Fish on every drift in low water; don’t believe me….book a trip!
All I can say is the fish are in a good mood. This type of fishing is rare, but happens when conditions are right. Except for yesterday, the corps has been sticking true to the generation schedule. The water has been off until 3pm most days. I think yesterday’s early generation was due to power demand from the hot temperatures. Right now is one of those times you can do no wrong and it really doesn’t matter what they do with the water. If you like streamer fishing you will like catching big browns in high water. One thing I’m seeing that has been different from the past is I’m seeing a lot more browns up top than normally. And a lot of it has to do with locating them from throwing streamers. I’m starting to find out where these fish are holding and I bet they have always been there. Nobody is throwing these big articulated streamers and I keep saying in my previous reports, why don’t you be the first?
I had a few guys book me for just this type of fishing and a lot of it had to do with all the browns they were seeing me post on Facebook. It really got their attention, because they were always sold on the fact they thought this was a White River thing. Being from Springfield they couldn’t make quick trips down to the White so knowing that Taneycomo supports this style of fishing they have a whole new outlook on this fishery and I do to. I’m sure this will get more and more popular and it won’t be the same once everyone is doing it, but right now it’s basically me and my clients having this type of fishing all to ourselves. Matt and Ed were my first clients to have an opportunity at this, and they weren’t disappointed. The first ten minutes into the trip Matt already hooked into a nice brown. Sometimes it happens that way and other times it could happen ten minutes before the trip is over. The key is to always think the next cast could be the one. So regardless of what the water is doing the bite remains strong for all levels of fly fishing right now.
April 23 2012
FINALLY…..WE HAVE LOW WATER!!
I knew we weren't far off from low water and now that it’s here, this means we will have it until we get another big rain that hits the Ozarks. In order to get big water again we will need a substantial rainfall to get the corps dumping big water fast. I wouldn't be too alarmed if we get little rain showers with little accumulations though. The corps might generate a little throughout the day, but it won't be all day so low water is definitely here to stay. This would be a great time to take advantage of it because once the heat gets here it will be all over for good water.
I was kind of getting used to big water and just started figuring out how to get these big browns to jump streamers. Oh well, there's always next time. Now I'll just have to stick to low water tactics and play the numbers game. The trout are thriving and the bite should be good for midges here on Taneycomo.
This weekend I focused on nothing but streamers with my clients. I was surprised to see some bigger rainbows crashing these streamers also. We had one rainbow in the 21-22 inch range that spit the fly once it got to the surface (have it recorded and the video will come out later) with some of the brightest colors you can see on a rainbow. And a few more we caught looked just the same. It looks like a totally different rainbow than all the stockers you normally catch when fishing with an indicator. Of course you get some with color, but the majority of them are stockers that have little to no color. You can tell what I mean by looking at the pictures, real red stripes going down with a bright gill cheek. The kind of rainbows Taneycomo is known for. This is what separates this tailwaters from all the rest. We do have some of the prettiest rainbows compared to other tailwaters here in the Ozarks.
White River –
Again, I've seen a change in their generation to as of yesterday, only generating one to two units. This makes for some awesome drift boat water. Not only that, but some of the best water for dry flies (the best caddis hatch on the river is from Wildcat to Rim, with just up from cotter being the best). If you are still after browns on streamers you can do that to. I would say from Rim down to buffalo is better water for this type of presentation and a lot of it has to do with having a little deeper runs downstream then the upstream, in this type of generation. Either way this is the type of water you can do just about anything you want with good results in any style of fly fishing you desire. Start planning your trips because the low water has arrived!!
March 20 2012
Streamer fishing continues to be productive on Taneycomo
With all the lakes being under a foot, we are starting to see lower flows on a few tailwaters. Norfork and Beaver tailwaters are shutting down at night and then releasing sometime in the morning. Heavier flows continue on Taneycomo and the White River. So we’re not out of the funk of high water just yet. Let’s just hope we don’t get big rains in the next few weeks and I would be willing to bet we will see low water during the day sometime soon. With Taneycomo having the biggest flows throughout the day it’s convinced me to give streamers a go again. This is something I struggle with here on Taneycomo because of the inconsistency on getting good results. A lot of this has to do with the way this river is mapped out verses the White. There’s not enough good water for one and secondly we just don’t have the abundance of browns either. But after this week I’m starting to reconsider my thoughts on a few things.
Is Taneycomo worthy of streamer fishing -
I would say yes, but it’s never going to be like the White. There are a few reasons for this and I would have to say the two biggest reasons are; we don’t have the same layout with miles of good water and two, there’s not the abundance of browns that chase streamers. Rainbows just are not into big articulated streamers. However we do hook a few from time to time which gives you some action, but it’s all about the brown trout when we’re working this hard. We’ve had fair results, but the one thing different about this time verses the other times I’ve tried to do this at Taneycomo is, we actually hooked a few bigger browns like we do on the White. So it definitely has potential, but it really is too early to say how good this bite will be and how consistent it will be throughout the year. In the past I never had these results. I would put away knowing that I’ll give it another shot when I get the itch. I get tired of nymph fishing all the time staring at an indicator all day. This year (on Taneycomo) it’s going to be more about dry fly fishing and streamer fishing when we have the right water for it. It’s always better to learn different things so you can give the client more variety and more importantly, show him something different that will improve his or her game.
Dry fly fishing is right around the corner –
Since I’ve been fishing the banks mostly I’ve noticed each day I’m out there the fish are getting more active taking stuff off the surface. The other day we gave dries a shot just to see if we could get some trout looking up. We had a few big crashes, but not enough to think this bite was solid. We will be doing this more as the weeks go by and I would say we don’t have that long before these trout are chewing up terrestrials.
In conclusion –
A buddy and I put together this small clip of that brown I caught, so I hope you enjoy the footage. If you like the video, give us a like and we always appreciate the support. If you haven’t liked our Facebook page please give us a shout out and like us on there as well. Hope everyone has a good weekend!!
March 15th 2012
Is low water right around the corner, or is it?
In my opinion, we are not far off if we can keep this rain going around us. And for the most part we’ve been lucky not to have heavy accumulations. With Beaver Lake only having a few more feet to dump into Table Rock, this might be a sign for some low water on a few tailwaters. I would guess to say Norfork and Beaver are probably going to have max generation (both have two generators) around the clock till they draw the lake back down to power pool or maybe even a little lower. Both lakes I mentioned have a little over two feet to go with the White and Taneycomo having less than a foot.
While I’m writing this we have a big storm that has moved into the Ozark’s dumping some heavy rain. So we probably will get a few inches out of this which will then fill up the lakes a few more feet again, but we’ll just have to keep playing it by ear. Hopefully it won’t be too much rain so we get those lower flows which in return make for better fishing. The reason I say this is because there are some serious caddis hatches down on the White right now and with lower flows you can really take full advantage of the dry fly presentation because more fish are looking up ( which if you haven’t seen the caddis “storm” it truly is a sight to see).
The White River is finally seeing lower flows, but there are still some sporadic surges that can get fish off their feeding pattern. So it’s really crucial making the correct decisions when fishing the White River system when you have big water, then small water, then back to big water, all in one day. Of course it fishes well on all levels of generations, but when you’re fishing out of a drift boat it’s important on where to put in and where we take out without getting caught in soupy water. Nobody likes to be caught in the surge, not even the trout. So always keep that in mind when fishing out of a drift boat.
How’s the fishing?
Fishing has been fair, but April is always one of those months you can’t really predict what the water is doing, or the trout. It really boils down to the decision you make on where you think the fish are biting the best. You might have to drive for it, but it’s worth it if you find lower water, because where you find low water, you will find actively feeding fish. I’ve been fishing all tailwaters except for Norfork tailwater and NFOW. So Beaver, White River and Taneycomo is where I’m spending a great deal of my time. I wish I could get down to the White more often, but most my trips trust my judgment so we are staying close to home as of right now. That will change in the weeks to come because the White is back to better flows.
Taneycomo is where I’ve been the most this month and we’ve had some great days and some ok days depending on water generation. It’s kind of a cool float I’m finding out, nymphing in the morning and streamer fishing in the afternoon. Very educational trip if you ask me, you get the best of both worlds, hooking stockers on nymphs and having that chance at a big one on streamers. That’s what happened yesterday with Brody and you couldn’t shake the smile off his face for the rest of the day. The last few days we have managed to hook five browns and the biggest rainbow I’ve had on to date fishing articulated streamers. This female bow can back around to grab this fly, but the angle was wrong so when I went to set the hook it just wasn’t there. One of those stories, the one that got away. Oh well, that’s why they call it fishing which keeps us coming back for more.
Taneycomo’s generation pattern -
Taneycomo is doing about the same, running 50 mega watts (roughly 3,200 cfs which raises the tailwater side about 4-5 feet above power pool) in the morning until sometime around noon then the corps bumps it up to 100 mega watts and that’s big water for Taneycomo. However, I’ve been doing lots of research on it, still trying to dial in this whole streamer bite on Taneycomo since it’s more of a rainbow fishery then a brown trout fishery like the White. But I’m here to say that it’s finally paying off.
I haven’t wrote much about it because it’s not something I can say I have figured out, but finding the correct cfs levels has been more of the chore than anything else. We all know that white streamers on Taneycomo are by far the most productive color for bringing out rainbows, and it does move browns from time to time, but the other ingredient on having a more productive day on Lake Taneycomo is figuring out when these fish get on the banks so you can get that impulse strike. Taneycomo doesn’t have a ton of seams busting off the banks verses the White, and the reason being is the White is longer and turns a lot more, allowing for breaks off the banks creating seams where fish ultimately lie for ambushing pray. I have found this to be key for targeting bigger ones, but you have to make that perfect cast where you think the fish is holding off the seam, throw behind him and the fish never see it. So looking down river and always having planned your next cast is crucial. I always say to my clients who are streamer fishing, it only takes one cast and one fish to change your entire day with a trophy of a lifetime.
I’ll keep you posted more on this, but in the meantime if you think you might be interested in learning streamer fishing on Taneycomo give me a shout. I don’t think there are too many people dialing in big articulated streamers on Lake Taneycomo so why don’t you be the first!!
In conclusion -
If you have noticed in my last reports I’m going more into detail about how all these fisheries work, so everyone gets more of an understanding on where fishing is going to be the best at that given time when you come to vacation. If you know more about how this whole thing works, then you can plan your trips more accordingly for what it is you exactly want to do on your fishing trip.
April 1 2012 Generation continues to run around the clock on most tailwaters
With Table Rock only having a few feet to go I'm sure you're thinking to yourself, low water is right around the corner. Not the case in my opinion. Beaver Lake has seven feet to dump and they are not going dump it until Taney gets back down to power pool which is 915. Right now as I'm writing this the pool level is 916.46. It's taking anywhere between 4-5 days to get rid of a foot, so that gives you an idea on how many more days we have until it's back down to 915. Then we will see Beaver Lake dump six feet into Table Rock Lake. So basically the high water more than likely isn't over just yet. If we do see low water I would say it will be at night, but you never know what the corps are doing with the water. It's really a science or should I say a puzzle trying to figure this whole thing out when it comes to generation. The only thing I can say is...let's hope for no more heavy rains that dump five inches of rain. That surely isn't what we need considering out of the last four years, three of them have been big flooding and keeping everyone fishing high water through the summer.
The good news is Beaver has low water during the day. That's where I've been taking my trips if the guys are up for it and most have. I've only fished Beaver tailwater two other times and that was way before I started guiding. But as of lately I have figured out this fishery is worth fishing. It's really set up differently then any tailwater we have in the Ozark's. In low water, it's not that low throughout the entire 12 mile river. When you get out of a shoal area it becomes deep (anywhere between 4-10 feet deep) and it really is hard to see fish. Alot of this has to do with the conditions right now. In a way, it's like Taney, half of the river is shallow (from dam down to Bartrand with the exception of the water just below where Spider Creek is, then it's deep on the bottom half all the way down till it dumps into Table Rock.
The current plays a huge role on how long you can actually float the river and alot of this has to do with back-up water from Table Rock being above power pool. That's alot of why they are not generating water. Until Table Rock get's the water back down, the current isn't really strong and it's made the tailwater side up two feet then normal power pool. This has made the current way slower which makes for tougher fishing. Not only tougher fishing, but also hard to float the river without having water going upstream the further you go downstream. From the dam down to Parker Flats it pretty good current, but once you get around the bend heading to Bartrands it becomes minimal and if you barely get a upstream wind you can go ahead and get to rowing because you won't move. That's why I say tougher fishing. the bottom line is you'll catch more fish in current verses dead still current, but can be done as well with a little experience. That's what I know as of right now. I'm gonna be spending more time this year learning different fisheries so I can always have tons of options for my customers.
Fly of choice -
The way the water was it was a challange at first, but an hour into the day it was catching the rest of the day. The key to this river is to fish midges deep. Deeper then we as fly fisherman are taught not to do. Over sized bead to get it down was key also. And these fish don't care for small midges in 16-18, they want 12-14 and 14's were out doing any other size we tried. The two staple patterns from what I could tell so far is olive body with a nickel bead and good 'ole stand by Rusty with a black bead, wire matching the tungsten bead on both patterns.
White River-
Can you say....BIG water. It's here, but the good news is they can get rid of more water faster cause they have eight generators. It usually takes only a few days to get rid of a foot with running 22,000 - 25,000 cfs, but with Table Rock dumping Beaver's water into Bull Shoals, we have high water here as well. Like I was saying earlier, take total advantage of this type of water when targeting bigger browns throwing streamers. This water is was you want for getting them on the banks versus holding in the middle of the river making it harder to target them. I'll be down there Monday and we will be throwing streamers along with testing some bigger terestrials so I'll keep you posted on this particular bite. I wish I could get down there more when I fish with my buddies, but I'm gonna be doing research this year, so my focus isn't fishing the same water, it's about learning creeks for smallmouth or any other warmwater fish that wants to eat my fly
I was down with a group the other day right before the high water hit. We were fishing 1-2 unit water and the bite was really good. Not only that, but truly is drift boat water all the way down the river (from dam down to shoestring shoals). From there down its pretty murky because of Buffalo dumping into the White from all the rain we just had. The bite has been really good for caddis patterns from Wildcat down to Rim, but Rim is loaded with them and the fish are going nuts right along the banks slurping them in. The caddis will remain hot even in high water along the banks throwing dries because these bugs like hanging out in the trees so the fish will be looking up you can bet that. Being that it's a little early for hoppers on the White, the fish are starting to see them, so make sure you try big foam patterns for that trophy brown you want on a dry fly.
Norfork -
Again, water is high on the lake side, but they are only generating one unit out of the two which makes for good fishing and great drifting water. I haven't spent any time over here in a while, but I'm sure the fishing remains good for dry fly fishing along the banks. Drifting SJW's is always a garruanty so make sure you have some of them in your fly box.
I'm off to fish Taneycomo in this big water so I'll get a report up when I get back.
March 25 2012 General Fishing Report – Rain has made fishing challenging
This is one reason why I like to be the most versatile guide I can be. I think it’s crucial when following the “trend” on where fishing is the best at any given time. Figuring out these tailwaters systems is like figuring out a puzzle for the most part and the key to having good days can change from one river to the next.
As of right now, Beaver and Taney will generate for awhile, especially Taneycomo. Both lakes are up about five feet, give or take, and that will take some time to release into Bull Shoals Lake. Taney has been running 14,000 cfs for a few days and the lake is still rising. That’s a lot of creeks dumping into Table Rock Lake so you can only imagine how important rain is for us guides who like lower water levels. So the important part to learn and know is where is there going to be low water. Usually you can find it, but you have to be willing to drive for it. That’s what I tell my clients. If you’re flexible we will find the fish, trust me.
Just before we got hit with five inches of rain we were fishing good water on all three tailwaters. Norfork and Taneycomo had more low water throughout the day, but the White had good flows that made for catching lots of fish throwing caddis patterns on the bottom and on the top. The hatch seems to be better down from Wildcat, but you can fool fish on the top just about anywhere. There are more flies that will do the trick, but anytime you can fish dries, it can be rewarding for that finicky trout.
I would say out of all tailwaters the White River should remain having good flows until Bull Shoals stores enough water or we have another big rain that will start filling up Bull faster. That’s when we will see big water for the entire summer on all three tailwaters. I wouldn’t let this keep you from fishing here because you can still have good days. The fish are used to it and so are we (guides). The goal for me is to keep the guys fishing with me on good water and that might be in Arkansas until they drain out Table Rock. Let’s just hope for no more rain. The corps did say they have a better plan this year to try to prevent flooding and that is to get rid of it as soon as the lakes fill up. That’s why you see Taney running 14,000 cfs around the clock.
White Bass Fishing-
We’ve been doing a lot of White Bass fishing on Beaver Creek and James River for a few weeks. Again, this was right before the heavy rains so this changed the trend and now they should be on the move up the river. So instead of parking on holes we will now float the river and find them along with other warm water species. The other day we caught everything including a catfish on a clouser minnow. More males are being caught on Beaver and the water is more fly fishing friendly, but James River has big sows and I believe we only had a few males for the entire day. The bite seems to be a little better rolling into the night so be sure to stay a few hours into the night. If you want to do a trip like this just let me know and we can make it happen. It might be a little tricky to locate them, but it will be a mixed bag of fish and being that the creeks just filled up it will make for better smallmouth fishing also.
Fly Tying –
We just finished up with our last class for last year’s fall season and will continue them again in the fall. If we do have one it will be posted so everyone will know. In the meantime I will still upload tying videos along with a few tying tutorials throughout the guiding season, but it’s becoming harder and harder every year to upload more. It’s a time thing, but I will still do my best to provide good content for everyone. Until next time…good fishing and good times…
February 24, 2012
Taney continues to be excellent fishing in low water
I had a trip with two gentlemen from Kansas City. They were fresh out the gate learning this sport, so the plan was to start when the water dropped out. Here lately I’ve been starting my trips at 11am until they decide to turn the water back on. It’s all about how you cater the trip towards the level of the client so he gets introduced to the sport correctly with as little frustration as possible. That’s always been my goal because I don’t want anyone to have a bad trip in my boat, that’s always been my game plan. And today was no different. Because Taney is fishing so good right now with imitating midges, the sky’s the limit on how many fish are catchable. This is good for beginners because not only do they get more hits, they can lose several trout practicing how to play and land the fish. That’s the other half of it, just like tying flies is the other half of the whole sport.
Mike and Brad had such a good time and you could see the camaraderie being friends most of their lives. This is what it’s all about, making lasting memories. The highlight of the day is we keep getting the “hillbilly slam” catching small browns, rainbows and even bluegill. I guess bluegill can live up top in cold water through the winter months (these are holdover fish from last year’s flood). What I like about fishing Taney right now is seeing browns up top. I’ve been fishing Taneycomo going on fifteen years and back in the day I used to catch a lot more browns that would hang up top throughout the year. But that seems to have declined over the last few years from what I could tell, especially in the winter after the brown run. Their small, but they’re browns and really that’s what most flyfishermen want to catch when coming to the Ozark’s.
I have a few days with Larry starting at 10:30am today and we always have a good time together. So I’ll keep you posted with respect to what’s going on. I’ve been updating reports as of lately because my fly tying is starting to slow down and the guiding is picking up. Until next time….
Fly Orders
I continue to get calls about how to purchase more than one item at a time. I know this is a bummer and I’m working on getting a shopping cart as we speak. Until that happens, you can either email me the order list or just call me on the phone and let me know what you want. It’s that simple my friends. And I truly want to say I appreciate everyone’s business! Thank you!
February 22nd 2012
White River, Taneycomo & NFOW –North Fork of the White Fishing Report
Fishing continues to be hot all around and with this mild winter it has made fishing very pleasant. I’m sure everyone is out fishing more this winter and why not. I’ll start with Taneycomo.
Taney is still running water every day, but there is a window of low water in the afternoon. It’s usually between 11am thru 5pm or so. On the weekends, on Saturday they are doing it a little different, it’s been off in the morning with heavy generation in the afternoon. Either way, there’s definitely a guarantee for catching lots of fish. And in my opinion you can’t beat the midge bite right now. The trout love cruising the banks of Taneycomo, almost like tailing bonefish looking for food and easy pickens. If you mimic this presentation it’s going to be a stellar day for you. The trout are not that picky either. It’s winter and the bite has turned on in a big way.
I haven’t really fished up top, so most my reports are in relation to Rocking Chair hole and down to Point Lookout. If you plan on fishing deeper runs then go to nymphs etc. I had a gentleman and his wife from Kansas City last Saturday and really…. it was his first time learning fly fishing, from the cast to presentation, and he picked up around thirty fish including one brown and bluegill (what I like to call “the hillbilly slam”) with the rest being rainbows with a few giving him a run for his money. I would say he got in the learning curve today. Way to go Doug! I have a trip today and I’m sure the day will be no different from that day.
White River – Shad kill was some of the best in a long time!
The bad news is….I missed it. It’s kind of hard to be at two places at once, but I wish I was there on that crazy bite. The locals say some of the best they have seen in a long time. Both tailwaters have calmed down in the way of big spurts of them coming out of the dam, but I’m sure the fish are still seeing them and looking for them, so throwing white patterns will remain hot for weeks to come. My focus has been streamers and because I have a drift boat I will not be able to run up to the dam and make several drifts floating shad patterns. However I can throw white streamers and trigger bites downstream. That’s been my thinking and when that doesn’t work, I will go to other colors to blend in with the bottom. With saying that, the streamer bites has also been a hit or miss, depending on what happens the day before with shad coming through. When they get full, they aren’t feeding and couldn’t care less. It’s like us eating and we get so full we don’t even care for the desert. The water levels have been great for having your fly in the strike zone for fish to see it, but timing plays a role also. All the stars have to line up in a way for you to really have a sick streamer day. A lot of guides are doing this now and sharing the water depending on if you hit it first is also crucial. I think the browns are on their way migrating back downstream or where they like to hang so browns are throughout the entire river, but I’m sure more are concentrated up at the dam gorging themselves on shad.
I had a trip there two days ago in the 20-25 mph winds with great water in the 4-5,000 cfs range, but we quickly realized that the bite was off and we were scratching our heads saying what is going on? Just a week ago reports I was seeing was showing some solid results with a few monsters caught. But today it was off and it all had to do with the shad coming through a day ago. Not only that, but the sun was bright, not a cloud in the sky. Just sometimes this bite isn’t a guarantee, so you have to take each day how they come. We didn’t bring any nymph rods to change up, so we stayed on the streamer bite till we got to Hurst and pulled out to try another day. That’s why I tell people to book two days just for this reason. This day was just an off day.
Like I’ve been saying in previous reports, this is more of a guaranteed bite then anywhere right now in my honest opinion. This river will never be what the White River is as far as big monster browns, but for staying busy with hook ups this river will not disappoint you, I promise. Rick and I decided to go there instead of gambling with full and fat trout on the White so we took a chance and I’m glad we did. We floated from Blair down to Dawt Mill and didn’t see another soul. That’s what you get over here in the winter. You and the river, and let me tell you, no pressure equals= tons of bites. Because Rick booked me for my special for two day streamer trips, this was more about the education on learning everything he could about the streamer bite. Today was definitely one of those days where he got lots of practice on how to hook fish, play the fish and really how to set the hook. People who convert over from throwing nymph rigs most of their fly fishing experience have a hard time understanding that this hook set is way different, so you have to go in it knowing you’re not going to land everything. This was a true test for Rick, and I would say that was the biggest learning curve of the day.
I think the difference today on why so many browns were caught was because of the light rain we had the night before we went. It made for better current and the fish knew the river changed as far as “stuff” coming down river. It got these fish on a feeding frenzy and probably does every time it rains a little. This river can’t handle big floods, but a little rain is great for this river I’m finding out. We didn’t hook anything big this day (over 20 inches), but we hooked more today than any other day since I’ve been fishing over here going on my second season. I bet we caught 30 browns today. That’s not a bad day on this river.
If you haven’t fished this river I promise you’ll be glad you did. This is the river I would recommend right now if Taney isn’t going to have low water for most of the day. So if you have a guide trip booked with me, we might consider hitting this river instead. We’ll just have to see which one is fishing the best. I always try to follow the trends and that’s why I always keep my clients on fish! See you on the river!
General Report- 2-16-2012
Here recently I moved at the first of the month. I now live in the neighborhood right behind the two fly shops we have here locally in Branson Missouri. What’s this mean? How about more reports, or should I say “short” reports. My goal is to at least hit the river or creeks for a few hours a day and let you know something about what’s going on with fishing.
The last couple of days we have seen low water at Taneycomo, but for me it’s been all about the creeks right now and I’ll tell you why. This past week I’ve been trying for this one fish that is holding in some shallow water and if you approach it wrong this rainbow will spook and you have to come back. This rainbow isn’t a typical fish. It’s been living in the creek now for some time and he is very aware of his surroundings which makes it tough fishing. The kind of fly fishing I like. I have so much more appreciation for fish that are more challenging because it really is where fly fishing takes you. Trout will always challenge you, but it is all about the level you’re at when it comes to remember all the little things that add up to catch that remarkable trout. At the end of the day it is about stealth and how to approach weary fish. Well, yesterday I finally caught it, but I will wait for the video to come out and will explain it all over narrating. It really was a treat for me and it was just as exciting as catching a huge brown down on the White.
General News -
On another note, be sure to check out the tying page. I just uploaded some really cool videos on a few streamer patterns we’ve been tying at class. They are also uploaded to Facebook and like I said, this is where I will be uploading most my stuff when I don’t have time to update the site. So make sure you like the Flys and Guides page and we appreciate your support. I recently have been pouring my money into the media side of this sport so the two recent fly tying videos are high quality and they will continue to be from this point on.
Tying Class -
The next class will be on the 25th of this month. We will continue classes for the month of March, but after that we will put classes on hold until next fall, unless I can squeak one in from time to time. The month of March we will focus on White Bass patterns because that will be here before we know it.
Flies for Sale –
I’ve been having some issues with how to purchase patterns through PayPal. The way it’s set up through the site I’m using, you have to check out after each individual pattern your buy (you can get qty for each pattern), which makes it a bit frustrating to the customer. I’m in the middle of getting a shopping cart, but in the meantime if you would like to buy some of my patterns you can email (flytiehunt@hotmail.com) me a list of what you want to buy and then can do a direct payment to me through PayPal or send a check in the mail. Either way we will get these flies out to you.
What’s the next Promotion?
I’m also in the process of putting together a warm water fly kit for those of you who are going to target warm water species, White Bass, Smallmouth, and whatever else you are targeting as far as creeks and lakes for warm water game.
Streamer Promotion!!
Right now the streamer bite is hot and it amazes me that more people aren’t taking total advantage on hooking one of these monsters. If you have a little experience with casting then this won’t be hard to adjust to, but like I say, you need to book two days because the first day is somewhat of the learning day and the next day it’s game on. But if you pick up on it faster than you will have two days of golden opportunities for hooking these monsters that are on the chase big time. It took them a minute to get acclimated to start hitting after the spawn, but they are big time. Not only that, but the shad are coming through on both tailwaters in Arkansas. So to me, this is why they are in a feeding frenzy right now and who knows how long it will last. I would say at least three more weeks, so if you can plan in that time frame then this special might entice you to give it a go.
I’m offering a special that will run from now until March 15th, two full days of guided fly fishing for two people on the White River for $600. If you are a subscriber then you know it’s a little cheaper. This is a way to get you learning this new technique and you really need two days, because there is more of a guarantee for hooking several bigger ones in the two days. Not only that, but you are going to miss fish if you’re not used to this style of fishing. So I really try to emphasize to go two days because you can justify the discounted rate because there will be some learning involved. Book now for this crazy opportunity for hooking several browns that is sometimes tough to do in other situations. To me, I believe the easiest way to get your trophy verses nymph fishing, which can take a lifetime for hooking that one fish of a lifetime! The only other bite that can offer multiple browns is the hopper bite, which is in the months of September and August, another sick bite that you might want to book a trip for.
Flys and Guides General Fishing Report
February 8 2012
Yes, I’ve been fishing everywhere, but it’s hibernation mode. When I get on the vise it’s all about getting ready for "guide season", and filling orders for a few local shops that rely on me getting their fly bins in good shape as well. With saying that, I have a lot to say, so I hope I can remember it all.
The Creeks – The creeks are in great shape. There’s just enough rain that came through to store some trout in the creeks. I will say there’s been some new added pressure to the creeks with more people finding out about them, so it can be a hit or miss depending on if you got there first or just fished it after someone just hit it. Either way the fish are there! We took a hike to one stretch and this pool had at least forty trout holding with a few pushing 20 inches. It’s not a spot where you could put several anglers, but if one guy spots and the other fishes you can have a hoot on stealth "challanging" fishing.
Out of the four creeks we have I would say two out of the four are worth spending some time learning. Give me a call if you want to learn more about them. They are only good for the next few months, and the next week is really the only guarantee unless we keep getting spurts of rain between now and spring. To me, it’s not worth a full guided rate fee and depending on how fast we fish them will determine if we can make a good day out of it. If not we can venture over to Taney for a few hours.
NFOW- North Fork of the White- Exclusive take out rights as a guide for Dawt Mill
Like I mentioned on the last “live” fishing report, this is where I’ve been spending most my time. At least hitting this river once a week for where I want to spend my time gambling for the perfect streamer water. (Note: that has changed as of recent. Now that the White River is running steadier current flows, the browns are on the prowl and from some reports I’ve seen there have been some big ones landed).
A little cool news to share with you. This year Dawt Mill decided to not let just anyone take out at their ramp unless you are a conoe rental outfitter or staying at Dawt Mill. A lot of this is because of liability reasons. So for some of you who are not familiar with this river, Patrick down to Dawt does not have take outs unless you want to take out at James bridge (about half way inbetween Patrick and Dawt), which does not have a true boat ramp so it might be a little difficult to take out there if you have a drift boat. But from there down is pretty much our water for throwing streamers for browns, so in a way, this section gets little to no pressure now. And to me….this is the best stretch for putting your streamers in front of multiple browns.
This is the best stretch for brown trout in the entire river in my opinion. Since I’ve been fishing this river for the past two years, I have seen more big browns in the general stretch of river verses anywhere else. Also, this water is more fishable throughout then up top which means there’s not a lot of dead time rowing through naked water with no fish. Check out the latest fishing report from Dawt Mill. If you haven’t checked out the facility for a central place for lodging to fish several bodies of water, this is the “headquaters”. I’ve been using Dawt more for lodging so we can fish three different waters all within driving time and still get a whole day of fishing in. Keep in mind, you have to keep the whole day open, but the good news is they have a restraurant (with a world class chef) right there for all your dining afterwards. All in all, GOOD STUFF!!
Off season hours for the Restaurant (open from Wednsday through Sunday)
11am - 7pm Wed & Thursday
11am - 8pm Fri and Sat
11am – 3pm Sunday
Streamer Fishing on the White- Good news!! The streamer bite is on, on the White! I like to call it’ “the bite on the White”. Since my last report the bite was slow. I knew it was picking up, because last week when I had Aaron, we hooked a pretty solid brown and a ton of chasing going on. I’ve been developing some new color scheme patterns to get more browns attention and let me say….they are working like a charm. I have several people on hold just waiting for the phone call so here it is. Get ready and let’s go!! I’ll be down there for most of next week so reports will be coming in more perodically. It’s not that I don’t want to write or keep everyone posted, but it’s all in how I manage my time with all this tying.
Just want to say Thank You!
For all of you who have been buying flies from my site, I just want to say I appreciate your business and will continue to add more patterns when I can. I told all of you I would make a believer out of you with the Miracle fly. I can now say I have sold this fly to every state in America and it works there to. It really is a “go to” fly when searching out big fish on the bottom.
Tying Class - We will have one more month of classes after the month of February and we will continue to work on streamers for this month. Classes are always from 2-4pm on two Saturdays a month. February classes will be on the 11th and 25th. Hope to see you there.
Roaring River- I really didn’t spend a great deal of time fishing Roaring this year during catch-n-release season, but from what I saw and heard, this year was a better year then the past three. From what I remember the fish were down on numbers for brut stockers, but this year they were pentiful. Hope everyone got a chance to hit this at least once.
Final analysis- I think fishing will continue to be hot for streamers on either the White River and NFOW for the next few months. Especially this month. Right now it’s raining and I wish I was fishing on the White, but Taney will have to do the next few days because I have trips with the “gang”. I have four people the next few days so hopefully we will get some wadable water sometime on Taneycomo.
Taneycomo has had some low water, but it’s usually at night or on the weekend (not this weekend that's for sure, to cold). Just remember the creeks are good and that’s where I’ve been spending most my time while fishing in the Branson area. Taneycomo doesn’t excite me right now because it’s just fishing right now. There’s no big thing going on so I’m going to follow the trends on where the best fishing is at that given time, and right now it’s really not Taney. Just fishing heavy rigs drifting on the bottom is the name of the game at the “como” right now.
Facebook – Go check out our page and like us!! This is where I’ve been uploading my photos because it’s so easy to do it from my phone when I’m on the river.
Dave with his first nice brown.
December 8th 2011 First snow and fishing didn’t let us down in these conditions at all!!
White River Fishing “brief” Report
I always wonder why there’s not more people fishing in the winter months. Of course I like it that way, but as far as guiding and putting clients on big fish, this is the time to come for sure. The other day I was helping out on a group trip on the White and the guy I had named Dave wasn’t expecting what was about to come and neither was I. I always know that fish bite best in the worst type of conditions and it was true in this case. It was a moment Dave will never forget.
Dave's second nice brown trout!
Since the group was staying at a house at Wildcat and the water wasn’t going to get there until a few hours later, I decided to float this stretch and gamble with the surge. It’s not good to ever have this happen to you, but in this case I wanted to play. The browns are on the move and this is one of my favorite stretches on the White. I know it well. I knew we could have a stellar day if we hit this right and that’s what we did. To make a long story short, we hooked some really nice fish in the first hour. (I have a little clip of one of the browns we hooked on my latest video called “Fishing our Creeks”.)
Norfork Tailwater
The next day I had Terry and Gene who the day before were throwing streamers with another guide on the White. Today they wanted a break so we decided to hit a new river and give them some variety. Usually when you fish streamers on the White you target browns so today it was about the getting that “grand slam”. I mean that’s always the goal when fishing here. In my opinion, out of all the tailwaters, this one always makes me feel like I’m really fly fishing. The layout is in low water, you can get lost fishing it. The other rivers are big and wide with a lot of frog water (minimal current and flat water) so it makes for less a shoal except for Wildcat. Norfork has tons of shoals and the only frog water on this 4.4 mile stretch is Long Hole and the water in-between the two islands downstream just up from the Handicap access. The rest is going crazy with stuff to do.
And then a rainbow, what???
We decided to float it and I’m glad we did. We had the wind against our backs and it blew us downstream instead of the usual up stream. When the weather calls for winds I never fish low water from a drift boat. It makes for a long day rowing with an upstream wind in your face along with too much rowing and not enough keeping the boat in position for allowing yourself with a good drift. I fish a little different than most people. If you have fished with me out of my drift boat then you know I’m all about staying on the drift for as long as you can without recasting. To me, it’s about line control and only casting when you need to do so. I always believe it’s too much casting and not enough fishing. I try to instill this in people I fish with so they can approach a river in a stealth mode instead of not having a plan before entering the river. To learn more about this I did a YouTube video and it explains what I mean so make sure if you haven’t seen it, you go check that out.
Dave had enough after all this in the very first part of the day. I think we wanted to end this cold day on a good note.
So today was one of those days when I got to really be a teacher and my guys got to learn a lot. After it was all said in done we manage to lose count of how many fish we caught. We brought nine browns to the net, one cuttie, and one brook followed up with plenty of bows in the mix. Other than two other people, we didn’t see a soul. Just us and the river. It’s not often you get times like these, but in the winter you can bet more people are watching fishing on tv instead of actually doing it. So if you get anything out of this report, go fishing in the winter. You will be glad you did. We had two great days. If you have been following the reports, we are at least hooking a 20 inch brown every time we go out. Nothing was bigger than 17 inches on the Norfork, but that happens on the river.
Norfork is still going through some changes and I’m surprised I’m not seeing more quality trout this time of year right now, but who knows the real answer why. It could be cloudy conditions and low light made it hard for us to see fish, but these are the conditions trout like. We were all optimistic on who was going to catch the beast. There’s always next time, right?
Releasing my dad's rainbow.
Insight on Fishing local creeks in Branson, Mo
So here we are. Another winter and another couple of months creek fishing. Who cares what Taney is doing. These creeks will be thriving with trout and only a few people actually fish them. There is a downside to these creeks so don’t let anyone tell you different. In order to have a successful day on a guide trip the client needs to have low expectations and understand that you can get bored fishing these creeks in a hurry. There’s only so much water that stores trout in each creek and wading is the name of the game. You can cover water quick and be done fishing each creek in a few hours if you’re a “fish and go” kind of guy. To have a really good day sometimes timing is everything when fishing these creeks.
If more fish are in the creek, you’ll be fishing longer because there’s fish to be caught. Sometimes you’ll go and there won’t be as many. It all has to do with the amount of rain or snow melt runoff we get. This is the only way the new trout will be drawn into these creeks and the more rain we get the higher the creeks will be. That’s the key for more fish and more things to do. Out of all the creeks, I only really fish two of them. The other two in my book aren’t worth it and it’s too much of a gamble to hit them because they get more local pressure. It only takes a few anglers to choke the fishery out. I’ll fish them sometimes, but why fish them when the other places are supporting bigger trout on a consistent basis. The video we uploaded speaks for itself.
If you would like to know more about these creeks please feel free to email me and we can get you lined up.
What’s NEW
Don’t forget the next tying class we have will be on the 17th of December. You wouldn’t believe what happened on the class we had on the 6th. I didn’t want to write about it. I went to class thinking we were going to fool around with the new articulated shanks from Fish Skull. It’s a new product that I just don’t agree with. I will touch more on this subject at a later time on the tying news and update page when I write about my classes.
All I can say is we didn’t have a class and only tied one fly which was really cool. It was a sculpin pattern using the sculpin helmets that Fish Skull recently came out with. I agree with the skulls and helmets, but the articulated shanks don’t make since when it comes to keeping the hook point close where the fish usually attack it, from the head. I rarely get any fish on the back hook so why are they trying to promote fish hitting the fly from the back of the hook shank? You have to work with them to understand, but I can only seeing a fleeing type pattern where the fish do it on the back.
The Website
Darren’s been keeping his page updated a little more regularly so make sure you check out his latest report and video fishing the creeks as well.
Flies for Sale
I’m adding some dries to the site today and will continue to work on this page throughout the winter.
Blog
I recently got a testimonial from Dave who has been in my tying class for years. He really is a believer on the whole miracle fly subject so I wanted to share his story with my readers. It’s what I keep saying about big fish and what they relate to. Maybe this story will shed some light on what some many people are already discovering: what’s so deadly about this miracle fly pattern!!
Even Crappie like the Miracle fly on the Norkfork. you'll never know what you might catch on this crazy fly!
December 1st 2011
Fishing, Tying and Fishing
Where do I start? I’ll start by saying I hope everyone enjoyed their Thanksgiving Day with the most important people in the world, family. Now on to fishing and what’s shaking with Taneycomo Trout. I’ve been able to hit several rivers lately and you still have to follow the trend, which for me right now is finding low water. The water levels for streamer fishing haven’t been ideal. We need flows to run steady and need to stay colder for longer periods of time. With saying that, we did manage to hit the NFOW the other day. This is the first time to be back and it all had to do with timing… when I want to fish it. I love this river, but I can see a big difference from last year with the number of fish. It won’t keep me from coming back because this river still had a lot to offer us and we will be doing trips over here for the next few months. Now that I help Dawt Mill with guided trips, I’m going to make this a hub for going other places when doing multiple streamer trips or just fishing trips. Be sure to look for the next newsletter promotion. I will be offering awesome winter rates for my subscribers. It’s going to be a great deal for fishing. With chances at bigger fish verses the summers, it’s a win win for coming down and hitting several rivers. I should be sending that out in the next day or so.
Beaver tailwater has also been on my mind. I’m hearing stories of bigger browns on the river all the sudden. This tailwater to me has always been a hit or miss for big fish and you also need ideal conditions for throwing big streamers if you are strictly searching for big fish. One unit is what I’m looking for and I should be taking a group over there sometime around the 7th of December. We just need the flows to be right. I’ll check that river out and see what’s cooking.
NFOW browny, great colors and they don't have to be big to get this pretty!
Taneycomo has been generating. Hitting low water levels is going to be a gamble. Not only that, but the schedule generation hasn’t been consistent in what they say and do. This is what we deal with as guides, as well as locals, on a daily basis. The other day when I fished Taney before they turned the water on early, my guys were hooking lots of fish on midges. I could tell that the fishing was back in a big way so playing the numbers game should be back. I was also able to hit Roaring River that same day and this year I see a lot bigger rainbows than the two previous years. Much of that had to do with rainfall during the catch-n-release year. If they get the rain earlier then the fish come out earlier. We want the big rains to hit a week before or even the day before. I’ll let you scratch your head on that one, but trust me that’s the key to having bigger fish during artificial season.
Norfork is probably the river that is having the longer periods of low water. The pattern over there has been two hours in the morning and some in the evening so the low water has been during the day. Throwing dries will be hot all winter long if we have low water.
Note: This river changed up top in a big way and I think for the better. After you get past Gene’s hole and the rest of the docks, the river used to split and you would go river left if you were heading downstream. It used to be shallow, but it was the only way. That has now been filled in with rocks and AGFG came in there and cleared the whole right side and made a wall along the bank until you get to long hole. You don’t even have to get out of your boat anymore in low water. It also has more structure and deeper pools where big fish would hold. When we fished it we caught several fish and saw one big one cruising up and down. He was spooked, but good to see that in this stretch of water now. One stretch if fished right could take you a few hours to fish out. I remember walking through this stretch with only a few holding spots for trout to hold.
GOOD NEWS IN MY BOOK!
Another NFOW brown. This is a trophy for that river.
WHAT’S NEW NEWS
If you get a chance, go and pick up the latest issue of Southwest Fly Fishing magazine for the High Water Sculpin in the “guide fly” section. I came up with this pattern for fishing big water on the White River. At the time there were few patterns that imitated a larger sculpin for big big water. Most the flies were single hook in a size 4 or 6. I wanted something in the 1/0 or bigger. Now we have fish skulls and sculpin helmets that really do wonders for baitfish and sculpin patterns.
Also the Flies for Sale page is still being updated and the latest patterns are the Big Streamer section and Night Flies. So far I updated the most common ones I think work the best which are the Peanut Envy and Circus Peanut. Some are a few variations that I came up with so please be sure to check that out when you get a chance. The best way to buy them is to buy more than one as shipping won’t be costly for only one fly. I also added a few combo packs for you have all the colors you need to get the job done. Also, the blog is updated with a little write up on Norfork which we recently fished.
Last but not least, classes are in full swing and the tying news has the latest videos from the two classes we had over the month of November. December will be all about streamers because it’s that time!!
Darren also uploaded a video on his page he did on the local creeks we have here in Branson. When Taney is running big water and all you have is waders, thiese are the places to go.
Some kind words that John had to say, and I'm glad I could be a part of it. All for a good cause!
Hey Jeremy,
I never got the chance to tell you how I did in the Total Outdoorsman Challenge back in September. I didn't place very well over-all, however, Thanks to you, I did well in the fly-fishing event. I ended up with one of the shittiest beats in Dogwood Creek. There weren't many fish and, because there were two heats, I had to fish behind a guy that went and scared all the fish before me. The day before was Bass fishing and I didn't catch jack. So I went into the fly-fishing with nothing to lose. I remembered everything you taught me, used your "miracle fly", and on my second cast, caught a beautiful 15" trout. After that I caught a 12" and then a 13".
As I found out later, the kid that fished the beat before me spent more time untangling his line from the trees and did not catch one fish!
Anyway, thanks again and I really enjoyed my time out there and appreciate you setting me up for success. Next time, I'll learn my knots better so I don't call you, freaking out, the night before! (Sorry about that by the way)
The Field & Stream Total Outdoorsman Challenge is being shown on the Outdoor Channel this week. The next 2 segments are Friday night at 11:30 and Sat morning at 10:30 (EST).
Take Care,
John
Michael's very first fish or the day. I knew right then we were in for a good day!
November 9-10, 2011- Arkansas
One of those days, “you should have been here yesterday”
So I’ll start this story from the start because it’s a good one. A gentleman by the name of Dave booked a trip with me strictly to learn the true art of the “miracle fly” that is getting much attention. The reason this all came about was he and a buddy were fishing a tailwater in Tennessee called Caney Fork, which I fished several years back. They saw these two guys catching one after another. They were scratching their heads wondering what these two guys were doing. They finally walked up to them and asked one of them what were you using? The guy showed him a egg pattern with a jig on it. So they immediately went home and typed in “jig head eggs” in a Google search engine and stumbled on my site. After doing some research’ they decided to get down here and try it out on some of our brown trout.
Nice cuttie caught drifting through the shoals at Wildcat!
Because they booked two days, we had some options now, and that really makes the difference I think, when hiring a guide. The first day we had low water, so we decided to fish from Wildcat to Cotter. You could see and feel it was one of those days that was going to be stellar. We had cloud cover, low temperatures and wind to create some heavy wind chop. All positive things in my book for hooking up on some serious trout. The first fish of the day was Michael hooking up on a brown and we weren’t 20 yards from the ramp we put in at. I turned and looked and Michael and said, “this is going to be a good day”. We caught so many fish it was crazy. It was just one of those days you say :you should have been here yesterday“. I wish we could have days like this all time, but I guess that’s why they call it fishing and not catching. I’m sure that’s why we always look forward to the next time we get on the water. As a guide I live for days when everything lines up for a good day. We caught a lot of fish and it was a mix which made the day one these guys will never forget. Not only did they learn the true “science” behind this fly, they got to see what kind of damage this fly can do if you stick with it. With a few minor changes in the way we approach the way we fish, it made all the difference in the world if we caught quantity or quality. And this was exactly what they were after.
It was Dave 50th B-day and this was his surprise> I told you it would happen, hehe!!
After it was all said in done we caught twelve browns, one cutthroat and so many rainbows our heads were spinning. The best part of the trip was it was Dave’s birthday! I’m sure we all wish we had more birthdays like this. I was excited for Dave and I’m glad this is what he wanted to do for this special day.
The next day we floated the Norfork with a little disappointment because someone didn’t stick to the generation schedule. We floated high water to start the morning, banging streamers trying to move something big with no luck. This river is like that, but I’m willing to take the gamble always because this river can sure have it’s moments. I’m sure this time around it had to do with bright and early sunshine and AGFC just got done putting big boulders around Cook’s island, (which I think is a good thing). All in all, it was a good day as soon as we started fishing on the bottom.
Dead scud's work like crazy on Norork.
Tying Class
Don’t forget the next class will be on November 19th from 2-4pm. The last class we did was tying with foam. I would’ve like to got more patterns tied, but there’s never enough time so we will continue this one in a later date. If you would like to check out what we tied, I uploaded some videos on the tying page for my fellow fly tiers. And as always…I hope you get something out of it. This next class will be all about midges and why you should learn as much as you can about fishing these patterns in the winter months.
Testimonials
Just want to say….thank you for the kind words.
Jeremy Hunt provides a world class guide experience! Being a novice trout angler, I was more interest in learning proper technique than catching fish. In a one-day guided trip I learned the basics of casting, knot tying, lure selection, drift and lure placement. Within fifteen minutes Jeremy had me catching trout and learning more than I ever thought possible. Compared to previous guided trips, this was the best experience I have had. Jeremy knows the areas he guides extremely well, has very high quality equipment and the patience to teach at every skill level. He went the extra distance to lend me a rod so that I could fish a few hours before heading home! If you're looking for a great experience, use Jeremy Hunt, buy some extra hand-tied flies and you will not be disappointed!
Marty Perrea Kansas City, MO
Jeremy,
My family and I had such a great time fishing the White River this past Sunday. I don't think that we have ever caught so many fish in one day, let alone browns. Catching three different types of trout within the first hour was an experience unlike any other. It came to the point that every time my line landed on the water I expected to have a strike seconds later. With the miracle fly doing most of the work, it was truly an memorable day being able to enjoy great fishing with my family, while learning more about the sport and listening to your humor. I hope that at some point in the near future we can embark on a night fishing adventure in search for that monster brown. I hope that our fortune and luck followed you down to the North Fork the following day.
Thanks, Jack Faerber
For more videos to watch, check out Darren's page. The first three at the top were also uploaded on November 2nd.
