Norfork Dam access 1/29

[netboy]

Norfork was scheduled to be at minimum flow all day today so I made a trip over there around 10am after it warmed up a bit. I assumed the Ackerman parking lot would probably be full, so I went to the Dam access. There were only 3 other guys there so plenty of room. Fishing was good and I ended up with a couple dozen, all rainbows except for this PB brook trout. He was 13" which is pretty big for a brookie. I don't think I have ever caught one over 10".  The P&P midge was the best fly today but I did catch a few on top on a BWO. Also had an AGFC biologist come by for a visit in his canoe. He was taking a survey of fishing results. 

The colors didn't show up very well on the brookie. Too much direct sunlight I guess.   

[Quillback]

Nice brook trout, one of the few pics I have seen of one from the tail water that wasn't a 9 inch skinny dude.

[netboy]

11 minutes ago, Quillback said:

Nice brook trout, one of the few pics I have seen of one from the tail water that wasn't a 9 inch skinny dude.

Yes, it's nice to see a few of them survive the brown trout feeding frenzy when they stock the little guys. 

[Ham]

I often call the Brook Trout Pretty, but expensive Brown Trout food. I love the little guys. 

[netboy]

1 hour ago, Ham said:

I often call the Brook Trout Pretty, but expensive Brown Trout food. I love the little guys. 

I was at the Norfork Dam a couple years ago when they dumped a load of them at the boat ramp. They were all 5-6" and within a few minutes there were 3 or 4 big browns chasing them and gobbling up as many as they could. I talked to the truck driver and he said they come from the Greers Ferry hatchery on the Little Red. 

[snagged in outlet 3]

3 hours ago, netboy said:

I was at the Norfork Dam a couple years ago when they dumped a load of them at the boat ramp. They were all 5-6" and within a few minutes there were 3 or 4 big browns chasing them and gobbling up as many as they could. I talked to the truck driver and he said they come from the Greers Ferry hatchery on the Little Red. 

I saw that happen at Rim Shoals on eyear with rainbows.  It's like big browns just materialized out of nowhere.  Gary said it happened all the time.

[Devan S.]

5 hours ago, snagged in outlet 3 said:

I saw that happen at Rim Shoals on eyear with rainbows.  It's like big browns just materialized out of nowhere.  Gary said it happened all the time.

<Pulls out rainbow Huddleston's>......when is the next stocking?

[snagged in outlet 3]

Cnr at rim.  Some people know or word travels faster than stocking trucks😂.  

Ive seen it multiple times at norfork dam.  Cooler and lawn chair crowd.  😀

[Devan S.]

I've seen them stock a couple times at Beaver....usually 10am on a Friday. Everyone is setup before they arrive so I would assume some sort of schedule. I've never seen the browns get after them right then and there would be cool to see.

[netboy]

15 hours ago, Devan S. said:

I've seen them stock a couple times at Beaver....usually 10am on a Friday. Everyone is setup before they arrive so I would assume some sort of schedule. I've never seen the browns get after them right then and there would be cool to see.

I don't think there is a published schedule here on the Bull Shoals tailwater since there are so many stocking points. Sometimes they dump them at the ramps and then sometimes they load them into the stocking raft and distribute them downstream.