White River or bust

For a number of years, Barb and I have heard stories at the Dallas Fly Fishers and Fort Worth Fly Fishers meetings of the big trout caught in the White and Norfolk Rivers, located in Northern Arkansas. On June 14, we gave in to temptation and set sail for the little town of Mountain Home, AR. We wanted to see how the trout fishing in these streams compared to those in the Delaware drainage. On Sunday, June 16, we arrived at our destination, the Days Inn Motel in Mountain Home.

We had expected the fishing to be so sensational we spent the first few days with a local realtor to investigate whether there were affordable properties available. Since there are a great many access points on these rivers, it is not necessary to purchase riverfront land. We did find several nice possibilities for a home, but before making any decisions we needed to test the waters. Due to the fact that on our first attempt to fish the White River, the Corps of Engineers was running four generators; we were not able to fish due to extremely high water.

Instead, friends took us to the Graston Information Center, which is located above the massive Bull Shoals Dam. Here they displayed hand-colored plaster casts of the largest brown brook and rainbow trout taken from the White River system. It was hard for Barbara and me to believe that trout of that size existed in the river before the dam. The record brown trout weighed 30 pounds. Our friends then took us to the state campground, located just below Bull Shoals Dam. This is a beautiful facility, well maintained, clean as a whistle.

For the entire first week, the Army Corps of Engineers released from four turbines every day. Fishing was impossible as they cut the releases only after dark. The only way the White River can be fly fished when they are releasing from two to four turbines is from a specially designed john boat. This craft is quite long and slim with an upturned prow. It is equipped with at least a 75-horsepower motor on the stern. The White River is wadeable when the corps runs only one generator or shuts down all of the turbines. If no turbines are running the river has only a minimal, mandated release. The entire river is available to wade fishers when the generators are not running. This may not happen for days on end.

The Norfork has only two generators, but each is very large. Even one generator running on the Norfork makes for very dangerous wading. However, the Norfork does shut down almost every day for several hours. It is possible to call on a cell phone to learn how many turbines are operating on either river. You have to be wary, for this info can change without any notice. By using our cell phone frequently, Barb and I were able to fish the Norfork four times for short periods. While we were here, may fly and caddis fly hatches were non-existent. On two occasions, trout were rising to midge activity. Imitations needed to be very small, size 20 or smaller. On my best day, I managed to take two seven-inch brown trout on a size-20 Ginffith Gnat. I accomplished this feat while being squeezed between a rotund spin fisher and a fat lady in yellow shorts who was wading wet. The water flow was so low, I did not even need to step into the river.

One morning, our cell phone reported that the White River was running only one turbine. We quickly drove over to an access on the White called “Wildcat Shoals.” Our friend Richard Thomas met us at the access and led us to a spot some 400 yards downstream. We were only able to fish for half an hour before the river flow began to rise and quicken. The corps was turning on another turbine. Richard hooked and lost a rainbow of about 15 inches. I had one good tug from a fish while swinging a soft hackle wet fly down and across. The hook did not take bite. Barb was unable to stir up any action. Shortly, the increasingly powerful flow of the water drove us from the stream.

For Barbara and me, the fishing on the White and Norfork Rivers was a complete bust. It cannot begin to compare to the fine fly fishing available on the Delaware drainage at this time of the year. We cannot wait to get home and enjoy some dependable, real fly fishing for trout. Stalkers, PA, here we come!