As many of you will be aware of both lake levels are well below pool levels at this time, so flood control measure are not an issue. However, so far as SWP generations for power demand, they are.

Therefore expect to see periods of zero generation and periods of high water, you will need to keep up to date both with predicted schedules and actual generations taking place at the time you choose to fish.

Prior to the Artic conditions moving in, fishing has been very good indeed, particularly for the larger brown trout, be it drift, Streamer fishing, or low water wade fishing techniques.

Bull Shoals Trophy zone opened Monday, all be it l doubt few ventured out in this extreme cold to fish there!

Many will have a wish list for a Shad kill. No guarantee of that. There are a number of factors that have to come together for that to happen. Most assume that it is all related to low lake water temps in the low 40s. Granted that is one reason but there are many others. How generation periods have taken place, the cfs of water release, are shad in close proximity of the draw off points and so on. Generally if we do see a shad kill word gets around in a hurry.

Ok so what are the best options for the next month?

Low water for both White and Norfork rivers. If there have been extended periods of low water and very low temps you may well find the fish lethargic and not too interested to feed. If during the day periods there is a few degrees of temperature rise odds are fish will feed for some period of time, as a rule midges will be on the menu and possibly BWO.

Typically when trout are lethargic they will not chase food source, therefore you need to focus on having your fly at the right depth with a good dead drift. Choices of fly should include midge pupa in sizes 16 to 22, white tails, prism, Rs2, zebra and the new craze shimmer midges in colors of black, red, gray, olive/gray, with and without bead heads. Add to this list both sowbugs and scuds in sizes 16 and 18.

If fish are seen surface feeding then opt for midge emergers and micro dries, a Adams is a great choice as is the Baby Sun fly. Midge in the above colors in sizes 18 to 22. To effect good drifts use long leader systems with micro size indicators. extend from a regular 9ft tapered leader at least 3ft or more of 5 /6 x, you may have to reduce to 7x in the case of using flies smaller that size 22.

Small soft hackles fished dead drift under a indicator may also catch at this time, likewise very slow crawl retrieves.

If water temps are good then this opens up more options for fishing streamers, woolly buggers, soft hackles.

If fishing high water flows options will be. If close to Bull shoals Dam zone first give a white fly a wetting, white streamers or Jigs. If there is no interest, and if there is you should know this in a very short time then change to dead drift techniques with combinations of San Juan and Dynamite worms, coupled with white, prism, zebra style midges, soft hackles may also be a choice here at this time. Eggs may also be a option at this time.

Within the Bull Shoals zone at this time there are good number of trophy browns and way better than average Bows.

From State park downstream for the White there are good numbers of stock rainbows as well as good numbers of browns. Here again cold water may influence the bite on any given day. Look for the slower deeper water zones, fish close into shorelines.

If there is a shad kill early on as a rule both surface fished flies and dead drift at depth will nail fish until they have bulked with food or wised up. Simply the deal is to be there when it happens, all be it if there is good generation odds are fish will still be looking for shad, fishing shad flies at this time can also be killer.

Other than that best options will be dead drift with worms, midge and egg combinations. If conditions are dull and overcast then make sure one of your flies is hi vis, pink, orange, red and white jigs are good choices at times.

If overhead light is good then try a dead drift olive woolly bugger, often this can be the downfall of a big Brown.

Streamer fishing may also be well worth trying. During high water big fish will hug tight into shorelines. Most times a class 4 sink tip is a good option or a full sink line. The deal is simply to have your fly more or less hit the water line at the bank and then strip it away. Odds are if there is a good fish in the zone he will nail it in a hurry. The longer the fish sees your fly the less likely he is to take it. the vast majority of fish will nail your fly within 3 to 5ft off the bank. It is very difficult to say what would be the best choice of fly for any day, its one of those deals you have to figure out, unless you have particular flies that you know as a rule will work. My choices are Zoo Cougars as number ones, followed by sculpin patterns, in sizes from 3 to 5 ins. Do not fish light leaders. I use as a rule from the fly line a 2ft butt of 20lb to that l add 2 to 4 ft of 12 lb. Lien diameter will make no difference when fishing this way.

Tight lines all