I was very excited to finally get a chance to fly fish Arkansa’s White River, until I looked out the airplane window. Monster rains had drenched the mid west and serious flooding had made poor fishing conditions the least of many peoples worries. With that said, I never underestimate fishermen’s addictive and somewhat absurd passion. Low and behold, although the rain was still coming down in buckets and every creek and waterway was cresting over its banks there were still a good number of die hard fishermen casting into any water that was somewhat fishable. So, was this trip going to be as picture perfect as I had imagined in my mind? Nope. Most of he picturesque riffles and runs that I had read about were now class 4 rapids and the White River was anything but white. So, I sat and watched the water poor out the flood gates at Table Rock dam. I watched as fly fisherman attempted to try their best and cast into water that was just barely fishable. They were literally fishing in the trees and casting into pools that should technically be dry riverbank. They were catching fish, but I knew there had to be something better. So, I used my best fly fishing resource; my friends. I called Boz and said, “Dude, don’t you have a buddy who lives out here?” Next thing I knew, my cell phone rang and I answered, “hello?” The voice on the other end said, “Yo, Jeremy it’s Chambers .. boz’s buddy.” The rest was history. Chambers lived a few hours away and the conditions were not so hot in his neck of the woods, but he fly fishes the majority of good fishing sections on the White River area often and knows them well. So, he looked at the flows, did the math, asked some buddies and said, “Jeremy, looks like you will want to go to Bull Shoals dam and fish that tail water. It’s definitely fishable.” That was all I needed to hear. Oh ya, I did need to hear one more thing; so I asked him “What flies should I use?” He told me, “Small midge stuff … you know zebra midges and stuff like that.” So, I got directions and some small midges and started driving through the Ozarks. After getting lost a half dozen times, I finally made it to Bull Shoals. It was definitely fishable. Totally different than the Table Rock tail water I had been at. I guess the river was so high in lower sections of the river; they simply could not release any water out of the dam. So, the first few miles of river from the dam down were in very decent shape. There they were, the midges were hatching; just like Chambers said they would be. So, I “quickly” snapped 4 knots while my hands shook in anticipation of catching something. I made tons of sloppy casts to rising fish and spooked them like a pro. After a long winter of no trout fishing, I had no patience whatsoever and did everything totally wrong! It was a blast! Then, I saw that everyone was using these super long John Boats. So, even though it wasn’t totally necessary I said to myself, “I need one of those!” So, I found a place to rent one for cheap and there I was motoring up the White River to the spot where the majority of trout had been rising but I could not reach from shore. I beached the John Boat, or whatever it was called, on a gravel bar and bingo; I was in the game big time! I proceeded to spend the day casting to and catching rainbow and brown trout on dry flies, nymphs and streamers. I did not catch some of the true and legendary monsters that I saw rising and eating midges; but I caught some beautiful trout and it was a great personal success considering the circumstances. That is really what I love about fly fishing. No matter how bleak and “impossible” things may seam; the fish are still there somewhere and with enough will and determination and a little bit of luck it is possible to find them and catch them.PS. Thanks Boz and Chambers, I appreciate all your help!
Excellent story Jer. Way to get it done. I’ve always admired the ways you are resourceful…calling friends, renting boats, going the distance….having faith that the ‘fish are there’.! Then, catching them on all kinds of stuff!
After not fly fishing for awhile, we all degenerate don’t we? But the skills bounce back in a few moments….
Marsh
Jeremy,
Glad you got out down there and put a bend in the rod…That brownie looks thick.
Too bad you didn’t get a chance to fish with Chambers…he’d fit in great with the rest of the “characters” that frequent FliesandFins…
Though conditions are still on the wintery side hear…it wont be too much longer until we’re posting some Maine fish 🙂
glad to see you got on the fish and i could be of service.come back again when conditions are right and bring boz. my wife and i ended up on the little red river that day(the only way to be able to go fish with a 9 and a half month pregnant wife, take her with you! and let her catch most of the fish) we did o.k. I think you made right choice to hit bull shoals. glad to see you got the “jon boat” a.k.a. “arkansas drift boat”
Nice tale jbone. i am picturing you right now bombing up the river in a long boat. Just like that dude on the Kennebec near bingham. Way to make it happen in not so favorable conditions. Cool Pic of that brown..
“dude on the Kennebec near bingham”….
Jim Messer of course, freaking living freaking legend.!
good job man, way to “git er done”! hey I dropped a line to king for a day letting them know how I found about them. the next day, I recieved an e-mail from them thanking you for putting the link on the website. tight lines to you!
thanks marsh … to some, the extent i go to catch fish might seem a bit much … but, for me, that is the fun of it all. for me, everything is a means to an end .. tying flies, rod preferences, line preferences, reel preference etc… that’s not why i like fly fishing … when i get on the water; all of that means nothing .. the goal becomes very simple … catch fish…. for me, that is the challenge i enjoy .. and i think it stems from my days spent commercial fishing on swordfish boats and alaskan salmon boats .. you know, kinda like that show on discovery channel about the crab fisherman .. (dangerous catch or something like that) … well, the thrill for me, of doing that stuff and spending up to 30 days at a time at sea enduring all sorts of nasty and “impossible” circumstances was the pure fact that the fishing never stopped .. 24/7 round the clock fishing in the nastiest of weather and under the nastiest and harshest conditions … long lines would be wrapped around freighters and dragged for miles, “birds nests” and mono tangles as big as the deck of the boat, the entire crew pissed because we couldn’t find the fish and they were “supposed” to be there, running out of food, guys getting hurt and airlifted off boats ….. all of this, in pursuit of catching fish .. that was the goal, without a doubt. quitting was never an option, neither was complaining or wishing things were different. the sea handed all sorts of crazy situations … and we just kept fishing… so, when i found fly fishing something inside me said “wow, i like this” … and all of a sudden i had an interest in “little” fish and “freshwater” fishing for trout and other such freshwater fish … but, the core of my being as a fisherman … was still there and could not be denie … so, these days i don’t go out to sea anymore on commercial longliners, draggers and gillnetters chasing tuna, mako shark, swordfish, sockeye salmon etc… instead, my fishing is done with a fly rod and only for sport .. i don’t keep anything ever as I don’t like fish, and after catching and killing literally 100’s upon 100’s of thousands of pounds fish for people to eat at restaurants and sushi bars and buy in their grocery stores etc.. I only like the chase with a fly rod … it’s the chase that excites me … it’s the hunt that i have always loved … and it’s a form of fishing that i see as fairly un-invasive as I practice catch and release only …. and to this day i still say that fly fishing “hooked” me because after all of those years of chasing giants 200 or so miles out at sea and catching thousands and thousands of pounds of the worlds most expensive and highly prized fish in the seas with big price tags on their heads ….. i was dumbfounded when i saw a small 14 inch trout rising in a little stream and no matter how hard i tried i could not catch it … so whether its albies, stripers, salmon, trout, steelhead, marlin or whatever … i love the pursuit and the hunt and ultimately .. the catch .. because “the catch” for me .. is what validates “everything else” for me … and it was only in the world of “fly fishing” that i ever ran across folks who would say, “it’s not all about catching” … to this day, i still do not understand that? .. it is possible that i am not as refined as many others … and very possible that i never will be … and likely that i don’t want to be … because it is a very “simple” goal for sure … but many times, for a number of various reason, it can be a very hard goal to attain … anyway … just ramblin’ now … gotta get another cup of coffee … and .. maybe i will go out and try to “catch” somethin’ today… believe me, not an easy task right now in maine … as ice is just going out and water temps are still freezing … that interests me:) …
Awsome job jeremy! i love how you got it done despite the difficult circumstances. i have seen the power of the fly fishing friend base before….i’m glad boz’s friend hooked you up!