Generation on the White this week has tried to hold to steady patterns, though kinks in this pattern showed up from time to time.
Weekend water saw lengthy periods of flow between 6-8,000 cfs during fishing hours. This trend continued into Monday until late afternoon with a jump up to nearly 13,000 cfs by nightfall. Tuesday and Wednesday had mornings of around 40 megs interrupted by big pushes that eclipsed 250 megs – quite the change to be sure.
Thursday returned to an ideal 100-125 megs with only a short one-hour burst of 160 megs mid-morning before returning to that 120 megawatt cadence. Overall, those long periods of steady water have produced a decent bite.
Those big pushes, however, have come hard, fast, and trashy leaving a poor bite in their wake. As is commonplace on our tailwaters, adjusting to stay ahead of the push or motoring up to get well behind it has been important to stay in a consistent bite. When you find yourself in the 100-125 mwh water, nymphing with tandems of caddis and midges continues to be a successful way to go as posited in last week’s report.
Dally’s Tailwater Jig in black/copper continues to poke browns and rainbows alike when they are not looking for caddis. Lightning Bug Jigs, Zebra Midges, Knowles’ Root Beer and Ruby Midges, Sexton’s Carotene Jig, Rainbow Warriors, Purple Perdigons, and Crossfit Midge Jigs are great options.
Early morning bites seem to favor the midge, so come ready with a spread of these tiny bugs. As for the caddis, I’ll give you one guess. The Sunday Special continues to remind us why it’s the usual go-to. The Holy Grail, Guide’s Choice Hare’s Ears, Graphic Caddis, and Nick’s Fat Caddass are great bugs, too, especially when you get that feeling these fish need to see something different.
Those big pushes of water escort wary browns to the bank, so switch up the rigs to fish tight and fairly shallow. Jig BH Girdle Bugs in tandem with midges or caddis have been productive offerings. The coffee/black or the black girdles have been best.
Deploying any of the aforementioned nymphs for caddis or midge imitations below the girdle will be what gets bit the most consistently. Ultimately, look for consistent flow and clean water – you’ll have success.
Aside from Monday, the Norfork has generated some water at least at some point during fish hours every day this week. The advantage here has been two-fold. Enough water to run the jet boats up the river is luxurious and the bigger generation puts the fish up on the banks – prime locations for hungry fish to slurp struggling cicadas on the water’s surface.
Even more so, nymphing the caddis hatch on the ‘Fork has been productive. Sunday Specials, Nick’s Fat Caddass, Guide’s Choice Hare’s Ears, GB Hare’s Ears, Hare Coppers, and Holy Grails have been productive choices for this occasion.
Ruby Midges, Wotton’s Super Midges, Dally’s Tailwater Jigs, and Zebra Midges ran in tandem with the caddis bugs covers all the bases. Of course, as has been the case in bigger generation this year on the ‘Fork, bring along Blobs, Slush Eggs, Y2Ks, and Cheetos for good measure.
Stretches of low water have been fun for the wade fishermen. Bugs are aplenty here. Cicadas blaring the ears and caddis clogging the nostrils is what living is all about. Swing those soft hackles and gently present those dries.
Dally’s Mother’s Day Soft Hackle is where it’s at for the swing game. E/C Caddis, Elk Hair Caddis, Apple Caddis, and Egan’s Corn-Fed Caddis will get trout noses pointed skyward.
Crooked Creek smallmouth have begun their transition from spawn to post-spawn. Bass are now more consistently in the shallows chasing minnows and have come out of their deep, dark, rocky hidey-holes for the time being.
This won’t last long, though, as the water drops and the kayak traffic increases after the upcoming holiday. Hada’s Craft Fur Clousers are certainly the best baitfish imitation right now fished either on an intermediate sink tip or 8-10 feet of 2X tippet on a floating line.
Bass are also on the hunt for crawfish. Hada’s Creek Crawler and Whitlock’s Near Nuff Crawfish will be mainstays for the rest of the smallmouth season and before long we will be throwing popping bugs for summer time smallies.
The next week’s forecast looks to be immaculate. Low 80s and sunshine will get us all feeling the summertime vibes. If we are given steady low water, dry flies very well may be on the menu more frequently than in weeks past. Before you know it, mayflies will begin their annual dance and we’ll continue our journey through a year on the White. You gotta love it. See you out there.
By Tadd Fore
The Ozark Fly Fisher Journal 
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