Your one-stop website for fly fishing the White River, the Norfork Tailwater, and Lake Taneycomo
“Typical summer fly fishing on the White River Basin trout fisheries is all about consistent water flow conditions, making this season different than all the others. Mornings offer up low water for fly fishermen who prefer to wade fish, and water levels rise as the heat of the day creates a high demand for power throughout the Ozark Mountain region. Many trophy brown trout and big rainbow trout are caught on summer afternoons while float fishing in a drift boat or river boat, and by hiring an experienced White River fly fishing guide, it is possible to take advantage of the different conditions that present themselves throughout a summer’s day.”
Bull Shoals Dam
Summer
Even though the weather in the Ozarks can be quite hot in the summer, the water temperature in the rivers runs around 50 degrees all year. Therefore, it is possible to stay comfortable on the water, even during the hottest of days. Summer is the peak time for power demand, so flows become a bit more predictable than in early and late spring. On the White River and at Lake Taneycomo, the water is usually low below the dams in the early morning. Most days, water releases will begin around 9, 10, or 11 in the morning, and the flows will get progressively heavier as the heat builds. Sometimes, one or two generators will run all night and into the morning, effectively eliminating productive wading that day. Often the rivers will be at full power crest by three in the afternoon. The Norfork will usually be low until noon or 1 pm, but often both generators come on strong all at once. I’ve seen this river rise 5 feet in less than ten minutes, so it is important that if you are fishing away from the dam (where the warning horn is inaudible) and the water is still low into the early afternoon, you need to become increasingly aware of rising water. Sometimes a slight increase in the sound of the water coming over a shoal will tell you the water is on the rise but the best way to tell if the water is coming up is to pick out a reliable marker on the bank (such as a rock, log, or stick) and check it frequently to see if it disappears. This is the season when most people get in trouble on these rivers. Summer mornings are usually quite foggy by the rivers, and fishing is often slow in the fog. By mid morning, the fog will burn off the water, and you will notice the bite pick up when the sun is able to reach the river. The hatches will begin around 11 a.m. and they will peak right before the water comes up. Fishing rising water is often fast action near the dams (the further down from the dams you go, the trashier the rise is), but once the river gets to its highest level or power crest, the bite will often drop off progressively with each passing hour. If you are in a boat during heavy flows and the fog rolls back on to the water, I strongly recommend getting off the river. These are very dangerous times that usually occur after afternoon rains or right before dusk. On the White and the Norfork, productive fishing is usually over by 6 p.m., but you may pick up a few right before dark. The fishing below Table Rock Dam is quite similar except that there is a pretty good bite at dusk on high water. If you are committed to wade fishing in the summer there are several places 15 to 20 miles below Bull Shoals Dam that don’t usually get wadable until mid morning in the summer, and the river can stay low there until late afternoon because it takes some time for the water release to affect areas this far away from the dam. Rim Shoals is the most popular summer wading spot, but this can be a dangerous place to get caught as eight generators worth of water come in all at once. Also, the trout parks of southern Missouri and several spring-fed rivers in the region offer pleasant wading in a spring creek or freestone type of setting. Summer is a great time for consistent action and diverse water conditions. The water rarely stays low all day, but most extended low water will occur on the week-ends of early to mid summer. By late summer, the flows are usually heavy every day of the week with mornings offering some low water.
