Reports

December 17, 2008 | FISHING REPORT - LITTLE RED RIVER

Little Red Fishing Report: December 24, '08

Greers Ferry Lake continues "turning over" and our dissolved oxygen problem appears to be a thing of the past. I described "lake turnover" a few weeks ago but it bears repeating. It is normal for lakes to turn over in the winter months. It is a lengthy process often beginning in August or September and ending in December or so. Here is a simplified explanation. Normally, the water temperature in a lake is stratified. That is, the colder, denser water is near the bottom and the warmer, less dense and more richly oxygenated water is near the surface. Like oil and water, the two do not mix. When colder weather chills the lake surface to the temperature of the water at the bottom of the lake, the water mixes and the lake becomes destratified. This misnomer is called "turnover". The mixing of the water increases the dissolved oxygen in the lake from top to bottom.
The Greers Ferry Power House continues with infrequent water releases responding in direct proportion to the demands from the power grids. Water releases a couple of times per week is a good thing. It serves to cleanse the river as it adds cold, richly oxygenated water. Releases have been occurring at 6:00 o'clock AM for about two hours and again at 6:00 o'clock PM for 2-3 hours. I wish they could stay with this protocol year round, but, alas. Our lake is now a smidgen above top power pool and rainy days are in the forecast. Don't be surprised if the Corps of Engineers responds with increased water releases. Also, frigid air, a common phenomenon this time of year and not the name of an appliance, may require more hydroelectic power as people turn up their furnaces, etc. The average water temperature being released is 51 degrees fahrenheit (a degree cooler than last week) with an average dissolved oxygen content of 8.9 parts per million. The preferred state standard is 6.0 ppm. All our numbers are looking good! The stocking of rainbow trout above the Swingin' Bridge has resumed.
There is a television show on the Outdoor Channel called "On The Rise". It stars Mr. Frank Smethurst and is produced by Trout Unlimited. The episodes follow Frank, a primo fly fisherman, to all the famous trout streams in the world. I mention this because they were on the Little Red last Thursday and Friday (and in our shop). My son, Mark, along with famous White River guide, Mr. John Wilson, assisted the film crew and Frank as they navigated their way around the river. Our brown trout spawn was and is still going strong so their visit to our stream was timely. They began fishing at 1:00 o'clock PM on Thursday and by 3:30 PM the three fishermen had landed 150 brown trout. Most of the fish that were caught and released were 20"-24" long. Frank told me that those 150 trout represented more fish caught than the total of all the trout caught on all 25 episodes of "On The Rise" combined. You gotta love the Little Red! By the way, the previous Monday on the White River, Frank and John landed a 35 inch long brown trout. The cameras were rolling when the great fish was spotted, hooked, played, revived and released. We all believe that it was probably the largest brown trout ever landed and filmed. Arkansas trout streams continue to amaze!
Aquatic insect hatches are starting to wane. The caddis fly, pale morning dun and blue winged olive hatches are almost over leaving our incredible midges to dominate the skies over the Little Red. This reduction in hatches is right on time as per previous years. Keep in mind, even though the mayfly hatch is dwindling, if you can make your mayfly dry fly or nymph pattern resemble trout food, the fish will put it in their mouths. Dry flies to try include midge (#22 or smaller in cream or black), adams (#18-#20), crackleback (#14) and bwo (#18-#20). Effective sub-surface flies are sowbug (#14 uv tan, uv lt. gray, peacock, tan or olive), zebra midge (#16-#22 red, copper or black), chronic (#14), red @ss soft hackle (#14-#18), pheasant tail (#16), copper john (#14-#16 red, green or copper), hare's ear (#14-#16), egg pattern (#12-#14 roe, salmon, peach or watermelon) or woolly bugger (#8-#12 olive, brown or black).
This past year has been a blessed one for me and my family. Even though high water through the summer months was tough on the local economy, it makes the recovery that much sweeter. I want to thank all of you for reading my little reports throughout the year and I promise to keep'em comin'. Happy Holidays from me and the Little Red Fly Shop!
If you have questions about anything in this report, please contact me at the Little Red Fly Shop of Heber Springs, Arkansas. My numbers are #888-442-4022 toll free or #501-887-9988. You can send an e-mail to me at shop@littleredflyshop.com. I'm Little Red Jed Hollan, mgr.

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