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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: September, 2005
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Hello Fly Fishers!
Water flow rates remain at this time more or less the same for both river. Water release
at Bull shoals mid day or early afternoon, some days low flow levels on others up to 8.
Most days shut off is sometime around 10pm onwards, giving falling water levels
downstream.
Norfork, very similar. You can expect low water am, with generation starting up mid day
onward. But this kind of schedule may well change from day to day, so keep a check on how
goes there.
OK, fishing. Hopefully now we have seen the worst of the 90f plus days. Certainly the
evenings are getting cooler, which has been very good for surface activity in certain
zones.
Early mornings are still some of the best times to get out there before the sun gets high
in the cloudless skies, which are not overall the most conducive for fishing, unless you
are in a zone that has good water movement over shoals and riffles, and is well
oxygenated.
Fishing at Bull shoals dam and the Norfork trophy zone has been pretty good early on, with
some nice fish being caught. Midges, emergers and small dries, along with mini soft
hackles, l mean flies in the size 18 to 22 hook range. For sure l have seen some great
surface activity at Bull shoals early on, till the sun gets up.
I guess the AGFF have been in these zones shocking fish as many of those we have caught
recently have been tagged.
Often fish will not feed actively at high sun times, you may well have to fish small and
fine to get some interest. Trout generally do not appreciate intense light from above.
They see far better than they other wise do, both your means of fishing for them and your
presence, either as a wade fisherman or from the boat.
High above light factors also cause shadows from both your fly line and leader/tippet
sections, that create a visible factor to the fishes eye both above and on the bed of the
river. Fish will visibly be seen to move away from the shadow effects caused. So take note
of that when you decide the direction that you will present you flies to the fishes eye.
If you are fishing in zones that have had a great deal of low water through the day
period, then that would have caused the water temperature to rise a great deal if a hot,
windless day has prevailed. You may find the fishing very slow in such places at those
times. As the sun drops down, so the water temps will lower some and that should get the
fish going, if only for a hour or so.
If there are signs of fish moving in the surface then a good bet is to fish soft hackles,
dead drift or with a very slow recovery, frequently l will use 2 or 3 flies at such times,
unless fishing in restricted trophy zones, one fly rule.
Another option that has been doing good recently is to fish small caddis dries, flies in
the size 14 to 16 hook size, in zones you either see fish or expect them to be found.
Hoppers also have been nailing some nice Browns, late on. Look for areas that have good
moss beds, those guys will hang out in those zones during the day periods. Couple of days
ago whilst wading in the Red bud area, l spooked a monster Brown out of a moss bed, he was
in all of 1ft of water.
If you are on the White river when the water starts to rise then expect some good fishing.
Running on a boat drift casting streamers, wooly buggers with a sink tip will work well at
this time. The increase in water movement will move food sources around, crawdads and
invertebrate's and that will also get the fish moving on the feed.
On the Norfork you may find at times the fishing is slow. Look for the deeper water zones,
those areas that bankside vegetation provides for some direct cover from the sun light
above and areas that have good agitated water flow rates. If you are there when the water
rises and you are able to float, then san Juan worms should catch you some fish, may be
also swing some big streamers to shorelines. There is no guarantee as the new water may be
a little low in oxygen content and the fish will not feed actively at such times. That's
how it goes there for the short section of that river. You may do better to get below the
confluence, as the colder water influence may well get the fish going better there on the
White. By that time it will have started to get a higher oxygen % for the fishes needs.
We are starting now to see some good numbers of Browns collecting in certain zones, as
they start the initial upstream migration to spawn, But they are on the move, there one
day , gone the next. You kind of need to be out there on a regular basis to be able to
track them.
I have had some reports that the fishing and numbers of fish in certain zones is not that
good. That can be typical at this time of the year. AGFF will not generally stock fish in
areas that have low oxygen levels, or that has high water temperature. Many of those fish
would die, and it is a waste of a rescue that is better kept back until the conditions
improve.
I will update you if we start to see any big changes before the end of the month..
It remains only for me at this time to hope and pray that many of my own personal fly
fishing friends, customers, guides, are safe, along with all those unfortunate families
that have suffered at the mercy of Katrina. That they can get back to as normal a life as
possible in the near future. And be thankful we have such persons who dedicate themselves
for the welfare of others in their time of need. Our hearts go out to all of those.
Take a moment to think just how very fortunate, for those of us who are able to be on the
river fishing, or any place else for that matter.
Davy.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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Additional
White River Area Information
Davy Wotton's Web Site | White River Home Page | White River Lodging Directory
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