Fly Fish the White River

Recently we took a trip to the White River in Arkansas. It was a good trip with a good group of friends. The fishing was good and we caught our share as well as someone else's share of fish. All fought hard, all put a smile on our face and all were welcomed when they slid into our net. As with every trip to the river there were things we learned. So I thought it might be best if some of the things learned were shared...along with some photos from the trip.

Things I Learned on a recent trip to the White River in Arkansas.

1. If you are dialed-in on your local tailwater you will probably be OK when you get on the White
2. All fish in the White are not 30"
3. All 30"ers in the White are not 30"
4. It's OK to be lazy and just fish what you want

5. The right cabin is a long way from the best pizza in the United States
6.  I-840 was paid for by tire companies and those tire companies have recouped their investment 10 times over

7. It is not impossible to sleep well the first night in a new place
8. 4 decades = 9 monkey years
9. John Prine is a good traveling partner

10. I stole this idea
11. Buffalo City is a long way from...well anything
12. There are no Buffalo in Buffalo City, Arkansas

13. On a multi day trip it's OK to take an afternoon off from fishing
14. Playing music should be part of every multi day fishing trip
15. Don't play banjos when you are a long way from nowhere
16. Riverbillies look exactly like you think

17. There are no "pretty good" crop duster pilots
18. Snakes are bad but close lightening is worse
19. Friends can fit in the front compartment of a drift boat (see #18)
20. I stole that too (see #19)

21. Cutthroats occupy the same types of water as every other trout
22. You can get 2nd degree burns on your lips with the wrong sunblock
24. Do the same float multiple times to learn the river

25. Sometimes an angler will give you accurate advice
26. It's hard to tell when an angler is giving you accurate advice
27. Life is better at the cabin
28. No cell signal is both good and bad

29. Fish eat well just before the lightening starts
30. It's good to have a bailing bucket in the drift boat
31. The bailing bucket needs to be in the boat
32. It seems no matter how many times an eagle is seen it's still cool

33. Wall Hookie is a useless game that everyone needs to master
34. Subway food is consistent
35. 97 degrees on the river is just as hot as 97 degrees on land
36. Pilar can be friend and foe

37. Shoals hold fish and boat parts
38. A bottle of mace still works even after being dunked in the river
39. Messing about in boats is one of the best ways to pass time 

40. Arkansas is a beautiful state
41. I skipped 23
42. Planning the next trip on the ride home is the best way to pass the time on the ride home
43. Give 5 guys, a river & one fly rod and there will be hours of entertainment
45. This is a great year so far

If you are a seasoned angler or have never picked up a fly rod and want to set up a day on the river e-mail or call/text 615-796-5143 to book a day on the water. For additional booking information see our Homepage and to see the latest fishing report click here.

Greg and Brooke Come Back to the Casting Braces

The last time both Brooke and Greg were on the drift boat it was Brooke who had the upper hand on her Dad. This time Greg was ready to do battle with the fish and, frankly, to get some revenge on a river that owed him.

Between busy schedules we secured a good date and would float on a cloudy and sometimes rainy day. Greg and Brooke were ready to fish though and when we launched the drifter off the gravel bar we all knew our role. Brooke would take the front brace and Greg would occupy the rear brace. The fish would hopefully do their part and eat only our flies...

Brooke would be hooked up quickly and was back in her old form. Greg also warmed up on some fresh hatchery brats, but he was looking for a nice brown or rainbow to make his day. Greg was soon hoked up with a nice rainbow that rose to a hatching bug. He tossed the nymph into the feeding lane and the fly barely settled when the bow correctly chose his fly. It wouldn't be long before another fish would choose correctly.

Brooke continued to pick up a fish here and there but it was turning into the "The Day of Greg". He tossed the same fly under an overhanging branch. This was not an easy cast but the fly was on-target. The water was slightly less deep than the depth we had set for the fly, but that didn't stop Greg or what turned out to be another healthy fish. Greg set the hook and the fish went ballistic. We caught a glimpse of a nice brown that was head shaking and trying to get to the bottom to grind the fly off. Greg played the fish to the net and with congratulations from the front brace and rower's bench we released the fish to grow and choose our fly the next time we pass by.

Good fishing was hit and miss at times. But even the time of slower results provided time for good conversation. Lunch was quick as the storms began to rumble. We were well into the second leg of the trip and hitting only the most productive water when Greg once again set the hook on a good fish. This time the fish came from milky water as the rains began to turn the water to a brownish-green in color. This fight was slightly shorter in duration than the previous brown but once again Greg played the fish perfectly. And again there were congratulations from the front brace and rower's bench and the fish was released to choose our fly again.

Then the storms began to catch up with us. Oar power is not the best way to out run a storm but that was all we had. We would only stop momentarily to fish only the best holes, but then the water was too milky and the thunder too close. We rounded the last bend in the river and could see the ramp. 

After starting the day with a nice rainbow and following that up with a couple nice browns...with all the fish that chose correctly, all the proper mends...speed eating through lunch, dodging storms and the worsening water conditions...after thinking for sure we would be bailing water from the boat while keeping our heads down during the worst of storms... We made it to the ramp and the sun sun came out. Yep, it would be a nice sunny ride home.

Brooke and Greg fished through worsening conditions all day. It took good presentations and an open mind, but they were up to the challenge. Last time Brooke was the recipient of fish that chose her fly correctly. But, this float was Greg's turn to get some revenge on a river that owed him.

If you are a seasoned angler or have never picked up a fly rod and want to set up a day on the river e-mail or call/text 615-796-5143 to book a day on the water. For additional booking information see our Homepage and to see the latest fishing report click here.

Emails and Footballs

Our email has been down for some parts of the last week. So if you have sent an email and have not received a response I apologize. If you would resend the email we will respond as soon as it is received. Again I apologize for any inconvenience. Thanks David.

And we can't have post without a good fish pic. Here's Greg with one of the football rainbows that been caught from the braces of the F/V Southeastern Fly recently. More to come on that later. For now I am headed West for a several hour drive just to see if there are any nice trout in that direction!