Brock and I took advantage of the low water below Bull Shoals Dam this weekend, and had a blast breaking in some new switch rods! It was cold and wet on Sunday, but the feisty rainbows and fat browns that smashed our streamers as they swung across the current kept us out past dark!

Michael

Justin and crew got in some dynamite night fishing on the White last weekend! They fished all the way through day break and into the next day--now that is a good kind of tired!

With all of the low water recently below Bull Shoals Dam, there have been lots of wade-fishing opportunities. Watch the graphs, and if you see a six- to eight-hour-plus window of no generation, head to the river! With that amount of time, you can river hop and stay with the low water all day!

We camped/fished an Ozark creek over the weekend and had a ball—beautiful fall foliage, remote country, cool temps, and warm whiskey. It was a bear getting in there—the last 18 miles to the campsite (which is still officially closed) was a winding 45-minute drive over mountain gravel roads, and that made the whole experience even sweeter.

We got a handful of brownies to bite olive Crazy Dads, but the highlight was undoubtedly this 17+" bruiser, who bit on the final cast of the trip. Danny was so eager to release the fish that he tripped and took a swim while trying to revive him!

David S.

Thanks for the report, David, sounds like an awesome trip! Congrats to Danny on an awesome smallmouth—well worth the swim after!

Often overlooked, Fall smallmouth fishing can be very good, and you usually have the water to yourself!

We have had The Tick in the fly bin for a while, and yesterday it proved itself on the White, pulling several 20"+ browns.

Evidence...



Also, the Corps of Engineers is projecting Bull Shoals to be in power pool by September 26 (always subject to change). This means possible low water opportunities in the very near future, and plenty of BIG, well fed trout that haven't been targeted in low water for months. Stay tuned for more info, or just swing by the shop for the latest word on the fishing!

Thanks for listening,

Brock

The Mcflyshop fishing reports are starting to look like an all star page for our hopper eating White River browns, but who doesn't love watching these big water beasts rise to a big foam bug?











Brock

Hoppers, hoppers, hoppers... the big browns below Bull Shoals can't seem to get enough of them, and neither can we! Higher flows are still on the menu for the foreseeable future, but that isn't keeping the fish from looking up for an easy meal! I'll stop rambling and let the pictures speak for themselves, but if you have any questions about this spectacular dry fly fishing, swing by the shop and we will be happy to provide an answer!

Went out Friday and Saturday on an Ozark stream, and the bass provided some great top-water action on foam flies and poppers!

Josh S.



With the recent rains providing a much needed bump in water levels, the warm-water fishing has been very good lately. Thanks for the report, Josh, and congrats on some great top-water action!

Fished Sunday with friend and guide Forrest Smith, and good friend John Bass on the White below Bull Shoals. The dry fly fishing has been excellent in the high water, bringing some big browns out to play.









Although the White below Bull Shoals has had full generation around the clock, Norfork Tailwater has had significant low water windows in the morning and fishing has been hot!

Also, don't forget about Taneycomo, which has had low water nearly all day. We have had several reports of great dry fly fishing there as well.

Beaver has finally reached good wading levels and folks are catching plenty of fish on various midges and attractor nymphs under an indicator.

The trout fishing has been spectacular all summer, and it is setting up to be an awesome fall season with more low water available in the future, so stay tuned!

Brock

I woke up early Sunday morning, in hopes of catching some low water on the White below Bull Shoals. Over the past week, the dam has been shut off from around midnight until 9 or 10 a.m. This allows for some excellent wade fishing below the dam at first light, and when they turn on, you can hop downstream to Wildcat Shoals, Rim Shoals, Roundhouse Shoals, etc, staying ahead of the high water and continue wade fishing all day.

The fishing was excellent on various midges, scuds and sow bugs, especially some great dry fly midge fishing! There are LOTS of trophy fish to be caught, as the high water has been like an all-you-can-eat buffet for these trout.

There is no telling how long this low water window will last, so get out there while you can. Also, keep an eye on Norfork. Although I did not make it over there, many great reports are coming in from the early morning wade fishermen.

Brock

My dad and I floated Crooked Creek above Kelley's slab on Friday and had a very nice day. Fishing was a little slow - maybe due in part to a front that was moving through most of the day - but just consistent enough to keep us focused. We took a few brownies on top water but did most of our damage with Crazy-dads and Clousers fished on a sink tip. Managed to land this 16+" bruiser on a tan and white Clouser. All in all it was a great day on the water. There's something about floating an Ozark stream that makes even a slower fishing day oh so enjoyable!

David Schieffler