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.