White River Fishing Blog

Finally!Great weather and great fishin!

The storm clouds are gone and sunny days are here! The rain and gloom have dissipated and the White River is doing what she is famous for, producing lots of trout. The last 3 days have been perfect! Perfect flows{2 to 3 generators},perfect weather{upper 70s} and the fish have been cooperating.

Ron and Betty came all the way from Gulfport Miss. to stay and flyfish for the first time.  Needless to say they are hooked!  The first day they netted over 40 fish!  For beginning flyfishermen it just doesn’t get much better than this.  Well,I guess it could have,  if  Betty had landed the 4 to 5 lb brown she hooked. It jumped twice and then took an early release. Such is fishing!  The second day they landed nearly SIXTY fish!  This kind of fishing is what makes the White River one of the hottest destinations for flyfishermen in the U.S. !

They finished up the last day with 25 fish in about four hours.  Nobody caught a huge fish, but the average size was good,  and all the fish were caught on nymphs. Who says nymphing isn’t fun. As the weather continues to warm the mayflies should be hatching any time now, this will provide for some excellent dryfly fishing well into June. I am going to try to get in a little “river time” myself this week, maybe I’ll see you out there!

Two out of Three Aint Bad!

Tim and Clair, our longtime friends from Churchpoint Louisiana,came up this week to fish with their boys! This was Clairs first try at fl;yfishing ,and she was a trooper.

The water was high, but they all wanted to wade, so wade they did! The first day was excellent and everyone caught fish including Clair. She is now officially hooked on flyfishing.They all caught rainbows up to 19 inches which is a very nice fish, and a few small browns were landed.

Lucky they had a good first day! The second day was extremely tough and very few fish were landed,despite the best efforts by the guides and the anglers.The water was high and dirty, with lots of moss coming down. It would have been a tough day out of a boat , but wading was extra hard. The group fished late and I don’t think I have seen such forlorn faces on guides or clients, but I have got to give them credit for hanging tough!

Day three arrived with nice weather , lower water , and a newborn enthusiasm for flyfishing. It is amazing what a great dinner and a good nights sleep can do to rejuvenate the soul! They left the lodge with a new  determination to fish and they had a Great day. I have seen more experienced guys lose their”mojo” after a bad day, but not these Cajuns! They had a great day and a very successful one catching fish .Some larger rainbows were caught , with one fish pushing 3 1/2 pounds. All in all it was a great weekend  with good friends and some diverse fishing conditions.

Sometimes even the best fisheries in the world can throw you a curve, however a good “batter” keeps on swingin. Great job guys!!

perfect weather/Excellent fishing

Ken Wisz brought his annual group from Ewing irrigation up again this spring. Last year they couldn’t make it due to the opening of the flood gates the day before their arrival! Travelling in a Leer Jet has its perks, so their missed trip was uneventful, however they were ready to make up for lost time!

With near perfect weather for the two days they fished, and some good flows, they slayed the fish! There were four boats out with the top guides on the river and each of the boats did around fifty to sixty fish each day. This is truly flyfishing at its finest. Most of the fish were taken nymphing, but dries, san juans, and streamers also accounted for some nice fish. The water was erratic moving up and down with gates opening and closing for no apparent reason, but with some rigging adjustments the bite stayed strong all day! Most of the fishing was done from boats.However,  there were a few wading opportunities , and the guys made the most of them.

There were no really big fish caught with this group, but the numbers more than made up for it! A really pretty 17 inch Cutthroat was caught by Dean, and one of the York Boys caught 7 browns, and was only a Brook Trout shy of a grand slam! Maybe next year?

The caddis hatch is becoming sparse, but the mayflies are starting up just in time. May and June are excellent months to get in some of the best dry fly fishing available on the White River. All the foilage is greening up and the weather tends to get more stable, so a day or two  on the river is just what the doctor ordered for flyfishermen in need of some “rod time”.

A couple of GREAT days/ Big Rainbows

The last couple of days with a full lodge has been spectacular fishing! We had four differnt groups from Alabama to Dallas. Everybody caught a ton of fish, with the girls outfishing the guys consistently. Leah had two great days with a four pound brown and several twenty inchers , but the icing on the cake was the four pound plus rainbow she landed as her last fish today! Her and Spencer {the underdog} also had the high numbers today with 78 trout boated , now that is a heck of a day!!

Andy and Mary Beth had two great days as well! Mary beth had a four pound brown on Thursday for the big fish of the day. They got to see the bald eagles nest and the eaglets hopped around for a while so they had some great photo opportunities! Not many people get to see baby eagles in the wild!

Along with eagles the birdwatching has been great, with the Great Blue heron Rookeries  and their babies seen daily. Also the first Hummer showed up yestrday and soon their will be many more. All the birds are in full spring plumage and are beautiful to watch. We have a pair of Pileated woodpeckers{they look like woody}hanging around everyday,  and they are a lot of fun to watch. The bark just flies when they peck the trees! There are four or five other woodpecker species around as well. The nesting bluebirds are also fun to watch. We  live in a birdwatchers paradise.

We have a group from Dallas coming up with high expectations of lots of fish being caught! I don’t think they will be disappointed if this weather holds out!

Caddis by the millions!!

Saturday we had two trips out and they both witnessed one of the rivers neatest spectacles. A caddis hatch of epic proportions! I witnessed it myself from the back deck , 300 feet above the river. There were quite literally tens of millions of the the tiny moths mowing up the river in a continuous cloud. The surface of the river looked like snow with all the shed husks. The continual swarm moved like a fog upriver. I have been here on the river for four years and have never seen anything like this!

Both of the guides and all four clients were in awe of this natural wonder! The fishing was a little slower than usual with this amount of food on, and in, the river. However, everybody caught fish and Lee , Alfs wife, had the big fish of the trip with a 6 or 7 pound brown that was released back to the river!

Huge brown for the girls!!!

Today , my wife Tina and our guest Lee Webster went out with Davy. It was  Tinas’ first time flyfishing. I may have created a monster, but how cool it will be to have my best friend as my fishing partner also!

The weather was fantastic with a high of almost seventy. They had a short lesson and then began fishing the White River. Tina landed her first fish on a fly within about ten minutes. She took the mandatory pictures and released the fish.The day went very smoothly and a couple hours later,Lees’ indicator disappeared in a hurry! It took no time to realize this was a fish of  substantial size! Within a few seconds the fish was well into her backing, screaming down river. After about ten minutes of motoring after the fish with the spool showing on a couple of occasions, the huge Brown came to the net! The fish was estimated at 6 to 7 pounds! She was a beautiful female, very fat and with beautiful coloration.

This was a monumental day for the girls on the river, as they enjoyed the river and witnessed a “Massive Caddis Hatch”! It just doesn’t get any better than this!

spectacular lightning storm

Last night a storm rolled through that was simply magnificent. Our guests,  the Websters from North Carolina were here, and we watched an incredible and slightly scary light show! The actual wall of the storm hit around 9:30! It was short lived but furious. Here on the bluff,one of the highest points on this stretch of the river,we watched as it unfolded.The sky was white with flashes for about 30 minutes with gail force winds!

This morning we awoke to a major temperature drop, and some stiff winds. The deer and turkey were in the yard and we watched them for a while. Then we had some eggs florentine and all the fixins ,including my banana bread!

The boys left for flyfishing and Tina and Lee went antiquing. The fishing has been a little tough the last few days with the high winds. The caddis hatch is still coming off,  but the fish have not been keying on them as much because of the faster water flows. We will see what happens today.

My wife Tina and Lee are going flyfishing tomorrow with Davy.This is Tinas’ very first flyfishing trip! Hopefully she will enjoy it and I will have my best friend as a fly fishing partner!

White river drift boat fishing

Kevin and his two boys arrived  Wednesday night ready to hit the river. It is always great for us to see father son trips, with the youthful enthusiasm for everything new and adventurous.  The boys were very well behaved and chomping at the bit!

After a big pancake breakfast {some chocolate chip of course},they headed  to the flyshop to meet Steve and Scott. They were definitely in for a treat,  fishing out of custom built drift boats. Scott made his himself, out of African Mahogany, and it is a work of art.

Although the water was running high, at 8 generators, everyone had a great time, and 3/4s  of a grand slam was caught! A brown, a cutthroat, and several rainbows were brought to the net! Everyone enjoyed the slow pace of driftboat fishing,  with a safe stable platform moving effortlessly down the river.

Today the boys were up early for a big breakfast and then they headed to Dry Run Creek! This short fertile stream is dedicated to kids under 16 and the handicapped. It is one of the best places in the lower 48 , to have the opportunity at a double digit brown or rainbow. I know  they are having the time of their life! I anxiously await their fishing report!

A cold front is blowing in this evening! The jacuzzi on the back deck, and a hot cup of tea, while watching  the storm roll in sounds like a great idea right now!

Cheers,

Moose

Bad Weather:Great Time

The Shinaberry group arrived with the storm! Wednesday, Lee Shinaberry and his guys and Gals arrived late.We had a great Dinner prepared by Tina. We enjoyed an encrusted pork tenderloin,roasted to perfection and drizzled with a mild goatcheese sauce.Griled veggies,mashed potatoes and a nice salad were accompaniments.We followed this with Tinas famous banana pudding and all was very well indeed!

The weather the next day was very bad and it rained most of the day.However the guys stuck it out, soaked like rabbits, and caught quite a few fish. The largest were 4 browns in the 18 to 20 inch range!
The girls, DeeDee and Carrie had massages and a day of looking around and enjoying the lodge.They slept in of course. We finished up the night with a great ribeye dinner and wine! Later we all played dominoes til late and had a great time. Chickenfoot can be a little cutthroat.

Today has turned out beautiful and we have got some Flyfishermen coming in tonite. The young ones are going to enjoy Dry Run Creek on Sunday!

Gobbler in the Yard !

Here on this beautiful bluff you just never know what to expect! Today at 12:00 noon I was showing some gentlemen from Dallas and Tulsa the trophy room in the lodge. As I looked down the west side hill there was a huge gobbler with an 11 or 12 inch beard and a bright red head. He was magnificent with the noonday sun glistening off of his copper colored feathers.I think my guests were as excited to see him as I was!

The weather today is as close to perfect as you can get.A pale blue sky with a slight breeze and about 65 degrees. I think it may be hammock time. The forecast is for colder weather this evening and possible precipitation. I hope it holds out for one more day for the Shinaberry group.We will prepare them for the worst with a great dinner tonight!

Tina is preparing one of my favorites,encrusted pork loin with a mild goat cheese sauce and baked whole wheat bread and fresh grilled veggies.Top that off with her banana pudding and life gets pretty good, pretty fast!