Sulphur hatch to the max!

Finally got to go fly-fishing last week and had an epic experience on the North Fork of the White River, or "Norfork" to the locals.  Since all of my prior attempts to head north had fallen through, and I missed the caddis hatches of April, I was more than ready for good weather and prolific bugs.  On this trip, I got both! 
The annual Ephemerella (Sulphur) hatch was in full bloom on the Fork and I took advantage of a predictable generation pattern by the USACE and wonderful, albeit, unseasonably warm, weather to rack up forty or so, fat, colored-up rainbows. 
 
Another amazing thing about the trip was the fact that I never pulled the waders out of the Taco bag.  I wet-waded the entire trip, and even though the water was shockingly cold at first, the afternoon sun soon made it a very comfortable place to be.  It was nice for all things to come together for this trip!  Once again the guys at Steve Dally's made my trip a successful one as I scored several nice size 16 Sulphur dries that turned out to be the ticket.
 
The Norfork is a great place for dry-fly afficianados such as myself.  On this trip I didn't tie on an indicator, or a nymph of any kind.  All my fish were caught on dries, and I did not catch a fish that I didn't see before I casted to it.  Dry fly fishing offers a freedom that nymphing cannot.  I am, by no means a master of the drag-free drift, but I am getting better with each trip I take.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Widespread Panic, Stoneflies, Bouncers, and Gurus...

Image
Widespread Panic is one of my favorite bands. Their unique blend of eclectic jam music is contagious. Now that I've moved to the Mississippi Gulf Coast, my tailwater adventures involve a ten hour drive (one-way) which allows plenty of time to scan the iPod.  My musical tastes involve almost every genre of music, so if you are listening to my iPod on shuffle, you never know what you're going to hear next.  For whatever reason, Widespread Panic has become my Spring River "theme music."  On my last trip, after a long dry spell of not being able to fish, I was in "Panic mode."  As usual, the USACE was running water on the Norfork, White, and Little Red so those options were off the table.  I managed to score a couple nights with a good buddy of mine at his cabin in Mammoth Spring which is always a good time.  My friend, whom I'll call "The Bouncer" for reasons I won't discuss in this posting, is always a breath of fresh air.  His wife is cool,
Read more

I Love It When A Plan Comes Together...

Image
Once in a while, the planets, The Army Corps of Engineers, and the Weather Man get together and allow a fishing trip to be successful.  If there is one thing I have learned from years of planning fishing trips: the more you plan, tweak your plan, and anticipate every aspect of your plan, the faster you set yourself up for disappointment.  This trip, however, was a spur-of-the-moment affair.  Randy, my friend from Wisconsin, was traveling south to visit relatives in Texas, and asked if I'd like to meet in Arkansas for a couple days fishing.  Of course, I was more than happy to accommodate him as my teaching semester had just ended.  What transpired, was an epic two-day trip where we caught more big browns and rainbows than you would believe.  Randy is a fantastic fly-fisherman and guides in the UP.  We met three years ago at Montana State University in Bozeman.  We were there to defend our Master's theses.  By coincidence, he attended my defense where it was mentioned in my in
Read more

Thank God For The Spring!

Image
Thanks to the Spring River Fly Shop in Mammoth Springs, Arkansas for giving me the sticker you see above. You guys are great! This bumper sticker was inspiration for this post. For those of you novice tribesmen unfamiliar with tailwater protocol, when the powerhouse starts releasing water from the dam, they blow a siren to alert the poor, hapless wade tribesmen below to make a quick exit or risk being washed down the river... Frustration Central: The Flash Mart in Marion, Arkansas A typical tribesman trek from Gulfport, Mississippi to Arkansas involves precise planning. I will check the SWPA (Southwest Power Association) website several times during the week to get a feel for what they are doing with the water. I also subscribe to Scott Branyon's Ozark Fly Flinger website.http://www.flyflinger.com/. Scott is one of the most knowledgeable people around regarding the upper White River system and even gives video river reports and predictions for the upcoming week on his s
Read more