The lake levels have been coming down slowly. On the White they have been running water around the clock and the lake level at Bull Shoals Lake is currently about two and three quarters feet above pool of 654.00 feet. Upstream BeaverLake has dropped to be about one half foot above pool and Table Rock has dropped to about two and three quarter feet above pool. There have been no wading opportunities on the White. The high water is predicted to be with us for the foreseeable future. This higher level of generation is hoped to flush some of the Didymo, the invasive aquatic moss, from the upper river. At NorforkLake, there has been much less generation but the lake level has dropped to be two and one half feet above pool of 552.00 feet. While they have been running water around the clock on the White River, the pattern for the last few days has been to cut back to maybe one generator at night and then to begin increasing it to seven generators at mid morning. On the upper river, (from Bull Shoals Dam to white hole) this creates a rise in the morning that produces some strong feeding when it occurs. The trick is to ride the rise down stream and take full advantage of it. As the water comes up, the fish move to the bank so you should concentrate your efforts there. When the water is at full generation, you will need very long leaders (fifteen feet or more) and a lot of additional weight. To keep all of this afloat, you to will need a very large strike indicator or multiple strike indicators. The hot fly is still brightly colored San Juan worms. The top producers are fluorescent pink, fire orange and bright red. To get them down to the bottom try tying them on jig heads (I tie them on 1/32 ounce jig heads).With this much generation, there is bound to be some threadfin shad sucked through the turbines. Try fishing a bait fish imitation in white or a white marabou jig. Make sure that you are bouncing the bottom. At this level of generation the White can be dangerous. Do not attempt to anchor or drag a chain in the current. I recommend that all occupants of your boat wear a life preserver. I generally keep my motor idling all of the time. To avoid an obstacle, all I have to do is shift it into gear and motor out of the way. On the Norfork, there has been some very wadable water. They have generally been generating in the afternoon for a short duration. Fishing near the dam has been good particularly early in the morning. Small midge nymph patterns (size eighteen or smaller) like the zebra midge in black, red, and olive have been doing well. Anglers fishing weighted olive woolly buggers have also done well in the deeper water. McClellans has also been fishing well. Since public access has been eliminated the fishing pressure has been significantly reduced. To get to this section it is not recommended to wade up from the handicap access because you could get stranded if the water comes up unexpectedly. It is much safer to float down from the Quarry park access at the base of Norfork dam. The hot fly in this section has been the black zebra midge early in the day. In the afternoon, this section has been getting some respectable sulphur hatches. Before it starts, use the pheasant tail or copper john nymph. Once the trout start keying in on the adults, switch to the sulphur parachutes. The handicap access has been fishing well very early and late. Mid day has been very slow. As with McClellans the flies of choice have been the zebra midge early in the morning and the pheasant tail, copper john, and sulphur parachute later in the afternoon. From time to time, switch it up and try a brightly colored attractor pattern like a San Juan worm or Y2K. Expect this section to be rather crowded particularly on the weekends. Dry Run Creek has been the pace to take the kids fishing. Try high sticking sow bugs through deep swift water. Bring the biggest net you can find and a camera. This is where memories are made. Practice water safety and always check conditions before you leave home.
John Berry is a fly fishing guide in Cotter, Arkansas. He has been fishing our local waters for over twenty five years.
