TIME: 12:00 PM to 4:30 PM
WEATHER: Mid-40s, sunny
WATER CONDITIONS: 0 units on White River, 1 unit decreasing to 0 units on Norfork River
LOCATIONS FISHED: White River, Rim Shoals; Norfork River, Mill Dam Eddy
FLIES USED: #14 gray sow bug, #14 BHFB pheasant tail, #14 gray Norfork River scud, #20 red/black zebra midge, #20 furnace cockleburr
ROD USED: 8’ 6” 5-wt Winston JWF
HATCHES: Midges
OTHER: I fished with Ron. We drove to Norfork first, but it had one generator of discharge; SWPA had projected 0 generation after 6:00 AM until 5:00 PM, but instead ramped up to 1 generator shortly after 10:00 AM—same old story! We drove to Rim Shoals, and walked down the right descending bank as far as the path would take us. It was tough fishing; I caught 3 (one on BHFB pheasant tail, and two on tan sowbug). It began to get crowded, with over a dozen fishers coming in. We opted to leave, and noted the Norfork was slowing going down. We waded in at Mill Dam Eddy, and struggled while the water completed falling. After it stabilized, Ron took about 9 fish on gray scud and red/black zebra midge combination. There were several other fishers coming downstream in drift boats, canoes, and kayaks. One guide in a drift boat came right through the narrow lane we were fishing, and after my shaking my head, said that I didn’t own the water. Of course, he had over a hundred yards from which to choose a path, but chose the little lane where we were fishing. A lady guide behind him in drift boat, stopped short, got out and pulled her drift boat into another lane; I thanked her. We will see more and more unethical guides on the Norfork with the advent of minimum flow (be careful what YOU ask for cause I didn’t want it, anticipating this very problem along with some others we’ll see come along).
