Keeping It Simple

TIME: 11:30 AM to 2:00 PM

WEATHER:  Partly cloudy, mid 50s,

WATER CONDITIONS:  0 Units

LOCATIONS FISHED:  Norfork River, Mill Dam Eddy to 1st Riffle above Island below McClellan’s

ROD USED:  8’ 9” JWF 5 wt Winston

FLIES USED:   #14 Norfork River Ice Gray Scud, #20 Red/Silver Zebra Midge

HATCHES: Midges

OTHER:  Fished with Wayne.  Nothing at the walk-in spot at Mill Dam Eddy, but the root wad at the top of the gravel bar fished well, producing 3 fish, with several misses.  The narrow riffle at the tip of the island was awesome, with over a half dozen fish caught, and a few missed.  Moving across the river, the upstream root wad produced a couple of fish.  The right side of the island fished well, with a fish being caught or missed all the way to the top.  The pool at the top before the spill off didn’t produce anything today.  As I worked upstream to the big riffle above the island, I noticed 5 fishers entering the river from Otter Creek—a group from Kentucky who park alongside the road to McClellan’s and walk the creek to the river now that McClellan’s has closed.  Three of these fishers began walking downstream as I continued working upstream to the riffle.  I fished it from river left, and caught maybe a half dozen fish, and again, missed almost that many more.  No big fish were caught today.  Today, the zebra midge was dropped a few inches below the ice scud.  Interestingly enough, all but one of the fish caught along the island and below were caught on the zebra midge, while all the fish above the island were caught on the scud; that has been the pattern the last couple of times out. 

A Good Day on the Water

TIME:  1:30 PM to 4:30 PM
WEATHER:  Partly cloudy, mid 60s 
WATER CONDITIONS:  0 Units
LOCATIONS FISHED:  Norfork River, Top of Island above Ackerman/Handicap Access to Mill Dam Eddy
ROD USED:  8’9” 5 wt JWF Winston
FLIES USED:  #14 Norfork River ICE Gray Scud, #20 Zebra Midge (Black with Silver Wire) (Red with Silver Wire)
HATCHES:  Midges, Caddis
OTHER:  Fished with Wayne.  We decided to fish close to home today, and started at the riffle across from Wayne’s,  Water levels were still dropping, and on a whim I began fishing the off side of the riffle (left descending bank) and was into fish immediately in the fast, shallow water.  At first, the fish were taking the red zebra midge, but after water levels stabilized, the fish began taking the scud.  It was an awesome time as I ended up with a good dozen and a half fish, the quickest I’ve reached that total in several weeks.  Meanwhile, Wayne began working his way up the pool, but the pool was fishing slow.  By the time I began wading upstream, he was at Mill Dam Eddy and catching fish with regularity.  I had no luck in the lower pool, so waded on to Mill Dam Eddy while Wayne fished along side the island.  At the downstream point of the island, I caught 8 fish in the skinny water, with about half taking the scud and the other half taking the red zebra midge.  Wayne caught 10 at the top of the island and began working his way back downstream, so rather than wade further upstream, I fished along the gravel bar at Mill Dam Eddy, and caught 3 or 4 fish.  We both waded downstream where I missed 3 and caught one in the pool.  Neither of us caught any big fish, but it was one of my most successful days in several weeks. 

Windy, But Productive

TIME:  1:00 PM to 5:00 PM
WEATHER:  Partly cloudy, mid 70s, windy with gusts to 25 mph 
WATER CONDITIONS:  0 Units
LOCATIONS FISHED:  Norfork River, Mill Dam Eddy to Riffle above Island below McClellan’s
ROD USED:  8’9” 5 wt JWF Winston
FLIES USED:  Yellow Wayne’s Fly, #14 Norfork River ICE Gray Scud, #14 Norfork River Gray Scud, #20 Zebra Midge (Black with Holographic Tinsel)
HATCHES:  Midges, Caddis
OTHER:  Fished solo.  Water was still dropping, but Mill Dam Eddy already had a boat with 3 fishers, so I opted to fish the skinny water along the island with Wayne’s fly tied a few inches below a hard egg bead pegged on the tippet.  I began to catch fish immediately, though not as many as my good friend Wayne would have caught.  I worked my way up along the island, and while I was wading up, a local husband/wife guide team was kayaking down to fish the area I had just fished.  Fighting the wind with every cast, at the top of the island I ended up with a tangle the size of a small bird’s nest.  I removed the egg bead, tied on the gray ice dub Norfork River scud, and dropped a zebra midge about 9 inches below.  Wading toward the riffle above the island, I caught a few fish on the zebra midge, but caught nothing in the riffle itself fishing from the right descending bank.  Wading across the primary riffle, I fished the secondary riffle and caught 3 fish, all on the zebra midge.  I waded downstream on the left descending bank, fishing the bubble line, and managed to fool another 3 or 4 fish, all taken on the zebra midge.  At the top of the island, I fished the tailout of the pool just before the water began spilling down the right chute, and was surprised catching several fish on the zebra midge.  This is the first time I had ever fished this small pool.  Wading downstream, the right chute produced another 3 or 4 fish.  At the bottom of the island, all the fishers had left Mill Dam Eddy, the wind had abated, and I was the only one within sight.  Here, I caught another half 3 or 4 fish before a boat with two fishers "floated" downstream through the very run I was fishing, bumping bottom the entire way.  They apologized, and I advised where to find deep water to motor downstream.  After they moved through, I managed to catch another couple of fish before calling it a day.
Though one brown was caught, no large fish were taken today.

The Big Ugly Rules

TIME:  1:00 PM to 3:00 PM
WEATHER:  Partly cloudy, mid 70s 
WATER CONDITIONS:  0 Units
LOCATIONS FISHED:  Norfork River, Mill Dam Eddy to Riffle above Island below McClellan’s
ROD USED:  8’9” 5 wt JWF Winston
FLIES USED:  #14 Norfork River ICE Gray Scud, #14 Norfork River Gray Scud, Chernobyl Ant
HATCHES:  Midges, Caddis
OTHER:  Fished with Wayne.  Wayne waded in and began fishing downstream towards the end of the gravel bar at Mill Dam Eddy while I fished near the lower root wad at the top of the gravel bar.  I only caught 2 or 3 fish, and began walking upstream; Wayne continued fishing the lower run, and, of course, caught fish.  Just above the top of the island I began fishing the tailout of the riffle wading upstream on the left descending bank and caught a couple of fish.  At the riffle above the island, I caught a couple more fish, but 4 or 5 fish hit the strike indicator.  I finally tied on a Chernobyl ant, and was rewarded with 3 quick fish.  After fishing Mill Dam Eddy, Wayne fished the skinny water upstream on the right hand chute, and caught about a dozen and a half fish.  We met up at the top of the island and began working our way back downstream, with me fishing the Big Ugly fly in front.  I didn’t catch anymore fish, but Wayne picked up a few more on the way down.  By the time we reached Mill Dam Eddy, we were both tired, and called it a day.

Fishing Behind a Vacuum Cleaner

TIME:  1:30 PM to 4:00 PM
WEATHER:  Partly cloudy, mid 70s,
WATER CONDITIONS:  0 Units
LOCATIONS FISHED:  Norfork River, Mill Dam Eddy to Riffle above Island below McClellan’s
ROD USED:  8’9” 5 wt JWF Winston
FLIES USED:  #14 Norfork River ICE Gray Scud, #14 Norfork River Gray Scud
HATCHES:  Midges, Caddis
OTHER:  Fished with Wayne.  Upon entering the water, Wayne opted to fish the skinny water along the island while I fished Mill Dam Eddy.  We were both into fish immediately, except Wayne was actually landing his, and I was missing most of mine (Wayne says the distance between the fly and strike indicator was too long).  I did end up with 8 or 9 fish, but Wayne was taking a fish on almost every cast.  After leaving Mill Dam Eddy, I waded upstream, fishing behind Wayne, and realized he had virtually “vacuumed” the river as I had only a couple of takes.  I waded upstream to the riffle above the island and caught a few fish, including two nice cutthroats.  I only caught a couple of fish wading back downstream, both caught above the island.  Wayne took a few along the island, and several immediately downstream of the island, including a couple of nice cutthroats.  I caught a couple more in Mill Dam Eddy, and we left the water tired, but satisfied with our afternoon of fishing. 

Finally, Some Wadable Water

TIME:  2:30 PM to 4:00 PM
WEATHER:  Partly cloudy, mid 70s,
WATER CONDITIONS:  0 Units
LOCATIONS FISHED:  Norfork River, Island above Ackerman-Handicap Access
ROD USED:  7’9” 2 wt Winston LT
FLIES USED:  #14 Ginger Cockleburr, #14 Black Cockleburr, Big Ugly
HATCHES:  Midges, Caddis
OTHER:  Fished solo.  Kay and I were walking along River Ridge Road and noted the river was down, unexpectedly; SWPA has projected generation all day.  After the walk, I quickly suited up and walked to the river, fishing the skinny water along the right descending bank,  The Big Ugly worked its magic on three fish, giving the 2 wt a good fight.  The river was quite crowded, but the riffle across from Ol’ Charlie’s was vacant,  so switching to the Cockleburr fly, I managed to take a few small fish, bringing attention to the area.  Immediately, a couple of other fishers came to the area—one above and one below, both at close but okay distances, leaving the area at Ol’ Charlie’s vacant.  I switched sides, and successfully fished the Cockleburr, landing several small fish.  Soon thereafter, one of the fishers that left the area to fish where I was catching fish came back over to fish just above me, a little too close for comfort, but he left after a few casts, so no harm done.  Deciding to work upstream, the Big Ugly was tied on.  At the same time, a 20-foot river boat, with a guide and 3 fly fishers bounced its way downstream, hitting what seemed like every rock in the otherwise fishable water.  It hung up several times causing the guide and passengers to get out and get it started downstream—STUPID.   The guide was so embarrassed that he wouldn’t look me in the eye, and the fly fishers apologized profusely.  Still, they succeeded in putting all the fish down, ending what was otherwise a good day. 

A Beautiful Fall Afternoon

TIME:  1:00 PM to 4:00 PM
WEATHER:  Partly cloudy, mid 70s,
WATER CONDITIONS:  0 Units
LOCATIONS FISHED:  Norfork River, Mill Dam Eddy to Riffle above Island below McClellan’s
ROD USED:  8’9” 5 wt JWF Winston
FLIES USED:  #14 Norfork River Gray Scud, #18 Black/Silver Zebra Midge
HATCHES:  Midges, Caddis
OTHER:  Fished solo.  Mill Dam Eddy fished slow, with only a couple fish caught.  Nothing worked along the island as I fished upstream.  The riffle above the island fished okay, producing over a half dozen fish, including some nice cutthroats; all were caught on Wayne’s fly, none on the zebra midge dropper.  A couple of fish were caught along the island as I fished the return trip downstream.  Likewise, a couple of fish were caught at Mill Dam Eddy on the way out.  The fall colors were tremendous, probably the optimum day of the season.
NOTE:  Switched fly line to an olive WF Ridgeline, and so far I really like it.

A Quiet Afternoon Fishin’

TIME: 12:30 PM to 2:30 PM

WEATHER:  Clear, mid 70s

WATER CONDITIONS:  0 Units

LOCATIONS FISHED:  Norfork River, Along Island above Ackerman/Handicap Access

ROD USED:  7’ 9” 2 wt Winston LT

FLIES USED:   #20 Kay’s Gray, #20 Dunn’s Dun, #20 Cockleburr in assorted colors, #10 Chernobyl Ant, #20 Black/Silver Zebra Midge, Olive Wayne’s Fly, #14 Black Cockleburr

HATCHES: Midges

OTHER:  Fished solo.  After arriving home after church, the Norfork River was down, and weather was perfect for fishing the 2 weight.  I walked in near the house, and found the river a bit crowded.  I had intended to fish in front of Ol’ Charlies, but the new owner was sunbathing/fishing in a bikini off their “dock”, so I moved to the river on the left side of the island.  There were a few rises, so a switch to dry flies was in order after a couple of drifts with a nymph and dropper.  The small fish “missed” the various flies cast to them, with a result of no immediate hook-ups.  The bikini-clad sunbather left the river, and a vacancy!  I moved to the spot, and caught a few small fish on a #14 black cockleburr.  After several more casts, I tied on a Chernobyl ant and surprisingly caught a few more fish, then opted to walk upstream and fish the fast, skinny water.  Again, I was surprised at the number of fish trying to take the big fly, and managed to catch a few in the process.  Bottom line today was not a lot of fish, no big fish, but a good time.  Hopefully, our fishing will settle down in a few days, the crowds will dispense, and we can get back to normal!

Ma’am, It’s a Catch and Release Area

TIME:  12:30 PM to 3:30 PM

WEATHER:  Clear, low 70s

WATER CONDITIONS:  0 Units

LOCATIONS FISHED:  Norfork River, Elisabeth Creek to Riffle above Island below McClellan’s

ROD USED:  8’6” 5 wt JWF Winston

FLIES USED:  #14 Gray Ice Norfork River Scud, Olive Wayne’s Fly, #16 Red Zebra Midge, #16 Black Zebra Midge, #20 Red Zebra Midge

HATCHES:  Midges, Crane Fly, Occasional Caddis

OTHER:  Fished with Wayne.  We both caught fish in the pool.  I waded upstream and caught a couple in the riffle below the island, but caught nothing along the island.  Wading further upstream to the riffle above the island, I found a spot and was quickly joined by a couple other fishers kayaking and canoeing downstream, including one of our prominent local female guides.  I caught a half dozen on the left descending bank side of the riffle using Wayne’s fly and dropping the #20 red zebra midge; all but one of the takes were on the midge.  The “guide” also caught a couple, one of which was a whopping 14 inches.  She kept the fish for a good 5 minutes taking photos, etc. as if it were a major trophy fish; hopefully, the fish revived after being handled for such a long time.  Regulations pertaining to Catch and Release areas state that fish are to be released IMMEDIATELY (emphasis added).  I started to yell over to her, “Ma’am, this is a Catch and Release Area, please release the fish immediately” but opted to let well enough alone.  We’ll probably see the fish written up as a 20+ inch fish!  I waded back downstream and caught a couple more in the riffle below the island, but didn’t catch anything in the pool.  About half the way downstream, I met Wayne, and we walked out together.  He had had a good day, with about 15 fish, and I caught 10-12.  Neither of us had a big fish.  

A Tough Day

TIME:  9:45 AM to 12:15 PM

WEATHER:  Clear, low 80s,

WATER CONDITIONS:  0 Units

LOCATIONS FISHED:  Norfork River, Mill Dam Eddy to Otter Creek

ROD USED:  8’6” 5 wt JWF Winston

FLIES USED:  Yellow Wayne’s Fly, #16 Red Zebra Midge, #16 Black Zebra Midge, #14 Gray Ice Dub Norfork River Scud

HATCHES:  Midges, Occasional Caddis

OTHER:  Fished with Wayne.  We both had a very tough day, I missed a fish in the chute along the island below McClellan’s on the swing, and didn’t get another bite for over an hour, wading all the way to Otter
Creek, and starting back down when I finally caught a couple above the walnut tree. I managed another fish in Ace in the Hole, couple more “dinks” in the plunge pool, and hit pay dirt at the riffle above the island where I caught over a half dozen fish.  Wayne didn’t fare any better, not getting a strike all the way to above Otter Creek before he finally caught fish, and improved his catch quantity on the way back down with near a dozen fish.  I had a nice 15-16 inch rainbow, and a beautiful 15 inch cutthroat.  Neither of us had a trophy fish today.

Chasin’ Rainbows

TIME:  9:45 AM to 2:15 PM

WEATHER:  Clear, low 80s,

WATER CONDITIONS:  0 Units

LOCATIONS FISHED:  White River—Bull Shoals State Park, Below the Dam, Roundhouse Shoals

ROD USED:  8’6” 5 wt JWF Winston

FLIES USED:  Yellow Wayne’s Fly, #16 Red Zebra Midge, #16 Black Zebra Midge, #14 Beadhead Flashback Pheasant Tail, #14 White River Sow Bug

HATCHES:  Midges, Occasional Caddis

OTHER:  Fished with Wayne.  We chased fishable water, and fish, today.  Starting at Bull Shoals State Park, we found the area already crowded, and almost no one was catching fish.  After a half hour, we opted to leave and fished below the dam, finding the same situation, with all the available spots taken.  We briefly fished the area at the upper end of the state park, but water was too deep and bottom to treacherous to wade.  We moved downstream to Roundhouse Shoals; I couldn’t buy a bite for some time, but Wayne picked up a fish here and there, with more catches as he moved downstream.  I finally returned to White River basics, tying on a White River Sow Bug, and managed to catch a few fish.  It was a tough day, but good to fish other water—we now appreciate our homewaters, the Norfork River, more than before—sometimes we take it for granted.  

Boat Fishing the White River

TIME: 8:30 AM to 12:00 Noon

WEATHER:  Clear, low 40s to mid 60s

WATER CONDITIONS:  1 Units increasing during the morning

LOCATIONS FISHED:  White River, Rim Shoals

ROD USED:  8’ 9” 5 wt Winston Joan Wulff Favorite

FLIES USED:   #16 Red Copper John, #16 Red Zebra Midge, #16 Black Zebra Midge, Olive Wayne’s Fly

OTHER:  Fished with Ed and John of the boat.  Water was too high to wade, but not quite high enough to float Upper Rim Shoals.  Consequently, we fished the lower end of the shoals.  As usual, John caught lots of fish, and Ed had a good morning as well.  None of us caught any large fish. 

Lessons on Using Strike Indicators

TIME: 12:30 PM to 4:30 PM

WEATHER:  Clear, mid 60s

WATER CONDITIONS:  0 Units

LOCATIONS FISHED:  Norfork River, Mill Dam Eddy to Otter Creek

ROD USED:  7’ 9” 2 wt Winston LT

FLIES USED:   #20 Kay’s Gray, #14 Norfork River Gray Scud, #20 Black/Silver Zebra Midge, Olive Wayne’s Fly

HATCHES: Midges, Caddis

OTHER:  Fished solo.  Water was still dropping as I entered the water, but a few small fish were rising below the island.  A #20 Kay’s Gray fooled a few, but needing the exercise, I waded upstream.  The chute along the island only produced 3 fish, but the tailout above the island fished well, with over a dozen fish being caught with deliberate casting and drifting.  There were few fish above the riffle, no fish at Ace In The Hole, and the walnut tree only produced a couple of fish.  Concentrations of fish were found both below and above the island. All told, I caught perhaps a couple dozen fish, with several being 12 to 14 inches long, and a couple maybe 15 inches.  I had to manage the size of the strike indicator very carefully as the takes were almost imperceptible.  With good drag-free drifts, right sizing of the strike indicators, and a ton of patience, fishing was great and catching was good.  However, with the 2 weight and a slight wind, I was grossly under gunned.  Also of note, I saw a large number of cutthroats, including the largest I ever saw in the Norfork River, estimated at over 24 inches.

A Short Day

TIME: 9:00 AM to 10:30 AM
WEATHER:  Partly cloudy, mid 80s,
WATER CONDITIONS:  0 Units
LOCATIONS FISHED:  Norfork River, Island above Ackerman/Handicap Access
ROD USED:  2 wt Winston
FLIES USED:  #14 Black Cockleburr, #20 Dunn’s Dun
HATCHES:  Midges
OTHER:  Fished with Wayne.  There was lot of fog on the river when we walked in, and though the river was still dropping, it was packed with people.  I found a slot across the island from Ol’ Charlie’s and managed a dozen fish over the course of an hour, all caught on the Dunn’s Dun being stripped.  A slot opened up at Ol’ Charlie’s and I moved over there and three guys immediately walked in on me from Ol’ Charlie’s.  I didn’t say anything to them about intruding on my space, but did let them know that they were renting the place illegally as the property was both zoned residential and no business license had been issued, and, in addition, it violated the subdivision covenants.  They responded that it appeared perfectly legal to them as they saw it on the internet!  Oh, well, another one for the courts to decide.  I decided to go home because of the “overcrowded” conditions, and wasn’t in the mood to fish anymore.

The Three Musketeers (aka The Three Stooges)

TIME: 9:00 AM to 12:30 PM
WEATHER:  Partly cloudy, mid 80s,
WATER CONDITIONS:  0 Units
LOCATIONS FISHED:  Norfork River, Mill Dam Eddy to Otter Creek
ROD USED:  8’ 6” 5 wt Joan Wulff Favorite Winston
FLIES USED:  #14 Norfork River Gray Scud, Brown and Green Wayne’s Fly, #20 Tungsten BH Flashback Red Copper John, #14 Black Cockleburr
HATCHES:  None Midges
OTHER:  Fished with Wayne and Bill.  We fished upstream today, from Mill Dam Eddy to near Otter Creek at McClellan’s.  Catching fish was a little difficult today as the fish were generally on the move, upstream.  Finding pockets of fish proved to be somewhat elusive.  Fish were beneath the trees along the island, but the riffle above the island below McClellan’s didn’t product a single fish.  The river at the walnut tree produced several fish for Wayne, as did the pool upstream of Otter Creek.  He and Bill both caught several fish in the pool and it outlet.
Wayne caught several big fish, over 17 inches, and Bill caught a monster male rainbow just after we first began fishing this morning.  Note the size of the reel at the top of the photo.
I struggled to catch fish until finally tying on the black cockleburr and casting to fish rising to emerging insects.  One of the casts produced a pretty 17-18 inch brown, similar to one caught a few days ago in the same spot.
It’s always fun to fish with these two guys as they are very proficient at what they do.  Here’s a photo of Wayne with a fish on, something quite rare (just kidding as you all know he’s the master).

A Magical Day

TIME: 10:15 AM to 12:45 PM

WEATHER:  Partly cloudy, low 90s,

WATER CONDITIONS:  0 Units

LOCATIONS FISHED:  Norfork River, Near Ol’ Charlie’s

ROD USED:  8’6” 5 wt JWF Winston

FLIES USED:  #14 Black Cockleburr

HATCHES:  Midges

OTHER:  Fished solo; Wayne walked in a few minutes afterward, wading upstream.  Despite the late start, the river at the island above Ackerman/Handicap Access was free of any fishers, allowing me to choose among several different places.  I had not fished Ol’ Charlie’s in a few days, and saw several fish dimpling the surface.  Having had success with the black cockleburr on Wednesday, I tied on the same fly, made a cast, and was rewarded with a fish.  This happened on about a dozen successive casts before I lost the fly trying to remove it from a fish.  I tied on the last black cockleburr in my fly box and the action was unreal—a fish on practically every cast.  I fished this fly until all that was left was a bare hook with one single wrap of thread near the eye, still catching fish stripping it back.  Too embarrassed to continue with the bare hook, I tied on a peacock cockleburr with the same success, most fish being caught as the fly drifted dry on the surface.  Without exaggeration, I’m guessing I caught near 100 fish in the 2+ hours, as it took me less than a minute to cast, retrieve the fish, unhook it, and recast.  These types of days don’t come along very often and are paybacks for the really tough days—like those we’ve had the last four weeks.  There were no large fish, all were likely stockers dumped in last Friday, and about 80 percent were small.  While I was fishing downstream, Wayne was on the hunt for big browns and caught an 18-incher.

When I got ready to leave, I got the attention of a fisher across the way who had walked up earlier, and exchanged friendly greetings.  He was struggling, so I gave him a fly, demonstrated the different ways to fish it, and stood by while he caught half a dozen fish in a row.  His mouth was open in astonishment.  As we talked, he indicated he was from Memphis, was a member of the MSFF, was president of the Memphis Engineers Club, and we had mutual friends.  What a small world.

It was indeed a magical day—a great day to be on the water.

Hunt for Big Browns

TIME: 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM
WEATHER:  Cloudy, light rain, high 70s
WATER CONDITIONS:  0 Units
LOCATIONS FISHED:  Norfork River, Elisabeth Creek to Mill Dam Eddy
ROD USED:  8’ 6” 5 wt JWF Winston
FLIES USED:   #14 Norfork River Gray Scud, #14 Black Cockleburr, Yellow Wayne’s Fly
HATCHES:  Midges
OTHER:  Fished with Wayne.  The Pool fished okay, but a bit slow at first with mostly small fish being caught.  We fished our way to Mill Dam Eddy, where I caught only a few fish.  Working back downstream, I wised up and put on a black cockleburr, began catching fish by casting the “dry” fly quartering downstream, pulling it under, and stripping it back, and the fish were a bit bigger.  I caught a really nice brown, which I mistakenly thought was a brookie, and asked Wayne to take a photo at which point he advised that it was a brown.  The 17-inch fish was one of the most colorful browns I ever caught, and was a very heavy fish.

Before I caught the nice fish, Wayne began to “smell” browns, and changed flies to one of his yellow designs.  He began catching browns immediately, then went on the hunt for a big fish.  He caught one brown after another finishing the day after a light rain began with almost 2 dozen fish, though the big browns, i.e. those over 20 inches eluded him on this rain shortened outing. 

Needed a Quickie

TIME: 8:300 AM to 9:30 AM

WEATHER:  Partly cloudy, mid 70s,

WATER CONDITIONS:  0 Units

LOCATIONS FISHED:  Norfork River, Island above Ackerman/Handicap Access

ROD USED:  8’6” 5 wt Joan Wulff Favorite Winston

FLIES USED:   #20 Dunn’s Dun

HATCHES: Midges

OTHER:  Fished solo.  Daughter and husband were visiting, sleeping late, and I decided to get a quick fly fishing fix.  Walked in near the house, and found an area  with some space, and began fishing the Dunn’s Dun dry.  Caught a couple of small fish.  Saw a couple of neighbors on the river and visited briefly with them, and one said he had fished the area I was fishing earlier in the morning.  With the absence of rising fish, I moved across the island and saw several rising fish, but couldn’t get one to take the fly, either fished dry or stripped.  Finally cast to a rising fish which took the fly and ended up with a good 12-incher.  Tried several more casts but got no response, not even a refusal.  Left the river after only an hour, but it was good.  

Finding the Fish

TIME: 9:00 AM to 2:00 PM

WEATHER:  Partly cloudy, mid 80s,

WATER CONDITIONS:  0 Units

LOCATIONS FISHED:  Norfork River, Quarry Park to McClellan’sy

ROD USED:  10’ 4 wt Winston

FLIES USED:   Wayne’s Fly in Olive and Brown, #18 Red Copper John Midge

HATCHES: Midges

OTHER:  Fished with Wayne.  The Resort Hole was covered up with people; we floated down to the riffle at the top of the Long Hole where I caught two fish right off the bat, then they quit.  We fished the tail out of the riffle, which held lots of fish, but had no success.  Wayne did well in the Long Hole, after finding the fish.  I also managed to fool a few dumb ones, including a nice 15-16 inch brown.  Our final stop of the day was McClellan’s, and it fished really well despite a head wind and practically o drift.  We both caught several fish, but had to work for them.  Wayne finished the day a bit downstream and caught his two biggest fish of the day.  He is definitely the Master when it comes to catching browns, and proved it once again today.  We both enjoyed fishing away from the crowds and getting into bigger fish. 

A Repeat of Yesterday

TIME: 8:30 AM to 10:30 AM

WEATHER:  Partly cloudy, mid 80s,

WATER CONDITIONS:  0 Units

LOCATIONS FISHED:  Norfork River, Island above Ackerman/Handicap Access

ROD USED:  8’ 9” 5 wt Joan Wulff Favorite Winston

FLIES USED:   #20 Dunn’s Dun

HATCHES:  Midges

OTHER:  Fished solo and close to home again, today.  This part of the river was already crowded when I walked in, so I just found an open slot and began casting the Dunn’s Dun to rising fish.  After several minutes, only one small fish took the fly, and the take was on the swing.  No one else appeared to be catching fish, either.  The riffle across from Old Charlie’s opened up and I waded downstream and fished there.  Yesterday at this location the fish were taking the fly as it was stripped; today, they seemed to prefer it dry or on the swing.  The morning’s effort produced only a half dozen fish, all small.

Catching fish on a slow day attracts attention.  A fisher from Shreveport (and a rod builder) from downstream waded up to visit and inquire about the fly, and I showed him the Dunn’s Dun.  Also, during the course of the morning, an older gentleman fished nearby both upstream and downstream, but was not catching fish.  I waited for him as he made his way downstream, giving him a fly and directions on where and how to fish it.  Hopefully, he was able to hook-up. 

Back to Basics

TIME: 8:30 AM to 10:30 AM

WEATHER:  Partly cloudy, mid 80s,

WATER CONDITIONS:  0 Units

LOCATIONS FISHED:  Norfork River, Island above Ackerman/Handicap Access

ROD USED:  8’ 9” 5 wt Joan Wulff Favorite Winston

FLIES USED:   #18 Olive Norfork River Scud, #20 Black/Silver Zebra Midge, #20 Kay’s Gray, #20 Dunn’s Dun

HATCHES: Midges

OTHER:  Fished with Wayne.  We opted to fish close to home today.  The areas we fished were crowded, and no one else was catching fish; I saw one person catch one fish.  Beginning near the top of the island with no success, I waded downstream downstream and fished across from Old Charlie’s.  After several futile casts with the scud and midge, I tied on the only Kay’s Gray in the fly box, and immediately got looks, but no bites, fishing it dry.  The refusals were fun to watch, though.  This is the way I used to fish all the time, and it was fun returning to this style of fishing, back to basics.  After one swing, I stripped the fly back and hooked up.  This worked a few more times before the fly wore out, causing a switch to a Dunn’s Dun which proved successful as well.  I moved back upstream to the top of the island and tried stripping with no success.  However, fishing the fly dry produced one hook-up after another, including a 15-16 inch cutthroat.  The takes were beautiful to watch.  Interestingly, the fish at this location would not take the fly being stripped, preferring it fished dry, where further downstream the opposite held true.  All told, I managed to fool just shy of a dozen fish, and as usual Wayne caught that many and probably more.  Most of the fish appeared to be stockers, including several small browns.  Neither of us had much of a stomach fishing in the crowds, so opted to quit early and tie flies.  As they say, a good day was had by all.

Good Fishing, Tough Catching

TIME: 8:30 AM to 12:30 PM

WEATHER:  Partly cloudy, low 90s,

WATER CONDITIONS:  0 Units, fog

LOCATIONS FISHED:  Norfork River, below Island below McClellan’s to near McClellan’s Dock

ROD USED:  8’6” 5 wt JWF Winston

FLIES USED:  Brown Wayne’s Fly, #14 Norfork River Tan Scud, #16 Red Zebra Midge, #18 Red Copper John, #18 Norfork River Olive Brown Scud

HATCHES:  Midges

OTHER:  Fished with Wayne.  We quickly fished Mill Dam Eddy in the fog, where I caught 4 fish on the red zebra midge.  Wading upstream, we each caught a couple of fish near the top of the island.  For the first time in a long time, I did not catch a fish in the riffle above the island, though it usually produces up to a dozen or more fish.  We waded upstream as far as water depths would allow, where Wayne caught several fish; I only caught one.  As I waded back downstream, I changed set-ups, and began getting takes, missing at least half the fish.  A 17-inch brown took the fly just upstream of the walnut tree, and a really large fish hooked up only momentarily before breaking off.  Further downstream, the plunge pool produced a few fish.  We waded downstream all the way to just above the second island above Ackerman/Handicap Access, but the fishing was very slow.  Each of us took just over a dozen fish today.  Fishing was tough for both of us, and we worked for every hook-up. 

Too Many People

TIME: 8:00 AM to 10:00 AM

WEATHER:  Clear, low 60s to mid 80s

WATER CONDITIONS:  0 Units

LOCATIONS FISHED:  Norfork River, Below and Above Island below McClellan’s

ROD USED:  8’6” 5 wt Winston JWF

FLIES USED:  Wayne’s Brown Fly, #16 Zebra Midge

HATCHES:  Midges

OTHER:  Fished with Kay, Bootsie, and Bill.  We began in the riffle below the island, but the area had already been fished despite the early hour and the fish were far and few between.  We moved upstream to fish alongside the island, but a fisher rushed down from upstream when he saw us and fished the area.  We waded to the riffle upstream of the island, and there was a fisher in the middle of the riffle, catching lots of fish having worked his way upstream; we had leftovers, and the fishing was tough.  Within a few minutes, some 9 fishers from Fayetteville descended upon us from upstream; too many people for such a short fishing reach.  One took the opportunity to urinate out in the open just across the river from us while another waded downstream and said that catching fish was like taking candy from a baby.  We notice he would wade a short distance upstream, then hurry back downstream.  Then, when one of his buddies came down, he asked them to kick up the bottom when they crossed; he was obviously doing the San Juan shuffle which is highly illegal.  After my anger rose to a high enough level, I yelled to the guys that what they were doing was illegal, and they moved downstream.

Bootsie and Bill waded upstream above all the people and had a decent day. 

Another Great Day

TIME: 8:30 AM to 11:30 PM

WEATHER:  Partly cloudy, low 60s to 70s.

WATER CONDITIONS:  0 Units

LOCATIONS FISHED:  Norfork River, Above and Below the Island below McClellan’s.  

ROD USED:  8’6” 5 wt JWF Winston

FLIES USED:  Brown Wayne’s Fly, Red and Black Zebra Midges

HATCHES:  Midges

OTHER:  Fished with Ed.  The riffle below the island was completely opposite from yesterday morning, fishing red hot from the beginning.  Well over a dozen fish were taken before we moved upstream.  The chute along the island was being fished by a good fisher on his way downstream, so we bypassed our usual stops and waded to the riffle above the island.  It, too, fished red hot with a couple of dozen mostly 15+ inch fish being caught.  I fished the plunge pool and managed to catch a half dozen fish on very subtle takes.   As we wrapped up our fishing above the island, we observed 9 people fishing from Otter Creek to the riffle above the island (don’t these young people work for a living?)—time for us to leave.  As I fished along the island working our way downstream, one of the fishes kayaked directly over the bubble line I was fishing—to many people.  It was a great morning, and a great trip for Ed.   

Back to the Norfork

TIME: 8:00 AM to 1:30 PM

WEATHER:  Partly cloudy, low 90s,

WATER CONDITIONS:  0 Units

LOCATIONS FISHED:  Norfork River, Above and Below the Island below McClellan’s.  

ROD USED:  8’6” 5 wt JWF Winston

FLIES USED:  Brown Wayne’s Fly, Cream/Copper Midge, Red Copper John

HATCHES:  Midges

OTHER:  Fished with Ed.  We got off to a slow start fishing Mill Dam Eddy, with only a fish or two.  Working our way upstream, several fish were caught along side of the island.  The riffle above the island fished tough, but several fish were taken.  We were joined, and crowded, by other fishers who had walked upstream from the pool.  Ace In The Hole produced NO fish, and I only caught a couple in the Narrows.  As time approached for generation to begin, we made our way downstream.  A small discharge of water stimulated the fish, and the riffle below the island fished red hot on a zebra midge, producing a couple dozen fish.  Though beginning slow, the day ended with lots of fish being caught. 

Another Skipped Monday

TIME: 8:30 AM to 2:30 PM

WEATHER:  Partly cloudy, low 90s,

WATER CONDITIONS:  0 Units

LOCATIONS FISHED:  White River, Upper Rim Shoals

ROD USED:  8’6” 5 wt JWF Winston

FLIES USED:  Brown Wayne’s Fly, Chernobyl Ant, Zebra Midge, Cream/Copper Midge, Parachute Hopper

HATCHES:  Midges

OTHER:  Fished with Ed.  Our intent was to boat fish using hoppers and droppers, but water levels were unexpectedly low; we opted to wade Rim Shoals.  The water was still falling when we entered.  I fished in front of the parking lot and caught a half dozen small rainbows.  I didn’t catch a single fish in the various riffles crossing to the island.  The back side of the island had some rising fish, and I managed to fool 4 of them with the Chernobyl Ant drifted over a small riffle.  The end of the island only produced a couple of fish for me, but Ed hammered them—maybe a couple of dozen fish—as did an acquaintance of ours from Memphis, Bruce, who has relocated to this area.  I fished my way back upstream catching a nice 16 to 17-inch cutthroat on a parachute hopper.  I missed a couple of others.  I was surprised at the lack of numbers of fish and the size of fish as most were only slightly larger than stockers. 

Running the River

TIME: 8:00 AM to 1:30 PM

WEATHER:  Partly cloudy, low 90s,

WATER CONDITIONS:  0 Units

LOCATIONS FISHED:  Norfork River, Quarry Park to Island above Ackerman/Handicap Access  

ROD USED:  8’6” 5 wt JWF Winston

FLIES USED:  Brown Wayne’s Fly, Cream/Copper Midge

HATCHES:  Midges

OTHER:  Fished with Wayne.  We used one-man pontoons to run the river today, beginning at the lower end of the campground at Quarry Park and floating downstream.  We didn’t catch a single fish in the Resort Hole, and had only a couple in the downstream riffle.  The long riffle produced no fish, except at the very tailout, where I managed to catch a couple.  The riffle at the top of the Long Hole fished real well as another fisher gave me permission to fish it on my way down.  I caught 3 fish, missed 3 others and left it to him.  The tail of the Long Hole was kind to Wayne, but I didn’t catch a fish.  The riffle above McClellan’s produced a couple of fish for Wayne, but again, I didn’t catch a fish.  We fished our way to the “dock” and my first cast resulted in a 20-inch brown.  Wayne found a pocket of fish and pulled a couple of dozen out just upstream of the Narrows.  The Narrows was being fished hard by 4 other good fishers so I floated downstream to the riffle above the island and caught just shy of a dozen fish.  We met up at Mill Dam Eddy and floated downstream to our take out.  Good news was we saw lots of fish; bad news was that lots of people were fishing for them.

More of the Same

TIME: 8:30 AM to 12:30 PM

WEATHER:  Partly cloudy, low 90s,

WATER CONDITIONS:  0 Units, fog

LOCATIONS FISHED:  Norfork River, below McClellan’s Dock to Island below McClellan’s.  

ROD USED:  8’6” 5 wt JWF Winston

FLIES USED:  Brown Wayne’s Fly, Cream/Copper Midge

HATCHES:  Midges

OTHER:  Fished with Wayne.  We bypassed Mill Dam Eddy, and walked as far upstream as water depths would allow, same as yesterday.  Fishing was tough for both of us today, and we worked for every hook-up.  Wayne stayed with his new fly, and I fished various combinations of flies with limited success.  We may have caught a dozen apiece.  Looks like we’re in the dog days of summer as far as fishing goes.

A Different Starting Time and Place

TIME: 9:00 AM to 12:30 PM

WEATHER:  Partly cloudy, low 90s,

WATER CONDITIONS:  0 Units, fog

LOCATIONS FISHED:  Norfork River, Near McClellan’s Dock to Mill Dam Eddy

ROD USED:  8’6” 5 wt JWF Winston

FLIES USED:  Brown Wayne’s Fly, Cream/Copper Midge

HATCHES:  Midges

OTHER:  Today, we changed our routine a bit, fishing upstream exclusively.  Fishing pressure above the access has been so intense that the fish will hardly bite and are leader shy, and it’s terribly crowded.  Wayne and I tried a couple of casts at the riffle below the island, with only a couple of fish.  The riffle above the island fished good today, similar to yesterday. The narrows downstream of McClellan’s also fished well with quite a few fish about 16 inches being caught.  Wayne caught a bunch of fish using a new pattern he recently developed.  For me, Wayne’s brown fly worked well in places and the copper-ribbed cream midge worked well in others.  As with yesterday, I managed maybe a dozen and a half fish with one large rainbow, about 17 inches.

Starting A Routine

TIME: 9:30 AM to 12:30 PM

WEATHER:  Partly cloudy, low 90s,

WATER CONDITIONS:  0 Units, fog

LOCATIONS FISHED:  Norfork River, Island above Ackerman/Handicap Access to Island below Otter Creek

ROD USED:  8’6” 5 wt JWF Winston

FLIES USED:  Brown Wayne’s Fly, Cream/Copper Midge

HATCHES:  Midges

OTHER:  Medical appointments kept me off the river yesterday, Monday.  Today, I fished with Wayne.  We fished the pool with limited success, and had very little success at Mill Dam Eddy.  The riffle above the island fished good, as did the chute downstream from Otter Creek.  Fishing was great, catching mediocre.  I managed maybe a dozen and a half fish, mostly on the Cream copper-ribbed midge.

This Trip Is A Wrap

Another warm evening meant sleeping on top of the air mattress, though the sunrise was worth it.  We opted to depart camp early in order to check through the US Border Patrol/Immigration Office today.  Consequently, after our coffee, cookie, and breakfast, we began packing up and breaking camp, and departed early enough to fish on our way back to “civilization.”  The first two thirds of the paddle out was calm, with favorable winds and calm seas.  I caught a few fish on the foam fly on top and Kay took a few fish with the Senko.  The wind steadily increased, but offered no problems—much different than the last two years when we had high winds and rollers on the paddle out.  We met our water taxi, and made it to Canadian Border Outfitters by about 3 PM.  After loading our stuff in the truck we checked through US Border Patrol/Immigration and headed into town for warm showers.  Our farewell dinner was at the Grand Ely Lodge—best Caesar salad we’ve ever eaten.  Tomorrow, we drive south towards home.

This has been our best trip of all, though only slightly better than our first one with George and Greg.  Our time with Harry and Mary was awesome with lots of laughs, some serious philosophical talk, and several new stories, and they are the reason the trips are so special.

The paddling has been great; Kay has learned well, and is now an excellent paddler.  And the fishing wasn’t too shabby either!  Kay ended the week with 6 trophy fish, more than anyone in our party has ever caught in a trip.  She was definitely in a zone.

Kay Gets #6, A New Record

Today marks our last full day and evening in the wilderness.  We awoke to a beautiful sunrise each morning except one on this trip.

We both slept okay last night, but the night temperatures are still too warm to be really comfortable.  Kay fished with Harry in the morning and is on a roll this trip, catching another “board” fish today—her 6th—and largest of the trip and the largest of the year, over 6 1/2 pounds.

 

Not to be outdone, Harry caught an even larger fish just a few minutes later. 6.8 pounds.

 

Harry and I fished together in the afternoon, paddling to near Hidden Bay on the backside of White Island, and had some pretty awesome fishing though no trophy fish.  The foam fly is still working, and I also fished a "drop shot" rigged worm for a time.  The fish are tending to school in the weed beds and catching them is easy once, and IF, you can find them.

No Trophy Fish Today

We had rain last night, but not enough to cool down much; it stayed above 70 degrees all evening.  The rain continued into the morning so we opted to eat breakfast before going out for the day.  Kay fished with Mary, returning to the weed beds, while Harry and I paddled to the far side of North Bay.  Using a fly patterned after Slim’s foam fly, I caught a number of fish on top, including two large fish back to back, 4.9 pounder and a 4.7 pounder, respectively, but no trophy fish.

We had good paddling, little to no wind, and great fishing.  Also, the warm weather necessitated another swim in the lake—so cool and refreshing.

 
This has been a good week.

Kay Is On A Roll: #3, #4, and #5 Trophy Fish

Last evening was another warm evening with temps never going lower than the low 70s.  Sleeping in a warm tent, with buzzing mosquitoes in the trees, was difficult.  Kay paddled with Harry today, fishing the weed beds in a bay on the southeast shoreline.  She caught 3 more trophy fish, again using a Senko, including a largemouth bass, the first trophy largemouth bass caught with our guides since 1989.

This makes her 5 for the trip, one more than my entire total since 2002—and she deserves them all!  Not a lot of women would canoe, camp, and fish in the wilderness.  I fished with Mary today and caught fish all day using Slim’s foam fly with a yellow body. The particular fly I used yesterday, with the chartreuse body, was too deep in a fish to retrieve, so we cut the line, kept the fish for eating, and switched flies.  The fly was later recovered and will be used tomorrow.  Because of the unusually high temps, we again swam and bathed just off the island, and enjoyed the cooling water.  The night was another warm one, and sleep did not come easy or often.

Kay’s 1st Trophy Fish, and 2nd Too!

Last evening was warm, never dipping below 70 degrees.  This is the warmest we’ve ever experienced at night, forcing us to sleep on top of the Thermarest pads.  After our usual early morning cookie and campfire espresso, Kay fished with Mary while I fished with Harry.  I started with a blue popper, and caught a few fish on top.  I then switched to a foam fly created by our friend, Slim, and it seemed to be the ticket as I caught several fish on top.  After a big breakfast and a nap, we returned to the water for more fishing and I continued to catch fish using the foam fly.  Meanwhile, Kay caught her first and second trophy fish—over 5 pounds—using a Senko.  For the first time since we began fishing here in 2002, these were her first trophy fish, aka “board” fish.

 

After returning from fishing, Harry and Mary took a swim and Kay and I had guard duty—a HUGE snapping turtle, Mothra, had been visiting camp in previous weeks, and eaten fish from the stringer.  After Harry and Mary’s return, we again took a swim off the island to cool off and bathe.  The 70+ degree water was so nice.  Because this was after July 1, we did not have pork chops the second night as the weather is too warm to pack and keep them cool, another first.  Rather, we had fried fish, cooked within minutes after their being taken our of the water.  They were quite good.  Tired from a hard day’s fishing and mid 80s temperatures, we went to bed early, fighting mosquitoes most of the evening.

Quetico Provincial Park 2010, Day 1

Early to bed, early to rise.  We arose before 5 AM this morning to grab a quick shower, our last for 6 days, and meet our guides for the trip to Quetico.  After taking traveling clothes to the truck, i.e. clothes we would not take into the wilderness, we met our guides and good friends, Harry and Mary, at 5:30 AM for a continental breakfast.  Shortly afterward, the canoes and packs were loaded onto jon boats for the 20+ mile motorized portion of the trip.  For the first time since our first trip in 2002, I paddled from the bow position; Mary was in the stern seat.  The paddle was smooth, with calm conditions and flat water.  We arrived at our destination, a small island adjacent to White Island in Basswood Lake, at 9:30 AM, unpacked the canoes, and fished while Harry and Mary set up camp. [Image] Kay steered us from the front of the canoe, and I managed to catch a few fish on a gray and white Clouser.  We returned to camp, unpacked, took a swim in the lake, our first ever, and relaxed prior to a wonderful pan-fried steak dinner.  It’s going to be a good week.

Great Fishing, Tough Catching

TIME: 9:00 AM to 11:30 AM

WEATHER:  Partly cloudy, low 80s,

WATER CONDITIONS:  0 Units

LOCATIONS FISHED:  Norfork River, near Otter Creek

ROD USED:  8’ 6” 5 wt Joan Wulff Favorite Winston

FLIES USED:  #14 Norfork River Gray Scud, Brown Wayne’s Fly, #20 Tungsten BH Flashback Red Copper John

HATCHES:  None noted

OTHER:  Fished with Wayne.  We fished upstream today, above and below Otter Creek near McClellan’s.  Wayne had 6 fish to hand before I got a first bite, then proceeded to a “honey hole” where he caught fish one after the other.  Meanwhile, I fished hard, employing all the techniques that should’ve worked, with only limited results.  Holes where we usually catch a dozen or more fish would produce only one or two, and the fish were smaller than we had been catching.  The red Copper John has slowed considerably, or at least the version we were using today.  Wayne and I tie it with turkey tail fibers for the tail in lieu of goose biots, and that pattern seems to work better.  Wayne’s Brown Fly worked great for him, and just okay for me; I fished it under an indicator, but had better luck stripping it.  I ended the day with a total of about 10 fish—to Wayne’s about 4 dozen!  Go figure.  That’s why he’s still the master.

Applying Lessons Learned

TIME: 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM

WEATHER:  Partly cloudy, low 90s,

WATER CONDITIONS:  0 Units

LOCATIONS FISHED:  Norfork River, Island above Ackerman/Handicap Access

ROD USED:  10’ 4 wt Winston

FLIES USED:  #14 Norfork River Gray Scud, Brown Wayne’s Fly, #20 Tungsten BH Flashback Red Copper John

HATCHES:  Midges

OTHER:  Fished with Wayne and Charlie; thank goodness Bill took a break and left the fish alone for a day or two.  He was pretty tough on them these past few days.  We walked in while the river was still falling.  Wayne and Charlie fished the right descending bank near the bottom of the island while I fished the left descending bank.  Charlie caught several fish under Wayne’s tutelage, and, of course, Wayne caught fish whenever he cast.  I tried the clinch knot for tying on flies rather than the improved clinch, it worked great all day, though I did not catch a lot of fish, and is a lot quicker to tie.  I missed a lot of fish today.

Of note, the river was crowded today but no one was catching many fish.  Also, Charlie is going to make a very good fly fisher.  

A Learning Day

TIME: 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM

WEATHER:  Partly cloudy, low 90s,

WATER CONDITIONS:  0 Units

LOCATIONS FISHED:  Norfork River, Island above Ackerman/Handicap Access

ROD USED:  10’ 4 wt Winston

FLIES USED:  #14 Norfork River Gray Scud, #20 Tungsten BH Flashback Red Copper John

HATCHES:  Midges

OTHER:  Fished with Charlie, Wayne, and Bill.  Bill walked upstream and fished the area up to and above the island below McClelland’s.  He had an awesome day; we’re going to have to do something to slow him down!  Wayne and I had the honor of fishing with our neighbor, Charlie, and it was a hoot.  Charlie picked up specifics very quickly for the area we fished, and hooked 9 fish.  During the process of acquainting him with the water we fish, the flies, and specific techniques, I was privileged to learn a couple things as well.  First, Wayne illustrated and taught the preemptive mend, i.e. mending just before required, providing a little longer drag-free drift.  Also, he taught me how to tie Wayne’s knot for connecting leader to tippet or tippet to tippet, and discussed tying on the fly using just a clinch knot rather than an improved clinch knot.  Having watched him hook and land thousands of fish with very few misses, these are something to be tried!  It’s always a great day to learn a few new things, particularly from the master.  Now, if we can just slow Bill down; maybe a “Nancy Kerrigan” is in order.

The MOJO Is Back, For Now

TIME: 8:30 AM to 12:00 PM

WEATHER:  Partly cloudy, low 90s,

WATER CONDITIONS:  0 Units

LOCATIONS FISHED:  Norfork River, Island above Ackerman/Handicap Access to near Otter Creek (at McClellan’s)

ROD USED:  10’ 4 wt Winston

FLIES USED:  Wayne’s Brown Fly, #14 Norfork River Gray Scud, #20 Tungsten BH Flashback Red Copper John

HATCHES:  Midges

OTHER:  Fished with Wayne and Bill.  The pool was red hot, at least for the first 3 fish, then it cooled considerably.  We walked in while the river was still dropping, and the fishing was pretty decent.  Bill showed out a bit, catching a beautiful 22-inch brown.  After the water level dropped and began stabilizing though, the fish just quit.  We all walked up past the island, and Bill and I fished the pool above the island and Wayne fished above Otter Creek.  Fishing was good today; I managed to fool well over 2 dozen fish, and both Bill and Wayne caught a lot of fish as well.  for the first time since moving here in 2004, I caught more brown trout than all the other species combined, and had a nice 15-inch cutthroat.  With a bit of a back ache, I left the water at noon, and it was fortunate as the water came up really fast beginning at noon, and Bill and Wayne had to exit quickly.

Another observation!  I’ve been quite lucky to have fished with some very good fishers, and there are few pleasures in life quite like fishing with good friends like Wayne, Bill, Ed, John, and/or Mike.  It is so relaxing to sit on the bank and watch one of these men ply their skills, knowing exactly what fly to use, where to cast, etc.  They make fly fishing seem effortless.  Gosh, it’s good to be alive!

It’s Time For A New Leader

TIME: 9:00 AM to 12:30 PM

WEATHER:  Partly cloudy, low 90s,

WATER CONDITIONS:  0 Units

LOCATIONS FISHED:  Norfork River, Island above Ackerman/Handicap Access to Otter Creek (McClellan’s)

ROD USED:  10’ 4 wt Winston

FLIES USED:  Wayne’s Brown Fly, #14 Norfork River Gray Scud, #20 Tungsten BH Flashback Red Copper John

HATCHES:  Midges

OTHER:  Fished with Wayne and Bill.  Prior to today’s fishing, Wayne and I visited our friendly discount box store where I purchased several 7 1/2 ft, 4X leaders, and promptly “tied one on”.  Equipped with new leader, tippet, and flies, we started out fishing the lower portion of our usual “beat” where I managed to fool over a half dozen nice fish—without a single snarl in the leader.  Bill also caught several nice fish, while Wayne fished further downstream and, as usual, caught fish at will.  We all moved to the pool.  After a short time there I waded upstream to the island, didn’t have a lot of success, and walked up to the riffle above the island.  It was awesome.  While most of the fish I caught downstream were on the gray scud, most of the ones upstream were caught on the red Copper John.  Both sides of the riffle fished good all the way from the island to the shoal, and back down.  Maybe the MOJO is coming back!

Tough Day

TIME: 9:30 AM to 12:30 PM

WEATHER:  Partly cloudy, low 90s,

WATER CONDITIONS:  0 Units

LOCATIONS FISHED:  Norfork River, Island above Ackerman/Handicap Access to near Otter Creek (at McClellan’s)

ROD USED:  10’ 4 wt Winston

FLIES USED:  Wayne’s Brown Fly, #14 Norfork River Gray Scud, #20 Tungsten BH Flashback Red Copper John

HATCHES:  Midges

OTHER:  Fished with Wayne.  It was tough fishing, today, at least for me.  I missed fish, the leader, strike indicator, tippet, and fly shared entirely too much togetherness, and a good dose of OCD wasted countless minutes trying to unravel things.  I ended up with 9 fish, maybe.  Wayne, on the other hand, caught fish one after another.  It’s time to do something about the long leader.   

Out Of Sorts

TIME: 9:30 AM to 12:30 PM

WEATHER:  Partly cloudy, low 90s,

WATER CONDITIONS:  0 Units

LOCATIONS FISHED:  Norfork River, Island above Ackerman/Handicap Access to near Otter Creek (at McClellan’s)

ROD USED:  10’ 4 wt Winston

FLIES USED:  Wayne’s Brown Fly, #14 Norfork River Gray Scud, #14 Special K

HATCHES:  Midges, Occasional Sulphur

OTHER:  Fished with Wayne.  Today’s fishing was one of those “out of sorts” type of day, when nothing goes quite right, but does not go terribly wrong either.  For example, several fish hooked up, but did not stay on.  Several wind knots mysteriously appeared in the tippet and leader, a few fish broke off, taking the fly with them, etc.  Then, I would look at Wayne fishing, and he always seemed to have a fish on, particularly above Otter Creek.  Part of this stemmed from a lack of sleep, and it was a weird feeling.  After an hour or so, things started getting better, with more fish being caught, including an 18-inch cutthroat just above the island below McClellan’s.  This fish was caught near a rock that has consistently produced large fish this summer.  A couple of spots upstream produced several fish, mostly cutthroats.  We fished our way back downstream, catching a few fish along the way, anticipating generation and a corresponding rise in water levels. 

One of those Special Days

TIME: 9:30 AM to 12:30 PM

WEATHER:  Partly cloudy, low 90s,

WATER CONDITIONS:  0 Units, moderate turbidity, heavy fog

LOCATIONS FISHED:  Norfork River, Island above Ackerman/Handicap Access to Island below Otter Creek

ROD USED:  10’ 4 wt Winston

FLIES USED:  #14 Frank’s T-Worm, Wayne’s Fly in Olive, #14 Special K

HATCHES:  Midges, Sulphurs

OTHER:  Fished with Wayne.  We started at the riffle at the top of the island above Ackerman/Handicap Access, and had some success on Frank’s T-Worm.  Wayne said he had a feeling about the pool, and we should fish it.  He started at the bottom end, catching one fish after another on his brown fly.  I began fishing upstream of him and missed more than I caught, though Frank’s T-Worm was working well with lots of hook-ups.  Switching to Wayne’s brown fly, I continued breaking off fish, while Wayne continued catching them.  Finally, after putting on a new leader and tippet, I began catching fish more consistently.  We worked the pool for a couple of hours, and I moved downstream to where we began, fishing a #14 Special K to some emerging fish, catching 5, including a 16+ inch brown.  Wayne caught well over 5 dozen fish, while I managed to catch a few more than 3 dozen.  It was one of those days when fishing is so good, you can’t help but feel giddy. 

Still Good, but Slowing Down

TIME: 12:30 PM to 2:00 PM

WEATHER:  Partly cloudy, mid 80s,

WATER CONDITIONS:  0 Units

LOCATIONS FISHED:  Norfork River, Island above Ackerman/Handicap Access

ROD USED:  10’ 4 wt Winston

FLIES USED:  #14 Special K

HATCHES:  Midges, Sulphurs

OTHER:  Getting a late start after church and Sunday school, I fished the riffle at the upper end of the island, meeting up with Bill, but neither of us managed to catch many fish.  The pressure over the weekend had really taken its toll.  Wayne came upstream, I moved downstream, and tried the Special K in the riffle on the left descending bank near the bottom of the island, and had good success, but no large fish.

Great Fishin’ on a Pink Fly, Again

TIME: 9:30 AM to 12:30 PM

WEATHER:  Partly cloudy, mid 80s,

WATER CONDITIONS:  0 Units

LOCATIONS FISHED:  Norfork River, Island above Ackerman/Handicap Access to Island below Otter Creek

ROD USED:  10’ 4 wt Winston

FLIES USED:  #14 Special K

HATCHES:  Midges, Sulphurs

OTHER:  I replicated yesterday’s fishing, with similar success; that pink fly is really working!  After catching a dozen and a half emerging fish at the bottom of the island below Otter Creek, I moved downstream to the island above Ackerman/Handicap Access, meeting up with Wayne who had successfully fished downstream.  As Wayne hooked several fish, including a 17-incher, ,a rainbow, cutthroat, and brown, all 16+ inches, fell prey to the Special K in succession.  We each caught several other fish in this confined area, and called it a great day.   

The Pink Lady, aka Special K

TIME: 9:30 AM to 12:30 PM

WEATHER:  Partly cloudy, mid 80s,

WATER CONDITIONS:  0 Units

LOCATIONS FISHED:  Norfork River, Island above Ackerman/Handicap Access to Island below Otter Creek

ROD USED:  10’ 4 wt Winston

FLIES USED:  #14 Special K

HATCHES:  Midges, Sulphurs

OTHER:  I finally got back on the water after traveling for a few weeks, waiting for the holiday river traffic to subside, and was surprised to find the sulphurs still hatching.  Fishing solo, I tried a #14 gray Norfork River scud in the pool but had limited success.  At the bottom of the island below Otter Creek, fish were emerging like crazy, and because a few sulphurs were hatching, I tied on a pink cockleburr, aka the Special K.  This fly only works a couple times a year—during the sulphur hatch and early fall.  Anyway, the fish began slamming the fly as soon as it hit the water,  I caught at least a couple of dozen fish in that area, with over half of them 15+ inches.  Maybe more of the same tomorrow…

Early Morning on the Norfork River

TIME: 6:30 AM to 8:30 AM
WEATHER:  Partly cloudy, mid 60s,
WATER CONDITIONS:  0 Units
LOCATIONS FISHED:  Norfork River, Island above Ackerman/Handicap Access
ROD USED:  8’ 9” 5 wt Joan Wulff Favorite Winston
FLIES USED:   #18 Top Secret, #14 Gray Norfork River Scud
HATCHES: Midges, Caddis
OTHER:  Fished with Kay, Ron, and Kaden.  We entered the water early to avoid other Memorial Day weekend fishers.  Kaden took his fishing lessons from yesterday to heart, and fished like a pro with his casting, mending, and playing fish.  He caught 6 nice fish, including a grand slam, using the Norfork River Scud.   The brown he caught was a nice fish, as was the cutthroat.  


Ron fished across the island, and caught 4 fish, including a good sized brown.  He moved just downstream of us and caught a couple more, then took his 7th fish upstream.  Kay struggled today, taking only one fish, as she fished leftover water that had been beaten to death and fished hard.  I did not fish.  I was really impressed with how well Kaden fished—much more mature than his 14 years.  If he can only remember for next time…

Family Fishin’ Fun

TIME: 7:00 AM to 11:30 AM

WEATHER:  Partly cloudy, mid 80s,

WATER CONDITIONS:  0 Units

LOCATIONS FISHED:  Norfork River, Island above Ackerman/Handicap Access

ROD USED:  8’ 9” 5 wt Joan Wulff Favorite Winston

FLIES USED:   #18 Top Secret, #20 Kay’s Gray, #18 Royal Wulff, #18 Tan Caddis, #18 Parachute Sulphur Dun

HATCHES: Midges, Caddis, Sulphurs, Crane Flies

OTHER:  Fished with Kay, Ron, and Kaden.  We entered the water early anticipating a lot of fishers on this Friday before Memorial Day.  Kaden and I fished together most of the morning.  Even though he’s only 14, he did a great job on the river, hooking and releasing 4 fish using the #18 Top Secret.  He did an exception job with both upstream and downstream mends, and knowing when to use each.  Kay fish downstream of us, and caught 7 fish using a #16 Zebra Midge.  Ron fished across the island and caught close to a dozen and a half using a #14 Norfork River Gray Scud.  Late in the morning, Ron and I moved upstream and I caught several fish using several  different dry flies, despite at least 2 dozen refusals.  It was a great morning.  

Norfork River Trout Have Discriminating Tastes

TIME: 10:00 AM to 1:00 PM

WEATHER:  Partly cloudy, mid 80s,

WATER CONDITIONS:  0 Units

LOCATIONS FISHED:  Norfork River, island above Ackerman/Handicap Access

ROD USED:  8’ 9” 5 wt Joan Wulff Favorite Winston

FLIES USED:   #20 Kay’s Grey, #18 Royal Wulff

HATCHES:  Midges, Caddis

OTHER:  Fished with Wayne.  We opted to fish close to home, and it was a great choice.  Beginning in the riffle at the upper end of the island above Ackerman/Handicap Access, we saw lots of fish taking midges.  A couple of fish took the Kay’s Grey, but the fishing was too slow.  On a whim, I switched to a Royal Wulff, and the fun started.  On the first cast, a fish slammed the fly, and it was a nice cutthroat.  The next couple of dozen casts produced furious hits—and lots of misses—the story for the rest of the day.  I fished the riffle downstream, then upstream, and back and forth, resting the water between areas.  Meanwhile, Wayne fished a Zebra Midge and took fish on practically every cast.  Everywhere we fished, we caught fish.  I ended up catching maybe a dozen and a half fish, and missing twice that many more; Wayne caught lots more, but couldn’t have had more fun.  Who would have believed the Royal Wulff would have produced so well?

Don’t Fish Behind Wayne

TIME: 9:00 AM to 12:30 PM

WEATHER:  Partly cloudy, mid 80s,

WATER CONDITIONS:  0 Units

LOCATIONS FISHED:  Norfork River, Otter Creek to Elisabeth Creek

ROD USED:  10’ 4 wt Winston

FLIES USED:   #14 Norfork River Gray Scud, #18 Black/Silver Zebra Midge

HATCHES: Midges, Caddis

OTHER:  Fished with Wayne.  Once again, Mill Dam Eddy was covered up with fishers.  Several “guests” access the river via a property near there, 3 and 4 at a time, covering the area, and fishing it hard.  After fishing the Norfork River for many years, one observation that can be made is that the river and its fish do not handle continuous pressure.  Given the current stocking patterns, generation on both the White and Norfork Rivers, and changes since the Flood, fish tend to move out of an area, when a small reach is fished day in day out, and this has happened to several formerly great areas on the river, e.g. Ol’ Charlie’s Place.

Back to fishing.  I caught 5 fish above the island, including a 16-inch rainbow and a heavy, 18-inch brown.  As I fished upstream behind Wayne, I caught fewer and fewer fish, coming to the conclusion that there are some “don’t” certainties in life:  don’t relieve yourself in the wind, don’t mess with the Lone Ranger, and don’t fish behind Wayne.  He catches practically every catchable fish in the water.  Consequently, I only managed to catch 4 or 5 fish from those above the island to Otter Creek.  On the return trip, I saw Walter II, a 30+ inch brown, move out from under some rocks when I was bringing in a fish, then saw him take a fish a few minutes later.  Also, a 25+ inch rainbow chased another fish I caught—things are looking up.  Today, almost all fish took the gray scud, rather than the zebra midge dropper. 

Back on the Water

TIME: 10:00 AM to 1:00 PM

WEATHER:  Partly cloudy, mid 80s,

WATER CONDITIONS:  0 Units

LOCATIONS FISHED:  Norfork River, Elisabeth Creek to Mill Dam Eddy

ROD USED:  10’ 4 wt Winston

FLIES USED:   #14 Norfork River Gray Scud, #18 Black/Silver Zebra Midge

HATCHES: Midges, Caddis

OTHER:  Fished with Wayne.  The Pool fished a bit slow, but adding a #18 Black/Silver Zebra Midge dropper below the Norfork River Gray Scud aided in catching fish.  (It also aids in impaling one’s finger on a hook.  A small fish twisted and turned while trying to get unhooked sliding the scud hook in my little finger almost up to the bend of the hook.  Thank goodness for barbless hooks.)  In fact, every fish caught in the Pool was caught on the midge.  Mill Dam Eddy had been fished pretty hard, and only the small riffle immediately below the island produced fish.  In fact, I hooked 15 fish in this riffle, some in water only a few inches deep.  There were a lot of long distance releases today (LDRs) as several fish unhooked themselves on the way to hand! 

More Of The Same

TIME: 11:00 AM to 1:30 PM

WEATHER:  Partly cloudy, mid 70s,

WATER CONDITIONS:  0 Units

LOCATIONS FISHED:  Norfork River, Elisabeth Creek to Mill Dam Eddy

ROD USED:  8’ 9” 5 wt Winston Joan Wulff Favorite

FLIES USED:  Brown Wayne’s Fly, #20 Red Zebra Midge, #20 Black Zebra Midge

HATCHES: Midges, Caddis

OTHER:  Fished with Wayne.  The pool fished better today, though not great; however, Wayne managed to catch several fish, about twice as many as I caught.  The large riffle at Mill Dam Eddy again did not fish great, though Wayne picked up several fish fishing from from the opposite side than what we normally fish.  I fished the small riffle at the end of the island, and caught several fish, including some 14-inch fish, in water less than a foot deep.  For the day, both Wayne and I missed a lot of fish, and no big fish were caught, though I did have a couple in the 16+ inch range.

As a side note, on this particular fly reel setup, I’ve been using Mastery fly line with a high float tip.  When it was brand new, I really liked it, but after a few weeks, I noticed that the tip section was quite soft and was easily nicked and/or cut by tippet, etc.  Consequently, this fly line will quickly disappear off the reel and another brand will take it’s place.  I’ve also been using Hook and Hackle fluorocarbon tippet, but the verdict is still out as it may not be rigid enough.  Maybe it’s time to go back to Orvis tippet!

Wayne’s Back

TIME: 10:30 AM to 1:30 PM

WEATHER:  Partly cloudy, mid 70s,

WATER CONDITIONS:  0 Units

LOCATIONS FISHED:  Norfork River

ROD USED:  8’ 9” 5 wt Winston Joan Wulff Favorite

FLIES USED:  #14 Norfork River Gray Scud, #18 Norfork River Olive Scud, #18 Red Zebra Midge, #14 Ginger Cockleburr

HATCHES: Midges, Caddis

OTHER:  Fished with Wayne.  We both struggled through the Pool on the way upstream.  I caught a few fish at Mill Dam Eddy, while Wayne waded upstream catching a couple alongside the island below McClelland’s, and a few at Ace in the Hole.  I caught 3 fish in the tailout of the riffle just above the island, and 3 more at Ace in the Hole after dropping the #18 red Zebra Midge below the olive Scud.  Wayne began catching fish with regularity along the bank opposite Otter Creek, and continued catching fish on the way back downstream.  He caught fish again at Mill Dam Eddy, and wore the upper Pool out wading downstream.  I had about a dozen fish for the day, while he must have caught 2 or 3 dozen.  He’s back!  And it’s always fun fishing with him. 

Combat Fishing, Almost, And A Grand Slam

TIME: 10:00 AM to 2:30 PM

WEATHER:  Partly cloudy, mid 70s,

WATER CONDITIONS:  0 Units

LOCATIONS FISHED:  Norfork River, Ace in the Hole to Elisabeth Creek

ROD USED:  8’ 9” 5 wt Winston Joan Wulff Favorite

FLIES USED:  #14 Norfork River Gray Scud, #20 Olive Cockleburr

HATCHES: Midges, Caddis

OTHER:  Fished solo.  It was a great day to fish, but catching was difficult; I had to work very hard for each fish.  Once again, I struggled in the Pool, not catching any fish.  Mill Dam Eddy produced only one fish on the Cockleburr, and the reach along the island below McClelland’s did not yield any fish.  The tailout of the riffle just above the island fished very well from the right descending bank, i.e. river right, with several nice fish caught and released, including an 18 inch cutthroat.  In fact, about one third of the fish caught were 15 inches or better.  Ace in the Hole did not yield a single fish, but the reach on the right descending bank opposite Otter Creek fished better than at any time since the flood though nothing compared to pre-flood fishing.  After a difficult day, I managed to catch between 2 dozen and 30 fish, with a grand slam coming after catching a small brown. 

Back On The Water, Finally

TIME: 10:00 AM to 1:00 PM

WEATHER:  Partly cloudy, mid 70s,

WATER CONDITIONS:  0 Units

LOCATIONS FISHED:  Norfork River

ROD USED:  8’ 9” 5 wt Winston Joan Wulff Favorite

FLIES USED:  Brown Wayne’s Fly, #14 Norfork River Gray Scud

HATCHES: Midges, Caddis

OTHER:  Fished solo.  Fishing was great, catching was difficult.  I struggled in the Pool, catching only one fish.  Mill Dam Eddy was occupied with a fisher fishing both sides, taking up the entire reach, and he was catching lots of fish.  The reach along the island below McClelland’s did not yield any fish, but just above the island proved to be good, with several fish caught using the Gray Scud.  Ace in the Hole was quiet and I only caught 3 fish there.  All told, I caught 8-10 fish.  It was great to be back on the water.

Five Lakes Outing Club, April 2010

DATE: April 27-29, 2010
TIME:  Afternoon of April 27, morning and afternoon of April 28, and morning of April 29
WEATHER: Partly cloudy, mid 70s, windy
WATER CONDITIONS: Slightly above normal lake level
LOCATIONS FISHED:  Five Lakes Outing Club, near Seyppel, AR
ROD USED: 9’ 3 wt custom-built G. Loomis
FLIES USED: #10 Foam Spider, yellow and black; #10 Bream Killer; #4 gray and white clouser
HATCHES:  N/A
OTHER:  Once again, we were guests of our gracious hosts, Ed and Linda, at Five Lakes Outing Club.  Five Lakes is a relic of the past, one of the South’s finest and most elite of sportsman’s clubs, the likes about which Nash Buckingham wrote.  In fact he had been a guest at the club during his writing days.  This is its 99th year of existence, and we enjoyed some great bream and bass fishing.  I fished with Joe on April 27 PM, Ed on April 28 AM, Kay on April 28 PM, and Dave on April 29 AM.

On the afternoon of April 27, Joe and I fished a large bream bed near the launching ramp along with Dave and John.  We all caught lots of fish.

On the morning of April 28, Ed paddled me around the lake for some bass fishing, and I managed to take 8 or 9 on a Clouser minnow.

On the afternoon of April 28, Kay and I fished the bream bed again, and she caught her first bluegill using a fly rod.  Up until then she had never understood my passion for bream fishing.

On the morning of April 29, Dave and I fished the bream bed while Ed bass fished.  We both caught large, colorful bream.  I caught this one under a limb on the right side of the large cypress tree in the background, using a sidearm cast.

Batting Zero, aka Striking Out

TIME: 9:00 AM to 11:30 AM

WEATHER:  Partly cloudy, mid 60s, windy

WATER CONDITIONS:  3 Units

LOCATIONS FISHED:  White River, Rim Shoals area

ROD USED:  9’ 6 wt Winston

FLIES USED:  Weight Fly, White River Zig Jig

HATCHES: Midges, Caddis

OTHER:  Fished with John and Dave.  It was a very tough morning, and I didn’t catch a fish or even get a bite despite throwing the Zig Jig several times.  John caught a couple and Dave caught one, both fly fishing, during our morning session.  Caddis were hatching, and the fish began keying on them just as I quit at 11:30 AM. 

Kaden Fishes Dry Run Creek

DATE: April 1, 2010
TIME: 1o:15 AM to 12:45 PM
WEATHER: Partly cloudy, low 60s,
WATER CONDITIONS: N/A
LOCATIONS FISHED: Dry Run Creek
ROD USED: 9’ 6 wt Winston
FLIES USED: #14 gray Norfork Scud, Brown Wayne’s Fly
HATCHES: Midges
OTHER: Had the distinct honor of watching our grandson, Kaden, fish Dry Run Creek—one of life’s true pleasures.  He did a great job of casting and mending, and managed to pick up a few fish along the way.

He tried valiantly to get a big rainbow or brown to hook-up at the bottom of the pool, but neither so much looked at his flies, though he put the flies in the right place.  A youngster above him, who was much less accomplished but far luckier, hooked up and landed a 30+ inch fish.  Just goes to show…

These Guys Can Catch Fish

TIME: 8:00 AM to 1:00 PM

WEATHER: Partly cloudy, mid 50s,

WATER CONDITIONS: 0 Units

LOCATIONS FISHED: Norfork River, Below Otter Creek to Island below McClellan’s

ROD USED: n/a

FLIES USED: #14 Gray Norfork River Scud, Brown Wayne’s Fly, #20 Olive Cockleburr

HATCHES: Midges, Caddis

OTHER: Accompanied Bill, Dick, Mike, and Larry for some Norfork River fly fishing. We walked up to Ace in the Hole and fish were taking midges like crazy, as Dick caught about a dozen fish. We made our way downstream to the area above the island, where fish were also taking midges in abundance, but Dick couldn’t get one to strike his fly. We walked to the bottom of the island and Dick caught several fish on the Cockleburr while Bill and I watched and critiqued, enjoying lots of laughs along the way. Mike and Larry caught lots of fish in the areas they fished using a partridge and yellow soft hackle.

As a side note, I saw a half dozen caddis coming off. We're close.

2010 Sowbug Roundup, Day 2

Another beautiful day in Arkansas’ Twin Lakes area.  Tying began today promptly at 9:00 AM, though most tiers were going strong at 8:30 AM.  Once again there were several seats empty at the tying tables, but the crowd was a bit larger than yesterday, though still small compared to previous years.  There just didn’t seem to be the interest in flies being tied; I again tied the foam Chernobyl Ant with very little interest from the public—if they only knew how effective this fly could be!  With beautiful weather and wadable water, I left an hour early to fish before the “last” winter storm of the season comes in.

Fishin’ Dry Flies

TIME: 1:00 PM to 4:00 PM

WEATHER: Partly cloudy, mid 60s,

WATER CONDITIONS: 0 Units

LOCATIONS FISHED: Norfork River, Island above Ackerman/Handicap Access

ROD USED: 9’ 6 wt Winston

FLIES USED: #14 Black Cockleburr, #20 Kay’s Gray, #20 Olive Cockleburr

HATCHES: Midges

OTHER: Fished solo. Began at the top of the island, and caught a half dozen on Olive Cockleburr and Kay’s Gray. Moved downstream across from Ole Charlie Cook’s, but wasn’t able to catch any fish, though there were several fish sipping midges in the area. Moved over in front of the pipe at Ole Charlie’s place and caught quite a dozen or more fish on the Black Cockleburr. I didn’t catch any big fish today. Saw a couple of caddis come off, but the fish did not key on them. It has been a long time since I fished dry flies exclusively, and I really enjoyed it.

2010 Sowbug Roundup, Day 1

Today is the first day of the 2010 Sowbug Roundup, one of the biggest fly tying shows in the world.  Tiers reported in at 8:30 AM, and the official program began at 9:00 AM.  It was great seeing old friends.  The crowd was a bit thin, no major vendors were present, and several fly tying seats were open, a first in my memory and I have been tying here almost since the beginning.  The economy must really be worse that we imagine.  I tied the foam Chernobyl Ant with chartreuse bottom, black top, and yellow indicator.  There was very little interest in this fly, though a few folks stopped by to watch it being tied and receive their free fly.  They were generally interested in it as a bluegill, i.e. bream, fly though we use it for trout from mid-February through mid-November.  Looks like this may be my last fly tying show—the desire is just not there anymore.  I will miss tying with old friends, but look forward to attending and watching others tie.  This is the best value for a fly fishing show that I’m aware of--$5 for three days.

Rednecks On The River

TIME: 1:15 PM to 2:45 PM
WEATHER: Partly cloudy, low 40s,
WATER CONDITIONS: 0 Units
LOCATIONS FISHED: Norfork River, Top of Island above Ackerman/Handicap Access
ROD USED: 9’ 6 wt Winston
FLIES USED: #14 gray Norfork Scud, #20 Black Zebra Midge, Brown Wayne’s Fly
HATCHES: Midges
OTHER: Fished with Wayne. Generation stopped at 11 AM today, and we decided to fish downstream of our usual fishing locations. I fished at the top of the island above Ackerman/Handicap Access and Wayne fished at the bottom; he caught lots of fish. I managed a half dozen, and worked hard for each one, catching one or two on a fly, then having to change flies. The river was crowded downstream and upstream, with a couple boatloads of fishers working their way downstream. The first boat, filled with rednecks, fished all of our usual holes. It was pretty comical watching them come downstream; all had on brown neoprene waders, the motor operator had a beer in one hand and the throttle handle in the other, and the fisher in front stood trying to direct their path, but would fall every time they hit a rock, then giggle with an incestuous laugh, like in the movie Deliverance. They banged their way down the entire river, sending fly fishers to the bank the entire stretch. On a more serious note, this may be a sign of things to come with minimum flow; there will be many more boats, and wading will be more difficult because of the boats and the higher flows. We've observed more and more boats maneuvering through the "catch and release" area since the beginning of the year when regulations changed and treble hooks became legal. Be careful what you ask for.

A One Fly Day

TIME: 12:30 PM to 4:00 PM
WEATHER: Partly cloudy, low 40s,
WATER CONDITIONS: 0 Units
LOCATIONS FISHED: Norfork River, McClellan’s, i.e. Otter Creek downstream to bottom of island
ROD USED: 9’ 6 wt Winston
FLIES USED: #14 gray Norfork Scud
HATCHES: Midges
OTHER: Fished with Wayne. Generation stopped at 11 AM today, and we entered the river while it was still falling from 2 full generators. The lake is finally down to pool level. Wayne went upstream while I fished the bottom left side of the island below McClellan’s where I caught 9 fish. At the top of the island to the first riffle upstream, I caught one fish, and missed 7; I finally inspected the fly and discovered that the hook gap was bent too open—dah! After bending it back into place, I caught one in the first riffle above the island, then fished the drop-off, and finally arrived at Ed’s Hole. Wayne caught a dozen there before moving further upstream, and I managed another dozen, including an 18-inch rainbow. I fished upstream, but caught only a couple of fish. I caught a couple more on the way downstream, ending with just short of two dozen for the afternoon. With all the wading, we got our exercise for the day and are finally beginning to fish ourselves back into shape after a sedentary winter. Of note, I used only one fly today, and it’s still in pretty good shape after being flung hither and yon and catching a few fish.