Well, we made it through October, always the most hectic and overrated month of the year on our tailwater rivers, and now we can look forward to some good fishing in November. Both lakes should be completely destratified (turned over) soon and the crowds should dissipate when hunting seasons get underway. The dissolved oxygen problems we've been experiencing, particularly on the Norfork River, should improve dramatically, and the fishing, which has been mediocre at best, should improve also.
There is a great hatch of tiny pale caddis most days, mostly on the middle and lower White River. These little scoundrels are about size 24, but the trout love them. They should last for a bit yet. The spawning Browns at Rim Shoals and the Norfork are getting thoroughly trampled, as usual. Don't forget that the upper spawning area, below Bull Shoals Dam, will be closed now until February 1. Most popular flies lately have been Glo Bugs, Red Ass Soft Hackles, and Trout Crack, with a lot of Wooly Buggers also in the mix.
A couple of things that folks often comment on this time of year: The lampreys that seem to have appeared out of nowhere actually are carried up from the lower White River on migrating spawning trout. They never seem to stay in the upper White or the Norfork so probably aren't a big worry, although they're ugly as hell. They're tough buggers, too. I've personally stomped hundreds of them, only to watch them swim blithely away. Another odd phenomenon is the apparently aimless jumping by big Brown trout, which definitely gets people's attention. Most likely this is done to rearrange the extra added weight of milt or eggs in their body cavity. For those of you new to the third world, this is called "busting eggs" in hillbilly parlance.
The next few months should give our great rivers a little break, and give the hard core fishermen a little more room. Have fun, and good fishing!
