“The rain came down and the floods came up.” I found myself singing the popular children’s song from time to time as I spent countless minutes bailing water from my boat during Monday’s torrent. At one point, a small rainbow we had caught slipped from my hands, fell into the boat, and was actually able to swim around our feet – it was that kind of rain.
The White River has held somewhat firmly to its pattern of a push of water in the AM and a return to lower flow in the afternoon. The two notable exceptions were Sunday and Monday, which gave us minimum flow all day (aside from two hours of 20 megs in the early AM on Monday).
As mentioned, Monday was a deluge. Rain held off until lunch but once the gates were opened, they stayed open. All feeder creeks and major tributaries flash flooded into raging mud baths. Any water below Bruce Creek was straight chocolate milk all morning on Tuesday until a big dirty push of 10K cfs cleaned up the river like the swift swipe of a Mr. Clean’s Magic Eraser.
Tuesday’s afternoon bite picked up once the mud had cleaned up. Overall, fishing ahead of the push of water or behind it as it is falling has been the most productive way to stay into fish. In the push, working the banks tight with Mop Flies or heavily weight Arkansas Beadheads has been productive.
In more stable water, nymphing with Slush Eggs, Sunday Specials, Lightning Bug Jigs, Sexton’s Carotene Jigs, Dally’s Tailwater Jigs, Mega Worms, and Dally’s Mother’s Day Caddis Jig has been good. Trailing these bugs with smaller Tailwater Jigs, Sunday Specials, Ruby Midges, Zebra Midges, Jigged Hare’s Ears, and Guide’s Choice Hare’s Ears will round out the tandem.
Caddis are popping even more abundantly and this trend is sure to continue with the upcoming sunny days, so come prepared with the best caddis imitations like Nick’s Fat Caddass, Graphic Caddis, and Dally’s Mother’s Day Caddis Jig.
The streamer game isn’t over. Finding lengthy periods of good generation, like the morning of good water on Wednesday, are prime opportunities to pull out the streamer rods. Galloup’s Bangtails, Dally’s Twerking Minnows, Alex’s White River Deceivers, and CJ’s Mini Sluggos need to be in the lineup to seize these opportunities.
The Norfork gave us quite the surprise on Tuesday. After the downpour and washout we experienced on Monday, the USACE saw it prudent to open up floodgates to the tune of 5,000 cfs to pair with 3,000 cfs of generation. 8,000 cfs is a lot of water rolling down that narrow corridor.
Once the water cleaned up, the fishing was steady and held that way for the rest of the week. The key ingredients to success in such big water are depth and weight. Bring along the AAA split shot and an extra spool of tippet. Fishing upwards of 9-10 feet deep is important. Blobs, Cheetos, Slush Eggs, Mega Worms, and white Marabou Jigs have been effective attention getters in the big water.
Caddis and midges have really started coming off on the ‘Fork with the warm floodgate water. Trout are keyed in on Sunday Specials, Jigged Hare’s Ears, Guide’s Choice Hare’s Ears, BH Hare’s Ears, Nick’s Fat Caddass, Zebra Midges, and Dally’s Tailwater Jigs – all solid flies to trail behind the aforementioned attractors.
It remains to be seen if the Norfork will shut down over the weekend like it has over the last few months. If so, wade fishermen can return to enjoy the spoils of our Princess Tailwater. Nymph the low water with Sunday Specials and Ruby Midges, as well as Y2Ks, Dally’s Tailwater Jigs, Zebra Midges, Wotton’s Sowbugs, Hunchback Scuds, and Anna K’s.
The forecast appears to be bringing along some stretches of warmer weather; along with it come increased chances of rain and storms. April 1st and 2nd look to be wet ones, so prepare accordingly. Overall, though, perhaps 60-70 degree weather is here to stay. I, for one, am ready to replace my fleece and bibs with Chacos and quick-dry shorts. This newly-arrived warm spell may kick the caddis hatch into overdrive, so keep an ear to the ground and an eye to the sky for the arrival of our favorite little six-legged friend. See you out there.
By Tadd Fore
The Ozark Fly Fisher Journal 
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