March Madness (trip 3/23-3/25/06)

I finally had several days to fish this spring. And what better time than the March Caddis hatch. I'd not been in on the Caddis hatch in full swing the last few years. I won't miss it again. I had the pleasure of fishing with Les Watson, a fellar with lots of experience on the White. Thurs(23rd) we fished at Rim Shoals. I caught several rainbows on dry Elk Hair Caddis patterns. Les fished a bronze serendipity and did even better than I (numbers wise) though didn't have any fish go full airborne for his flies as I did on two occassions. We camped in a little one-room cabin at the Buffalo City access (Buffalo River confluence) and fished about a half mile up stream (navigatable by boat) the next two days. We picked up a few fish on many different Caddis and egg patterns but Old Reliable, yes the Whooly Bugger, was the best fly. We fished the faster water without indicators, keeping our lines tight, and picking up most of our fish on the swing. We caught 80+ fish each over the three days. I tied for hours before I left for the trip and I like to photograph my flies. So, here are a few pics. Lower White River

Our lil cabin ($50 a night)

R & R Caddis (Pupa)

Serendipity (Caddis pupa/emerger)

Graphic Caddis, guitar pick background (Pupa/emerger)

Z wing Caddis (emerger)

Elk Hair Caddis (adult)

Whooly Bugger

Check Out My New Custom Framed Fish Picture

Carrie bought me this print a year or so ago. I finally got it framed and it sits above my fly tying table in our home office. The original remains in White River Angler and is a commissioned work that the Ark Trout Unlimited had done a few years ago. They made a hundred prints and Carrie bought me one as an anniversary gift.

Norfork Trip (1-21)

Well, I traveled to the Norfork on Saturday. Stopped at Blue Ribbon Flies in Mountain Home (as I'd forgotten my pliers and hadn't mashed my barbs down yet) where I got a warm welcome by two beautiful and well-behaved golden retrievers. Got to the River Ridge access at 1205 and the water was high and could not be waded. I called the powerhouse and they had ceased generation at 1159. So I had another cup of coffee and some frito pie and within forty-five minutes I had low water. Not a particularly good day in terms of numbers caught. I only landed one fish, a 17" rainbow. Had several other fish on for a few seconds and another almost to net. Had to go down to size 21s and 22s before the fish would acknowledge my fly and so this may have accounted for a few missed fish. Saw an older gentleman fishing just upriver from me with his hired help and he landed about eight in the three hours they fished--not a huge number but I guess the guides still know a few things that I don't. The fish were sipping flies very subtly which made detecting strikes a little tricky. I'm sure I saw a few very tiny mayflies coming off the water around 2:00, blue winged olives I suppose. Tried tiny BWO nymphs as well as WD-40s and finally caught my one fish on a size 21 WD-40. Pretty scenery and lots of wildlife made for a great day despite the low numbers of fish caught.

The Complete Angler

Should there be any angler happen upon this blogspot and also be looking for a good read I recommend Izaak Walton's The Complete Angler. It is one of the very first books on the instruction of fishing--how to catch and cook fish. Walton finished the book around 1650 and it is said to be the second most reprinted book after the Bible and the Book of Common Prayer. The subtitle, The Contemplative Man's Recreation refers to Walton's favor of contemplation and he quotes Paul in Thessalonians saying "study to be quiet." Many believe Walton was also talking to the society of his day on a number of social issues through use of metaphor which is what brought me back to the book as Kent Hodskins talked recently of our need to be actively working to influence and benefit the world around us. Charles Cotton wrote the the second part to this book in 1676 when asked by Walton and speaks more specifically to fly fishing. Probably not a read for everyone but if you want to learn a little about the English countryside of Walton's day and the history of our great sport then give it a go.

Support Your Local Fly Shop

I spent some time in several local flyshops over the holidays. I had a great time checking out new gear, talking fishing, and building relationships with the local shop owners and guides. I was sad to hear that White River Angler's #1 competitor is the Orvis catalog which is too bad because WRA (an Orvis retailer) can order any Orvis product they do not have in the store for at least the same price as Orvis will sell it directly to the fisherman. The store benefits from ordering for the fisherman and the fisherman benefits because he still has a flyshop to go to (which comes in handy before fishing outings as well as when your wife is hosting a third or fourth baby shower of the year in your home). Many flyshops have to work dang hard moving merchandise, tying flies, teaching fly tying lessons, and guiding out on the river just to keep their doors open. So go support your local flyshop (there are three in NWA and I visit all three) and refrain from ordering online--just one more way the internet is raping our society.

Why Do We Do It?

Why do we do it? "Standing in a river waiving a stick" as one author puts it. For hours. For days. Thinking about it when we're not doing it. Intrusive thoughts of doing it while at work or when spending time with a spouse or in church. Why? My wife encourages me to do it, knowing there is purpose beyond putting off chores around the house and coming home smelling of fish and cigars. A purpose beyond the simple fun of it and of the male comradeship sometimes involved. Lately I've been asking why I do this "stick waiving." And while there are several very good reasons why, it mostly boils down to one thing. It makes me feel big. It always has. From the first trip I took with dad proudly looking on to my most recent outing. There's something about standing in the middle of a big river and setting a hook and having a fish on that creates a sense of feeling big. There's something special in going out into the river and enticing a fish and after landing the fish and marveling at its beauty, releasing it to be caught another day. It's this getting out away from everything made of concrete and enjoying God's creation, and to rule over it, and to show mercy, and to realize the mercy shown me in that this river and all the fish in it are mine. And I know I'm important to God. This is what makes me feel big.....and small. Definately loved and perhaps at the end of the day more loving.

Rim Shoals 11/26/05

Great weather for late November. A little windy but otherwise very very nice. I fished from about 9:30 to 1:30 at Rim Shoals. A very nice day on the water. Plenty of Rainbows starting about 11:30. Thanks to Brian Harris at White River Angler for showing me how to tie that Y2K Bug. I finally tied Y2Ks that look right and don't fall apart after a couple of hook ups. I tried a nymph briefly but soon after stayed with the Y2K as it produced more. The yellow/orange combination was better than the yellow/pink combination. Had a few minutes at the end of the day and so decided to do a little exploring around Roundhouse Shoals. Had fun taking pictures and turning over rocks. Sow Bug, aquatic worms, Y2K Bug.

Entomology Anybody?

When the fishing gets slow I always make good use of my time on the river whether being productive in my studying bugs or productive in my rest and relaxation. I usually take a good book, my tobacco pipe, a tasty snack and my camera with me when I go fishing. Sometimes, even when the fishing is good it's still nice to stop and have a snack and take a look around. Since I started tying flies a few years ago I've become more and more interested in aquatic insects and their various life cycle stages. I took some pictures on several of my last outings and here are a few. As the colder months move in I will spend less time on the river and more time at the vice.

I caught this little stonefly (adult) on the upper Buffalo River back in March.

This mayfly nymph was clinging to the bottom of a rock at Rim Shoals (White River)

A Pale Morning Dun (Mayfly) on the Buffalo River. Don't see too many of these on the White where they would be quickly gobbled up and more useful to the fly fisherman than they are on the Buffalo.

Summer and Fall 2005

Well, I didn't fish as much this summer and fall as I had planned. I camped for three nights at McLellan's Trout Dock in July only to fish about thrity minutes each day before generation started. I called the powerhouse on my way home to find there was no water running at Bulls Shoals and so pulled over and fished at Wild Cat Shoals. Started slow but ended up catching fish on every cast starting at noon and for about three hours as there were little yellow mayflies coming off. My only other outing was to the Beaver tailwaters last weekend (fished 10-22-05) and caught fish about every cast from noon to 1:30. Fish were taking olive midge pupa, ruby midges, diamond midges and a nymph that I like to tie with a goose biot abdomen and a rabbit hair (with lots of course guard hairs) thorax. I watched a twelve year old girl fishing just up stream from me with her dad catch at least a dozen in about an hour and she was loving it. I think it was her first of many fly fishing trips. Lots of pretty trees. Look for future postings as you are now brought up to the present time and future postings will be more current. I do plan to get out this winter. Anybody want to go with me?

April Norfork trip finds a few nice fish

Well, I had to hit the Norfork again a few weeks later (early April 2005). Fished alone for most of a day in the River Ridge access area, landing a couple of really nice fish late in the afternoon on consecutive casts. These each measured just over 19" and I caught them on a midge pupa pattern of my own design (well, sort of, actually more a modification or variation of a pheasant tail midge pattern). Both fish are mostly submerged in water in these pics and were successfully released to be caught again another day. I had to post the pics because these are my best fish so far here in NWA and it was an exciting day. Nobody to take my picture but the fish are prettier than I am anyway. I saw only one other fisherman all day which added a lot to the experience. Early morning had quite a few fish when cream-colored midges were hatching and fish were taking Miracle Nymphs (#21) and mercury midges (#21). My modified midge has a little band of red thread just below the head as sometimes the fish are attracted to that color and yet there isn't enough to really take away from the fly looking mostly like the natural.

March, 2005 Fishing Trip

This trip isn't so recent as I'm new to blogging and catching you up, but this was a picture worth sharing and I'll write a word or two about the trip. I had the opportunity to fish with a buddy, Scott in March, a true privilege as Scott is a great fly fisherman (catching at least two to my one) and taught me a few tricks on stream. We fished a Fri. evening just below Bull Shoals dam, camped at McLellan's Trout Dock, and then fished at Rim Shoals the next morning and on the Norfork that afternoon. There were caddis coming off at Bull Shoals but we had more luck with scuds and sow bugs. The Y2K Bug was the fly of choice at Rim Shoals when midge pupa patterns were catching only occassional fish. Scott caught this quality cutthroat on the Norfork (River Ridge access) on a small midge pupa pattern and in less than a few feet of water. Good fishing, good conversation, plenty of Napoleon Dynamite quotes shared on this trip.

Eat, sleep, go fishin...

Welcome to the RN fishin site, my site dedicated to sharing my fishing outings with any brethren of the angle and any others who may be interested. I don't enjoy too many things more than fishing (and fly fishing to be more exact). The things I do enjoy more than fishing aren't really things but people--my wife, family, a few close friends, Jesus. Fine cigars and good sipping beer are also nice, but these are easily and often incorporated into the fishing experience and so don't compete with whether I might fish or not. This site does not guarantee or proclaim in any way to make you a better fisherman. At best, you'll see a few nice pictures of pretty rivers, an occassional fish, a meditation or two that came to me on stream. Tight lines mates.