October TOSFly White River Trip

October fly fishing in Northern Arkansas can provide some of the most ideal fishing conditions one could ask for. The Other Side Flyfishing Crew went to the White River in October to hone in on some pre spawn brown trout action. On this trip, we brought rookie fly fisherman, our featured angler, Hunter Hibbard. Hoping for low water opportunities, we came prepared for sight fishing and small nymph patterns. The Corps of Engineers did not cooperate with out longings for low water, and instead tainted the weekend with fluctuating generation and water levels. Over the course of our 3 day trip, the Corps of Engineers ran between zero and three units, with the number constantly changing.

A General Rule of Thumb: Fish Rising Water and Falling Water
As a general rule of thumb for those who are fishing tailwaters, some of the prime fishing opportunities is rising and falling water. As the water levels drop from high to low, fish begin to move from their shoreline structures to the mid-river feeding zones. During this "migration," fish are on the move allowing anglers to fish all sections of river for decent numbers of fish. The same applies for rising water. As the fish migrate from their mid-river feeding zones to find shelter behind shoreline structure from the strong, high-water, currents.

This rule of thumb does not apply to consistent water level fluctuation. Every hour the Corps of Engineers was turning generation either on or off, throwing the river and the fish's feeding habits out of balance. We managed to land quite a few fish over the course of two days, but we had to earn every fish we caught. We were constantly digging through the deepest parts of our fly boxes to find what patterns would unlock these fish's jaws. Oddly enough, during the higher water periods, we had great success on size 18 olive scuds, once again breaking the rule of thumb of "bigger water, bigger flies." We often had to break the rules of fly fishing to find patterns that would generate strikes as the water level plagued the two days.

We spent most of our weekend at the Rim Shoals area, as this is our favorite trout water in Arkansas. Olive scuds in size 18 produced fish, and the saving fly of the weekend was the RAY RAY (Ray Charles). In my experience, the Ray Charles is the secret weapon on Arkansas tailwater trout. This fly ALWAYS produces fish.

When you're fishing the Arkansas tailwaters, NEVER rely on the voice recordings to tell you what the water is doing. Safety is the first priority, and the best way to keep an eye on the water level is to get a FIXED point of structure in the water and make mental notes of the water level every hour or so. The water can rise QUICKLY and can leave you in very dangerous situations. When you are experiencing fluctuating water levels, and you know you're in a section of river that holds fish, do not be afraid to try flies that you generally do not use. Sometimes it takes some trial and error to find that PERFECT pattern. For us it was the olive scud and the Ray Charles.