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.