If you are not a regular reader of my columns, the title of this one is a tip off that I’ve been known to repeat trips and then write about them as-if this is all brand new. Before I tell you about my latest trip to the White River in Arkansas, I’ll review the other two.
Almost six years ago the Wulff Pack Fly Fishing Club, from Texas, had me and three other members go and scout the White River. We were at a great lodge, had the worst weather you can imagine, off set with good guides, and caught lots of large trout. Then, a year later the entire club went back to the White River. We stayed in a crappy rental house, found out there weren’t any good restaurants close by, had decent weather, good guides and caught lots of large trout. Last month four of the members, including myself, went back to the White River. We stayed in a nice resort, had great food, great weather, good guides, and caught lots of large trout. As you can see, the common denominator of the three trips is lots of large trout. One can put up with lots of discomfort if it is off set with large numbers of trout. Take away the discomfort and you have hit a grand slam.
Where we fished is located below the Bull Shoals Dam, close to Cotter, Arkansas. Location-wise it is a two-day drive from Durango, and a day’s drive from Dallas, or Winchester, Tennessee. Those are places I frequent. The lodge we stayed at is known as Gaston’s and it is an older well-established lodge, that is well maintained and comfortable. It also has a restaurant serving three meals a day.
After breakfast a short walk down a boat ramp puts you at the dock where you meet your guide. This is a real civilized way to start a day on the river. As I have mentioned before, the boats are a combination drift and power boat. They are twenty feet long, have a jet drive outboard motor, and a rowing station for when the guide is not using the outboard. Since the release of water from the dam can vary, in large cubic feet a second flows, the motor is a must.
Once you leave the dock, your guide can either row or motor up or downstream to where he thinks the fishing is best. This is a really great way to see and fish lots of water. Fly fishing this river is best using a 5-weight rod. The fly choice of nymph or dries depends on the season, or in my case how much I can whine. Nymphs were how we fished the first two days. That is, until my guide couldn’t put up with my whining any longer and finally tied on a dry fly. I managed to catch a few fish on a dry fly, but I changed back to a nymph when I realized my partner’s fish count was way ahead of mine.
The third, and last day, was the best. There were a large number of small bait fish, or shad, coming out of the dam. They were floating near the surface, which brought the trout up to feed on them. The fly of choice became anything white that floated. It was great. Our guides would motor us up to the dam then float downstream until the feeding frenzy stopped. They would then motor us back to the dam and float back downstream. We followed this routine all day, and it never got boring. How can catching big trout on dry flies get boring?
If shouting, “fish on,” “all-right,” or “wha-whoo,” is not your thing, you should not go to the White River and stay at Gaston’s. If on the other hand, good food, comfortable beds, great guides, and lots of big trout tickles your fancy, then make this a regular stop on your fly fishing journeys.