Fly Fishing Streamers on the White River – Dog Days of Summer

Summer August 2014 – On the risen water

It’s not everyday that you catch two browns back to back. Not only that, but to sit back and have each angler have a turn, is equally rewarding. We all do the rotating game when we are fishing with our buddies, in the case it was my buddy Kyran and my better half Lisa. Needless to say, I was running the motor and Lisa was ready for her day at the front of the boat. I’m always changing up my strategy when it comes to figuring out how these trout operate during rising water. Everyone was waiting for the Hopper bite to pick up so we decided to try something a little different. Today my plan was to wait for the rise and get in front of the surge before it pushed the debris down river and give the fish a chance to see our fly in clean water.

We were staying at Copper John’s Resort and had a cabin overlooking the White. It was a relaxing day, just enjoying good company and a little bit of fishing time. Since Lisa and I don’t get to fish much, she was eager to get out on the water. I understood completely, but since I was spending some time down there guiding, I figured out a plan to keep ahead of the surge. They had been on the same generation schedule, so I was getting used to it. These browns like certain holes and shift from bank to bank depending on what the water is doing. We all know the goal in the rise is to stay in the clean water so not to lose the fly in the cloudy water. We want to give the fish a chance to see it, but more importantly, this is where they start looking for big meals and creates the frenzy you need to get the fish to jump.

The week prior I fished this particular stretch of water and did very well. That’s where we went to first and all the dots had to line up to get these fish to shift in there to feed. Structure is key and this area we were fishing, had just that. Lisa was up first on the front of the boat. We started a little upstream so we could dial in the cast and get everything right for this one spot. Then it happened, she made that cast and hooked up immediately. Once we landed it, Kyran was next on deck. We went back up and did the same exact thing hoping we had one more shot before the water got too dirty and Kyran hooked up in the same exact spot. These are moments that you really appreciate because they don’t happen everyday. Two back to back browns caught within fifteen minutes of each other and they each had a turn.

We looked at each other and said, ” I guess our day is done”. With the afternoon sun beating down and plenty to talk about back at the cabin, we called it a day. We headed back to the resort, threw some thick cut ribeyes on the grill, and enjoyed the rest of our day.

If you would like to know more about fishing on the White River throwing articulated streamers in Arkansas and how they work well during certain times of the year you can send me a email directly to [email protected] if you are interested in booking a guide trip. Feel free to visit us on Facebook, If you really liked this article, +1 above – check us out at +flysandguides (Google+) or send us a tweet with a question or just to say hi. Check out the Fly of the Month!