White River - Below Bull Shoals Dam, AR Fishing Report

On the White, we have had no wadable water. The hot spot has been the section from White Hole down to Wildcat Shoals. The best time to fish is early morning or late in the afternoon. Midday can be slow. The hot flies were prince nymphs, zebra midges (black with silver wire and silver bead or red with silver wire and silver bead), pheasant tails, copper Johns, pink and cerise San Juan worms, gold ribbed hare’s ears and sowbugs. Double fly nymph rigs have been very effective. Try a small bead headed nymph (zebra midge, copper John or pheasant tail) suspended eighteen inches below a brightly colored San Juan worm (hot fluorescent pink or cerise).

On the White, we have had no wadable water. The hot spot has been the section from Wildcat Shoals down to Cotter. The best time to fish is early morning or late in the afternoon. Midday can be slow. The hot flies were prince nymphs, zebra midges (black with silver wire and silver bead or red with silver wire and silver bead), pheasant tails, copper Johns, pink and cerise San Juan worms, gold ribbed hare’s ears and sowbugs. Double fly nymph rigs have been very effective. Try a small bead headed nymph (zebra midge, copper John or pheasant tail) suspended eighteen inches below a brightly colored San Juan worm (hot fluorescent pink or cerise).

On the White, we have had no wadable water. The hot spot has been the Catch and Release section below Bull Shoals Dam. The best time to fish is early morning or late in the afternoon. Midday can be slow. The hot flies were prince nymphs, zebra midges (black with silver wire and silver bead or red with silver wire and silver bead), pheasant tails, copper Johns, pink and cerise San Juan worms, gold ribbed hare’s ears and sowbugs. Double fly nymph rigs have been very effective. Try a small bead headed nymph (zebra midge, copper John or pheasant tail) suspended eighteen inches below a brightly colored San Juan worm (hot fluorescent pink or cerise).

During the past week, we have had a rain event, warmer then cooler temperatures and heavy winds (to include lake wind advisories). The lake level at Bull Shoals rose four tenths of a foot to rest at one tenth of a foot below power pool of 654.00 feet. This is forty one and one tenth feet below the top of flood pool. Upstream, Table Rock Lake rose seven tenths of a foot to rest at power pool and sixteen feet below the top of flood pool. Beaver Lake rose one foot to rest at two and four tenths feet below power pool or twelve feet below the top of flood pool. On the White, we have had little generation with significant periods of wadable water. Norfork Lake rose two tenths of a foot to rest at three tenths of a foot below power pool of 553.75 feet or twenty six and five tenths feet below the top of flood pool. On the Norfork, we have had wadable water most days. Though the lakes in the White River system are inching up towards the top of power pool, they are mostly still below flood pool and we should continue to receive significant wadable water.



Our most prolific hatch of the year, the Rhyacophilia caddis, is still active, though on the wane a bit. This is a size fourteen bright green aquatic insect. Before the hatch, concentrate on fishing caddis pupae patterns in green (size fourteen). My favorite is the fluttering caddis. When you observe fish feeding near the surface but see no insects, the trout are keying in on the emergers. The best fly for this phase is my green butt (size fifteen). Then, when you observe insects on the surface of the water and trout keying in on them, you switch over to the adult insect fly. My hands down choice is the elk hair caddis in green (size fourteen).



On the White, we have had more wadable water. The hot spot has been the section from Wildcat Shoals down to Cotter. The best time to fish is early morning or late in the afternoon. The hot flies were prince nymphs, zebra midges (black with silver wire and silver bead or red with silver wire and silver bead), pheasant tails, copper Johns, pink and cerise San Juan worms, gold ribbed hare’s ears and olive scuds. Egg patterns have accounted for many trout. Double fly nymph rigs have been very effective. Try a small bead headed nymph (zebra midge, copper John or pheasant tail) suspended eighteen inches below a brightly colored San Juan worm (hot fluorescent pink or cerise). The trout have also been active on soft hackles like my green butt or the partridge and orange and Dan’s turkey tail emerger.

On the White, we have had more wadable water. The hot spot has been the section from Wildcat Shoals down to Cotter. The best time to fish is early morning or late in the afternoon. The hot flies were prince nymphs, zebra midges (black with silver wire and silver bead or red with silver wire and silver bead), pheasant tails, copper Johns, pink and cerise San Juan worms, gold ribbed hare’s ears and olive scuds. Egg patterns have accounted for many trout. Double fly nymph rigs have been very effective. Try a small bead headed nymph (zebra midge, copper John or pheasant tail) suspended eighteen inches below a brightly colored San Juan worm (hot fluorescent pink or cerise). The trout have also been active on soft hackles like my green butt or the partridge and orange and Dan’s turkey tail emerger.

During the past week, we have had a snow event (a few inches that did not last long), colder temperatures and very heavy winds (to include lake wind advisories). The lake level at Bull Shoals rose one and one tenth feet to rest at one and nine tenths feet below power pool of 654.00 feet. This is forty two and nine tenths feet below the top of flood pool. Upstream, Table Rock Lake rose one foot to rest at two and two tenths feet below power pool and eighteen and two tenths feet below the top of flood pool. Beaver Lake rose six tenths of a foot to rest at five and eight tenths feet below power pool or fifteen and four tenths feet below the top of flood pool. On the White, we have had little generation with significant periods of wadable water. Norfork Lake rose eight tenths of a foot to rest at two and two tenths feet below power pool of 553.75 feet or twenty eight and four tenths feet below the top of flood pool. On the Norfork, we have had wadable water most days. Though the lakes in the White River system are inching up towards the top of power pool, they are still below flood pool and we should continue to receive more wadable water.



This week we saw our most prolific hatch of the year, the Rhyacophilia caddis. This is a size fourteen bright green aquatic insect. Before the hatch, concentrate on fishing caddis pupae patterns in green (size fourteen). My favorite is the fluttering caddis. When you observe fish feeding near the surface but see no insects, the trout are keying in on the emergers. The best fly for this phase is my green butt (size fifteen). Then, when you observe insects on the surface of the water and trout keying in on them, you switch over to the adult insect fly. My hands down choice is the elk hair caddis in green (size fourteen).



On the White, we have had more wadable water. The hot spot has been the section from White Hole down to Cotter. The best time to fish is early morning or late in the afternoon. The hot flies were prince nymphs, zebra midges (black with silver wire and silver bead or red with silver wire and silver bead), pheasant tails, copper Johns, pink and cerise San Juan worms, gold ribbed hare’s ears and olive scuds. Egg patterns have accounted for many trout. Double fly nymph rigs have been very effective. Try a small bead headed nymph (zebra midge, copper John or pheasant tail) suspended eighteen inches below a brightly colored San Juan worm (hot fluorescent pink or cerise). The trout have also been active on soft hackles like my green butt or the partridge and orange and Dan’s turkey tail emerger.



Crooked Creek and the Buffalo River are navigable. With our cool weather, the water temperature has dropped and the smallmouth are much less active. Carefully check the water level before entering Crooked Creek or the Buffalo River. There are no dams on these streams. They both have large drainages and are prone to flooding during and following any rain event. The water can rise very quickly.



There has been wadable water on the Norfork most days. The action has picked up somewhat and it has been a bit less crowded with more wadable water on the White. The most productive flies have been small midge patterns like zebra midges (black or red with silver wire and silver bead) and Dan’s turkey tail emerger or soft hackles like my green butt or the partridge and orange. Some local dry fly enthusiasts have had great success by keying in on a crane fly hatch that is best imitated with a light Cahill dry fly in size fourteen. There has also been a sparse hatch of very small mayflies; reliable hatches of midges (try a size 22 parachute Adams for both) and some smaller caddis (size 16). Olive woolly buggers have also accounted for a lot of trout. The fishing is much better in the morning and tapers off in the afternoon.



Dry Run Creek has fished well, the crowds associated with spring breaks has thinned a bit and now is a good time to fish there. The hot flies have been sowbugs and various colored San Juan worms (worm brown, red, hot fluorescent pink and cerise). Small orange or peach eggs have been very effective. Use at least 4X tippet to increase your chances of landing these big fish. Carefully handle and release all trout. Handle all fish carefully and release them as quickly as possible. Take the biggest net that you can lay your hands on. Some of these fish are huge.



The water level on the Spring River is a fishable. This is a great place to wade fish when they are running water on the White and Norfork Rivers. Canoe season is over and the few boaters still around should not prove to be a problem. The hot spot is the Dam Three Access. Be sure to wear cleated boots and carry a wading staff. There is a lot of bedrock that can get very slick. The hot flies have been olive woolly buggers with a bit of flash, cerise and hot pink San Juan worms and Y2Ks.



Remember that the White and Norfork Rivers and Dry Run Creek are infected with didymo, an invasive alga. Be sure and thoroughly clean and dry your waders (especially the felt soles on wading boots) before using them in any other water. Many manufacturers are now making rubber soled wading boots that are easier to clean and are not as likely to harbor didymo.

During the past week, we have had a minor rain event (I am awaiting a snow event as I write this), colder temperatures and heavy winds (to include lake wind advisories). The lake level at Bull Shoals rose one foot to rest at three feet below power pool of 654.00 feet. This is forty four feet below the top of flood pool. Upstream, Table Rock Lake rose nine tenths feet to rest at three an two tenths feet below power pool and nineteen and two tenths feet below the top of flood pool. Beaver Lake rose five tenths of a foot to rest at six and four tenths feet below power pool or fifteen tenths feet below the top of flood pool. On the White, we have had light generation with more wadable water. Norfork Lake rose nine tenths of a foot to rest at three feet below power pool of 553.75 feet or twenty nine and two tenths feet below the top of flood pool. On the Norfork, we have had wadable water almost every day. Though the lakes in the White River system are inching up towards the top of power pool they are still below flood pool and we should receive more wadable water.



This week we saw our most prolific hatch of the year, the Rhyacophilia caddis. This is a size fourteen bright green aquatic insect. Before the hatch, concentrate on fishing caddis pupae patterns in green (size fourteen). My favorite is the fluttering caddis. When you observe fish feeding near the surface but see no insects, the trout are keying in on the emergers. The best fly for this phase is my green butt (size fifteen). Then, when you observe insects on the surface of the water and trout keying in on them, you switch over to the adult insect fly. My hands down choice is the elk hair caddis in green (size fourteen).



On the White, we have had more wadable water. The hot spot has been the section from White Hole down to Cotter. The best time to fish is early morning or late in the afternoon. The hot flies were zebra midges (black with silver wire and silver bead or red with silver wire and silver bead), pheasant tails, copper Johns, pink and cerise San Juan worms, gold ribbed hare’s ears and olive scuds. Egg patterns have accounted for many trout. Double fly nymph rigs have been very effective. Try a small bead headed nymph (zebra midge, copper John or pheasant tail) suspended eighteen inches below a brightly colored San Juan worm (hot fluorescent pink or cerise). The trout have also been active on soft hackles like my green butt or the partridge and orange and Dan’s turkey tail emerger.

During the past week, we have had a major rain event (better than two inches in Cotter), cooler then warmer temperatures and heavy winds (to include lake wind advisories). The lake level at Bull Shoals rose one foot to rest at four feet below power pool of 654.00 feet. This is forty five feet below the top of flood pool. Upstream, Table Rock Lake rose one and nine tenths feet to rest at four an one tenth feet below power pool and twenty and one tenth feet below the top of flood pool. Beaver Lake rose one and four tenths feet to rest at six and nine tenths feet below power pool or fifteen and five tenths feet below the top of flood pool. On the White, we have had light generation with some wadable water. Norfork Lake rose one and three tenths of a foot to rest at three and nine tenths feet below power pool of 553.75 feet or thirty and one tenth feet below the top of flood pool. On the Norfork, we have had wadable water every day. All of the lakes in the White River system are still below flood pool and we should receive more wadable water. This week we saw the start of our most prolific hatch of the year, the Rhyacophilia caddis. This is a size fourteen bright green aquatic insect. Before the hatch, concentrate on fishing caddis pupae patterns in green (size fourteen). My favorite is the fluttering caddis. When you observe fish feeding near the surface but see no insects, the trout are keying in on the emergers. The best fly for this phase is my green butt (size fifteen). Then, when you observe insects on the surface of the water and trout keying in on them, you switch over to the adult insect fly. My hands down choice is the elk hair caddis in green (size fourteen). On the White, we have had more wadable water. The hot spot has been the section from Wildcat Shoals down to Cotter. The best time to fish is early morning or late in the afternoon. The hot flies were zebra midges (black with silver wire and silver bead or red with silver wire and silver bead), pheasant tails, copper Johns, pink and cerise San Juan worms, gold ribbed hare’s ears and olive scuds. Egg patterns have accounted for many trout. Double fly nymph rigs have been very effective. Try a small bead headed nymph (zebra midge, copper John or pheasant tail) suspended eighteen inches below a brightly colored San Juan worm (hot fluorescent pink or cerise). The trout have also been active on soft hackles like my green butt or the partridge and orange and Dan’s turkey tail emerger.

During the past week, we have had a minor rain event (barely measurable), warmer temperatures and heavy winds (to include lake wind advisories). The lake level at Bull Shoals remained steady at five feet below power pool of 654.00 feet. This is forty six feet below the top of flood pool. Upstream, Table Rock Lake rose a foot to rest at six feet below power pool and twenty two feet below the top of flood pool. Beaver Lake rose five tenths of a foot to rest at eight and three tenths feet below power pool or seventeen and nine tenths feet below the top of flood pool. On the White, we have had light generation with some wadable water. Norfork Lake rose one and six tenths of a foot to rest at five and two tenths feet below power pool of 553.75 feet or thirty one and four tenths feet below the top of flood pool. On the Norfork, we have had wadable water every day. All of the lakes in the White River system are well below flood pool and we should receive more wadable water. The next week or so should signal the start of our most prolific hatch of the year, the Rhyacophilia caddis. This is a size fourteen bright green aquatic insect. Before the hatch, concentrate on fishing caddis pupae patterns in green (size fourteen). My favorite is the fluttering caddis. When you observe fish feeding near the surface but see no insects, the trout are keying in on the emergers. The best fly for this phase is my green butt (size fifteen). Then, when you observe insects on the surface of the water and trout keying in on them, you switch over to the adult insect fly. My hands down choice is the elk hair caddis in green (size fourteen). On the White, we have had more wadable water. The most productive water has been the Catch and Release section below Bull Shoals Dam. It has been very crowded. The best time to fish is early morning or late in the afternoon. The hot flies were zebra midges (black with silver wire and silver bead or red with silver wire and silver bead), pheasant tails, copper Johns, pink and cerise San Juan worms, gold ribbed hare’s ears and olive scuds. Egg patterns have accounted for many trout. Double fly nymph rigs have been very effective. Try a small bead headed nymph (zebra midge, copper John or pheasant tail) suspended eighteen inches below a brightly colored San Juan worm (hot fluorescent pink or cerise). The trout have also been active on soft hackles like my green butt or the partridge and orange and Dan’s turkey tail emerger.

During the past week, we have had a significant rain event, cold temperatures and heavy winds (to include lake wind advisories). The lake level at Bull Shoals rose one and four tenths of a foot to rest at five feet below power pool of 654.00 feet. This is forty six feet below the top of flood pool. Upstream, Table Rock Lake rose five tenths of a foot to rest at seven feet below power pool and twenty three feet below the top of flood pool. Beaver Lake rose seven tenths of a foot to rest at eight and eight tenths feet below power pool or eighteen and four tenths feet below the top of flood pool. On the White, we have had light generation with some wadable water. Norfork Lake rose two and seven tenths of a foot to rest at six and eight tenths feet below power pool of 553.75 feet or thirty three feet below the top of flood pool. On the Norfork, we have had wadable water every day. All of the lakes in the White River system are well below flood pool, the rains we have received have had little effect on lake levels and we should receive more wadable water. There were some shad coming through the generators at Bull Shoals Dam briefly that made for some excellent fishing. When you see the seagulls keying in on the shad coming though the generators, you need to switch over to shad patterns. White marabou jigs, with a bit of crystal flash, have been the key to success. These incidents have been erratic and unpredictable. On the White, we have had more wadable water. The most productive water has been the Catch and Release section below Bull Shoals Dam. It has been very crowded. The best time to fish is early morning or late in the afternoon. The hot flies were zebra midges (black with silver wire and silver bead or red with silver wire and silver bead), pheasant tails, copper Johns, pink and cerise San Juan worms, gold ribbed hare’s ears and olive scuds. Egg patterns have accounted for many trout. Double fly nymph rigs have been very effective. Try a small bead headed nymph (zebra midge, copper John or pheasant tail) suspended eighteen inches below a brightly colored San Juan worm (hot fluorescent pink or cerise). The trout have also been active on soft hackles like my green butt or the partridge and orange and Dan’s turkey tail emerger

During the past week, we have had rain and ice events, colder temperatures and heavy winds (to include lake wind advisories). The lake level at Bull Shoals fell one tenth of a foot to rest at six and four tenths feet below power pool of 654.00 feet. This is forty seven and four tenths feet below the top of flood pool. Upstream, Table Rock Lake fell two tenths of a foot to rest at seven and five tenths feet below power pool and twenty three and five tenths feet below the top of flood pool. Beaver Lake rose four tenths of a foot to rest at nine and five tenths feet below power pool or nineteen and one tenth feet below the top of flood pool. On the White, we have had light generation with some wadable water. Norfork Lake rose eight tenths of a foot to rest at nine and five tenths feet below power pool of 553.75 feet or thirty five and seven tenths feet below the top of flood pool. On the Norfork, we have had wadable water every day. All of the lakes in the White River system are well below flood pool, the rains we have received have had little effect on lake levels and we should receive more wadable water. There were some shad coming through the generators at Bull Shoals Dam briefly that made for some excellent fishing. When you see the seagulls keying in on the shad coming though the generators, you need to switch over to shad patterns. White marabou jigs, with a bit of crystal flash, have been the key to success. On the White, we have had more wadable water. The most productive water has been the Catch and Release section below Bull Shoals Dam. It has been very crowded. The best time to fish is early morning or late in the afternoon. The hot flies were zebra midges (black with silver wire and silver bead or red with silver wire and silver bead), pheasant tails, copper Johns, pink and cerise San Juan worms, gold ribbed hare’s ears and olive scuds. Egg patterns have accounted for many trout. Double fly nymph rigs have been very effective. Try a small bead headed nymph (zebra midge, copper John or pheasant tail) suspended eighteen inches below a brightly colored San Juan worm (hot fluorescent pink or cerise). The trout have also been active on soft hackles like my green butt or the partridge and orange and Dan’s turkey tail emerger.

During the past week, we have had a minor rain event, warmer temperatures and moderate winds. The lake level at Bull Shoals rose six tenths of a foot to rest at six and six tenths feet below power pool of 654.00 feet. This is forty seven and six tenths feet below the top of flood pool. Upstream, Table Rock Lake remained steady at nine and eight tenths feet below power pool and twenty five and eight tenths feet below the top of flood pool. Beaver Lake remained steady at ten and two tenths feet below power pool or nineteen and eight tenths feet below the top of flood pool. On the White, we have had light generation with some wadable water. Norfork Lake rose one and four tenths of a foot to rest at eleven and five tenths feet below power pool of 553.75 feet or thirty seven and seven tenths feet below the top of flood pool. On the Norfork, we have had wadable water most days. All of the lakes in the White River system are well below flood pool and we should receive more wadable water. The Catch and Release section below Bull Shoals Dam was closed from November 1, 2012 to January 31, 2013 to accommodate the brown trout spawn. The State Park was seasonal Catch and Release for the same period. All brown trout must be immediately released. In addition, night fishing is prohibited in this area during this period. Opening day, February 1, is here. The thought of fishing over spawned out brown trout that have not fed or seen a fly for three months is on the minds of many anglers. It is usually very crowded for several days. The hot flies are egg patterns. On the White, we have had more wadable water. The most productive water has been the Catch and Release section below Bull Shoals Dam. It has been very crowded. The best time to fish is early morning or late in the afternoon. The hot flies were zebra midges (black with silver wire and silver bead or red with silver wire and silver bead), pheasant tails, copper Johns, pink and cerise San Juan worms, gold ribbed hare’s ears and olive scuds. Egg patterns have accounted for many trout. Double fly nymph rigs have been very effective. Try a small bead headed nymph (zebra midge, copper John or pheasant tail) suspended eighteen inches below a brightly colored San Juan worm (hot fluorescent pink or cerise). The trout have also been active on soft hackles like my green butt or the partridge and orange and Dan’s turkey tail emerger. With the milder weather we begin to think about a shad kill being less likely. At this time, there are low lake levels, light generation patterns but much warmer temperatures on the White and Norfork Rivers. The colder temperatures, lower lake levels and generation patterns are not conducive to a shad kill. The recent rain is not enough to produce the higher generation levels for a good shad kill.

Water generation has been pretty much consistent on a daily basis over the last several weeks, typical for this time of year on the Sip, but lots of anglers have not been deterred and taken advantage of honing their fast water skills from the bank and canoe/kayak river angling techniques while taking some very nice rainbow on the river below the shop toward Sipsey. During the right weather conditions, we have had some really good, but brief, midge hatches , so the winter midge angling has worked well during these times---think small sizes---and, yes, streamers have worked too. However, if you catch the opportunity to fish when the generators are not on, don't forget to bring some dry flies, doesn't happen often, but when it does, it has really been fun with parachute Adams and BWO's lipping the best, small Elk Hare Caddis have brought several to hand as well and the emergers have worked really good...FUN, FUN, FUN!!

During the past week, we have had a significant rain event (two inches in Cotter) warm then colder temperatures and extremely heavy winds (to include lake wind advisories). The lake level at Bull Shoals rose eight tenths of a foot to rest at seven and two feet below power pool of 654.00 feet. This is forty eight and two tenths feet below the top of flood pool. Upstream, Table Rock Lake rose five tenths of a foot to rest at nine and eight tenths feet below power pool and twenty five and eight tenths feet below the top of flood pool. Beaver Lake fell rose one and nine tenths feet to rest at ten and two tenths feet below power pool or nineteen and eight tenths feet below the top of flood pool. On the White, we have had light generation with some wadable water. Norfork Lake rose six tenths of a foot to rest at twelve and nine tenths feet below power pool of 553.75 feet or thirty nine and one tenth feet below the top of flood pool. On the Norfork, we have had wadable water most days. All of the lakes in the White River system are well below flood pool and we should receive more wadable water. The Catch and Release section below Bull Shoals Dam was closed from November 1, 2012 to January 31, 2013 to accommodate the brown trout spawn. The State Park was seasonal Catch and Release for the same period. All brown trout must be immediately released. In addition, night fishing is prohibited in this area during this period. Opening day, February 1, is here. The thought of fishing over spawned out brown trout that have not fed or seen a fly for three months is on the minds of many anglers. It is usually very crowded for several days. The hot flies are egg patterns. On the White, we have had more wadable water. The most productive water has been the State Park with the lower section being the hot spot. The best time to fish is early morning or late in the afternoon. Mid day can get slow. The hot flies were zebra midges (black with silver wire and silver bead or red with silver wire and silver bead), pheasant tails, copper Johns, pink and cerise San Juan worms, gold ribbed hare’s ears and olive scuds. Egg patterns have accounted for many trout. Double fly nymph rigs have been very effective. Try a small bead headed nymph (zebra midge, copper John or pheasant tail) suspended eighteen inches below a brightly colored San Juan worm (hot fluorescent pink or cerise). The trout have also been active on soft hackles like my green butt or the partridge and orange and Dan’s turkey tail emerger. With the colder weather we begin to think about a shad kill. At this time, there are low lake levels, light generation patterns but much colder temperatures on the White and Norfork Rivers. While the colder temperatures are conducive to a shad kill, the lower lake levels and generation patterns are not. The recent rain is not enough to produce the higher generation levels for a good shad kill.

Last Socking: January 24, 2013. We have seen a lot of trout holding around the new improvements when we were able to sneak in between the narrow windows we've had lately to wade fish. With all the run-off into the lake and raising the lake level to 514 ft. a few days ago, not only is the lake level above full pool (510'), but down the basin the tributaries are full as well, so when water releases are made and then stopped it will take longer than normal for the water to recede in order to be able to do any wade fishing--there is no place for the water to go...this is really improving the last 4-5 days as the water is receding MUCH faster during the brief periods they are not generating.

During the past week, we have had colder temperatures and moderate winds. The lake level at Bull Shoals fell three tenths of a foot to rest at eight feet below power pool of 654.00 feet. This is forty nine feet below the top of flood pool. Upstream, Table Rock Lake fell three tenths of a foot to rest at ten and three tenths feet below power pool and twenty six and three tenths feet below the top of flood pool. Beaver Lake fell rose eight tenths of a foot to rest at twelve and one tenth feet below power pool or twenty one and seven tenths feet below the top of flood pool. On the White, we have had light generation with some wadable water. Norfork Lake fell two tenths of a foot to rest at thirteen and five tenths feet below power pool of 553.75 feet or thirty nine and seven tenths feet below the top of flood pool. On the Norfork, we have had wadable water most days. All of the lakes in the White River system are well below flood pool and we should receive more wadable water. The Catch and Release section below Bull Shoals Dam will close from November 1, 2012 to January 31, 2013 to accommodate the brown trout spawn. The State Park will be seasonal Catch and Release for the same period. All brown trout must be immediately released. In addition, night fishing is prohibited in this area during this period. Opening day, February 1, is just a few days away. The thought of fishing over spawned out brown trout that have not fed or seen a fly for three months is on the minds of many anglers. It is usually very crowded for several days. The hot flies are egg patterns. On the White, we have had more wadable water. The most productive water has been the State Park with the lower section being the hot spot. The best time to fish is early morning or late in the afternoon. Mid day can get slow. The hot flies were zebra midges (black with silver wire and silver bead or red with silver wire and silver bead), pheasant tails, copper Johns, pink and cerise San Juan worms, gold ribbed hare’s ears and olive scuds. Egg patterns have accounted for many trout. Double fly nymph rigs have been very effective. Try a small bead headed nymph (zebra midge, copper John or pheasant tail) suspended eighteen inches below a brightly colored San Juan worm (hot fluorescent pink or cerise). The trout have also been active on soft hackles like my green butt or the partridge and orange and Dan’s turkey tail emerger. With the colder weather we begin to think about a shad kill. At this time, there are low lake levels, light generation patterns but much colder temperatures on the White and Norfork Rivers. While the colder temperatures are conducive to a shad kill, the lower lake levels and generation patterns are not.

Since the stocking (December 28th) we have seen a lot of trout holding around the new improvements when we were able to sneak in between the narrow windows we've had lately to wade fish. With all the RAIN over the last two weeks, not only is the lake level above full pool, but down the basin the tributaries are full as well, so when water releases are made and then stopped it will take longer than normal for the water to recede in order to be able to do any wade fishing--there is no place for the water to go. SO, when no releases are occuring, the water level in the river is will be 6-7 feet above normal low pool until the water drains from the basin and gets back to normal.

Since the stocking (December 28th) we have seen a lot of trout holding around the new improvements when we were able to sneak in between the narrow windows we've had lately to wade fish. With all the RAIN over the last two weeks, not only is the lake level above full pool, but down the basin it is still flooded and water releases will be limited as any additional water released from Smith Lake adds to the flooding downstream--there is no place for the water to go. SO, even though no releases are occuring during the day right now, the water level in the river is still 6-7 feet above normal low pool.