yellow. Already it has been performing well during guide trips over the past week _ and as soon as we can strap him down to the tying desk we will fill the bins. Its going to be good.

As we mentioned last week, there is a remarkable ebb and flow during the day, persistance definately pays off. Peak times seem to be 8-11 and then 4- to dusk. But we have his fish a cast bursts during the middle of the day too. As the action slows try different tactics. Some days a drifted woolly bugger will be best, other they want them stripped.

Olive and greenish or chartruese midges are doing very well in the overcast periods, go with Cadion Midges in Green and Red, Green/Yellow Hotwire Princes, Psycho Princes in caddis Green, Olive scuds, WD40s etc. Under full sun go with something with a little more sparkle like a Cadion Midge in blue dun, Tungsten Rainbow Warriors, Razorback Midges or Charlotte's Redneck.

BEAVER LAKE: White bass, hybrids and stripers have all been picked up in the top end of the Lake over the past week. Things slowed as this latest front came in, with very few bustups on the surface observed but Steve has been picking up several fish every night after work. The best fly has been a size 6 Chartruese or Tutti Frutti Clouser or Jiggy. Short fast strips have been working best. The bait along the shore is small (surprise size 6).

The only hassle has been the high water level makes casting tricky as you can burn some flies in the trees, and the sunken bushes along the shore. Steve's been using a RIo Outbound shooting head in a 6 which has been handy in getting distance with a limited backcast. Ask him about this remarkable line and we can order them. Rio have just released a version with a super heavy T-14 head that would be great for striper fishing from a boat.

If you have access to a boat, kayak or pontoon get out on the lake and drift (just give shore-based anglers enough room). The bust-ups and heat of the action should come soon. Its very pretty out there at dawn or dusk and man those fish pull!

ROARING RIVER: Its Hatch time, and its fun. The major mayfly hatches start mid morning currently, but if you are there early run a Pheasant Tail, Flashback or standard, or Hares Ear 16-18 underneath a Royal Wulff, Stimulator or Humpy (something bouyant) and the takes will be fast. You can try looking for spinner sippers in the slack water and eddies too, try the Red Spinner right now. These can be some big fish so watch how hard you lift on the take.

Once the hatch is underway, switch over to emergers and then dries. Rainy's Olive Cripple, Lawson's Cripple Dun and Mercer's Epoxy Cripple all are great patterns. Fish standard Parachute Sulphurs, Spunduns and Comparaduns in the heat of the hatch. For those tricky flatwater trout save up the Lawson's No Hackle _ they last maybe a couple of fish but can pick off the smartest toughest fish. Don't forget your floatant and Frog's Fanny/dessicant..

Tight Lines from the Beaver Dam Store staff,

Lisa, Steve, and Bryce.

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