Fly Fish Arkansas

This website was down for a few months but we are up and running again and White River Fishing information will be coming at you again.

River Info: Believe it or not flows are low and there are a few wading spots on the river but bring your kayak, float tube, raft or boat as many of those spots are only accessible by a water craft. The lake is very high at this time 693.78 (top is 695) in 2012 the lake topped out at 696.5 with flows of 40 to 50K cfs currently as of this morning 2255 CFS

Fishing Report June 6:

Looks like we beat last years record for rain which was the second rainiest year on record. Which means this years record beat last years record so 2020 is not the 2nd rainiest year on record. With that being said our two lakes are at the top of the flood pool with flood gates currently open on the White at Bull Shoals. The C.F.S. has roughly been about 9 units of water. Two of the generators are also down which means some pretty warm water is mixed in with the colder water. That of course makes catching on the spillway side of the dam a little tougher. The water seems to start mixing up in the state park. After that catching on the right side of the river (looking down) gets much easier.
I’ve been fishing with two 3/0 split shot using Cortlands Top Secret 4X tippet with an eggs and various colors of SJ Worms on roughly 10-11 foot leaders from indicator to first fly. The extra unit of water is covering some areas of the river that normally do not see any water but it does force up cane worms from the ground which of course trout love to eat. I’m looking for shallow areas of the river which includes some areas in the middle of the river. Island or even submerged islands are a great spot to look for. The catching can get tough if the water bumbs up a bit which causes the river to get mossy so I make a run down stream to get in front of it Then make a run back upstream one the water stabilizes. We are catching some pretty good fish both bows and brown trout but not like in years past when the flood gate water was at 10 or 12 units of water and covered even more ground. Unfortunately that kind of water starts to get really close to homes and buildings. The C.O.E. has done a great job this go around of containing property damage.
Be careful on the river in these flows as your drifts are moving pretty fast so be aware of what is below you. There are also lots of trees that have fallen into the river as well. Trees can get one into trouble in a hurry.

Jimmy T.

A MUST LISTEN Audio Cast with Cortland Line President/CEO John Wilson. A past coach of the US Youth ’96’ fly fishing team that went to Wales and came in 2nd. John also fished with the US Fly Fishing Team and is also a Master Certified Casting Instructor with the FFF. A very informative interview. John makes the seemingly complex simple. This audio cast is 51 minutes long so crack a beer or pour a dram of scotch and light up a cigar as we discuss how fly lines are made from the originators of this product. Well worth your time to listen to this discussion. John also announces a new product in this podcast that every fly fisher uses. It’s a secret so don’t tell anyone.

Click on the arrow below to listen. The first 5 minutes is a quick report on the White River and the Norfolk River. Please feel free to share this audio cast by linking with FlyFisharkansas.com

Cortland contact info Facebook and it’s website.

This young man hooked and landed this fish on a Saturday. He was turning 16 the following Monday. The day a youngster turns 16 the glory days of Dry Run Creek come to an end. This outstanding young fisherman did hook one really big bow roughly 30 inches which did get away as his guide was a bit slow with the net. Never the less it was a great afternoon. If your youngster is interested in fly fishing for a half day on this legendary creek give us a shout 870-404-8906 Youngsters must be 15 or younger.

The caddis hatch has finally begun further down stream and will work it’s way upstream. Water flows have also slowed with wadeable water on the Norfork the past couple of days and flows of a unit or two for the White River.

To fish this phenomenal hatch with a experience guide call 870-404-8906 or the shop at 870-445-3848