John Berry of Berry Brother Guides in Cotter, Arkansas, has been fly fishing the streams of North Central Arkansas for almost three decades and is a major authority when it comes to popular trout hotspots including the White River and Norfork Tailwaters.While I was on the island, I ran into a father and his twelve year old son. He said that the lad had encountered some difficulty making it across and wondered if there was a better place to cross. I showed him the easiest spot and gave them a few pointers on wading heavy water. I watched them as they waded across until I saw them emerge on the opposite bank.
A few minutes later, I ran into a friend that had been intimidated by the water levels. He had good gear but is pretty slim and would be less able to wade heavy currents than I. He had gone to Rim shoals Trout Dock and had procured a boat so that he could easily boat over to the island and avoid the treacherous wade across.
I proceeded to the task at hand, catching some fish. There was no hatch coming off so I tried fishing a nymph. I still had a size eighteen zebra midge on from my last fishing trip. I walked up to one of my favorite spots. It was a bit deeper than usual but I could still wade out. I began casting and picked up a nice fish and then another. The going was slow so I change flies. I tried a pink San Juan worm and picked up three fish. I tried a caddis pupa but there was no action on it.
I walked to the back of the island with Ellie in tow. The water was perfect for swinging soft hackles. The caddis hatch still wasn’t coming off. I decided to try a green butt soft hackle. I figured the trout would be looking for the emerging caddis and this is a great imitation. I tied on a fresh 5X tippet. I normally use 6X in Catch and Release water but the water was stained and I surmised it would be difficult for the trout to see it. I also like the additional strength of 5X. I managed to land a couple of small browns and a good rainbow.
I waded back across the river. I crossed at a site around the middle of the island. There is a rock shelf that extends three quarters of the way across. It is the easiest and safest place to cross the river. Ellie had a bit of trouble in the current but finally joined me on the far bank. I walked up the trail and headed toward the access. I figured that I was done for the day.
As I neared the access, I noticed the caddis coming off. Finally, I had been waiting all day. The hatch was not as prolific as it had been in previous days. The trout were dimpling but did not appear to be keying in on the adults. I cannot resist rising trout. I decided to continue with the green butt. I found a nice stretch above the main riffle and began casting. I took a fish after a few casts. Ellie launched from the bank to give me a hand. She swam right over the line tangling it under her body. I kept pressure on the fish and it eventually freed itself and I landed it. Thanks Ellie!
I stayed there for a while and caught several nice trout. The hatch never got heavy and the trout never keyed in on the adults. I wasn’t sure if the higher water levels had affected the hatch. As Ellie and I walked out I gave a lot of thought to the water levels. Minimum flow will make wading tougher in some spots but will create other spots to fish. Life is a compromise. Luckily we have alternatives here. Remember that Rim Shoals Trout Dock runs a water taxi. The bottom line is that I was able to wade the higher water and catch fish on it.
