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Additional White River Area Information
Davy Wotton's Web Site | White River Home Page | White River Lodging Directory
Davy Wotton's
White River & North Fork River Fly Fishing Report
Updated about once per month, or as conditions change.
Current Report: March, 2007
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Hello Fly Fishers!
At last we are seeing some reduction for the White at least with lower generation flows,
which have been consistently high this past month.
The lakes are at pool level now, and provided we do not see heavy rain falls all looks
good.
The Norfork river most days is still running high water, but there have been some shut
down periods. So you need to keep here on track with river reports for the best options
for wade fishing.
So far as drift fishing, with the current water flows you can more or less move around on
the entire White river.
This past month Shad were still present at Bull shoals dam, and no doubt there were days
the fishing was slow, for the reason that they were stuffed with shad. Very much up and
down, some days low catch rates others in the 30 to 50 number range. Not to mention the
traffic from boats and angler pressure that has wised up the resident fish there.
Given we have lower water flows and the temperatures are rising shad may be present now
and again, but do expect that to slow down, that is not to say that fishing shad fly
imitations is a waste if time. Often as not the fish will still be looking for that food
base, but accept that they have also seen a great many flies thrown at them, and they are
not so easily fooled.
Spring is one of the fun times here on the rivers. The dormant food sources are now moving
around, and the fish are looking for those food sources, crawdads, scuds, sowbugs, and we
will see the early emergence of caddis.
This past week l saw at Rim a great caddis hatch and to say the least the fishing was as
good as you could get for a 3 hour period during that hatch.
Caddis emergence will be at this time up and down and will be some what localized through
the system, just a question of being in the right zone at the right time, but that will
become a little more general through the system in the next few weeks if the climatic
conditions remain stable.
Bear in mind that the fish will be looking for the caddis larva during the day, it is the
hatch that will cause the fish to feed in the surface on the ascending pupa and the
emerged adults.
Best options for fishing the White at this time, certainly when fishing lower flow rates
are to.
Dead drift with flies in the order of GRHE, Ryac larva, soft hackles. Yes, soft hackles
can be deadly fished dead drift at depth with added weight to get them down. Soft hackles
that are more in the vain of caddis pupa are the ticket, in particular the green tail.
If the hatch gets going then switch over to fishing more so in the surface with again
caddis pupa, caddis emergers and dries when you see the fish start to take the adults form
the surface.
The early caddis we see here are in the size 12/14 hook size, and as a rule the fish will
not be that fussy. Elk hare caddis with hares ear dubbed and green bodies will do the
business as a rule.
If fishing the slower shallow water zone then the choices of fishing with scuds, sowbugs,
PTN, and soft hackles will be a good bet most of the time.
Should you be able to fish BSDam zone when the water is shut down the midge and sowbugs
will be first choice here.
As you move down through the system all the above should be considered along with flies in
the streamer class, olive and tan woolly buggers are good choices as many of those larger
Browns will be looking to pack on weight after the loss during the spawn and slow times of
food abundance.
I have not fished the Norfork myself this past month as the fishing on the White has
overall been as good as you can get. The reliable reports l have had indicate that the
fishing there is very much up and down when there is water running. Some days very tuff
others moderate to good fishing.
Low water there will of course allow better access to fish the shoals and slower zones
that those fish will be found. Here midges, scuds, sowbugs, hares ears, San Juan worms are
top choices.
The Norfork does not see the intensity of caddis emergence that the White does, but there
will be some activity with caddis. In many ways it is a very different river so far as the
fishing is concerned.
Both the lakes and the Buffalo river will start to see some good action. Small mouth and
Crappie will be well worth fishing for. I did a float this past week on the Buffalo river,
and the small mouth fishing was good with many fine fish in the 15 to 17 ins size range.
Need to get the fly right on the deck. The lower sections of the Buffalo still hold good
numbers of trout, and will do so until the water temps rise and push them back into the
White.
Some readers of the report have asked that l post my fly of the month, no problem, so here
it is.
The fly is a caddis emerger soft hackle, but can well be fished dead drift at depth. And
is a fly more so for the White and Spring rivers, in sizes 14/16 for the Norfork.
Hook. 12/14 regular shank.
Body. 1st half--Wapsi stretch tubing, green or FL chartreuse micro size.
2nd half---Nat hares ear dubbing. ribbed gold oval.
Hackle---light tan or ginger hen hackle, or brown partridge.
Horns----A pair of brown mallard or wood duck flank. To extend form the head to past the
hook bend.
You can if you wish tie this fly with a gold or a silver bead head.
OK, guys, that's about all, if there are any further changes l will let you know.
Enjoy the early spring fishing, it can be as good as you can get at times.
Davy Wotton
American International Schools of Fly FishingAbout 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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