As l look out of my office window today I see a bunch of snow and it is very cold, too cold to go fishing unless you are a Eskimo, or you like ice fishing. The worst thing to have to deal with under these conditions is the fact the guides on the rod will freeze up, making casting a serious problem, but it is not all doom and gloom.

In between the forget it days, temps have been around the low to mid 40s and a few above that. Some days have been great for midge hatches and midge fishing on both rivers, and we have caught some good size browns by this technique.

Many days the rainbows have been real slow and you will need to fish with nymph and soft hackles close to the river bed. I do not think the choice of fly matters so much at this time of the year, if they see what looks like a food source and they want it they will take. Same also if you are going to fish streamers and wooly buggers, deep and slow is the way to go.

The opening of the trophy zone at Bull shoals dam produced the usual Amarda of boat traffic and a number of good fish were caught that day. I have seen a number of live shad in this area and down stream, so there is evidence of shad coming through the dam, so far as a mass shad kill is concerned I have not seen or heard of that as yet, we would need a longer period that we have had so far of cold climatic conditions. Even so, if you fish the dam zone then shad imitations may well nail you a good fish or two, jigs are favored by a number of persons who fish this trophy zone.

If you have a low water wading scenario at the dam, first choice will be midge flies, RS2 in gray and black, small soft hackles and midge emergers again in gray, black and pale olive are a good bet. Size 18 to 24. Sow bug and scuds and small generic nymphs like Pheasant tails are also a good way to go.

Through the rest of the river system, low water, wade fishing, again small nymphs of different descriptions, soft hackles, and if you do see any sign of surface activity fish in that zone with small emerger type flies and may be some small dry caddis. If boat fishing, then drift fish with nymphs and jigs, possible egg patterns , which you may rig up as a two fly option with a nymph. Fish streamers using slow sinking and sink tip lines.

As a rule the afternoon period will, if the temperature rises a few degrees, promote some feeding activity. If it remains the same or drops, then the fish may well shut down. Right now every day is a different one. This overall picture is typical for this time of the year.

Tight lines for now,
Davy Wotton

About Davy Wotton
Davy has been making his living as a full time fly fisher in one capacity or another for over 30 years. He has written many articles for all of the fly fishing magazines, created several unique flies and fly tying materials which he developed into a full scale manufacturing operation in his native country of Wales, and is a much-sought speaker around America at fly fishing functions and shows. Over the years Davy has fished in over 40 countries around the world but his choice for base of operation is right here on the White River. Davy operates his American International Schools of Fly Fishing in Flippin, Arkansas.