JOHN BERRY FISHING REPORT 4/17/2008
The reservoirs on the White River system have finally crested and are starting to fall. The lake level at Bull Shoals Dam rose six and one tenth feet to rest at forty and nine tenths feet above power pool of 654.00 feet. This is one tenths of a foot below the top of flood pool and it is coming down. Up stream, Table Rock Lake rose three and six tenths of a foot to rest at fifteen and five tenths of a foot above power pool or five tenths of a foot below the top of flood pool. Beaver Lake fell seven tenths of a foot to settle at eight and six tenths feet above pool or one foot below the top of flood pool. During the past week, the flood gates at Beaver, Table Rock and Bull Shoals have been open at one time or another. The flood gates at Bull Shoals are still open. Norfork Lake has fallen one and four tenths feet to rest at twenty seven feet above power pool of 552.00 feet or one foot below the top of flood pool. The Corps of Engineers has opened all flood gates at Norfork dam and ran as much as 77,000 cubic feet per second in order to lower the dam below flood pool. This caused flooding down stream and scoured the river. The weather has been dry. There have been no wading opportunities on the Norfork River or the White. Once the water cleared, boating conditions have improved. The Buffalo River and Crooked Creek are high and off colored. The White River below these streams is stained and not fishing well.
When the Corps of Engineers first opened the flood gates at Bull Shoals dam there was a lot of trash flowing down stream that made navigation very dangerous. Now that the river has cleared and stabilized a bit boating on the river is a bit better. Several ramps are still flooded and great care should be taken when launching or loading your boat during heavy generation. The use of a personal flotation device is highly recommended when boating on heavy water.
The fishing on the upper White has been excellent, particularly the Catch and Release section below Bull Shoals dam. The key to success has been to use conventional high water tactics. Large brightly colored San Juan worms (red, hot pink, cerise and fire orange have all been productive) fished with a lot of lead and, of course, a really big strike indicator to float it all. This is not a delicate proposition and I would recommend larger tippet than normal, at least 4X to handle the larger flies and additional weight. Make sure that your indicator is set on the leader to enable the fly to tick the bottom of the water column. Remember it is a bit deeper than normal. This rig will be difficult to cast with the four weight rod than you fish on low water. I would recommend a stiff five weight or even better a six weight.
If you are not fishing in Catch and Release waters, you should consider using a dropper (it is illegal to use more than one hook on your line in Catch and Release waters). The easiest way to do this is to tie a twenty four inch section of tippet to the bend of the lead hook with an improved clinch knot. Then tie on a small nymph or egg pattern to that piece of tippet. This tactic could double your chances of a hook up.
On the Norfork River, they have been running two full generators around the clock. The same high water tactics suggested for the White should also work here. The extensive flooding of the Norfork has scoured the river and it has changed. This is the first time that this has happened since Norfork dam was constructed over sixty years ago. There has been much discussion that this flushing will be good for the river in the long run and may actually revitalize it. An interesting side note is that there have been numerous reports of Lake Species such as stripers, walleye and gar being caught on the Norfork tail waters. They were obviously washed through the flood gates during recent operations.
Dry Run Creek was flooded also. The water almost got into the Hatchery. This was caused by water backing up from the Norfork and the Creek was not scoured as it was before. Dry Run has returned to normal and once again is fishing well. The hot flies have been sowbugs, San Juan worms (worm brown and red were the hot colors), olive woolly buggers, egg patterns and Y2Ks. Be sure and bring a camera for that photo of a life time and bring the biggest net you can lay your hands on.
Practice water safety and always check conditions before you leave home.
John Berry is a fly fishing guide in Cotter, Arkansas and has fished our local streams for over twenty five years.
ANGLERS COFFEE CAFÉ
As many of you know, I am a bit of a coffee addict. I start every day with a pot of fresh java. There is a new coffee shop in town that combines my favorite beverage with my other passion in life, fly fishing. Anglers Coffee Café is located at 1343 Highway 5 South in Mountain Home, Arkansas adjacent to Blue Ribbon Fly Shop, the oldest and most respected fly shop in the Twin Lakes area. The hours are from 6:45 AM to 6:00 PM daily. You can contact the cafe at (870) 508-4040 or coffeeinfo@anglerscoffeecafe.com . Their website is http://www.anglerscoffeecafe.com .
The interior of the shop looks and feels like an old fishing lodge. There is a stone fireplace for nasty days when you would like to warm up by a roaring fire before returning to the river. The place is decorated with a collection of antique fishing tackle and sporting art. There is an old cedar canoe hanging from the rafters, a lot of unusual mounts of interesting animals, and some very comfortable seating. If you need to knock out a few of those special flies that are out producing all others, there is a fly tying bench for your use. To keep you mind occupied, they have a plasma TV with fly fishing videos playing. If you want to check your email, bring in your laptop because the café is wired for Wi-Fi. Oh yeah, the Anglers Coffee Café is wader friendly. If you are on your way back from the river and you are still dressed out, there is no need to change before you come in. Are you too busy to stop? Then use the drive through. They made sure that it is big enough to accommodate a vehicle with a boat. Call ahead with your order to save even more time. They are going to offer fly tying and fly fishing classes after hours.
Then, of course, there is coffee. They serve all of your favorite variations, lattes, mochas, expressos and my personal favorite, cappuccino. There is Chai tea, hot tea, hot chocolate, iced coffee drinks, fruit smoothies and bottled beverages. I always like a little snack with my morning coffee. Here they have bagels, jumbo muffins and scones (my personal favorite is the raspberry and white chocolate scones). If you need something a bit heartier for lunch, there is an array of signature sandwiches. The Grand Slam for instance has roast beef, turkey, salami, ham, provolone, cheddar, Swiss, lettuce, tomato, onion, mayonnaise, and mustard. There are Paninis, Italian style grilled sandwiches served on artisan bread (the ham and Swiss Panini is outstanding). There is also an assortment of freshly baked bars, cookies, and brownies (Lori’s favorite). This is not a Starbucks where all the food is sent in frozen from some central kitchen but a locally owned coffee shop where the food is cooked on premises.
One thing that has me excited is their angler’s boxed lunch. I am always looking for a better shore lunch. This will allow me to serve my clients a superb meal with great deli sandwiches and fresh baked sweets and have some one else do the work. When I get a last minute guide trip, I often have to scramble to the store to get the food for my client’s lunch. Now, I just make a phone call and I can have it prepared and waiting for me.
I see this as being the ultimate place to meet my clients for a guide trip. I can get there a bit early and enjoy a steaming cappuccino and a jumbo muffin for breakfast. I can order my lunches while I wait. When my clients arrived we can get a hot coffee to go. If they need anything like a fishing license or rain jacket, a great fly shop is next door. At the end of the day, it is a great place to unwind for a few minutes over a cup of great coffee before heading back to Cotter.
This would be a comfortable place to hang out on a slow day when I am not working. I see myself sitting at a quiet corner table sipping a cappuccino and working on my column. I am pretty sure that Anglers Coffee Café will be the gathering place for anglers when they are unable to get on the water. Where has this place been all my life!
John Berry is a fly fishing guide and serious foodie in Cotter, Arkansas and has been writing restaurant reviews for over twenty years.