Hello. I was wondering if anyone fishes the Norfork tailwater and White river very much. I love fly fishing the rivers but live a few hours away and don't really know where the hot spots are. Does anyone have any suggestions for these two rivers???
Norfork and the White
- Thread starter twmackey1
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shouldofbeenhereyesterday
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A wonderful book titled "Home Waters" is put out by the Mid South Fly Fishing Club, and can be purchased at most local fly fishing shops in Arkansas and Western TN. All the information you would ever need including maps and access points are included. It is extremely comprehensive and well written. Buy yourself a copy and all your questions will all be answered.
Andy
Andy
Frank Whiton
Most Senior Member
Hi twmackey1,
Andy is right on target. Get the Home Waters book and it gives you a bunch of information. I bought one at the Bass Pro Shop in Oklahoma.
Fishing the Norfork can be problematic. The dam operators don't cooperate with their generation schedule. That makes it really hard for anyone wading. At least it was that way three years ago. There is a nice campground at the base of the Dam with some camp sites right above the river. When fishing this water you have to be constantly on guard with rising water. You need to always have a way out of your spot in the back of your mind. Some of the river has steep banks.
Get the book, you won't be sorry.
Frank
Andy is right on target. Get the Home Waters book and it gives you a bunch of information. I bought one at the Bass Pro Shop in Oklahoma.
Fishing the Norfork can be problematic. The dam operators don't cooperate with their generation schedule. That makes it really hard for anyone wading. At least it was that way three years ago. There is a nice campground at the base of the Dam with some camp sites right above the river. When fishing this water you have to be constantly on guard with rising water. You need to always have a way out of your spot in the back of your mind. Some of the river has steep banks.
Get the book, you won't be sorry.
Frank
Alright thanks guys. I'll definately check into Home Waters...from the sound of it its exactly what I'm looking for.
And gregg, I really would appreciate it if you would keep me up to date on how the river is up there. I'll probably be heading up there myself in a few weeks and any info I can get will help. Thanks.
And gregg, I really would appreciate it if you would keep me up to date on how the river is up there. I'll probably be heading up there myself in a few weeks and any info I can get will help. Thanks.
Mike Soulie
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Hello,
Read your post and think I can help a little. I have to drive 7hrs to get to Cotter and do it twice a month the fishing is so great. There has been almost constant generation for about 9 mo's up until a month ago and now we are seeing some good cutbacks on both the White and the North Fork. As the Spring progresses we should see less generation and some fantastic fishing. The fish have been well fed without a lot of pressure for quite awhile and things are really looking up.
First I would suggest you go to the restaurant at Gastons and get one of the White and North Fork river maps they sell there, a local guy has done some great work mapping the rivers with all the access points marked, it's a great help. It is about 5 pages stapled together on some fairly waterproof paper and it will be your friend.
Fishing can be great even during generation (4 - 6 units) on the White and (2 units) on the North Fork if you know some good spots. Wading is limited but there are places.
White: right in front of the public access on the golf course side just below the Bull Shoals dam is a very nice seam when the water is high, just stand on the rocks and cast a San Juan worm straight upstream, close to the bank and let it come right back to you, pulled a reallly nice brown and 'bo there a couple of weeks ago like that. If they turn the water off go to the flats right below the dam and work that with an olive wooly bugger and you should do well. If you stay at Dale Fulton's Blue Ribbon Lodge the fishing right in front of his place is good during high water also.
When generation is down there are too many places to mention, just work the map.
North Fork: even during high water there is a very nice seam right along the parking lot at the dam there and below the boat ramp is another nice seam, zebra midges, San Juan worms, egg patterns and wooly buggers work there as well.
The guys at the Blue Ribbon Fly shop in Mountain Home are a good source of info, tell Larry Babin I said to give you the scoop. Dale Fulton is a great source of info and I suggest you stay at his place for some great local info. I will give some links.
Enjoy this world class water and catch and release is the order of the day.
1. Fulton's Flyfishing lodge on the Arkansas White River, Cotter Arkansas
Blue Ribbon Fly Shop - Flyfishing in Arkansas White River and Mountain Home Gateway
Zero limit and tight lines my friend.
Mike Soulie
Read your post and think I can help a little. I have to drive 7hrs to get to Cotter and do it twice a month the fishing is so great. There has been almost constant generation for about 9 mo's up until a month ago and now we are seeing some good cutbacks on both the White and the North Fork. As the Spring progresses we should see less generation and some fantastic fishing. The fish have been well fed without a lot of pressure for quite awhile and things are really looking up.
First I would suggest you go to the restaurant at Gastons and get one of the White and North Fork river maps they sell there, a local guy has done some great work mapping the rivers with all the access points marked, it's a great help. It is about 5 pages stapled together on some fairly waterproof paper and it will be your friend.
Fishing can be great even during generation (4 - 6 units) on the White and (2 units) on the North Fork if you know some good spots. Wading is limited but there are places.
White: right in front of the public access on the golf course side just below the Bull Shoals dam is a very nice seam when the water is high, just stand on the rocks and cast a San Juan worm straight upstream, close to the bank and let it come right back to you, pulled a reallly nice brown and 'bo there a couple of weeks ago like that. If they turn the water off go to the flats right below the dam and work that with an olive wooly bugger and you should do well. If you stay at Dale Fulton's Blue Ribbon Lodge the fishing right in front of his place is good during high water also.
When generation is down there are too many places to mention, just work the map.
North Fork: even during high water there is a very nice seam right along the parking lot at the dam there and below the boat ramp is another nice seam, zebra midges, San Juan worms, egg patterns and wooly buggers work there as well.
The guys at the Blue Ribbon Fly shop in Mountain Home are a good source of info, tell Larry Babin I said to give you the scoop. Dale Fulton is a great source of info and I suggest you stay at his place for some great local info. I will give some links.
Enjoy this world class water and catch and release is the order of the day.
1. Fulton's Flyfishing lodge on the Arkansas White River, Cotter Arkansas
Blue Ribbon Fly Shop - Flyfishing in Arkansas White River and Mountain Home Gateway
Zero limit and tight lines my friend.
Mike Soulie
racine
Well-known member
I have to drive 7 hours as well to get to these nice waters if I want trout. What gets me is that it is primarily a nymphing experience with very little dries. I was just there a week ago and ran into some hard fishing for all but a few of us. It was frustrating until I found the right nymphs. My friends were using jigs which I resisted using. I should be back in June barring some bad weather or high generations. I fish with a couple of veterans of these waters who always seem to do well despite everyone else.
Mike Soulie
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P.S. For anyone fishing the White and Norfork here is the phone number for the dam to get the generation report...
Bull Shoals Dam and Norfork Dam: 870-431-5311
Bull Shoals Dam and Norfork Dam: 870-431-5311
waders4
Member
Almost every evening in Spring through Fall you can find fish sipping on cream/white flies on both rivers. Each April has one of the biggest caddis hatches I have ever seen. Absolute blast catching fish on crackle backs or skating greased leaders and caddis at rim shoals. Have watched fish jump out of the water and attack the fly on the way down.
Winter provides excellent midge fishing and although small you can catch fish skating small parachute adams or griffith gnats.
The nymph fishing is always a treat, but be sure to take advantage of the incredible dry fly fishing on both rivers. Even the hopper fishing and cicada hatch can be amazing if you know where and when to fish.
I've only been there once and it was great. We fished the walk in access on the Norfolk and I caught many fly fishing. We rented a boat where the Norfolk and White come together and headed up river on the white and fished the first shoal we came to. Took many trout here. There was no generation and the flow was at a good level on the first shoal providing many "runs" to fish. I just wish I lived closer to fish it more.
bchase58
Member
Norfork river was great this weekend, and has been over the past month. A buddy of mine and I cleaned up on Saturday. We caught well over 40 fish consisting of browns, cuts and bows. Most fish were decent size but the best were a 16 inch cut, 17 inch brown, and a pair of 16 inch rainbows.
littledavid123
Well-known member
Blake
Congratulations, sounds like you and Ryan cleaned up on Saturday!!! Did you rent a boat?
Dave
Congratulations, sounds like you and Ryan cleaned up on Saturday!!! Did you rent a boat?
Dave
bchase58
Member
We did not rent a boat, generation stopped around 9 and we were able to wade down to the catch and release area. However, the best fishing was around the dam.
racine
Well-known member
Frank is dead on with this. The dam operators don't always follow what they say on their reports. Even the website is inaccurate so fishing can be a real crapshoot. When I have to drive 7 hours this can get very disappointing. Matter of fact, I almost got caught on the White when they turned on the generators and water rose very quickly. I underestimated the depth I had waded to and with the rising water that calf deep walk turned into chest deep raging water that almost caught me! Some folks share this nonchalantly but after this I've learned to watch the water levels and not wade to far out on the river. These river systems demand respect!