| The score at the end of February was Mother Nature and the fish 10,
the fishermen 3. It was tough out there. We endured snow, sleet, freezing rain,
thunderstorms, high winds and tornadoes. It's been just plain nasty for the fishermen. The fish didn't seem to care at all. With four to six generators running
pretty much around the clock, the fishermen that could endure the weather boated fish.
Sportsman's hosted the Annual White River Fishing Classic from Feb 20 to the 24th. Thirty
hard core fishermen fished for three days in difficult conditions and did right well.
The overall winner, Rusty George, weighted in almost twenty-nine
pounds of trout in his three days fishing. (They can weigh two browns plus three other
trout per day) That works out to almost two pounds a fish. The surprise was no big browns
were caught. The biggest was eight plus pounds compared to a seventeen pounder last year.
One of the unique opportunities the White River offers to fishermen
is the chance to fish in everything from very shallow water to fast running deep water,
depending on the generation at the dam. February saw a lot of generation, often four to
seven units around the clock.
The key to productive fishing is your ability to adjust to water
flow. In the higher water, river rigs drifted with power bait or frozen shad worked well,
but heavier sinkers (3/16 to 1/4 oz.) were required to keep the bait down. White jigs
(3/32 to 1/8 oz.) produced fish drifting the calmer water casting to the banks.
The same held for Rogues and Countdown Rapalas. Lures like the
Little Cleo, Buoyant and Blue Foxe also fished well, but again, you need more weight (up
to 1/4 oz) to compensate for the heavier current. As long as you stay flexible, you will
catch trout.
In March, Sportsman's will host a group of fifty fishermen from
Dallas and we will compare their catch with the Classic for you. We know the big browns
are out there and March should be the month to find them.
Have a great day fishing!
Jim Wheeler
Sportsman's White River Resort
www.sportsmans-resort.com
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