Fishing Report
Fishing Report
Just a few pics taken after "the flood of 08"
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10644 Hwy 62E  Harrison, AR 72601
WHITE RIVER FLYGUIDE
WHITE RIVER FLYGUIDE
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Check here for day to day updates!
Jan.6
  The White River high water levels, farther down stream, are closer to normal and we are starting to see a trend of steady water flows from both Bull Shoals and Norfork Dams again.  These steady flows should help make the fishing more productive and predictable, if you can tolerate the cold weather.
  We've seen VERY unseasonable cold weather for the past week, with 3 to 5 inches of snow on the ground and a few night time lows around 2 to 5 degrees.  And this next weeks forecast doesn't look much warmer.  However, with these frigid temps. a shad kill should soon follow!!
  Although a few shad have trickled through the dams during these higher water flows, we've not seen a full shad kill this season.  The surface temp. of Bull Shoals Lake has been at 49 for over a week but fell to 48 last night.  Our magic number is around 42.  This cold weather should drive the temp down but when we'll see 42 is anybodies guess.
  Water Levels: Both dams are generating higher steady flows at this time with the White running 5-6 units and the Norfork running 2.
  Water Quality:  Both The White and Norfork Rivers are in good shape with their D.O. levels at 10ppm.
  Weather Condition:  COLD!!  The forecast for the next few days shows the highs 15 to 20, the lows 0 to 5 and another chance of snow tonight.
  Hot Flies:   As with most winter seasons here in the Ozarks, egg patterns and san juan worms will produce!!  Also, now would be a good time to experiment with any shad patterns!
  There's great fishing to enjoy!!
  Fly Fishing the high water flows of the White River, for the past week, has been very productive!  Focusing on the gravel bars and weed beds has been the key.  The river is full of 13 to 16 inch browns at this time and they've been feeding on worms during these higher flows!!
  The weather patterns have gone from one extreme to the other!!  Two weeks ago, we had 5 inches of snow on the ground and saw high temps of 15 degrees.  Today we're looking at highs around 65.  This warmer weather has made for some very pleasant days on the water but will likely push the shad kill out to a further date than previously thought.The White and Norfork Rivers have seen high and very steady water flows over the past few weeks.  As of this morning, this too has changed!  Both lakes have dropped closer to the top of their power pools and water flows have been cut back drastically.  Just goes to show, conditions on these tailwaters can change at the drop of a hat! 
  Water Levels:  If the COE predicted schedule holds true, we should start seeing major fluctuating water flows on both rivers (The White from 1 to 6 units and the Norfork from 0 to 2 units).  There is wadable water for those that plan there day properly.  For those familiar with fishing our high water flows while operating a boat, keeping your boat in the rising water will be the key to a productive day!!
  Water Quality: Both rivers are in great shape at this time!  
Weather Condition:  Unseasonably warm temperatures!!  The 4 day forecast shows highs around 55, lows around 45 and 60% chance of rain.  We should start seeing colder temps next week.
  Hot Flies:   As with most winter seasons here in the Ozarks, egg patterns and san juan worms will produce!!  Also, now would be a good time to experiment with any shad patterns and streamers!
  There's great fishing to enjoy!!
Jan.20
Feb.7
  It's been a great week of fly fishing on the White River!! I've been out the last six days and have fished below Bull Shoals Dam all six. Thursday and Friday we saw rain, sleet and snow but the rest of the week was very tolerable. The bite's been good all week with eggs and san juan worms.  Yesterday about 1pm we saw our first shad kill of the year!!  For about two hours the bite was great with shad patterns.  There were three burst (schools) come through the dam, two of which were great in size. This doesn't necessarily mean that the shad kill is in full swing yet but now might be a good time to start planning your trip.  Be sure to check out the updated photo gallery!
  Water Levels: The White River has been running 2 to 6 units and the Norfork 1 to 2 units.  I'm not expecting it to change very much in the near future.
  Water Quality: Both rivers are in great shape at this time!
  Weather Condition:  This weeks forecast is calling for the highs to be 30-35 and lows in the mid teens.
  Hot Flies:   As with most winter seasons here in the Ozarks, egg patterns and san juan worms will produce!!  Also, now would be a good time to experiment with any shad patterns and streamers!
  There's great fishing to enjoy!!
  The weather has gone from one extreme to the other, over the last week or so.  Last Monday we started the day with wind chills of about 7 degrees and by Saturday the highs were in the mid sixties. The warmer weather brought the crowds along with it.  The boat traffic in the C&R area below Bull Shoals Dam has been as thick as I've seen in years.  Most were just taking advantage of the warmer weather, while waiting on the shad kill to begin again.
  We had four straight days of sporadic shad kills but as of last Tuesday, we've not seen another. The going joke is that they've canceled this years shad kill, without sending a memo.  However, most local guides (myself included) believe that we'll see an awesome kill at some point in the near future. 
In hopes of avoiding the crowds, I've been guiding down stream of the dam for the past 3 days.  We've fished from Three chutes down to Hwy 62 bridge and the bite has been great!!
  Water Levels:  The White River has been running 2 to 4 units.  With Bull Shoals Lake within 1 foot of power pool, it's anyone's guess as to what generation the COE will do in the near future.  Although the Norfork has seen some brief periods of zero generation, for the most part, it has been running 1 to 2 units.
  Water Quality: Both rivers are in great shape at this time!
  Weather Condition:  This weeks forecast is calling for the highs in the low to mid 40's and lows 15 to 25.
  Hot Flies:   As with most winter seasons here in the Ozarks, egg patterns and san juan worms will produce!!  Also, now would be a good time to experiment with any shad patterns and streamers!
  There's great fishing to enjoy!!
Feb.22
March 11
  Fly fishing continues to be very productive on the White and Norfork Rivers.  Spring is just around the corner and we are already starting to see a few caddis hatches farther down river.  As the weather gets warmer and the day light hours are extended, these hatches will grow in size and migrate up stream.  Now that the lake levels are back down to the top of their power pools, lower flows are expected. So without any major rain events that will increase our lake levels, we should see some good dry fly fishing this Spring season!!
  Water Levels:  The lake levels are back down to the top of their power pools and generation has been very unpredictable.  I don't expect it to change any time soon. We've seen water fluctuations from 0 to 6 units on the White River and 0 to 2 units on the Norfork River for the past few weeks.
  Water Quality: Both rivers are in great shape at this time!
  Weather Condition:  Other than a few windy days, the weather has been absolutely beautiful for the last week or so.  The forecast is calling for the highs to be 50 to 60 and the lows around 40 for the next week.
  Hot Flies:  Egg patterns, san juan worms and midge patterns are producing on the upper end of the White River.  While these flies will work downstream as well, so will caddis nymphs and emergers.
March22
  Fly fishing has been great on the White and Norfork Rivers and now that Spring is here, it should only get better!!  During the low water flows, the midge bite has been as good as it gets on the upper end of the White River and Norfork River as well.  The best caddis hatches are further down stream at this time and continue to multiply and migrate up the White River.  In those areas, the fish are feeding on the caddis nymphs and emergers to the point that almost any caddis nymph pattern will produce a good number of fish and during the low water flows we are starting to see more surface action!!    
  Water Levels:  The lake levels are back down to the top of their power pools and generation has been unpredictable.  We've seen lower water flows with increased windows of wadable water levels for the last week but due to the heavy rains from the past couple of days, water flows will probably be increased.
  Water Quality: Both rivers are in great shape at this time!
  Weather Condition:  This weeks forecast looks great, with highs in the mid 60s and lows in the mid to lower 40s.
  Hot Flies:  Egg patterns, san juan worms and midge patterns are producing on the upper end of the White River.  While these flies will work downstream as well, so will caddis nymphs and emergers.
April26
  I've guided 17 of the last 21 days.  Due to the mossy conditions created by this year's algae bloom and the fluctuating water flows of the Norfork, all but 2 days were spent on the upper end of the White River.  The fish are in great shape, fighting hard and feeding well!!  We're seeing some fantastic days of very productive fly fishing!!
Water Levels:  Today we're seeing 2 to 3 unit flows on the White River and 1 unit flows on the Norfork.  Both lakes are within 3 feet from the top of their power pools.  Under normal conditions we could expect low to moderate flows but after this past weekend's rain storms, water flows will be hard to predict for a while.    
Water Quality: It's normal to see an algae bloom this time of year on both rivers but this year's bloom seems to be hanging around for a longer period of time (about three weeks now).  The farther down river you go, the worse it gets. Fishing the upper end of either river is the best and sometimes only way to avoid constantly picking moss off of your fly.
Weather Condition:  This weeks forecast shows the highs to range from low 60's to high 70's, while the low temps range 40 to 60 and a chance of rain on Friday.
  Hot Flies:  The most productive flies have been a variety of midge patterns, san juan worms, caddis nymphs and caddis emergers.  Midges are the top producer at this time, while san juan worms are producing some better browns.  We are also seeing caddis hatches throughout the White and Norfork Rivers.  For the most part, the water levels have been a little high for the fish to be constantly keyed in to the dry flies but there are times when elk hair caddis are working well. 
June4
Fly fishing on the White River has been very productive for the last month and should only get better!!  Our main caddis hatches are basically done but I'm starting to see a few mayflies and have even had a little action already with hoppers!!  It shouldn't be much longer until our hopper season (one of my favorites) is in full swing!! 
Water Levels:  At this time, we are seeing moderate flows of 1 to 4 units on the White River. While the Norfork has been running zero generation until about noon for most days, when 2 units are being placed on line.
Water Quality:  Although I am starting to see some improvement in this year's algae bloom, it continues to dictate were you can fish during the higher flows.  It doesn't effect low water fishing but the water remains trashy down stream during the higher flows and the farther down stream you go, the worse it gets!
Weather Condition:  Summer fly fishing is here! This week's forecast shows the lows in the upper 60s and the highs 85 to 90 with a slight chance of rain starting Sunday.
Hot Flies:  The most productive flies have been a variety of midge patterns, san juan worms, streamers and mayfly nymphs.  BUT now would be a great time to start experimenting with hopper patterns as well!!
July 21
  Fly fishing remains very good on the White River but with the recently increased water flows, knowing the river and how to deal with the fluctuating flows is essential to a productive day on the water.
  We've recently had another rain event that has caused the lake levels to rise 3 to 4 feet on both, Bull Shoals and Norfork lakes.  So, after several weeks of dependable low water flows, we are once again seeing increased generation during the daylight hours below both dam systems.  Due to the water flows being reduced during the night, there are plenty of areas to fish lower flows in the morning hours but expect higher flows in the afternoon.  Once the water flows increase, expect to see trashy water down stream and motoring up river to clean water is a must. Along with this increased generation, both lake levels are receding.  So we shouldn't see these high water flows for an extended period of time.
  Weather Condition: Summer fly fishing is here but the weather is unusually hot, even for an Arkansas July!!  The highs have been in the mid 90's but the heat index has ranged from 100 to 107 for the past week and looks to stay that way for at least the next few days.  Fishing the high water flows from the boat while wearing shorts, instead of waders, has been about the only way to remain outside!
  Hot Flies:  As stated above, the fishing remains very productive at this time.  We are catching fish on just about anything.  Midges, mayfly and caddis nymphs, streamers, san juan worms and hopper patterns are working very well.  Although, I will say that the hopper bite has been best during the afternoon, along with low water flows but that combination has been hard to come by for the last few days.
7-17-10:  My friend, Mark from Shreveport LA., landed this nice brown on the White River while we were fishing streamer patterns from my boat with about 3 units flowing.
7-19-10: Jordan, a first time fly fisher from LSU, landed this nice rainbow while fishing emergers and midge patterns on the White River, below Bull Shoals Dam with all 8 generators flowing.
7-20-10: Tom, a long time client and good friend from Quincy IL., landed this nice brown while fishing streamer patterns during the high water flows of about 7 units below Bull Shoals Dam on the White River.