On the White River.

Dr. Keith Campbell

The White River can be a big brawling mass of speeding water or a gentle flow. It can be stingy with its treasures, or it can be kind to us fly fishers. It is my river, my home water, and regardless of its moods, I find it to be a magical place. I am Keith Campbell, and I will be providing reports on what is happening here, as well as commentary on important fly-fishing issues. It is an honor to work with Gary and be a part of this website.

In this first post, I want to provide some background on the White for those who have not been here. The White River is a “tailwater,” which means a river formed by the release of water from a dam. The dam is named Bull Shoals Dam, and the water released from the dam comes from the bottom of this deep lake. That water is cold, around 58 degrees, and it creates perfect conditions for trout habitat. Before the dam was built in 1951, the White River was a nationally recognized smallmouth bass river, and well before that, it was home to the Osage, Cherokee, Delaware, and Shawnee Indians.

Since the river is dependent on water released from the dam, someone has to be in control of that release, and their interests influence the flow that then influences our fly fishing. The Dam is owned by the U.S. through the Corp of Engineers, and the water is regulated by Southwestern Power Administration, which is an agency within the U.S. Department of Energy. The primary purpose of the dam is to prevent flooding downstream (there used to be severe flooding prior to the existence of the dam). The secondary purpose of the dam is to produce hydroelectricity for heating and cooling of Tulsa, Oklahoma, and other locations. Unfortunately, we fly fishers are not on the list when it comes to prioritizing the preferred water flow. We fly fishers adapt to big water and love the low water conditions when they are here.

We had a lot of low water (“minimum flow” – a minimum allowable release from the dam) a month or so ago. This low water is wonderful for wade fishing, but the boat fishers prefer more flow. In the last week, the water has been primarily low, with occasional several hours of stronger releases. The Southwestern Power Administration shares expected water releases on their website (https://www.energy.gov/swpa/tue.htm), and this is very helpful to us fly fishers. This site also lists expected water flow for the nearby Norfork River.

Fishing on the White is normally good, for there are few truly unproductive days. Because using a strike indicator (bobber) to dead drift a couple weighted nymphs gets our flies down to the bottom where the fish spend most of their time, use of a strike indicator is how to catch the most fish here. Right now, the productive nymphs are a white tailed nymph and a Sunday Special. The caddis hatch is starting, and these nymphs are traditionally good for that hatch.

I am a big fan of streamer, soft hackle, and dry fly fishing. The caddis have not come to the surface for dry fly fishing yet, but we are doing well fishing small (size 10) woolly bugger variants with mainly olive bodies and tails. Dark-bodied soft hackle flies (size 16 and 18) are also doing well. When water flow is low, floating lines work well, but in faster, deeper water, sink-tip lines help get the flies down where the fish are.

Come on over to the White! We have a special place with down-home southern hospitality.

I’ll be back soon with more commentary about the White.

Happy fishing! - Keith