Special Notes
This week's fly-fishing video forecast is now available.
Dates are starting to slip away in March and April. Have you booked your spring fishing fling?
Ozark Fly Flinger
Fishing Reports and Water Conditions
National Weather Service Forecast for Rogers, AR
National Weather Service Forecast for Mountain Home, AR
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
(Times are in 24 hour time)
Reader assumes all risk and responsibility. Warning—these are tailwaters that have widely fluctuating levels and currents. Please make yourself aware of the safety concerns involved in fishing or boating in these waters. Don't become a statistic.
Scott's Fly-fishing Forecast
CURRENT VIDEO FORECAST
Weather - Rainy weather this week and a beautiful weekend ahead. Enjoy!
Generation - All the White River reservoirs are now at conservation pools. Increasing low water forecast for Tuesday, March 9th on Beaver, Norfork and Greers Ferry. Bull Shoals powerhouse is also forecast to be shut down for part of the afternoon. Table Rock continues with around-the-clock generation. Wade anglers should exercise caution as always and not assume. Practice safe wading. Don't wade where you shouldn't be if water was to rise. Always have an escape route. Get out at the first sign of rising water or if in doubt. Drift boat fishing should continue to be great regardless.
Flies to Try - Midge patterns, scuds, sowbugs and attractor nymphs are go-to fly patterns through the winter months. Streamers work well with high water. Shad patterns are working well now and will well into March.
General Hatch Info - Midges are mainstay hatches on all the tailwaters through the winter months along with the possibility of some Tiny Blue Winged Olive on Bull Shoals and Norfork tailwaters. Watch for shad with generation start-ups. Streamer fishing has been good the past month. Caddis are starting to show up this month on Bull Shoals tailwater.
Beaver/Table Rock tailwaters - Beaver powerhouse has been running in the mornings. Table Rock powerhouse has been running around-the-clock. Watch for changes this week. Flow and power graphs on the realtime data pages are not updating.
Bull Shoals/Norfork tailwaters - Bull Shoals powerhouse has started to end around-the-clock generation. Watch for changes. Norfork powerhouse is starting to see more shut down time in the afternoons. Watch for changes. Flow and power graphs on the realtime data pages are not updating.
Greers Ferry tailwater - Greers Ferry tailwater is starting to see more shut down time. Watch for changes. Flow and power graphs on the realtime data pages are not updating.
Beaver Tailwater - (Click image for realtime data. Click here for explanation. Click here for realtime data in tabular form.)
Beaver Dam has two generating units. Normal flows can range daily from 20 CFS at low water to over 8,800 CFS with both units in full operation. The current flow status of Beaver Tailwater can be obtained by calling 417-336-5083.
Table Rock Tailwater (Lake Taneycomo) - (Click image for realtime data. Click here for explanation. Click here for realtime data in tabular form.)
Table Rock Dam has four generating units. Normal flows can range daily from 40 CFS at low water to 15,100 CFS at full discharge. The current flow status of Table Rock Tailwater (Lake Taneycomo) can be obtained by calling 417-336-5083.
Bull Shoals Tailwater - (Click image for realtime data. Click here for explanation. Click here for realtime data in tabular form.)
Because of the length of this tailwater and the delay of tailout and rising water downstream, wade fishers should call the current status number periodically to know when generation has started and how many units have been brought on-line. Be aware of changing water conditions. Bull Shoals Dam has eight generating units, and flows can range daily from 50 CFS at low water to 26,400 CFS with all eight units running. The current flow status of Bull Shoals Tailwater can be obtained by calling 870-431-5311.
Estimated Flow Times by Location
Thursday, February 25 - Josh Hall fished with me for the first time. We enjoyed some great weather for a change. Fishing was fair about the middle part of the day. We spent the day throwing streamers. Josh rolled four decent sized browns from 16-20 inches but hook-ups were difficult. Most of the fish he boated were browns and just a few bows today. They were willing to give chase to the fly, but would be very passive in the take. We did best on a crayfish colored woolly buggers. It rolled the bigger fish. Water levels were lower this morning and made for great fishing opportunities down river.
Josh Hall and his first ever brown trout on a February day.
Friday, February 26 - Carl Brown and Keith Lindsay were high bidders on my donated trip to the Oklahoma Chapter of TU last spring. This is the second time they have fished with me. We had even nicer weather today and great fishing. The browns did not want to come out to play, but we caught plenty of rainbows in the morning and after lunch before the water came up and the fish turned off. We began nymph fishing. A flashback pheasant tail was the ticket and preferred over everything else we tried. By late morning we switched to streamer anticipating some rising water. A variety of streamers worked. The crayfish pattern was not as hot today, but Keith had one that was a little different the fish liked. Also the Kreelexs and variations of the bunny fly worked pretty well. Eagles are on two nests about three miles apart, and we saw deer, turkey and other wildlife today too. The ramp where we stopped for lunch and the two stocking trucks unloaded trout yesterday was full of heron and raccoon tracks today. We saw either geese or pelicans very high and migrating north. Great end of February fishing both days.
Norfork Tailwater - (Click image for real time data. Click here for explanation. Click here for realtime data in tabular form.)
Norfork Dam has two generating units. Normal flows can range daily from 20 CFS at low water to 7,200 CFS at full discharge. The current flow status of Norfork Tailwater can be obtained by calling 870-431-5311.
Greers Ferry Tailwater (Little Red River) - (Click image for realtime data. Click here for explanation. Click here for realtime data in tabular form.)
Greers Ferry Dam has two generating units. Normal flows can range daily from 20 CFS at low water to 7,900 CFS at full discharge. The current flow status of Greers Ferry Tailwater can be obtained by calling 501-362-5150.
Suggested Flies
Patterns to Have in Your Box Late Fall/Winter
Natural Deer Hair Caddis (#18-20), Caddis pupa (#14-20), Crackleback (#12-16), Royal Wulff (#14), Griffith's Gnat (#20), Olive WD-40 (#18-20), Zebra Midge (#16-20), Rubber Legged Copper John (#12-16), Epoxy Back Hare's Ear (#12-16), Red Fox Squirrel Nymph (#10-14), Sparrow Nymph (#10), Prince Nymph (#12-16), Flashback Pheasant Tail Nymph (#12-18), Beadhead Pheasant Tail Nymph (#14-18), Scud (#12-16); Sow Bug (#16-18), Beadhead Brassie, Y2K Bug (#12), Micro-egg (#16), Black, Olive, or Brown Beadhead Woolly Bugger (#2-10), Layered Marabou Sculpin (#8), Muddler Minnow (#6-10), Olive or Black Lead-Eyed Rabbit Leech (#6), Arkansas Beadhead (#8-10), White Zonker (#8-10).
Quick Links
Water Resource Information for White River Tailwaters and Related Streams
See the "Links" button on the menu at the top for my complete links listing.
Southwestern Power Administration
SWPA posts estimated power generation schedules for Beaver, Table Rock, Bull Shoals, Norfork, and Greers Ferry dams.
US Army Corps of Engineers - Little Rock District
USACE provides access to current conditions, realtime data, daily lake and river reports and forecasts below all the White River system dams.
USGS Hydrographs for Calico Rock
These USGS hydrographs gives flow and stage levels of the White River at Calico Rock (sixty-two miles below Bull Shoals dam).
USGS Hydrographs for King's River
USGS Hydrographs for Crooked Creek
USGS Hydrographs for Buffalo River at St. Joe