FATC member Mike Enger, living in Gassville, AR, recently joined a large group of other members for a day of fishing at Montauk. Bob Hassett was Mike’s buddy in college and a former rugby teammate as well. So Bob and I, Al Harper, hatched a plan that day to travel to Mike’s “home waters” and give the White River a shot when the weather cooperated.
We got our chance 1/16 & 17 when a couple of unseasonably warm days were forecasted. In addition to a little camaraderie, we looked forward to a chance to fish one of the foremost trout rivers in the nation located just a few miles south of the Arkansas border; a little over 4 hours southwest of west county.
Low water in the White — resulting from decreased water release from Bull Shoals Dam — offered several good locations for wade fishing, which we tried our first afternoon in the area. Shoals, of course, are shallow spots in a river but when the water level can be quickly altered by a huge dam as it is on the White, those shoals can appear and disappear in the course of each day’s operational schedule. Just below the town of Cotter, which itself lies roughly 18 miles downriver from the dam, is one well-known and often productive shoal. We managed to catch a few trout there before dark.
The next day we launched Mike’s long, stable jon boat. While one sees a lot of different watercraft on the White ranging from small kayaks and individual inflatables to fiberglass and aluminum drift boats and even the occasional pontoon boat, the jon boat pretty much predominates as the fishing boat of choice down there. We put in at uncrowded White Hole access on the west bank. There are many public and private access points on the White (there are probably at least a dozen in the first 30 miles alone) and despite what can be heavy utilization at certain times, they seem able to handle a large number of boats and trailers.
Mike got on the oars and we got in a couple of miles of peaceful drifting. We appreciated the warmth that came when sunshine found its way to the riverbed below towering rock walls. Waterfowl were abundant. At one point we drifted by about 20 turkey vultures (known as a “committee of vultures” when at roost or resting as a group). Many were holding up their wings to dry.
The quiet and steady drifting interrupted only by the occasional strike and by unhurried, easy conversation onboard is, for me, what makes up the magic of an excursion to the White. An experienced oarsman can keep fishermen just the right distance from the bank by making small, almost imperceptible adjustments and letting the current do the work. The White can get very busy but on this day there was almost no one else around. A fishing strategy favored by many flyrod enthusiasts is to cast streamers and nymphs toward the bank while drifting downstream. Standing up in the boat allowed us to spot fish and to have steady footing for making long casts. The higher one dares to stand, on a big cooler or a front gunnel of the boat, for instance, the better the visibility (and the greater the risk of an unplanned swim as well).
Mike tied up the boat on an island just above another rocky shoal and we waded on both sides of that island while waiting for an anticipated release of water that didn’t materialize. Mike explained that releases are often subject to change on the White because power generation, flood control and agricultural requirements take priority over the needs and desires of sportsmen.
It’s the daily water release that determines the disposition of the river and often dictates fishing methods or techniques. Websites carrying info like release recaps and planned releases are the tools guides and many fishermen on the river use to determine the flow they will be dealing with as they pursue trout. But once a release schedule is deciphered, one still has to calculate how long it will take for the resulting effects to be felt depending upon how far downriver they are.
We didn’t benefit from a water release that day and the river remained on the low side but warm temperatures came on as predicted and it made for a comfortable day of fishing in a light jacket or shirt sleeves. We caught a few trout in part thanks to Mike’s tips about fishing a waterway with which he has grown familiar and often successful. Streamer fishing while wading was the most productive method. The tricky part was in getting the fly deep before swinging and stripping it back against the current. That has to do with mending or feeding line early and “thinking” what the streamer is doing. The water flow looked right for success with emergers as experienced recently at Missouri trout parks but that wasn’t the ticket to success with the Arkansas trout this day. Bob managed to land fish, however, on an egg with a Zebra midge dropper.
We capped off the day by attending an evening meeting of the local fly fishing club. Mike maintains a dual membership in the Arkansas group as well as FATC and helps out in various projects. We heard from speakers addressing ideas to help a local major hatchery flourish and concerns about a potential landfill that would threaten to leach undesirable elements too close to the White and its feeder creeks.
The club’s highest profile and most impactful yearly event is the Sowbug Roundup to be held 3/23-25 in Mountain Home. Mike will probably issue an invitation to FATC members as the date approaches. I attended last year and found it to be very worthwhile, especially when combined with fishing and floating the White or nearby Norfork River.
The White, with 100 miles of fishable water and its towering cliffs alternating with handsome riverside homes and resorts along the shores is a pretty awesome place to fish. It always holds the possibility of hooking fish of truly exceptional size or large numbers of fish as well. Landing a trophy trout, or many of them can be challenging in the ever-changing conditions the waterways present, but the number of fishermen, and guides focused on fishing there attests to the solid reputation the area enjoys.
During periods of aggressive water release, the White is a force demanding the respect of even the most experienced boaters and anglers. Fatalities can occur to those unfamiliar with its power or inattentive to the intricacies of dealing with the flow. Some engage a local guide at least initially to become familiar with fishing the White or nearby Norfork and learn the basics. There are guides who cater to fly fishers and Mike knew of one who specializes in those wanting to fish dry flies.
The Mountain Home area is a venue high on the list of many seeking an exciting trout fishing experience or a good chance at a lifetime “personal best” catch. Even if one falls short of those lofty goals, a day of superb weather going after fish on a great river was certainly a worthy and very satisfying effort.
