With the right water release and weather conditions, fall fishing on Arkansas tailwaters can be fun and very productive. On November 9, 2023, I — Al Harper — met fellow FATC member Bob Hassett and Gassville, AR resident Mike Enger (also a FATC member) for some fishing on a couple of Arkansas rivers.
As an avid fly fisherman who focuses on rivers in the North Arkansas area, Mike has become very knowledgeable about how the release of water from dams affect trout and the rivers they inhabit. He’s also good at interpreting water release schedules published by the Southwestern Power Administration, an agency of the U.S. Department of Energy. Serious anglers and guides who can not only decipher these schedules but also understand what a specific water release means to trout feeding habits and behavior on these tailwaters enjoy a real advantage.
The dam holding back water that forms Norfork Lake for instance, was constructed 74 years ago. Its two turbines produced enough energy each year to power 17,000 homes. But the dam’s infrastructure has reached the end of its life cycle, so it is undergoing an extensive rehabilitation. What this means to recreational anglers is that for months and perhaps years ahead, the Norfork tailwaters will be at a greatly reduced or minimal flow while the rehab is accomplished. Also at certain periods during the renovation, water will be released from the top of Lake Norfork rather than the colder water at the bottom which will impact the trout population as well.
Mike suggested the lower water flow presents an opportunity for some good floating and fishing so Bob and I decided to give it a try. I brought an inflatable two-man drift boat that seemed the right watercraft for the low water. The Norfork had at least three sequences of precipitous drops that would have been impassable in the type of jon boat one often sees on the Norfork. These naturally occurring features are sometimes known as “pour overs” when they form pronounced holes in the down river side. Plunging bow first over a 24 to 36” rock shelf, while not particularly hazardous in the right watercraft, does help one stay attuned to the river ahead during a float.
After dropping Bob just below Norfork Dam, Mike planned to wade fish down river at a spot he liked and then shuttle me back for my vehicle when we arrived. Bob and I began catching trout right away after our launch.
We fished on in ever more overcast conditions and trout hit our streamers readily. We also scored on jigs under indicators. Mike had suggested flys we might use and places along the float to concentrate on. Those spots certainly didn’t disappoint us.
About an hour into our float, a steady rain began and continued for much of the afternoon but the action we were enjoying made the adverse conditions worth it.
As we floated, we anchored occasionally to exploit holes, runs and eddy lines. We got out to wade fish only once as I recall though wade fishing can be an effective low-water tactic as well.
The depth and flow of the river allowed for experimentation with various retrievals: jerk strips, jigging, twitching and head flips. Jolting strikes were often achieved by swinging and vigorously stripping streamers against the current but just as often subtle takes occurred when streamers were paused or momentarily drifted down. Trying different techniques generated hook sets and a lot of adrenaline. Missed strikes made us eager to cast again.
The trout were healthy, vigorous and real warriors. It took some time and effort to bring them alongside the raft. Bob commented more than once that fish he hooked “fought well above their weight class”. I netted a bow we measured at 19”.
Thankfully some sections of the river were fairly straight with a flow that allowed me, as pilot, to catch fish while we floated. I also caught and released one cutthroat. It was a productive, but unhurried float with rain pelting down on our headgear. The dark day seemed to make darker streamers work better.
We finally floated down to Mike wade fishing in the middle of the river a mile or so up from the confluence with the White River. It was getting cooler by then and with the wet conditions we were ready to take out. The final obstacle was that the lower water level meant we had to hoist the Flycraft up about 20’ of a concrete stairway. But with the gear removed, the watercraft wasn’t very heavy and the effort seemed a small price to pay for a great afternoon catching numerous trout.
The following day, Friday, 11/10, we decided to wade fish over at a section of the White River to the west near Cotter, AR which is roughly 27 miles from the Norfork and about 24 miles downstream from Bull Shoals dam. We didn’t have long to fish that morning. I managed to land one bow on a small dry fly while in a tranquil channel on the back of an island. And then a feisty larger bow viciously attacked a flashy streamer in the main channel that was so robust it required the use of a wading staff when in thigh deep. The nice bow must have wanted to eat pretty badly because he hit the streamer three times in the strong flow before he found the hook.
It’s a 4 to 4.5 hour drive from the Norfork and White River region to the St. Louis metropolitan area. The distance makes an overnight or two a logical choice when wanting to get the most out of a trip there. There are numerous accommodations in a variety of price ranges on both the Norfork and the White Rivers and on the lakes feeding them as well.
Although there aren’t as many fishermen down there in the winter months, some relatively well known anglers make their way down from colder northern and western regions for a chance at the big fish that live there. One warm water feeder tributary with a legendary reputation for smallmouths that I should mention is Crooked Creek. I hope to float it on a future excursion as well. Ah well, so much beautiful water, so little time as they say.
