Area Lakes have continued their fall and there has been precious little rain. While Bull Shoals Lake has dropped two tenths of a foot to sit at eight tenths of a foot above pool of 654.00 feet, up stream Table Rock Lake has fallen eight tenths of a foot to rest at one half of a foot above pool and Beaver Lake has fallen seven tenths of a foot and now sits at nine tenths of a foot below pool. Norfork Lake has fallen three tenths of a foot and to rest at three tenths of a foot above pool of 552.00 feet. The pattern on the White has been to turn off generation or run low levels of water most of the day and then spike it with up to seven generators in the afternoon. There has been a bit of wadable water. Boating, in general has been excellent. On the Norfork, there has been little or no generation in the morning while they have been running a full two generators in the afternoon and early evening. This has provided some excellent wading opportunities early in the day. As the lakes continue to fall, we should see more low water and some excellent wading opportunities.
There has been a problem in the last week with the Corps of Engineers line graph for cubic feet per second of discharge from the Bull Shoals power plant. It has either provided an inaccurate or no reading. Many anglers have come to rely on this graph to determine the actual level of water in the river as it has been a more accurate indicator of river conditions than to call the Bull Shoals power plant and listen to how many generators are on line. The Corps has taken this graph off line. In the mean time, you can use the Tailwater (msl) graph. This graph records the actual height of the water expressed in feet above sea level at the base of Bull Shoals Dam.
The weather forecast for the next week calls for temperatures in the nineties and no rain. This means that we can count on generation in the afternoon when electrical usage is at its peak. It also indicates that the water temperatures on the White down stream from the confluence of the Buffalo River will rise during periods of little or no generation at Bull Shoals Dam.
Fishing has been good on the White River particularly in the morning. Up stream at the Catch and Release section below Bull Shoals Dam down to Cain Island, fishing has been good on small midge patterns like the zebra midge on low water. When the water rises significantly in the afternoon, you should switch to brightly colored San Juan worms. Bright red, fire orange and hot pink are the best colors.
Further down stream from White Hole to Rim Shoals the White has been fishing very well. On low water, zebra midges have been productive. There have been some blue wing olives hatching. The fishing has been better on the nymphs than on the actual hatch which has been a bit sparse and unpredictable. The hot flies have been copper johns and pheasant tails in sizes sixteen and eighteen. The real action has been on grass hoppers. The best time seems to bewindy afternoons. The best patterns have been Raineys hoppers and Daves hoppers. Work the water near the bank and around heavy structure for the bigger fish. If you are not in Catch and Release water rig a dropper to the hopper. Tie an eighteen inch section of 5X tippet to the bend of the hook of the grasshopper and tie a small pheasant tail or other small nymph to the other end of the tippet. Fish as you normally would and set the hook every time the hopper goes under. It is a killer technique for this time of year.
The action on the Norfork is a bit slow but large fish are still being caught. This is the beginning of the season for low dissolved oxygen on the Norfork. The dissolved oxygen level is already dropping below four parts per million during periods of low generation. Any fish hooked should be landed quickly. Avoid long struggles and be sure and carefully revive fish before releasing them. The dissolved oxygen will be lower near the dam. The water will become more oxygenated as it flows down stream over riffles.
Dry Run Creek is still fishing well. The dissolved oxygen level there is higher than the Norfork because of the way water enters from the hatchery. The hot flies as always are sow bugs and San Juan worms. This is a great place to escape the heat.
Remember to practice water safety and always check conditions before you leave home.
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John Berry (870) 435-2169 berrybrothers@infodash.com
