While the concept of winter fly fishing is foreign to most anglers, this season offers some of the best fishing for trophy trout. Cold weather can put a damper on things, but often the winter weather in the Ozarks is relatively mild. The average high temperature in January in Mountain Home, Arkansas is around 50 degrees, and most winter months see stretches of mild weather with temperatures in the 60’s (and sometimes 70’s!!!). By the first official days of winter, the reservoirs behind the dams should have “turned over” which is when poorly oxygenated water near the bottom of the lake (where water is drawn into the rivers) is replaced by oxygen rich water. The often slow fishing of late fall gives way to explosive action and strong fighting fish. High water fishing can be great on all the tailwaters, especially if a shad kill (please check out the section on this occurrence for more detailed information) is going on. This is when millions of lethargic shad get “sucked” into the rivers from the lakes, and the trout go crazy. It is not uncommon to catch a big fish with a half-dozen shad in its mouth along with your pattern, and other fish are picking up the shad that fall out of your fish as you bring it in. Unless heavy rains cause the lakes to rise above normal levels, water releases will usually occur in the early mornings with low water (within 5 miles of the dam) during the warmest part of the day. The water will often come back up around dusk. Heavy water releases will usually be limited to the coldest of days, and these are the most productive times for shad imitations. Norfork will tend to offer the best wading opportunities, but both the Bull Shoals and Table Rock Tailwaters on the White will have extended low water periods most winters. There are times when water releases last all day in the winter, and wading is impractical and dangerous, but most huge fish will come during moderate to heavy flows. Dry fly fishing is not out of the question in the winter, but your imitations must be small. Midges from size 50 to size 20 hatch all year long, but trout often key in on this food source on cold days when the water is low. Blue Winged Olives hatch on cloudy days in heavy numbers and when the hatch is on, it is common to see big fish rising to these tiny mayflies up and down the rivers (especially Norfork). Several years ago I hooked a brown over 10 pounds on a BWO imitation, but he bit off the 7x tippet after a 45 second fight. Please contact Arkansas Trophy Trout for special winter guide rates. I always keep up with the weather forecasts, so feel free to call me for the latest weather outlook, as well. Winter is the time for serious trophy hunters who will brave cooler weather to fish in relative solitude for colorful and vigorous trout. This is my favorite time to fish.

SUMMER:

Even though the weather in the Ozarks can be quite hot in the summer, because the rivers run around 50 degrees all year, it is possible to stay comfortable on the water, even during the hottest of days. Summer is the peak time for power demand, so flows become a bit more predictable than in early and late spring. On the White River and at Lake Taneycomo, the water is usually low below the dams in the early morning. Most days, water releases will begin around 9, 10, or 11 in the morning, and the flows will get progressively heavier as the heat builds. Sometimes one or two generators will run all night and into the morning, effectively eliminating productive wading that day. Often the rivers will be at full power crest by three in the afternoon. The Norfork will usually be low until noon or 1 pm, but often both generators come on strong all at once. I’ve seen this river rise 5 feet in less than ten minutes, so it is important that if you are fishing away from the dam (where the warning horn is inaudible) and the water is still low into the early afternoon, you need to become increasingly aware of rising water. Sometimes a slight increase in the sound of the water coming over a shoal will tell you the water is on the rise but the best way to tell if the water is coming up is to pick out a reliable marker on the bank (such as a rock, log, or stick) and check it frequently to see if it disappears. This is the season when most people get in trouble on these rivers. Summer mornings are usually quite foggy by the rivers, and fishing is often slow in the fog. By mid morning, the fog will burn off the water, and you will notice the bite pick up when the sun is able to reach the river. The hatches will begin around 11 am and they will peak right before the water comes up. Fishing rising water is often fast action near the dams (the further down from the dams you go, the trashier the rise is), but once the river gets to its highest level or power crest, the bite will often drop off progressively with each passing hour. If you are in a boat during heavy flows and the fog rolls back on to the water, I strongly recommend getting off the river. These are very dangerous times that usually occur after afternoon rains or right before dusk. On the White and the Norfork, productive fishing is usually over by 6pm, but you may pick up a few right before dark. The fishing below Table Rock Dam is quite similar except that there is a pretty good bite at dusk on high water. If you are committed to wade fishing in the summer there are several places 15 to 20 miles below Bull Shoals Dam that don’t usually get wadable until mid morning in the summer, but the river can stay low there until late afternoon because it takes some time for the water release to affect areas this far away from the dam. Rim Shoals is the most popular summer wading spot, but this can be dangerous place to get caught as eight generators worth of water comes in all at once. Also, the trout parks of southern Missouri (please see the Trout Parks section for all the details) and several spring-fed rivers in the region offer pleasant wading in a spring creek or freestone type of setting. Summer is a great time for consistent action and diverse water conditions. The water rarely stays low all day, but most extended low water will occur on the weekends of early to mid summer. By late summer, the flows are usually heavy every day of the week with mornings offering some low water.