Hello Fly Fishers!
As of now the fishing overall on the system will be very much up
and down depending on the location you fish, and how previous or existing water flows are.
There is no doubt that on some days, particularly on the Norfork river, the quality of
water is not at all good and in consequence the fishing is not good either. This of course
will also adversely affect water below the confluence way down the river.
To some extent the same has applied to the White river but not as bad, however some days
will see a great deal of colored and trashy water, my suggestion to you is simple: If the
fish are not playing the game then move. It may well clear up after a period if you are
prepared to stick it out.
That's the bad side, now the good side. Bull Shoals dam zone is producing some fantastic
fishing if you know how to figure it out.
Within the past 3 weeks, l have seen at least 50 fish more than 3 lb in weight and many in
the 4 to 5 class with a few Bows in the 6lb range. I have also seen a great many large
fish lost.
I myself have managed to get a few hours fishing in after the day ends with clients and on
one particular late afternoon and evening boated 15 Bows to around 5lb, and 4 Browns the
best being in the 7lb range. Couple of days later took my friends Dave and Emily Whitlock
out for a few hours and in that time they boated 25 fish up to 4.5 lb.
Dr Fred Mcquery landed a trophy male cutthroat in full spawning regalia of around 4.5 lb ,
one of the best l have seen this past year.
No flow or 1 unit of generation will give you good wade access to fish here. Overall the
best options are to fish sow bugs and if any surface activity is evident then midges will
be on the menu, and here again small midge emergers and surface fished flies will work if
you can put the fly in the fishes zone of vision, and that is one the tricks to making it
work. Dead drift no drag and in the fishes line of sight. Long leaders to 6x are mandatory
for these techniques of fishing,
I will often use 15 ft at times, if you use a indicator then make that as small as you can
get away with, otherwise you will often spook fish.
One fly you may wish to tie which is often a great fish catcher when midges are on the
menu is my gray hackle. Size 18 to 22 hook. Body is gray thread or fine dubbing, (Wapsi
Minky) then palmer a slate gray or Andalusian hen hackle, or a very soft rooster from the
eye to the bend. Use thread as the ribbing medium.
For the rest of the White river system, there are plenty of fish through most of the
system way down past Calico. In the high pressure zones there may be many less, overall it
is pretty good right now. Indicator nymph rigs with standards such as scuds hare's ears,
copper johns etc will work most of the time. Stock fish and those that have not been in
the system are not that fussy most of the time if you get the fly down to the fish.
On some days you may well encounter a hatch of small caddis and this should bring some
fish up to the surface. Small elk hair caddis in sizes 18 and 20 will work most of the
time and so too will small hares ear soft hackles if you dead drift them to the known zone
of feeding fish, just watch for the leader to kick and set the hook, stripping a soft
hackle does not imitate a emerging caddis and you may well put the fish down by that
method of fishing in that feeding zone. Some of those fish may well be Browns in the 2 to
3lb class, you never know.
If you are one of those who likes to fish into the dark, then right now there are many
zones that you will have a great midge hatch. Ideally look for the slack slower back water
zones off of fast water seams, here the fish will be found. Certainly this past few weeks
most of that activity has been around the 6 to 7pm time slot. White Hole, Rim Shoals, and
below the confluence are some of the prime areas for this.
Many fly fishers do not realize that the White river has huge midge hatches late evening
and into darkness. Likewise also the dawn period can find many fish surface feeding in
slack water zones on midge. If you have to motor the river at night you will know what l
mean, you will need some specs to keep the midges out of your eyes.
For the Brown trout trophy hunters then of course up grade the size of the fly to get that
fish to show his aggression to ward a lesser form, which they will do at this time of the
year.
Drift fishing and casting into shore lines is a good way to go, like wise if wade fishing
make a downstream and across presentation.
My way of thought is this, fish with big flies. l use some that are in the 4 to 6ins
range. If that fish wants it he will eat it, think about it as a 10inch Bow is nothing to
a big Brown. I will use lines from full floaters to sink tips, intermediate and fast
sinkers. Depth and speed of water determine this.
Big fish will hit a big fly on the surface make no mistake about that, even over deep
water, as a rule l will tend to fish high surface late on with a dry line, during the day
time period l will fish at depth most of the time unless water depth determines other
wise.
Flies that are light weight and easy to cast are what you need. Use the choice of fly line
to fish the depth that you want. Typically wooly buggers are a good bet in black, olive
and white. Many of my Big Boy flies are simple creations fashioned from hackles in the
streamer style with gold or silver bodies. They do not have to be fancy creations believe
me. I will also use tube flies at times as by
this method you are able to have the hook at the tail end of the fly which often gives you
a better chance of a hook up, one lesson l learned many years ago.
For surface fishing big muddlers and deer hair flies are often the works, l mean tied on
size 2 and 4 long shank hooks. No need for 3 wt lines here, go for 7/8 or even 9 wt, you
have to get the fly out there.
For the Norfork river, low water will of course get the fish wary, and here again lean
toward longer leader, good dead line drifts and fine tippet. Mini small indicators or none
at all if you are able to fish that way. No evidence of a hatch or surface feeding fish
then sow bugs, scuds, midge pupa, and red larva are a good bet. Some choose to use egg
patterns also. If fish are surface feeding then midge patterns are the way to go but you
may see some BWO around at this time also, so look for that hatch, and possible small
caddis and cranfly.
Higher water flows mean of course lead and flies such as San Juan worms, red, pink, brown
and others colors, depending on the conditions and light intensity of the day. Small flies
can of course be used at such times, base your fishing on what you know the fish see for
most of the time, even tho at times they will hit some way out concoction, it normally is
not a consistent way to catch fish.
For this month that's about it, as we move into Nov you should find on days when temps
rise well above the colder nights some great fishing, given water conditions are good. The
afternnon periods can be very good indeed at these times.
Tight lines for now, Davy Wotton.
Good fishing for the month and see you on the river,
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.
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