Norfork River, AR

TIME: 2:30 PM to 4:00 PM
WEATHER: Clear, Mid 60s
WATER CONDITIONS: 0 units
LOCATIONS FISHED: Norfork River, upstream of Ackerman Walk-in Access
ROD USED: Winston LT 8’6" 5 wt Joan Wulff Favorite
FLIES USED: #14 Norfork River Scud, #14 and #20 olive cockleburr
HATCHES: Midges
OTHER: Fished with Sam, our pastor, and today was his first time to fly fish. A quick learner, he easily mastered the roll cast and upstream mend. The river was packed, with fishers everywhere. We found a spot in the pool near where I access, but the fish were not cooperative. We moved downstream to a riffle, but could only manage a bite here and there. I did pick up one we saw rise, using a #20 olive cockleburr . It was a classic midge take. Sam and I then moved over to the right side of the river where I had seen a bunch of brookies a few days before. He began casting the cocklebur, and in a short time, caught a half dozen or more fish—all brookies except for 2 rainbows. Considering it was his first time fly fishing, the short time we spent on the water, and the fact that the fish had been fished all day, we had a very successful trip.

Norfork River, AR

TIME: 9:45 AM TO 2:00 PM
WEATHER: Cloudy, Mid 60s
WATER CONDITIONS: 0 units
LOCATIONS FISHED: Norfork River, upstream of Ackerman Walk-in Access
ROD USED: Winston LT 8’6" 5 wt Joan Wulff Favorite
FLIES USED: #14 Norfork River Scud
HATCHES: None
OTHER: Fished with Wayne. I grabbed the wrong rod this morning and began fishing the 2 wt, trying to make long casts that fell woefully short. I cut off the old leader, then realized that I didn’t have spare, nor did Wayne, necessitating a hike to pick up another rod. Meanwhile, Wayne was catching one fish after another. I fiddled and fished an hour before picking up my first fish below the island below McClellan’s. After a few fish we worked our way along side the island, and I found fish under one of the overhanging trees. I managed to catch 8 fish at this one tree. I moved to the head of the island and caught a half dozen fish while Wayne worked his way upstream near Otter Creek. We worked our way back downstream towards home. As usual he caught fish all day—I ended up with only 30 fish and Wayne caught 5 dozen or more. While it was a relatively slow day, it rates as a top ten since Wayne and I both need time on the water.

Merry Christmas, 2008

DATE: December 25, 2008
TIME: 3:00 PM TO 5:00 PM
WEATHER: Cloudy, High 40s
WATER CONDITIONS: 0 units
LOCATIONS FISHED: Norfork River, upstream of Ackerman Walk-in Access
ROD USED: Winston LT 8’6" 5 wt Joan Wulff Favorite
FLIES USED: #14 Norfork River Scud
HATCHES: None
OTHER: Merry Christmas, all. Fished solo after returning home from a day trip to Bryant, AR, to have Christmas with Kay’s son and grandson. Fished the “Ray Charles Hole” and caught several small brookies. Switched to the other side of the island and fished my usual place immediately downstream of the riffle, but only managed a fish or two. Moved slightly upstream and began fishing the riffle and caught several fish. This is the first time the fish have been in the riffle since before the flood. Moved upstream to fish another preferred place downstream of another riffle, but again, not much luck—only one fish. Trying to emulate the success I had downstream, I began fishing the riffle and caught several more fish. By then, it was dark so called it a day.

Norfork River, AR

TIME: 8:30 AM TO 10:30 AM
WEATHER: Cloudy, High 40s, Very Windy
WATER CONDITIONS: 0 units
LOCATIONS FISHED: Norfork River, upstream of Ackerman Walk-in Access
ROD USED: Winston LT 8'6" 2 wt
FLIES USED: #14 Norfork River Scud, #14 White Flying Ant
HATCHES: None
OTHER: Fished with Kay. She had not been on the river since mid-July. We had a warm-up today with the weather, but a cold front was barreling down on us, so we opted to fight the wind and fish a couple of hours. After accessing at one of our neighbors, I strung up the 2-weight, put on a gray Norfork scud, and began catching fish immediately in a long, skinny riffle. Some days are great for a 2-weight and this started out as one. My first fish was a small brookie, followed by a rainbow. Kay moved down to what we call the "Ray Charles Hole" and got bite after bite. I joined her and caught several fish, mostly recently stocked brookies. They were fun on the little rod. I had a least a half dozen brook trout today, which is the most ever. Kay continued fishing and catching fish, while I moved to another location. The fish were somewhat bigger, maybe 12-13 inches, with big shoulders. The wind began blowing and increased in velocity. Because of the waves blowing upstream, the strike indicator bobbed up and down at least 12 inches and strikes were difficult to detect. Kay kept getting hits on her strike indicator, so I put on a white flying ant and she caught several fish on top--closest thing to trout chow I had! I moved again and caught a couple of fish upstream as we gave way to the wind and returned home.

Norfork River, AR

TIME: 1:30 PM TO 5:00 PM
WEATHER: Partly cloudy, Mid-50s
WATER CONDITIONS: 0 units
LOCATIONS FISHED: Norfork River, upstream of Ackerman Walk-in Access
ROD USED: Winston LT 8'6" 5 wt
FLIES USED: #14 Tan Norfork River Scud
HATCHES: Midges
OTHER: Fished with Ron. We decided to walk upstream to McClellan’s, fishing our way there and back. We didn’t pick up many fish until we reached the foot of the island below McClellan’s. It was crowded, but Ron found a tiny riffle below a downed root wad and began catching fish immediately. He caught about 8 fish, and we decided to move upstream. Interestingly, one of the fishers near us was a “runner” and hurriedly reeled in and almost ran ahead of us to the next riffle. We took our time and when we began passing the place he was fishing, he quickly reeled in and almost ran to the next riffle. We finally passed him and made our way to the channel across from Otter Creek. Both Ron and I had a couple of bites, but no fish. We moved downstream to Ed’s hole, fishing it pretty hard, but no bites at all, whereas the week before, Joe and I caught several fish there. As we began walking downstream our “runner” reeled in again and began trotting downstream to an area we wanted to fish. He did that the entire afternoon. We finally made our way back to the foot of the island, and began catching lots of fish, where 3 hours earlier we couldn’t buy a bite. We fished our way home and had a great time. Neither of us caught any big fish, and neither of us caught a brownie, catching mostly rainbows with a few cutthroats thrown in.

PS: As an aside, Ron fished on Saturday, December 20, 2008, and caught lots of fish, virtually every cast. He fished near the “runner” again and had the same thing happen to him that happened to us the previous afternoon.

Norfork River, AR

TIME: 9:30 AM TO 1:00 PM
WEATHER: Partly cloudy, Mid-50s
WATER CONDITIONS: 0 units
LOCATIONS FISHED: Norfork River, upstream of Ackerman Walk-in Access
ROD USED: Winston LT 8'6" 5 wt
FLIES USED: #14 Gray Norfork River Scud
HATCHES: Midges
OTHER: Fished with John and Joe. John fished below one of our favorite riffles, and Joe and I headed upstream. We began catching fish as we waded upstream, and really got into them at the foot of the island below McClellan’s. It was almost a fish every cast. We made our way upstream almost to the channel across from Otter Creek, what we call the Ed Richmond Hole. Joe caught one fish after the other and renamed it the Ray Charles Hole #2. I told Joe that Ed said it was a challenging place to fish and it took lots of skill to catch fish every cast. Anyway, Joe and I worked our way downstream, catching fish along the island below McClellan’s, and ending up at the foot of the island again. In the meantime, John had walked up to meet us, and we all decided it was time to leave as the forecast was for freezing rain later that evening and they had to return to Memphis. It was good fishing with Joe again after so long an absence.

As an aside, Joe caught a 7 lb 6 oz smallmouth this past summer on our annual trek to Quetico. What a fish. You can view it at http://www.justanotherdayinellijay.com/

Norfork River, AR

TIME: 9:30 AM TO 1:00 PM
WEATHER: Partly cloudy, Mid-50s
WATER CONDITIONS: 0 units
LOCATIONS FISHED: Norfork River, upstream of Ackerman Walk-in Access
ROD USED: Winston LT 8'6" 5 wt
FLIES USED: #14 Gray Norfork River Scud
HATCHES: Midges
OTHER: Fished with Wayne and Bill. Bill and I began fishing our way upstream towards the island below McClellan’s, making long casts, and catching fish. Of course, we trailed Wayne by a long shot, but we were both catching lots of fish, so didn’t hurry. Consequently, we never reached our intended destination.
Bill is one heck of a fine gentleman, and an extraordinary fly fisher. Fishing with Bill and Wayne is pretty intimidating as Wayne is undoubtedly the most productive fisher to have ever fished the Norfork, and Bill is very close behind him. Along with Ed and Frank, these guys are in a class by themselves. I can add Rod, Mel, John, and Mike to the list, having been blessed to fish with the very best! Life is good.

Norfork River, AR

TIME: 1:30 PM TO 5:00 PM
WEATHER: Partly cloudy, Mid-50s
WATER CONDITIONS: 0 units
LOCATIONS FISHED: Norfork River, upstream of Ackerman Walk-in Access
ROD USED: Winston LT 8'6" 5 wt
FLIES USED: #14 Gray Norfork River Scud
HATCHES: Midges
OTHER: Fished solo near the house, and caught quite a few fish, maybe a couple dozen, though none were large. This was my first time on the water in several weeks, and the river had changed again with a large tree anchored at the head of the island/riffle where I normally begin fishing, and gravel building up along the edge of the riffle, forcing the riffle to scour the bottom even more .

Norfork River, AR

TIME: 8:30 AM TO 11:30 AM
WEATHER: PC, Mid 30s warming to low 50s
WATER CONDITIONS: 0 units
LOCATIONS FISHED: Norfork River, upstream of Ackerman Walk-in Access
ROD USED: Winston LT 8'6" 5 wt
FLIES USED: #14 Norfork River Scud, #20 Dun Cockleburr, #20 Ginger Cockleburr, #20 Kay's Gray
HATCHES: Midges, Blue Winged Olives,
OTHER: Fished with Dick. As we walked in, two guys were fishing the riffle upstream of where we typically fish, and were standing where they should have been fishing. I overheard one say they were outside the catch and release area, and quickly pointed out the catch and release area extended upstream another 3/4 mile. They quickly packed up and began leaving, each dragging a large fish they had killed in the catch and release area. Guess there are a few in every crowd. Dick started the morning with a sowbug, but had no success at all. He switched to a #20 Dun Cockleburr, and added weight and an indicator; again, no luck. He switched to a #14 Norfork River Scud, and began catching fish, ending the morning with about a dozen. I fished mostly with the Cockleburr patterns and caught several fish stripping the fly during the swing. I wanted to break the code on the rising fish, so finally put on a #20 Kay's Gray, and it seemed to do the trick. Today's total was maybe a dozen.

PS: Recall the fishers just upstream of us? We noticed several dead fish downstream of them! This wasn't due to low DO! The river was pretty crowded today, but the fish seemed bigger than the last several days. I also picked up a rainbow with a lamprey attached, indicating the fish came from the White River.

Norfork River, AR

TIME: 9:00 AM TO 12:00 NOON, 1:30 PM ti 3:30 PM
WEATHER: PC, High 30s warming to high 40s
WATER CONDITIONS: 0 units
LOCATIONS FISHED: Norfork River, upstream of Ackerman Walk-in Access
ROD USED: Winston 8'6" Joan Wulff Favorite, Winston LT 7'9" 2 wt
FLIES USED: #14 Norfork River Scud, #20 Blue Winged Olive, #20 Dun cockleburr
HATCHES: Midges, Blue Winged Olives
OTHER: I fished with Dick today. It was a relatively tough day fishing as the fish did not take the scud at all. I switched early to the #20 Dun Cockleburr, and had some luck fishing it as a dry fly, and also stripping during the swing. Switched to a BWO about 10:00 AM, but had not success, so switched back to the #20 Dun Cockleburr. All in all, I took about a dozen fish in the AM. A local guide was fishing above us, and was doing quite well. He said he was having success using a big gray sowbug. I returned to the water, solo, in the afternoon, and used the 2 wt to catch 8 to 10 rising fish on the Dun Cockleburr.

Norfork River, AR

TIME: 7:30 AM TO 10:30 AM
WEATHER: PC, Mid 30s warming to low 50s
WATER CONDITIONS: 0 units
LOCATIONS FISHED: Norfork River, upstream of Ackerman Walk-in Access
ROD USED: Winston LT 7'9" 2 wt
FLIES USED: #14 Norfork River Scud
HATCHES: Midges, Blue Winged Olives
OTHER: The day did not start out well as I forgot sunglasses, or for that matter, glasses of any king. It meant that the scud left from Saturday would have to stay on. It was much better fishing weather, though, when compared to the harsh conditions on Saturday. I fished solo, and was surprised to see no one else on the river for a hour or more. Then, only a couple folks showed up, but one was far downstream and the other far upstream. Once again, I fished my usual haunts, and again struggled at the first riffle near Cook's Island, catching only a couple of small fish. I moved to another riffle, and caught fish,though it was a slow bite, and I took only a dozen or so in over an hour. Moving upstream, I only caught a few fish on the scud, but noticed a nice midge hatch. About this time, Wayne began fishing, and as usual, caught fish on almost every cast. His new name is the Butcher from Baxter County! He's an incredible fisher. Hoping to see the eye sufficiently to tie on a new fly, I switched to a #20 ginger cockleburr, and caught a half dozen fish, mostly stripping the fly as an emerger. At about 9:50 AM a Blue Winged Olive hatch began so I switched to a BWO, again struggling to see the eye, and only managed a single small fish. I moved upstream to another surefire location, downstream from a riffle, but managed to take only another half dozen. All in all, it was a pretty slow day by Norfork River standards, and the fish were again small though I did take a rainbow that was about 16 inches.

Norfork River, AR

TIME: 7:00 AM TO 9:00 AM
WEATHER: PC, Windy, 41 degrees
WATER CONDITIONS: 0 units
LOCATIONS FISHED: Norfork River, upstream of Ackerman Walk-in Access
ROD USED: Winston LT 7'9" 2 wt
FLIES USED: #14 Norfork River Scud
HATCHES: Midges
OTHER: It's been over 2 months since I last fished. We have been on two trips, just returning from the Gulf coast last night. For one of the few times this year, the river is down. I fished my usual haunts, but struggled at the first riffle near Cook's Island, catching only a half dozen small fish. I moved to another riffle, and began catching fish, though certainly not on every cast. I took a dozen, then they just turned off. I moved upstream to another surefire location, downstream from a riffle, but managed to take only another half dozen. The fishing was much slower than expected, and the fish were among the smallest I've caught in several years. The temperature never changed, and the winds blew a constant 10-15 mph. This old body is not used to this, and I left the river after only a couple of hours. However, it was good hooking up again after such a long absence. (Note: The bite all day was extremely light, almost imperceptible, in fact.)

This One’s For You, Dad

TIME: 7:00 AM TO 12:00 NOON
WEATHER: PC, Low to high 80s
WATER CONDITIONS: 0 units
LOCATIONS FISHED: Norfork River, upstream of Ackerman Walk-in Access
ROD USED: Winston LT 7'9" 2 wt
FLIES USED: #14 Norfork River Scud
HATCHES: Midges
OTHER: This is a sad day, indeed, as my father passed away last night. I felt compelled to fish—my way of handling the sadness and emotional turmoil--and as coincidence would have it, the river was down. I fished solo the first couple of hours, remembering the good times as well as the bad. God smiled on me as the fishing was nothing short of spectacular, as good as it gets. I caught fish on practically every cast, though none were huge. After a couple of hours, I phoned my good friend, Dick, and we fished the remainder of the morning. Though a little rusty from lack of fishing, Dick began catching fish with reckless abandon, and must have taken up to 3 dozen fish. I moved upstream and continued to catch fish, though not as rapidly as earlier. I did, however, manage to fool a measured 22-inch brown trout, and it was incredible on the Winston 2 weight. Thank you, Lord, and thank you, Dad.

Little Red River

TIME: 9:00 AM TO 2:30 PM
WEATHER: PC, Low to high 80s
WATER CONDITIONS: 0 units
LOCATIONS FISHED: Little Red River downstream of Greers Ferry Dam and Downstream of AR Hwy 110 Bridge (Swinging Bridge)
FLIES USED: #14 Lil' Red River Sowbug, #14 San Juan Worm (various colors), #20 Ginger Cockleburr, Big Ugly, #10 Chernobyl Ant, #10 Hopper, #14 Flying Ant, #14 Peach Salmon Egg
HATCHES: Midges
OTHER: Fished with Kay and Wayne. Lil' Red River is still off color as a result of Greers Ferry Lake being turbid from the spring flood. There was very little flow, but thank goodness for leakage through the dam gate seals which provided some additional discharge of water. We fished the pool immediately below the dam and there was almost no velocity. Wayne picked up a few fish, Kay caught two, and I did not catch any. Kay and I played with some fish in a small riffle and I had a couple blow up on a Chernobyl Ant, but could not get a hook up. We drove to the JFK overlook, had lunch (and gave extras to a fellow who looked down on his luck; he was very grateful), and proceeded to the AR Highway 110 bridge access. As with a couple weeks ago, there were geese everywhere, and they were putting the fish down, consequently no rises. Also, aquatic vegetation is abundant, making fishing with a weighted fly impossible in the shallow water. However, I immediately picked up a rainbow on a Chernobyl Ant just downstream of the bridge. Wayne hot footed it down to the first and subsequent big riffles, and Kay and I fished our way slowly downstream, concentrating on the right descending bank (if you're walking downstream, it's the bank on the right). The scenery looking downstream is awesome, with Sugarloaf Mountain in the background. I managed to fool a couple of browns on the Chernobyl Ant, missed several others, and had lots of looks. I switched flies at least a dozen times to find one they would take, but ended up coming back to the Chernobyl Ant as I couldn't even get a look with another pattern. Kay and I sat on the bank above the first deep riffle, and watched Wayne pull one after another fish out; don't know how many he caught, but we saw him catch 3 out of 4 casts, using the San Juan Worm (and variations) below a strike indicator. He is the most incredible fisher we've been blessed to fish with, and he immensely enjoys fishing. Kay was nursing a tennis elbow and proceeded upstream towards the truck, and I fished the deep riffle with a worm/egg combination. I caught two fairly quickly. Wayne worked his way upstream and we all walked to the truck, too out-of-shape from lack of fishing. It was a pretty good day!

Little Red River

TIME: 11:30 AM TO 4:00 PM
WEATHER: PC, Low to high 80s
WATER CONDITIONS: 0 units
LOCATIONS FISHED: Below AR Hwy 110 Bridge (Swinging Bridge)
FLIES USED: #14 Lil' Red River Sowbug, #14 San Juan Worm (various colors), #20 Ginger Cockleburr, Big Ugly, #14 Red Ass, #14 Ice T, #14 Peach Salmon Egg
HATCHES: Midges
OTHER: Fished with Robert. Robert is department chair at ASUMH and this week is his last week before classes resume. Following a dental appointment, we met at Harp's at Calico Rock, and drove to the AR Hwy 110 Bridge over the Little Red River. The water was turbid, looking like coffee with a little milk added. There were geese everywhere, and they were putting the fish down, though we saw a few rises. We fished the shallow water below the bridge and I managed to take a couple on the Cockleburr and Big Ugly, respectively. Both of us had several misses and refusals. We waded down to the first large riffle and I caught 5 others over the next 3 hours, on various combinations of flies, with the most success coming on an Ice T with a San Juan Worm dropped about a foot below. All in all, about half the fish I caught were rainbows and the other half browns. Robert fished downstream at the next riffle on the right, then worked his way back to the large riffle where he managed to take 2 or 3 fish on the same combination I was using, and then switching to an egg with a hot pink worm dropped below it. It was a a good day on the water, but the fishing was tough. Also, all the fish were long and thin, as opposed to the football-shaped fish we're used to seeing on the Norfork and White Rivers.

Norfork River

TIME: 6:00 AM TO 10:30 AM
WEATHER: PC, Low to high 70s
WATER CONDITIONS: 0 units
LOCATIONS FISHED: 1st Island above Ackerman/Handicap Access
FLIES USED: #14 Gray Norfork River Scud, #8 Chernobyl Ant
HATCHES: Midges
OTHER: Fished with Robert; it was Robert's first time to fly fish for trout, and he was a quick learner. Of course, he should be since he has a PhD from University of Arkansas and is Science and Health Department Chair at ASUMH. He caught several fish and had 4 in the 16-inch range, with 2 being caught on top using the Chernobyl Ant, in water 6 inches deep no less. It was a great morning, and Robert is an up and coming fly fisher.

Kaden Fishes The Big River

TIME: 6:00 AM TO 10:30 AM; 12:30 PM to 2:00 PM
WEATHER: PC, Low 70s to high 80s
WATER CONDITIONS: 0 units
LOCATIONS FISHED: 1st and 2nd Islands above Ackerman/Handicap Access
FLIES USED: #14 Gray Norfork River Scud
HATCHES: None
OTHER: Fished with Ron and Mellisa in the morning. We all did very well and caught lots of fish; Mellisa caught an 18-inch brown (guide estimate).

Fished with Kaden, our 12-year old grandson, in the afternoon; it was his first time on the “big” river, i.e. the Norfork River rather than Dry Run Creek. He caught and released 1 fish, hooked 6 others, and missed an additional 15 others; pretty good for his first time, and considering the water had been fished constantly for 2 days and all morning prior to our fishing. We tried to photograph his fish, but it got away. He cast and mended extremely well.

Ron Returns To The Norfork

TIME: 11:00 AM TO 2:30 PM
WEATHER: PC, Low to high 80s
WATER CONDITIONS: 0 units
LOCATIONS FISHED: 1st and 2nd Islands above Ackerman/Handicap Access
FLIES USED: #14 Gray Norfork River Scud
HATCHES: None
OTHER: Fished with Ron. We both did very well and caught lots of fish, though no fish of any size was caught. It’s the first time Ron has been on trout water since February, before the first flood.

Kay Outfishes Me, Again

TIME: 12:00 Noon TO 2:30 PM
WEATHER: PC, Low to high 80s
WATER CONDITIONS: 0 units, high and turbid from 3-inch rain
LOCATIONS FISHED: 1st Island above Ackerman/Handicap Access
FLIES USED: #8 Gray Wooly Bugger (with orange tail), #14 Olive Mini-T Bugger
HATCHES: None
OTHER: Fished with Kay. Once again, she outfished me; second time in a row. Water was very turbid with no visibility whatsoever. We cast quartering downstream, and stripping back. Kay caught about 10 fish to my 8, but we missed plenty, and she broke off 5. Interestingly, when she broke off, examination showed the tippet with a clean broke above the hook, and much resembled what we’re used to when a pike takes a fly and cuts the tippet—maybe a gar. We did see a gar in the vicinity only 4 days prior.

Norfork River

TIME: 7:15 AM TO 11:00 AM
WEATHER: PC, Low to high 70s
WATER CONDITIONS: 0 units
LOCATIONS FISHED: McClellan’s downstream to bottom of 1st island below McClellan's
FLIES USED: #14 Gray Norfork Scud, #20 Zebra Midge, #14 Furnace Cockleburr
ROD USED: 8' 9" 5 wt Winston LT
HATCHES: Midges, sulphurs
OTHER: Fished with Ed and John. We walked to the bottom of the island below McClellan’s where I picked up almost a dozen fish in a little run on river right, fishing over a sunken tree. Fished up left side of island (looking downstream) and only caught 3 or 4 in each site I fished. Walked up to McClellan’s, finding a motor on the top of the island. Ed had already walked up to his usual place and first fish he caught was a 25-inch brown trout, measured. He then caught a couple of dozen more fish. John fished the riffle at the top of the island and took several fish; I had difficulty fishing there on July 2, and only caught a few by adding weight. We all moved downstream, fishing the island, and Ed began catching lots of fish on a #20 Furnace Cockleburr. I caught several on the Zebra Midge below Ed, switched to a #14 Furnace Cockleburr, loaned John the rod, and he caught 2 very quickly, and missed a couple others, wrapping up the day. (John is one of the best nymph fishers I know, and can catch fish out of a mud puddle. Ed and I are trying to convince him to dry fly fish!)

The New Norfork River

TIME: 6:15 AM TO 11:30 AM
WEATHER: PC, Low 70s to Mid 80s
WATER CONDITIONS: 0 units
LOCATIONS FISHED: Norfork River, 1st and 2nd Islands above Ackerman/Handicap Access upstream to McClellan's
FLIES USED: #14 Gray Norfork Scud, #14 Olive/dun cockleburr
ROD USED: 8' 9" 5 wt Winston LT
HATCHES: Midges, sulphurs
OTHER: Fished with Ed and John. Sites fished yesterday fished slower today, with only one or two dozen fish being caught in each.

Bottom of 1st island above Ackerman/Handicap Access fished tough, as I only caught 3 or 4 fish there. The area above the 2nd island above Ackerman/Handicap Access also fished tough, with only 4 or 5 fish being caught. As a sideline, Ed saw a 36-inch gar just above the 2nd island. McClellan's fished great with Ed taking about 3 dozen fish. I managed to take a few fish in various locations at or below McClellan's, all with the gray Norfork River scud. In the riffle just above the island below McClellan's, I had to add weight because of the water velocity.

NEW NORFORK RIVER: Ed and I walked up to McClellan's and the river has changed dramatically. At McClellan's, where we walked in at Otter Creek, the chute on river right (adjacent to the right descending bank) has widened, with a flat bottom, and more consistent depth all the way across the channel. This extends from the new catch and release sign below Otter Creek on the right descending bank to Ace in the Hole. The land mass that formed at Otter Creek has lost some height and is more narrow than prior to the flood. At Ace in the Hole, the sediment between the corduroy ridges has been flushed out making wading difficult. The riffle above the island below McClellan's remains much as it existed previously; however, the outflow below the riffle is deep, and forms a deep pool immediately upstream of the island. This photo shows the furthest riffle below McClellan's, but above the riffle, looking downstream.  Most of the flow has shifted to river left (prior to the flood, ALL flow went river right) with a totally different river geometry on both sides. The right hand chute is now quite shallow, with a gravel bottom, though I did manage to catch a couple of fish near a root wad. A brand new river has been created on the left side since it now has considerable flow. At the bottom of the island, gravel has been deposited on the right hand side, forming a considerable "island", totally eliminating fish habitat in what was at one time considered among the best fishing sites on the river (Mill Dam Eddy).  Seeing the new river resulted in mixed emotions. On the one hand, I was sad to know that a lot of the information and knowledge accumulated over the last couple of decades would not serve as well as previously. On the other hand, it is exciting to see new opportunities for learning how to fish the area again. I, personally, believe the river will fish better than prior to the flood.

Norfork River

TIME: 6:15 AM TO 11:30 AM
WEATHER: PC, Low 70s to Mid 80s
WATER CONDITIONS: 0 units
LOCATIONS FISHED: Norfork River, 1st and 2nd Islands above Ackerman/Handicap Access
FLIES USED: #14 Gray Norfork Scud
ROD USED: 10’ 4 wt Winston WT
HATCHES: Midges, sulphurs
OTHER: Fished with Ed and John. Long and short of today's fishing is that we all caught fish with both Ed and John catching 4 or 5 dozen fish each. Ed caught a measured 20-inch brown; John broke a Temple Fork Outfitters rod.

Charlie’s Nephew

TIME: 6:15 AM TO 9:15 AM
WEATHER: PC, Low 70s
WATER CONDITIONS: 0 units
LOCATIONS FISHED: Norfork River, 1st and 2nd Islands above Ackerman/Handicap Access, Pool below Island below McClellan’s
FLIES USED: #14 Gray Norfork Scud
ROD USED: 8’ 9” 5 wt Winston LT
HATCHES: Midges, Sulfphurs
OTHER: Fished solo. I managed to get to the river early, but there were already 3 yokels fishing in the vicinity of where I wanted to start. Began fishing below riffle at 2nd island, and caught 6 fish, then moved to 1st island, left bank and caught another half dozen. Moved to right bank and caught a dozen and a half. John Wilson came in bringing a young lady client (about 10 years old) and her father, and asked to fish a respectable distance downstream. I readily agreed and offered the spot I was fishing as well. John and I exchanged observations and flies, and I moved upstream to the pool below the island below McClellan’s. I caught five fish in the pool, including an 18-inch brown that should’ve been 20 inches, but only measured 18; guess the measuring tape shrunk. Left the river at 9:15 AM though still no generation.
TODAY’S RANT: Young teenage man (about 14) had fished in an area near the 1st island, right bank, previous to my fishing there, then moved far upstream, and after several minutes returned fishing off my right shoulder about 15 feet. I was contemplating giving him the spot and setting him up with a Norfork scud, and leaving when he spouted off something about being from Alabama, was Charlie’s (Cook) grand nephew, that this was a riparian river, and implied that I should leave so he could fish. I silently fumed, then said, “Son, you’re on pretty shaky legal grounds regarding riparian rights, and I should know as I helped craft Arkansas water law in the 1980s.” His demeanor changed, he quit fishing and moved back upstream for some adult supervision. (I contracted to University of Arkansas Law School to rewrite and update comprehensive water laws in late 1980s, including testifying for its enactment as an expert witness to the Arkansas legislature.) Too bad, the kid smart-mouthed himself out of a free fly fishing lesson.

Norfork River

TIME: 6:15 AM TO 8:45 AM
WEATHER: PC, Low 70s to Low 80s
WATER CONDITIONS: 0 units
LOCATIONS FISHED: Norfork River, 1st and 2nd Islands above Ackerman/Handicap Access
FLIES USED: #14 Gray Norfork Scud
ROD USED: 10’ 4 wt Winston WT
HATCHES: Midges
OTHER: Fished solo. I managed to get to the river even earlier than yesterday, but other fishers began showing up about 6:30 AM. Following the same routine as on June 26, I began fishing near the first island and caught fish practically every cast; most were stockers, but did manage a couple of fish that would go 15 – 16 inches. The fellow downstream was not catching fish, so I let him know I was moving and suggested he move to that spot. I moved across the island and continued catching fish almost every cast, including a couple more in the 15 to 16 inch category. Decided to fish upstream, but noticed the guy fishing the first spot was not catching fish. He was rigged with the right tippet, but had a zebra midge with added weight, and two huge strike indicators. Watching him, I noticed he was not detecting the strike. Offering to help, I rigged him up with a Norfork scud and a stick-on indicator. He missed the first couple of fish, but then began catching with regularity. He was from near Oklahoma City, and seemed to be a nice guy. In fact, he offered the spot back to me which was a surprising gesture after last week. There is hope for human kind! As I was leaving, he asked which guides I would recommend. I named John Wilson, Davy Wotten (he and John Wilson are the two best in my opinion, and Davy is the most underrated guide on the river), and John Gulley, as these are the folks I would hire for the Norfork or White Rivers. Tom and Jeff Hawthorne are unequaled on the Little Red River. While walking upstream, another guy fishing the spot I had just vacated across the island offered the spot back—two in a row—but I thanked him for asking and declined.

I caught four fish below the riffle at the 2nd island, but it was not easy. I then moved upstream above the creek, but struggled, catching only 3 fish, and missing a bunch. Thinking the hook gap had opened (my excuse for missing fish), I replaced the hook , but noticed an elevated sound from the upstream riffle and a subtle difference in the water. Called generation and two had been turned on 45 minutes previously. High tailed it out of the river, having had a very good early morning, and an OK late morning. Still, all in all, I managed to catch over 3 dozen fish, and discovered that some people are still very courteous and friendly (didn’t have any fly by night guides crowding me). It helped to restore my confidence in fly fishers.

By the way, I was in need of some fly tying materials (yeah, I had to convince Kay of that, too) and shopped around locally to no avail. Called Tom at Ozark Angler and he had exactly what I needed (wished I still worked there). Though he is in Little Rock, AR, don’t hesitate to call Ozark Angler and order you fly fishing and fly tying stuff. He can ship the same day. The number is (501) 225-6504.

Norfork River

TIME: 6:30 AM TO 8:45 AM
WEATHER: PC, Low 70s to Low 80s
WATER CONDITIONS: 0 units
LOCATIONS FISHED: Norfork River, 1st and 2nd Islands above Ackerman/Handicap Access
FLIES USED: #14 Gray Norfork Scud
ROD USED: 10’ 4 wt Winston WT
HATCHES: Midges
OTHER: Fished solo. I managed to get to the river early, with only a couple of neighbors coming in a little later. Began fishing near the first island and caught fish pretty steady, though most, if not all, had been recently stocked. Moved across the island and continued catching fish with regularity, including a tough fighting sucker. Walked upstream to the 2nd island, and caught maybe a half dozen fish below the riffle, but it wasn’t as easy as it had been the preceding week. I then moved upstream above the creek, but the catch rate declined significantly, with only 5 fish caught. Water began coming up, ending the morning’s fishing with about 30 fish.

Norfork River

TIME: 6:30 AM TO 9:30 AM
WEATHER: PC, Low 70s
WATER CONDITIONS: 0 units
LOCATIONS FISHED: Norfork River, 2nd Island above Ackerman/Handicap Access
FLIES USED: #14 Gray Norfork Scud
ROD USED: 8’ 9” 5 wt Winston LT
HATCHES: Midges
OTHER: Fished solo. Managed to get to the river early, and it was already crowded by the 1st island above Ackerman/Handicap Access. I fished river left at the 2nd island, and caught a lot of fish beginning with the first cast. Immediately, a fellow fishing 300 yards downstream came up and began fishing on top of me. After a few casts, and no strikes, he moved on upstream. Then his friend came in immediately downstream of where I was fishing (maybe 20 to 30 feet), and my drift was almost touching him. I told him he was a little close, and he gave me the lecture about this being his river too. After no fish, he moved downstream, but a local guide who shall remain nameless (he smokes a cigar, his clients NEVER catch many fish, and he’s sort of the laughing stock of good fishers) came in right above me. Holding to his pattern, his client didn’t catch a single fish while I was there. With too many people, I moved upstream above the creek, and began catching fish practically every cast. I hooked one that barely moved, tried to get it on the reel, and it broke me off. It was a very BIG fish. With folks seeing me catch fish, I kept getting surrounded, so surrendered, and called it quits.
Rant for the Day: I am appalled at the lack of ethics in fly fishers and some fly fishing guides. Frankly, I’ve had better luck with “bait chunkers”. I sincerely hope that fly fishing clubs, councils, conclaves, and their leaders take this on as an imperative initiative!

Norfork River

TIME: 6:30 AM TO 8:30 AM
WEATHER: PC, Low 70s
WATER CONDITIONS: 0 units
LOCATIONS FISHED: Norfork River, 1st and 2nd Island above Ackerman/Handicap Access
FLIES USED: #14 Gray Norfork Scud, #20 Furnace Cockleburr
ROD USED: 8’ 9” 5 wt Winston LT
HATCHES: Midges, Sulphurs
OTHER: Fished solo. While I got on the river pretty early, there were already people fishing where Kay and I had done so well the previous day. Consequently, I fished the same spot I fished on May 29, and the fish were still there. I used the #14 Gray Norfork Scud and caught a couple of dozen fish within a relatively small area. There was a good sulphur hatch, but did not see a fish rise to the sulphurs.

Norfork River

TIME: 7:00 AM TO 9:30 AM
WEATHER: PC, Low 70s
WATER CONDITIONS: 0 units
LOCATIONS FISHED: Norfork River, 1st and 2nd Island above Ackerman/Handicap Access
FLIES USED: #14 Gray Norfork Scud, #20 Furnace Cockleburr
ROD USED: 8’ 9” 5 wt Winston LT
HATCHES: Midges, Sulphurs
OTHER: Fished with Kay. Set Kay up where I caught fish on May 29, but she couldn’t entice any to take the fly. Meanwhile, I moved downstream and fished traditional areas with not a lot of luck. Moved to a totally unlikely area and began catching fish on the #20 furnace cocklebur. Kay came down, rigged up, and began catching fish by stripping the cockleburr fly while I move across the island and downstream. I saw lots of fish staging near the bottom of the island, and caught several fish stripping the cockleburr fly. Move upstream to another traditional riffle, and found a sweet spot downstream several yards from where the fish usually lay, and managed to catch several more. Moved upstream to the area where Kay initially fished and caught several more. We had had a very good morning, and the river is fishing better than ever IF YOU CAN FIND THE FISH because they are not where they used to be.

The Flood of April 2008

DATE: June 12, 2008
TIME: 8:00 AM TO 10:00 AM
WEATHER: PC, Low 70s
WATER CONDITIONS: 0 units
LOCATIONS FISHED: Norfork River, 2nd Island above Ackerman/Handicap Access
FLIES USED: #14 Gray Norfork Scud, #20 Furnace Cockleburr
ROD USED: 8’ 9” 5 wt Winston LT
HATCHES: Midges, Sulphurs
OTHER: Fished solo. It had been several months since I last fished the Norfork largely due to historic floods in March and April. More about that later. I began fishing the furnace cockleburr to some subtle rises, but no takers. Switched to several other flies, but again, no takers. Finally tied on the gray scud, and caught one; moved downstream and found the fish, and managed to catch about a dozen in the same spot, including a 16 incher. All the fish were rainbows. Called generation number and USACE had turned on 1 generator, so I quit for the day. It was great to find the river fishing very good after the flood.

The historic April flood was the result of 83,000 cubic feet per second being released from Norfork Dam in combination with White River backwater. Norfork Lake reached its highest level, by several feet, ever. In fact, Kay and I witnessed water coming over the gates. In some reservoir systems, that would be significant cause for concern as it could result in torquing of the gates, but the Little Rock District of the US Army Corps of Engineers assured me, BEFORE HAND, that there was not a dam safety problem (I was formerly the Dam Safety Officer for the Little Rock District). These photos were taken 17 hours before the peak. Kay and I could stand on our patio and hear the water spilling from the reservoir. We spent all day helping, as best we could, neighbors frantically and fruitlessly protect their property. The combination of reservoir releases combined with concurrent flood on the White River caused by intense rain in the Buffalo River basin was too much for the river to withstand. It could have handled the reservoir releases within top banks, but when hitting the wall of backwater from the White, there was nothing left to do but flow overbank. It seems the Corps' water management plan was implemented without waiver, and the inflexibility and/or inability to change or modify implementation of the plan by the US Army Corps of Engineers resulted in many properties getting flooded that might not have otherwise done so if some variation had been executed. I recall seeing that lake levels reached 583 feet. The flood scoured the river, rearranged islands, deposited gravel in some areas, flood adjacent property, and destroyed many trees and river bank areas. Most of the silt has disappeared, and stream bottom vegetation is doing well. In fact, I picked up Norfork River moss on the fly for the first time in many years. From a fishing perspective, the net effect of the flood will prove to be very positive.

Quetico Wilderness, Canada – Day 6

WEATHER: PC, Low 50s, howling southeastern wind, some rain
WATER CONDITIONS: Clear, about 50 degrees
LOCATIONS FISHED: Basswood Lake
FLIES USED: None
ROD USED: None
HATCHES: None
OTHER: It blew and rained all night, with winds blowing a near constant 25 mph, and gusting to 40 mph, with rain all night long. I was concerned about a tree blowing down on the tent! It continued to blow until late morning, and we were preparing to spend an extra night in the wilderness as there was concern about the shuttle boats being able to pick us up. The wind abated slightly about 10:30 AM, we broke camp, and proceeded to the pickup point. About halfway, the wind shifted out of the south and increased in velocity. We hug the south shoreline paddling out, and except for paddling across to the pickup point, made it OK, though taking on some water during the paddle. It took us some 2-1/2 hours in the tow boat, bucking high seas and wind the entire way, and taking water head-on on several occasions. Nevertheless, the paddle was nothing compared to last year. Oh well, another one for the books.

Quetico Wilderness, Canada – Day 5

WEATHER: PC, Low 50s, wind, some rain
WATER CONDITIONS: Clear, about 50 degrees
LOCATIONS FISHED: Basswood Lake
FLIES USED: #6 Gray/White Clouser
ROD USED: 9’ 7 wt Orvis
HATCHES: Mayflies
OTHER: Ron and I fished together this morning. For us it was a morning from hell as I forgot the flies, and Ron’s spinning reel “bird nested”. Rather than fight the awfulness, we returned to the campsite, did our morning “chore”, and collected our thoughts and patience. We returned to fishing, but the fish did not cooperate. Ron, paddling from the front seat, “guided” me to the point just west of our campsite, and I caught a 6 lb 10 oz smallmouth on a gray/white Clouser using the 9’ 7 wt Orvis.

It was the hardest fighting smallmouth I ever caught, sounding immediately after the hookset. After measuring and photographing the fish, we released it and returned to the camp.
I paddled Joe in the afternoon, all the way into North Bay and near the portage. He caught his first smallmouth on a fly rod, and proceeded to catch several more. While these were little fish to Joe compared to his 7-1/2 pounder earlier in the week, they provided great fly rod action.

He “guided” me as well, and I caught several.
Ron fished for lake trout with Harry, and caught an 8 or 9 pounder. Harry caught two huge fish, with one going about 18 pounds.

Quetico Wilderness, Canada - Day 4

WEATHER: PC, Low 50s, wind, some rain
WATER CONDITIONS: Clear, about 50 degrees
LOCATIONS FISHED: Basswood Lake
FLIES USED: #6 Gray/White Clouser
ROD USED: 9’ 6 wt Winston
HATCHES: Mayflies
OTHER: An unbelievable morning ensued. I paddled Ed around Big Bass Island. He immediately began catching fish far off the point of the island, and continued to catch fish almost every cast on his spinning rod, including his 2nd board fish in 12 hours. He switched to the 9’ 6 wt Winston with a gray/white Clouser and continued catching one fish after the other, including his 3rd board fish in 12 hours.

It was unreal. As an added treat we observed an otter family of three eating a crawfish or something similar.

Mary had offered to paddle Dave and he graciously gave up his spot to Joe, and Joe proceeded to catch a 7-1/2 pound smallmouth on spinning tackle. That’s the largest our group has ever caught. Outfitted in a Santa hat brought special for the occasion, he had his picture made holding this world-class smallmouth to be used as his 2008 Christmas card. There was considerable discuss about voting Joe off the island, but he's such a nice guy we decided unanimously to make him our camp mascot for the year. If you are keeping up, this makes 6 board fish thus far. Ron, using spinning gear, caught his first board fish as well, making 7 for the group.

I paddled Ron in the afternoon, and we tried the area southeast of the Narrows, but with the same luck as Joe and I had earlier in the week—few fish. John Simank caught his 2nd board fish using spinning tackle, making 8 for the group thus far.
After a hard day's fishing, Ed relaxed in his royal throne, the one and only chair ever brought to the "island", achieved when he surpassed a major threshold which shall remain confidential.

Quetico Wilderness, Canada - Day 3

WEATHER: PC, Low 50s, wind, some rain
WATER CONDITIONS: Clear, about 50 degrees
LOCATIONS FISHED: Basswood Lake
FLIES USED: #6 Gray/White Clouser
ROD USED: 9’ 6 wt Winston
HATCHES: Mayflies
OTHER: I paddled Joe in the AM; he only caught a few fish, though he fished hard, and we were in a good spot (southeast of the Narrows). It wasn't Joe's fault, the fish were just not cooperating for us. Ed paddled me in the afternoon, south of Blueberry Island; it rained on us the entire time. I fished hard, but only managed 3 fish.
Ed fished off the point just before bedtime Tuesday evening, and did a “George” by catching a board fish, hollering for the net, then hollering for the measuring tape. George may be gone, but he is not forgotten.

Quetico Wilderness, Canada – Day 2

WEATHER: PC, Low 50s, wind, some rain
WATER CONDITIONS: Clear, about 50 degrees
LOCATIONS FISHED: Basswood Lake
FLIES USED: #6 Gray/White Clouser
ROD USED: 9’ 6 wt Winston
HATCHES: Mayflies
OTHER: I paddled Ed in the AM; he caught a dozen or more on a gray/white clouser. Harry paddled me in the PM and I caught about 15 on a gray/white clouser, including 3 large fish, but none over 5 pounds. Harry had one “blow up” on a popper, but no catches. John and Joe each caught “board” fish, i.e. over 5 pounds.
We saw a first on this trip, Mary cooking over Harry's fire. Isn't this a NO NO?

The Northwoods has unexplainable beauty, and just grabs you in the gut. You can't help but feel awed when enjoying the many lakes and islands.

Basswood Lake, Quetico Wilderness, ON

WEATHER: PC, Low 50s, wind

WATER CONDITIONS: Clear, about 50 degrees

LOCATIONS FISHED: Basswood Lake

FLIES USED: #6 Gray Hard Body Popper

ROD USED: 9’ 8wt Winston

HATCHES: Mayflies

OTHER: Harry guided me and Kay this morning, and we fished the south bank across from the camp island. I caught 4 smallmouth bass and 1 pike, all on the popper. It was a very slow morning. This was to be the last fishing for me on this trip as I paddled the remainder of the trip because of wind.

Breakfast: Early morning cookie, followed by fishing, then biscuits, gravy, ham, pork chops, and hashbrowns

Lunch: Snack bars, candy bars

Dinner: Pan fried bass filets, cornbread, mixed beans, and apple cobbler

Quetico Wilderness, Canada – Day 1

WEATHER: PC, Low 70s, light wind
WATER CONDITIONS: Clear, about 50 degrees
LOCATIONS FISHED: Basswood Lake, Quetico Wilderness, Canada
FLIES USED: #6 Gray/White Clouser
ROD USED: 9’ 6 wt Winston
HATCHES: Mayflies
OTHER: Boated and paddled into Basswood Lake this morning with our annual crew, Harry and Mary, John, Dave, and myself. Absent this year were Kay and George, both missing their first trip. New to the group were Ron and Joe. Intense rain in September 2007 combined with heavy winter snows, and a 30-inch April snow resulted in the lake being a couple feet higher than we have experienced. Our “island” campsite suffered some damage over the winter.

While Harry and Mary set up camp, we took off fishing. With water temperatures at or near 50 degrees, it was useless fishing a popper, slider, or diver. Since this was Ron’s first trip, I paddled him and he caught 3 smallmouth using a 7 weight Orvis and a gray and white clouser, including one that would easily go 4 pounds.

I fished sparingly from the back of the canoe.

White River

TIME: 10:00 AM TO 4:00 PM
WEATHER: PC, Low 70s, windy with south to variable winds
WATER CONDITIONS: 2 units
LOCATIONS FISHED: White River, Jenkins Creek to Rim Shoals
FLIES USED: #14 SSF (Simank's Secret Fly)
ROD USED: 9 ft 5 wt Winston
HATCHES: Caddis, Midges
OTHER: Fished with John and Ed in the river boat. Met them a little late due to a medical appointment. Wind gusted to about 20 mph, making drifting and fishing sometimes difficult. Nevertheless, we caught a lot of fish, though none over 16 inches. Fishing was best immediately upstream of Jenkins Creek, in the riffle at the creek, and just downstream. We did drift through Rim Shoals late in the afternoon, and caught lots of fish in steady succession, despite the wind. We saw a few caddis coming off, but again as the previous day, didn't see any rising fish.

Norfork River

TIME: 9:45 AM TO 11:15 AM
WEATHER: PC, Low-40s warming to upper 50s, windy with east winds
WATER CONDITIONS: 0 units
LOCATIONS FISHED: Norfork River, 2nd Island above Ackerman/Handicap Access
FLIES USED: #20 Ginger Cockleburr, #20 Olive Cockleburr, #20 Kay's Gray, #20 Dunn's Z-Dun
ROD USED: 9 ft 5 wt Winston
HATCHES: Midges
OTHER: Wind direction totally changed from yesterday, coming out of the east today (wind from the east, fishing the least). Fished solo, and started river-left at 2nd island. Some idiot was standing right in the middle of the small riffle, and put the fish down. Tried downstream, but no luck. Moved to river-right at Cook's Island, and again, another idiot was standing right in the middle of the riffle; wish these guys would stay home! Anyway, saw some rises and threw everything in the fly box at them. Finally, put on the last Dunn's Dunn I had, and it was a modification with a zelon tail, thus called a Dunn's Z-Dun. It seemed to do the trick, though I only picked up a couple, and I fished hard for those two. The first idiot left, so I moved back upstream, switched to a Ginger Cockleburr, and caught a rainbow and a brown. It was not a bad day, but I fished hard for all 4 fish.

Norfork River

TIME: 12:45 PM TO 3:15 PM
WEATHER: PC, Low-60s, windy with west winds
WATER CONDITIONS: 0 units
LOCATIONS FISHED: Norfork River, 2nd Island above Ackerman/Handicap Access
FLIES USED: #20 Kay's Gray, #20 Ginger Cockleburr
ROD USED: 9 ft 5 wt Winston
HATCHES: Midges, Blue Winged Olives
OTHER: Fished solo, then with Kay. Caught 8 fish – one cutthroat and 7 rainbows – 3 on Kay's Gray and 5 on the Ginger Cockleburr. Kay hooked up with a San Juan worm.

Ron on the Norfork

TIME: 3:00 PM TO 4:45 PM
WEATHER: PC, Low-40s, windy
WATER CONDITIONS: 0 units
LOCATIONS FISHED: Norfork River, 2nd Island above Ackerman/Handicap Access
FLIES USED: #14 Gray Norfork Scud, #14 T-Worm
ROD USED: 9 ft 5 wt Winston
HATCHES: Midges
OTHER: Fished with Ron and Mellisa; it was Mellisa's first time to successfully fly fish. After a brief casting lesson, and some disscussion about drag-free drifts, she caught a rainbow on the T-worm , and missed a couple of others. Ron caught 3 fish on the gray scud. I fished very briefly, about 15 minutes, and caught 3 fish on the gray scud. Fishing was very difficult, it was windy and cold, and we fished less than an hour and a half.