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.