Special Notes
We've seen more or less the status quo on generation this week. Bull Shoals and Norfork reservoirs are back to normal pools. Water conditions are great on all the tailwaters with the first week of August at hand. Good summertime fishing opportunities abound. It's a great time for float fishing with hoppers about to start becoming a factor soon.
Ozark Fly Flinger
Fishing Reports and Water Conditions
National Weather Service Forecast for Rogers, AR
National Weather Service Forecast for Mountain Home, AR
Saturday, July 31, 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
Weather - Very hot for this weekend. Temperatures should start to reach the mid-to-upper nineties for the next week or so. Enjoy!
Generation - Expect to see heavy generation occurring during peak power demand in the afternoon and evenings. Some extended generation may occur. Brief, light early morning generation continues. Watch for changes.
Flies to Try - Streamers continue to work well with high water. Smaller sizes working better in clear conditions. Pheasant tail nymphs are staples through the summer. Look for early terrestrials patterns to work well such as beetles and ants. An occasional sulphur, cahill or hex mayfly hatch may occur. Pheasant Tail Nymphs and parachute Light Cahills in sizes 14-18 will match these light mayflies.
General Hatch Info - Getting closer to good hopper fishing conditions. Sulphurs and cahills will continue to be possible although we are past the normal peak of the mayfly activity. There is always the possibility of some sporadic hexs through the summer. Terrestrials have become the main focus for dry fly activity. Ants and beetles have been productive. Hoppers will become productive by mid-August.
Beaver/Table Rock tailwaters - Beaver Lake is at normal conservation pool. Watch for generation in the afternoons and evenings. Although brief generation has been coming on early in the morning. Table Rock powerhouse is running heavy in the afternoon and evening with some brief generation in the morning. Watch for changes.
Bull Shoals/Norfork tailwaters - Bull Shoals and Norfork reservoirs are back to conservation pools. Bull Shoals has been running 2 units through the night and increasing generation to 6 units or more during the day. Norfork is running heavy in the afternoon and evening. Some brief, light early morning generation has been running.
Greers Ferry tailwater - Greers Ferry Lake level is slightly below normal pool, and generation has been occurring in the afternoon and evening. Light, brief generation may occur early in the morning. Watch for changes.
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.
Friday, July 23 - Fred McQueary and his wife Terry fished with me. They had come down for their daughter's wedding and got in a half day of fishing early before the rehearsal that evening. The powerhouse has been running water briefly in the morning for an hour starting about 7:00. This morning they ran just part of one unit and we had easy flows. We started off trying some soft hackles and woolly buggers, but nothing was interested. As the current subsided we switched to deep nymphs. Fish started to come on about 30 minutes to an hour after generation ended mid-morning. We did well in the deeper pools. Takes were soft as usual, but Fred and Terry picked up on the required slower hookset and successfully boated a good number of fish. We got off the water just as afternoon generation began. Great day.
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.
The low dissolved oxygen season has begun. Breaker vents were blocked open at the powerhouse July 14th as DO has dropped under 6.0 ppm during full generation.
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
Monday, July 19 - Marlin Butcher and Tom Cannava fished with me. We had good, stable water conditions with about 2 units of flow throughout the day. We started off fishing a foam ant pattern which produced well for the first couple of hours. The small browns loved it. It was less effective as we got into deeper water. We switched to olive woolly buggers and started to pick up some nicer sized rainbows and browns. Fishing slowed about mid-afternoon. Overall, we had a very good day.
Wednesday and Thursday, July 7 & 8 - I had two great days this week fishing with Chuck Petty. Conditions on Bull Shoals tailwater were perfect, and the heavy rains avoided us. Chuck caught a lot of fish swinging softhackles, nymphing and fishing streamers. Moderately heavy generation only ran for about 5 hours in the late afternoon and evening. It was nice to see a bit of low water.
Chuck Petty and one of a good number of brown trout on nymphs
Nymph fishing was crazy good Wednesday. We caught a good number of browns and some really plumb rainbows. There was a little bit of everything coming off as far as hatches: some large midge, various caddis, and some sulphur mayflies. Fish really didn't care on patterns as long as it was reasonable.
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.
The low dissolved oxygen season has begun. Breaker vents were blocked open at the powerhouse July 14th as DO has dropped under 6.0 ppm during full generation.
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 This Summer
June Bug Beetle (#12), Tan and Olive Bullethead Hoppers (#10-12), Light Cahill parachute (#16-18), Tan Elk Hair Caddis (#14-16), 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), Ruby Midge (#16-20), Epoxy Back Hare's Ear (#12-16), Red Fox Squirrel Nymph (#10-14), Rubber Leg Copper John (#12-16), 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, 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