Trout Dynasty: White River Edition

Some of the OG members of the Blue Ridge Fly Fishing Association recently made their annual pilgrimage the the trout infested waters of Arkansas. Instead of fish pictures, Paisley sends us this picture of JD and Shep taking part in the day's beard growing contest. He indicated that these two lost the contest.

Rookie Mistakes

Cotter, AR fishing guide John Berry writes in the Baxter Bulletin about the "rookie mistakes" that even the experienced angler can make.

From forgetting to put the plug into the boat to leaving a rod on top of the car, John's article rings true for many of us who have the guts to admit it. What rookie mistakes have you made? Fess up in the comments!

Ebay Watch: White River Arkansas - $297k

Alright Paisley and Zugbug - count me in for a third on this if the due diligence checks out. Found on Ebay:

"This beautiful two-story home, located on the banks of the famous White River, is just six miles from Mountain View, Arkansas, the folk and blue grass center of the Ozark Mountains. There is a riverside deck with cement steps to the water and the river bank has been reinforced with rip-rap stones. "

"The property consists of 2 1/2 lots (250 ft) all fronting the White River only 40 feet away. You can catch trout from your back yard, tie up a boat on your own property or look out your front door at the National Forest. Other features include central heat and air (heat pump), 10x16 workshop outbuilding, in-ground concert storm cellar, and beautiful landscaping with a circle drive."

Alt View: Snakehead Eradication in Arkansas

Bryan Hendricks of the Northwest Arkansas News takes a tongue in cheek look at the recent eradication of a colony of invasive northern snakehead from the pro-snakehead point of view.

Those who knew them say the snakeheads were some of the most industrious, hardest-working fish they ever met. Some also say they were delicious, much more so than their distant cousins, the bowfins, which, coincidentally, endure their own indignities in the form of slurs such as "cypress trout" and the spiteful and demeaning "choupique."

It is true that leaders of the snakehead community expressed a desire to someday migrate into the White River watershed, where the full promise and potential of the American Dream awaited. That proved too much for the AGFC, which quickly deployed its armed forces to squash this exodus before it mobilized.

The rest of the article is certainly worth reading with our favorite qoute being:

Sadly, the snakehead seems to have gone the way of the ivorybill woodpecker, just as Brinkley was on the eve of launching a marketing campaign proclaiming itself "Snakehead Capital of the South."

Go To Flies: Spaghetti & Meatballs

photo courtesy FishingFliesOnline.com


Today's Baxter Bulletin from Mountain Home, Arkansas and the White River talks about the effectiveness of fishing Spaghetti & Meatballs. I will give you a hint, they are easy to tie.

White River Monsters?

FlyFishMagazine.com's Leftentant of Tail Water Fisheries, Jeff Paisley found an interesting note in yesterday's Baxter Bulletin about a side effect of the recent flooding on the White River's North fork. It seems all manner of large warm water predators have found their way into the trout fishery. Officials are taking steps to put them back where they belong.

A sample of fish taken from the North Fork of the White River below Norfork Dam last week confirmed river biologists' concerns that many warm-water predator fish and at least three "monsters" spilled into the North Fork tailwaters during April floods.

White bass were the most numerous at about 70. Some 30 walleye also were taken in the sample gathered between 8:30 p.m. and midnight last Tuesday, Schroeder said. One striped bass weighing more than 20 pounds was the biggest of that predator species, he said. A total of six striped bass were taken from the river. Six blue channel catfish, including three that weighed in excess of 30 pounds each, also were captured and relocated, Schroeder said.

Break out the eight weights boys and girls.

photo: Jay Moore

Arkansas "Open for business."

If you are planning on fishing Arkansas White River in the near future you might want to check out this press release proclaiming the state to be "open for business" even in light of recent flooding in the area.

Trout Fishing in Arkansas

"The increased water flow is helping the fish grow. We should have an excellent lake spawn," Linck said. He added that trout fishing on the White River is good right now even with all the high water, although for now, it is being done by boat.

Linck said people planning a trip to Arkansas should call ahead to the area they want to visit to determine the best time to go based on the water activities they want to enjoy, whether it's wade fishing, skiing or scuba diving.

A tip we learned from first hand experience, be sure to consult the US Army Corps of Engineers before planning any near future trips to fish the White River. A simple email to them got us very helpful response that gave us an accurate heads up about their generation plans.

Someone is trying to tell us something...

Did you ever get the feeling someone was trying to tell you something?

Paisley sends this photo of one of our favorite spots to eat BBQ when we fish Arkansas' White River. It seems to have been on the losing side of a dance with a tornado. Due to the flooding and foul weather I'll be sitting in my office next week instead of tossing sowbugs at big rainbows.

When it was intact, K.T.'s BBQ had some of the best beef brisket we have ever eaten.

Signs you won't be getting your boat rental deposit back...

Kevin Pieper Photo - The Baxter Bulletin


The Baxter Bulletin has more photos from the recent flooding on the White River including this one showing a trout dock having a chance meeting with a bridge. View the entire gallery here.

John Berry: Fishing High Water in Arkansas

Cotter, Arkansas fishing guide John Berry has advice for those coping with high water situations on Arkansas' White and North Fork Rivers. With our own White River fly fishing trip coming up this April you can bet we are listening to what he has to say.

At this water level, the fish are in side channels or over weed beds. They are deeper, and the current is greater. Therefore I use a longer and a stronger tippet (3X or 4X) and larger flies. You want the trout to be able to see them.

I also use a lot more lead to make sure that the fly ticks the bottom. To float this increased weight, I use the largest strike indicators that I can find. Once again you cast out from the boat and drift the fly with the boat. The secret is to set up the boat so that you will float by the weed beds at the proper distance for you to present your flies to the fish.

Read the article complete with high water fly selections via the Baxter Bulletin.

Jeff Paisley Stalks Big Trout After Dark

In his latest FlyFishMagazine.com article, Jeff Paisley, takes a look at the risks and rewards for fly anglers looking to catch large tailwater trout in the dark of night.

"We tried nymphing with no luck so I tied on a streamer and the river came alive. Bite after bite, fish after fish for the next four and a half hours. I would make long casts and use short but emphatic jerks on the retrieve. 17 casts in a row produced fish, with the biggest being landed right after the horn blew on the dam. I had fly fished for the last 20 years and had some great days on some fantastic rivers, but I had never been so satisfied from a fishing experience as on that night."

From the excerpt it sounds like things went well. We always love articles that require a disclaimer tacked onto the end. Click here to read the entire article.

# 2 But They Try Harder....

Mountain Home, Arkansas has been named the second best fishing town in America by Field and Stream.

MOUNTAIN HOME, Ark., Jan. 23 /PRNewswire/ -- One of the United States premier outdoor publications, Field and Stream, ranks Mountain Home, Arkansas, as the second-best fishing town in the country in its February 2008 issue. The magazine created its list based on each town's year-round fishing opportunities, cost of living, fishing culture, outdoor-related economy and overall quality of life. To qualify, each town had to have a resident population of less than 100,000.

Mountain Home, Arkansas is also the home of this year's FlyFishMagazine spring conclave hosted by tail water Editor, Jeff Paisley. We await the press release from the first best fishing town in American because based on our experiences in Arkansas it must be a heck of a river.

White River Fishing Report

Here is the latest White River Fishing Report from the Baxter Bulletin. Here is an excerpt that makes a passing mention to a sad event on the North Fork.

Another hot spot, on the White River, has been Rim Shoals. On low water, this section has been very productive. The best flies have been the zebra midge in brown with copper bead and copper wire in size 18 and partridge and orange soft hackles. The grasshopper has also reigned supreme here.

The North Fork is not fishing as well as the White. On the days when they are running water on the White, the North Fork can get pretty crowded, particularly on the weekends. The overcrowding has been worsened by the closing of McClellan's.

Access to the North Fork via McClellan's trout dock fell victim to the land developers purse strings.

North Arkansas Fishing Report

The Morning News has published a new North Arkansas Fishing report. It has lots of talk of spoons and powerbait but also contains a bit of information for the fly fisher.

White River:

Scott Branyan at Ozark Fly Flinger guide service said trout are slow to bite flies, but can be caught with nymphs and streamers downstream from the Bertrand Access.

McLellan's Fly Shop in Fayetteville said the best low-water flies are midge patterns like the Jujubee, the Poison Tung, and the zebra midge.

Any fly called the Poison Tung is apt to catch our eye. Here's a link to a description and photo.

Sport & Competition

Taken from this article in the Baxter Bulletin about fishing the White River:

Cox says he teaches people rod and reel because it tends to lead to more fish being caught.
"You're more likely to catch fish using a rod and reel if you are out to have fun," Cox said. "Fly fishing is more for sport and competition."

Jay Moore's White River Fishing Report.

Visit our fishing reports page to read about his trip

Now I have absolutely no excuse

Arkansas' Baxter Bulletin website has an article about Mountain Home fly tyer Al Taylor. Mr Taylor is an accomplished fly tyer even though he is almost legally blind due to macular degeneration.

Taylor, who said he was diagnosed with macular degeneration more than six years ago, jokes that making flies these days he has to feel and beg — feel the materials to make the fly and beg people to tell him what color it is. "Is this the pink?" he asks a nearby person during a fly-tying demonstration last weekend.

Greater Cotter Trout Fest - April 20-21 2007

This heads up comes from an alert commenter on our previous post about Paisley, Zugbug, and Garwood's recent trip to Arkansas to fish the White River.

"White River Lover said...
We'd love to see all you fisherfolks at the Great Cotter Trout Fest this weekend. It's the sixth annual fishing party at Cotter, Arkansas, Trout Capital USA! "

The Great Cotter Trout Fest will be held this weekend "under the Rainbow bridge in Cotter's Big Spring Park." Here is a link to the press release with all the details about the event.

We would attend but we have an appointment this weekend to match wits with a wild turkey. Most folks are putting their money on the turkey.

Arkansas: White River Fishing Report

Paisley with an excellent White River brown trout

Garwood floating the White River in his White River Pontoon

FlyFishMagazine.com staffers Paisley, Garwood, and Zugbug recently float fished Arkansas' White River. Read about their excellent trip on FlyFishMagazine.com's Fishing Reports page.

It seems I am the only one not getting to fish in Arkansas this month. Tennessee contributing editor Jay Moore is fishing this week on the White River with one of his valued customers. We should have an up to date report from him shortly.

Remember we will publish just about anything around here so feel free to brag by sending us your own fishing reports and photos.

Have you seen these men?

Flyfishmagazine.com was about to issue the fly fishing equivalent of an Amber Alert due to the lack of fishing reports from our correspondents Zugbug and Paisley.

The two of them along with my pontoon boat and our pal Chuck Garwood are fishing the White River near Mountain Home, Arkansas. Until today we hadn't heard a peep out of them but finally, just as we were getting worried sick(about our pontoon boat,) the cell phone rang with a report. It seems the fish are biting extremely well and each of our anglers has landed Brown trout in excess of twenty inches along with numerous other lesser Rainbows, Cutthroats, and even the odd Brookie. We await photographic evidence and a proper fishing report but are inclined to believe since obviously the mojo of our Water skeeter has brought them luck.