Tale waters. The Voice of the North Arkansas Fly Fishers. North Arkansas Fly Fishers

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1 The Voice of the North Arkansas Fly Fishers April 14, 2015 North Arkansas Fly Fishers North Arkansas Fly Fishers meetings are held on the 3rd Tuesday of each month. Meetings are held at the Van Matre Senior Center located at 1101 Spring St Mountain Home, Membership meeting starts at 7:00 pm. All members and guests are welcome and encouraged to attend. NAFF Board of Director s meetings are held on the first Tuesday of the month at 2:00 pm 1st Security Bank on 9th St. All members are welcome and encouraged to attend. Visit North Arkansas Fly Fishers Online at Officers President Ken Sickels (870) Vice President Tom Emerick (870) Secretary Pat Smith....(870) Treasurer Wayne Buck.(870) Directors Conservation Michael Schraeder.870) At Large Mark Burgess..(870) Education Tommy Hagan..(870) Membership Paul Ashton (870) Past President Mike Tipton..(870) Appd. by President Vern Berry (870) Tale Waters is published 2nd Tuesday of each month. Article deadline is 1st Tuesday of the month. Staff: Mike Tipton & Rita Billbe Contact: sowbug@northarkansasflyfisher.org April Program - Brian Wise on Fishing for White Bass, Hybrid, and Striper Fishing in the Tributaries of Lake Norfork An Early Sowbug Roundup At our February meeting, Missouri guide Brian Wise will discuss seasonal fishing for white bass, hybrids, and stripers in the tributaries of Lake Norfork. Brian Wise is a fly fishing guide in extreme southern Missouri. His mainstays are the wild rainbow trout and large predatory brown trout of the North Fork of the White River, but he is also a selfproclaimed smallmouth junky and loves the seasonal striper fishing as well. Brian has been the head guide at River of Life Farm for over a decade and has been featured in print such as Southern Living Magazine, Outdoor Life, Fly Fisherman, Field and Stream, Rural Missouri Magazine, on television shows Cont. Pg Sowbug Roundup; a Rousing Success! Sowbug Roundup 2015, the 18th Annual Sowbug Roundup, has come and gone and has been rated a great success! We had over 600 paid attendees. When you add in club members, volunteers, fly tyers, and vendors, we come up with at least 1000 attendees for the three days. The comments from tyers, vendors, and from Facebook and the forums are uniformly positive. We had the most revenue ever from this Sowbug. Last year s Sowbug was down some on revenue. This year s was way up. The Sowbug Shindig was a change from the former Friday night dinner. It featured live music, a live auction, wine and beer, and a huge variety of finger foods. This year s Shindig honored Tony Spezio as the Founding Father of the Sowbug Roundup and honored Dennis and Amy Galyardt for their 18 years as Sowbug Stalwarts. The winners of Cont. Pg.2

2 Page 2 Sorting from page 1 the Annual Sowbug Roundup Fly Tying Contest were recognized. The team in the kitchen, led by Karen Tipton, did a great job getting the food prepared and on the table. However the scheme of obtaining a variety of finger foods from Sam s Club became very complicated when it became time to prepare the food in the church s kitchen. The consensus, very vocal and emphatic from the kitchen team, was never again! Next year we will go back to catering the meal. And keeping it simple! We had over 50 volunteers. The Sowbug would not be possible without these volunteers. Thanks!! Brian from page 1 such as NBC s Today Show, Outdoor Channel s Ultimate Outdoors, several appearances on Outdoor Channel Outfitters, and is a Field Producer for Chasing Waters on the Pursuit Channel. When Brian isn t guiding, he is fishing with his 8 and 10 year old boys. April President s Message I would like to thank Mike Tipton ( Sowbug Chairman), Sowbug Committee, vendors, tiers and the 60 plus volunteers for making the 2015 Sowbug a success. Sorry I can t mention everyone by name but need to extend a special thanks to Dennis and Amy Galyardt for their efforts. Without member support and involvement the 18th Sowbug wouldn t have been a success. It doesn t matter if you helped set up, take down or man various tables it s greatly appreciated. Thanks to Karen Tipton and a dedicated group of ladies Friday night for that work in the kitchen Ken Sickels, President. Sowbug Roundup Spring Picnic in May Mark your calendars now to be sure not to miss our upcoming spring picnic at the Bull Shoals White River State Park. As always, we will have good food and great fellowship. Might even be a few fish stories! The picnic will be from 11am to 3pm on Saturday, May 16th. The location is pavilion number one at the lower White River State Park (along the river). NAFF will provide burgers, brats and dogs, with all the fixins., along with water and soda. Members are urged to bring a side dish, salad or a dessert. Lunch will be served at 11:45am with food served hot off of the grill. I hope to see you all there. Vern Berry, Activities director

3 Page 3 April Fly of the Month Shad / Baitfish Baitfish fly patterns have always held an interest to me for the obvious reasons that very few fish species do not eat small fish. Naturally the particular water systems, river, lake or stream will determine the abundance of available forage and the majority of species will also consume their own kind. In the past, baitfish imitations were almost all tied with the use of natural materials for the wings, and with combinations of floss, silk and tinsel to form the body. Rooster hackles being the major material used for wings. Later hair, such as bucktail, squirrel, deer hair and calf tail, in combination with other materials, further allowed for the development of many more baitfish patterns. As did the later use of marabou, which dramatically changed baitfish and streamer fly patterns. It allowed for great movement and animation for the fly, a definite attraction to the fish. Materials such as Mylar in tubular form allowed the tyer to produce pattern variations more in line with the natural body shape of baitfish. Back in the 70s, one particular fly known as the Polystickle became a huge success in the UK. It was a small bait fish pattern that represented many small minnows, namely the Stickleback, a small bait fish not much more than 2 inches. They would stack up in large shoals around weed beds and the shallow shore lines of a lake. The trout would go nuts feeding almost exclusively on this small bait fish and more or less would ignore anything else you threw at them. The Polystickle changed that. It was an interesting fly in so far as the body was tied by using wraps of polythene obtained from bread bags. The back and tail of the fly formed from Swiss straw/ raffia. This fly caught me many fine trout in those days. To the best of my knowledge, this was the first all synthetic bait fish fly. The use of marabou and chenille further added to the inventory of bait fish patterns. Such patterns as the Appetizer, Jack Frost, White Marabou Muddler and Baby Doll were four of the first to make a serious impact as patterns used for trout when they are busting bait fish. Today we have a huge availability of synthetic material that allows for the tyer to create a huge range of different bait fish patterns. It was in the late 80s that l first messed around with synthetic fibers that had both length and mobility. The trick here is to tie in stages of material to build up a fish shape profile and may also be adorned with other materials such as hackle. In those days, eyes were obtained from a taxidermist supply company; as there was no supply. We know it today as stick-on eyes. The fly shown here was featured in a UK magazine back in the early 90s. It was a fly l developed to imitate bait fish found in the UK still waters. It is 4 inches in length but l also tied many shorter versions. Personally l have never found that bait fish patterns, stripped very fast, work for trout. A slower retrieve being best; but the fly must incorporate certain attractions to the fish s eye. Which l believe are: Overall size Definition of fish profile, but not as a solid object. General color definitions related to species. Ability to withstand casting and fish teeth It must also animate, which l consider to be a very important factor. Cont. next page

4 Page 4 What l mean by this is that when the fly is pulled, the materials used conform to a fish shape profile. If you take time to watch a live bait fish as it moves, it turns at different angles thus changing its profile viewed from the same direction. One second it may show its full side on, then as it turns tail or head and less body profile. Which is one of the reasons why l believe marabou is such a good material. It is forever changing its visual appearance to the trout s eye. That said marabou is not always the best material to use depending on the nature of the fly to be tied and presented to the fish s eye. Now bear in mind we fly fish for many different species that eat bait fish. In the case of this article, it is related to the Threadfin shad, which is probably the most sought after bait fish found in our lakes. And as we know, also for many fish species found below dams. It was my friend Dave Whitlock who first made me aware of how important this small bait fish was to many different species of fish here in the States, particularly in the case of lakes and reservoirs. Not to mention at times when we see a shad kill, how important it is as a food source for the trout below the dam. Back in the early 2000 period l designed a number of different shad fly patterns due to my experience fishing shad kills on our tail waters. All of which have accounted for very many trout and in many cases trophy trout. Essentially they were patterns that floated and those that sank; as often the trout would have a preference. Nothing is more exhilarating that watching a huge brown rise to the surface and take your fly or feel a solid thump as one hit the subsurface fly. Couple of years back my friend Marcos, manager of Hairline, sent me some new materials to work with. These further inspired my creative nature. What s more important was these materials were well suited to tying small bait fish patterns. Many variations came forth from my vice and many of them caught fish. What l will do after l have tied a pattern is to subject it to my fish tank, as that allows me to see how well it moves. Do the materials used demonstrate the effects of translucency and visual effects? Remember that l prefer to fish bait fish patterns slow and that is important. They also must move and animate. Often as not, fish will hit the fly as it falls. You are aiming to fish the fly in such a way as it appears to be sick or injured. No fly stripped at 50 MPH represents that, a mistake many anglers make. The materials you will need to tie variations of the fly are. 1. Hook--needs to be fine wire short shank wide gape, silver 2. Body materials used are combinations of Pseudo marabou// Baitfish emulator//midge flash// Lateral scale// Diamond braid I use colors of white, gray and pearl 3. Flanks--pale dun hackle, light barred grizzled is OK 4. Eyes--mirage 3/16 or 7/32 Gold or Silver. Head is formed with lamination s of UV Clear Fly Finish and Opalescent nail varnish. Davy Wotton March 2015

5 Page 5 COE Update - Water Levels As mentioned in last October s newsletter, the management of lake levels throughout the White River system is complex and requires daily monitoring. Recent spring rains have been a good illustration of the impact the dams and reservoirs have in reducing flooding risks downstream, which is the original intent for which they were designed and constructed. Several factors are considered in determining releases from Bull Shoals and Norfork Dams. The most significant of those is the regulating stage on the lower White River at Newport, Arkansas. This gage is used by hydraulic engineers in the Corps Little Rock District office as the river level to which all water flowing into the White River, both that controlled by dams and uncontrolled streams, must be calculated. Simply stated, releases from Bull Shoals and Norfork are dependent upon the seasonal regulating stage at Newport, Arkansas. Release criteria for the lakes was developed more specifically based upon the lake elevation, elevation of downstream lakes, the time of year, and downstream river conditions. The stage at Newport is adjusted seasonally as follows: From 1 December through 14 April - 21 feet except, if a natural rise exceeding 21 feet occurs, regulate to the lesser of the observed crest or 24 feet. From 15 April through 7 May - 14 feet except, regulate to 21 feet, from 15 April through 30 April, and 18 feet, from 1 May through 14 May, if the four-lake system (Beaver, Table Rock, Bull Shoals, Norfork) storage exceeds 50% of flood stage capacity. From 8 May through 30 November - 12 feet except, regulate to 14 feet from 15 May through 30 November, if the 4-lake system storage exceeds 70% of flood stage capacity. Currently, Bull Shoals and Norfork are utilizing flood storage capacity, 13% and 15% respectively. With more rain likely through the spring and as the regulating stage at Newport drops, lake levels may continue to rise and remain higher into the traditional start of the recreation season on Memorial Day weekend. Mountain Home Project Office staff have made preparations for high water impacts to recreation facilities and will continue to monitor areas as public use increases. If boating on Bull Shoals and Norfork, please exercise patience and caution. With higher levels, launch ramps are more difficult to use and parking may be limited. With the rapid rise, the amount of debris flushed into the lakes from tributary streams is tremendous. Go slowly, and watch for debris floating just under the water's surface. Always use your vessel s kill switch and wear a life jacket. As you approach the shoreline, please be aware of obstructions that may not be typically submerged. Please take the time to put safety first. Jon Hiser

6 Page 6 Sowbug Tyers Report It s OVER!! There isn t much to say except everything went smoothly. We did have a few noshows and some that had better things to do. We missed their presence but the show was a major success. Without the fly tyers, there wouldn t be a show and we re grateful to each and every one of them for making the trip. We ve talked to hundreds of people and had hundreds of replies on the Sowbug Roundup Facebook page with nothing but compliments on the show. (If you have internet access and want to check out the photos from the show go to sowbug.roundup.) Only thing people didn t like was the restrooms at the fairgrounds!! If you are interested in tying at Sowbug Roundup 2016, just let us know!! Chet & Pat Smith April Membership Report A belated welcome to our latest Sponsors who joined us recently: Jan's Ozark Getaway of Cotter, Float Master Products of Brunswick, OH Sowbug was a massive year for club recruitment: 52 new memberships, up from the 27 new enrollment last year. Fourteen of these were Family memberships, adding a total of 66 new members. Renewal and re-enrollment information is still being tallied. New members came from all ends of the country, including California, Connecticut, and Indiana to Mississippi. Seventeen of the new memberships were from out of state. Joining us prior to Sowbug were: John Linder of Ridgecrest, CA Eric Moody of Willis, TX John Watkins of Little Rock, Doug Hadley of Lakeview, Joining us at Sowbug were: Eric Olsen of North Little Rock, Ashley Berry of Little Rock, Bob Cogburn of Flippin, Bob Sinclair of Bull Shoals, Brad Smith of Mountain Home, Bruce Petray of Cotter, Cecilia Gasiecki of Gasville, Charles Hesse of Rogers, Chris Lindner of Pocahontas, Danny Montgomery of Gasville, Danny Sabo of Flippin, Danny Schieffler of Little Rock, David Alwes of Mountain Home, Deborah Haven of Eureka Springs, Don Richardson of Clinton, Douglas Hadley of Lakeview, Grady Reed of North Little Rock, Grant Carter of Mountain Home, Paul Ashton - Membership

7 Page 7 Jimmy T s Fishing Report - April Many thanks to the NAFF for a great Sowbug Roundup this year. It was a great show and it was very nice to see young folk participating and showing up for this great event. The week of Sowbug also brought us a fair amount of rain which has caused not only the lakes to rise but river levels to rise as well. Wading opportunities shrink for sure. As of this writing on April 7th the Norfork dam has a spillway gate open due to a generator unit being down for maintenance. They are also warning that if the lake continues to rise, more water could be released in this fashion. Several years ago (2012 I believe) this same scenario unfolded in the month of April. Almost a full 2 units of water on the Norfork River with the flood gates open and shad coming through the spill gates. We were catching good fish that month as long as those gates were open. The White River is also generating regularly at this time with the lake level at at the time of this writing with flows up to 12,000 CFS or 4 to 6 units of water. This is boat fishing water for sure with long leaders and a bit of split shot. I use the thinner diameter 9ft Maxima Chameleon butt to Ultra Green tippet leaders on this water as opposed to the thicker and heavier butted leaders as they catch less of the current. This causes my flies to get to the bot- tom faster with less split shot. To this 9ft leader I will add another foot or two of 4X fluoro tippet for the first fly. At the knot I just added my tippet to, I will also add a couple of B or BB size shot. This knot will hold the shot in place and prevent it from sliding down to the flies. From the first fly I will add another fly via the eye to eye connection. I am fishing barbless of course; so attaching to the bend of the hook can and will cause the bottom fly to come off if this is not done. I now have a total length of 10 to 13 feet from the fly line to the last fly. An indicator is also a must with this type of set up and different ones can be used. Sometimes I use the styro types with the toothpick peg in various colors. Sometimes I use the thinga-ma-bobbers in various colors. These are easier to move if the water is fluctuating; or I move to a different part of the river and have to change depths which is sort of rare unless the water really drops down. Most of the time I will just change the position of one of the shot by moving it up the leader to accommodate the shallower water. This way the entire leader and tippet sink at a good even rate but hang up less and still indicate a subtle take. Often a take will occur in the first 10 feet of a drift in less than a foot of fast moving water. This is often where a bigger fish will be, waiting on easy food. So it s important to get the flies down rapidly and to do so with a casting mend or in-air mend that allows the flies to lay in a pattern with the flies upstream and the shot and indicator lined up downstream of both of my flies--with about 6 to 12 inches of fly line slightly downstream of my indicator as well. This will give me the best sink rate and also allow the indicator to show me if there is an immediate take. Using this technique I can fish many types and sizes of flies from midges to San Juan Worms. With the upper fly I try to select one that will attract, like Davy's White Tail Midges with either a white or red tail; or I may use a very bright pink midge and then drop from that. It depends on water clarity. Give this technique a try the next time you are fishing out of a boat as you will find it very effective. Drop by the shop in Bull Shoals if you want to see a setup of this rig and if you want give me a shout at and we can spend a morning or day on the water teaching you this technique so that you can go and do it yourself out of your boat. Good Fishing. Jimmy T.

8 Page 8 Ken Minsky s Lake Fishing Report I guess its official now. Dogwoods are blooming and Easter has come and gone, so it s spring time in the Ozarks! Great news for fly rod enthusiasts itching to get out and bend a rod, and especially good for those of us who love fishing the local lakes! Right now and for the next couple of weeks at least, the biggest consideration is water temperature and clarity. Fish of every variety are going to be looking for that perfect place to do their spring time business. Luckily, different species have different preferences so it doesn t all happen at the same exact time and place. Specifically, in the mid lake area near point #24. The main lake temperature is in the low 50s, rising a bit during sunny afternoons and dropping after sunset. The lake elevation is and rising just under a foot a day, which may or may not taper off depending on precipitation and whatever plans SWPA and ACOE have up their sleeves! My guess is it ll come up a bit more, for a while anyway (really narrowing it down huh?). So let s get to the fish. I ll try to be a bit more specific as to locations and species. Yes, the white bass are moving up the creek arms, not in huge numbers yet though. The bigger the better, the warmer the better. I m finding them way up, almost as far as your boat can take you is a good place to start. The creek arms are running a little muddy and getting farther up the creek can sometimes put you in clearer, warmer water. Fields are flooding and the white bass are hanging right at the edge of the grass or brush, in 2 to 4 feet of water. I m also finding they are picky about where they spend their time and are moving as conditions change. The last few days they have been holding in a relatively small area, so keep moving until you find them. Anything white and not too big on a floating or sink tip line should do the trick. The cool thing is you might also be rewarded with one of the striped bass MO stocked two years ago. They are about 16 inches long now, and I ve caught a couple running with the whites. You may also find a largemouth, spotted or smallmouth bass up there too. Walleyes are done spawning and will take a week or two to recuperate before really getting after the feed bag. They ll take their time moving out of the creek arms and start working the secondary banks and points looking for food. I d look for them in the evenings and on overcast days in 5 to 20 feet of water. Sink tips will work until you get to depths of 15 feet, then I d switch to a full sinking line. Clousers are always a great choice in shad or baitfish patterns. Spotted, largemouth and smallmouth bass are coming from lots of different locations. I m connecting with them on soft secondary points, casting to the edge of the brush or parallel to the brush. The water should be 8 to 12 feet deep at the edge of the brush and use a presentation that keeps the bait near the bottom. Bull Shoals has experienced a sharp decline in threadfin shad populations the last couple of years and the fish are really targeting crawfish. Small rusty colored crawfish and larger grey/brown crawfish are what I m finding the spotted bass are feeding on. However, I d put a lot more importance on depth and presentation then I would on color. The backs of small creek arms are also holding fish. Just make sure you have water temps of at least 55 degrees. One bay may have three fingers, all with vastly different water temperature. Pick the warmest one and work the south facing bank from tip to tail! I m getting a crappie here and there while I m pursuing other game fish. I suspect they will start moving and holding in shallower water very soon. I should have more information on them and also an update as to what the bluegills are up to in next month s report. I think the most important thing to keep in mind right now is that the fish are moving to shallower water and taking a look around scoping out areas for things to come. They will also move right back out to deeper water again if the weather, water temp or clarity changes. Start shallow and mover deeper until you connect. Keep moving and trying different locations and depths and you will catch fish! Ken Minsky

9 Page 9 In The Kitchen Cayenne Candied Bacon We have a new feature. The plan is to have a new recipe for you each month. Things will be kept simple and easy but something you might enjoy making for yourself or friends. Each recipe will be tested before publishing. Also, if you have recipe that you think our readers might enjoy, please send it to me at patsmithmh@centurylink.net and we ll see what we can do. Of course, we re going to test your recipe to make sure it s as good as you say it is!! The first recipe is one that was a hit on several different occasions - especially the Sowbug Shindig!! Cayenne-Candied Bacon 2 teasp oons v egetable oi l 1 cup packed light brown sugar ¾ teaspoon cayenne pepper (if you like it not quite as hot, use less pepper) 1 pound thinly sliced bacon Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a broiler pan with aluminum foil, and position broiler rack on top of pan. Lightly coat the rack with the vegetable oil. Combine the brown sugar and cayenne in a shallow dish, stirring to mix well. Press 1 side of each slice of bacon firmly into the spiced sugar to coat well. Arrange the slices of bacon on top of the broiler rack in a single layer, sugared-side up. If there is any sugar remaining in the dish, sprinkle it on top of the bacon slices evenly. Bake until the bacon is crisp and the sugar is bubbly, 15 to 20 minutes. Transfer to paper towels to drain briefly, then to a plate or serving dish to cool. (Can be made several hours ahead) Serve warm or at room temperature. Note: I ve found it really works better and keeps the bacon from curling if you rinse it first under cold water. As an FYI - for the Shindig, I made the bacon candy several days ahead of time and vacuum sealed it to keep it fresh. Just make sure the grease has a chance to drain off and the bacon is cool before sealing. It works best is you do not let the vacuum sealer pull all the air out to keep it from crunching the bacon.

10 Page 10 April Outing to Country Oaks B&B Farm Pond for Bass and Pan Fish April Raffle Sowbug 2015 This month we will return to the Country Oaks B&B in Mountain View to fish their farm bond for largemouth bass and panfish. April is a great time to fish this pond; the bass are shallow and you can see them cruising along the shoreline. Special tackle is not needed; a 6 weight and wooly buggers will usually do the trick. Or whatever bass bugs and streamers that you have. Be sure to dress for the weather and possible muddy ground. In the past some fishermen have used pontoons on the pond. The outing is schedule for Tuesday, April 28. Sign up at the April meeting or contact Tom Emerick for more information: or emerick123@centurytel.net. Hope Sowbug got everyone enthused about tying flies so lots of materials and a few other items for the non-tyers. Premium Items Rainbow Trout Sculpture Or Tier s Light with Magnifier Regular Items Coffee Mug Box of Flies Selection of Hooks Selection of Pearl Chenille Turkey and Pheasant Tail Feathers Selection of furs 2 Books, Flies for Montana Trout (lots of patterns; Universal Fly Tying Guide: by Dick Stewart

11 Page 11 Sowbug Roundup 2015

12 Activities of Interest to NAFF members April Tuesday 14th Sowbug Committee Meeting 1:00-3:00 Baxter County Library Tuesday 21st NAFF Club Meeting 7:00-9:00 Van Matre Senior Center Tuesday 28th Fishing outing to Country Oaks B&B, Mt. View May Saturday 2nd Trout Fest 8:30-4:00 Cotter Spring Creek Park Monday 4th Trout Unlimited 6:00-8:00 El Chico Tuesday 5th NAFF Board Meeting 2:00-4:00 First Security Bank Tuesday 12th Sowbug Committee Meeting 1:00-3:00 Baxter County Library Saturday 16th NAFF Club Picnic Bull Shoals State Park Pavilion 1 North Arkansas Fly Fishers PO Box 1213 Mountain Home, 72653