July 11- 14, 2021. AL Harper & Dan Staggenborg took a trip to explore some of the world class fishing in Southern MO.
Synopsis: Our 3 trip  objectives were Scout the area, Float the riverways and lastly, to have some fishing success (trout preferably and secondly smallmouth). We also hoped to meet up & fish with FATC member Mike Enger.
Both the “North Fork of the White River” and the White River itself (below Bull Shoals Dam) contain large populations of native trout, including rainbows and large brown trout. Both waterways have very limited wading areas reachable by car. The North Fork of the White should be fished along the way by floating.
 The White River itself, is a tail water (much like Taneycomo). There are places to wade fish during low water (or non-generating periods), but one must be alert to rising water due to release from Bull Shoals dam.  Most areas are best fished by boat.   Lacking a boat with a motor, hiring a guide for the White river is advisable.

Sunday July 11, 2021.
The journey to Sunburst Ranch is 2 hours past Licking MO. After some delays we got on the North Fork of the White at Sunburst ranch for the float @ 6:30 pm and floated downstream to the (Sunburst) Landing at 8:45 right at dark.
About 3/4 way along the way, we encountered the Patrick Bridge, which was a very tight squeeze to get UNDER due to high water. With limited time for the float and not much time to fish that evening, we didn’t have any fishing success.
Water flow was around 900 cfs at the time of our float. Got back late, so ate sandwiches & snacked for dinner. The nearest food/diner was 20 minutes away and closed at 7:30 pm, anyway.

July 12th, 2021 (Monday)
 Water Levels: While the North Fork of the White is usually very clear from several springs that feed it, rain runoff from the 3-4 days before resulted in reduced visibility the first day we floated.   We observed it clearing rapidly during the course of a 12-mile float the following day as the springs reasserted themselves.  We floated it at 1100 cfs while the median for this timeframe was 472 and ideal fishing is said to be had at 500 cfs.  It was wild and fast but not exceptionally deep  (6” above average) with the USGS gauge at Tecumseh, MO showing an average of only about 3’.
 The grandeur of the North Fork of the White and the steep valley it has carved into rock cliffs over thousands of years rivals anything one is likely to see outside of rivers in the far west and is recognized as perhaps the most near pristine wilderness (named The Devil’s Backbone) in the Ozarks.

Our Float of the North Fork of White River was from Hammond Access to Sunburst Landing. We were hopeful of the water receding, but the next day water was UP significantly by another 200 cfs. Water was dingy.
Water was also somewhat high but very fast, so there were few places to get out and wade/fish. However, it made for an exciting and fun float. We rode several class 2 rapids and maybe a couple class 3 (again, due to water levels). Rainbow Spring (a landmark) on the right side was about 30 mins above the Falls and started clearing the visibility. The Falls near River of Life Resort was an “exciting” ride. During lower water you probably would have had to portage the Falls <about a 3 foot drop> but there are chutes you can go or walk thru on the left. A friend, Ken Hagedorn, successfully shot over the falls in his kayak but filled with water at the end after going over.
 At McKee bridge, high water level again meant we had to lay down in the Flycraft to get UNDER the bridge.

Drifting and fishing along the way,  AL caught 1 fish and hooked/played another on Pat’s Rubberleg fly.
Dan caught 1 and hooked/played another on a Cherise worm (the Jim Craig special). 1 other trout was caught on a Pats Rubber leg.

That 12 mile float from Hammond’s access to Sunburst Campground took about 9 hours even in very fast water. [8:30 am to 5:30 pm]
There weren’t any put-in points to start below Hammond’s access that would have made for a shorter float to Sunburst <Taking out at Pettits would have been about 30 mins shorter, but we stayed at nearby Sunburst Ranch where we took out. >
Dining options are very limited in the area. The 3 of us (AL, Ken and Dan) had dinner at Henry’s gas station/restaurant in Dora. The catfish & sides were good and reasonably priced.

———————————————-
 An aside: A tributary we didn’t get to float this trip but which appeared as robust as the Current River, is Bryant Creek.  Recent rains gave it more than 40 miles of floatable water.  Bryant Creek parallels the North Fork running south to empty into the North Fork just before Norfork Lake and is reputed to be a fine smallmouth destination.
——————————————-

Tuesday July 13, 2021: White River.
We had a 1 hour drive from Sunburst Ranch to the put-in at Wildcat Shoals access near Cotter, Arkansas. There we met and we fished with Gassville, AR FATC member, Mike Enger.   The White River, tailwaters of Bull Shoals Lake,  enjoys a nationwide reputation among trout fishermen.  
Fishing requires an Arkansas license: Min 3 days = $16  (Is a yearly Arkansas trout tag required here. ?!?  I dunno, but I had one from the Spring River trip)
  Much of the White’s banks are lined with upscale homes. The water temps resulting from the cold, deep waters released from the bottom of Bull Shoals Lake produced an air conditioned effect as we glided upriver in Mike’s john boat.  His rig provides a stable platform that allowed all three of us to stand up and cast as far as we could to fat, beautiful trout gorging on a Sulphur mayfly hatch, halfway through the day, that materialized all around us in an unusual bend of the river.
 At one point during the frenetic action that followed, Dan astutely reached into the river to grab a couple mayfly Sulphur bugs for closer inspection.  Their tapered abdomens were a pale yellow (not cream) color. The mayflies appeared to either be sub-imago (immature that were drying their wings) or <more likely> spent, having mated and ready to die.  The ones scooped up lived for a while on my pack but didn’t try to fly away.
  Rises and gorging continued for more than two hours in our location and the three of us hooked into more than a few trout.  With the sun to our backs, we were practically spellbound watching the beautiful trout rise to take the bugs.  Mike utilized his river skills to anchor up as close as possible to the action without spooking the trout off the hatch.  Our challenge was in casting far enough to allow the fly to drift into the feeding frenzy, while managing the inevitable belly that formed in our lines because of the strong current.  Reach casting helped.   Watching the trout come up from the deeper water to inspect and consume your fly was a real thrill.  When hooked the trout put on quite a show struggling in the clear, fast water and often going aerial before we could exhaust them enough to be netted.  Emergers work almost as well as dry flies.  Meanwhile activity was practically nonstop with trout occasionally leaping completely out of the water while others showed only dorsal fins as they ate.
  Mike explained that he and others had enjoyed similar action during Caddis and Sulphur hatches and were now preparing to throw big hoppers along the banks, since it was that time of the  year.
 We have to salute Mike’s efforts on the oars of his boat to keep it in the sweet drift as we stood forward and aft casting at every inviting niche we saw.   It was an excellent day on a beautiful river that topped off a very memorable, enjoyable trip that we’d recommend to any FATC member.  
  -AL Harper & Dan Stag