The Little Red Fly Shop is conducting a beginners fly tying class on Saturday, the 27th of June at the shop. The class begins at 8 a.m. and ends about 4 p.m. The shop will provide the tools and materials for use during the class. You will learn to tie several flies including the San Juan worm, sowbug, woolly bugger, etc. all useful in the trout waters of Arkansas. Most of the flies you will tie are also effective when fishing for bream and bass. The "soft-spoken, ever-patient" Donnie Hyslip is the instructor. He creates a relaxed and fun atmosphere. This will be your last reminder before the class this Saturday. Please call to reserve your spot. Thanks.
Water releases at Greers Ferry have been friendlier to the angler since the last of May. Morning water releases at 8 a.m. during the week and 11 a.m. over the weekends have brought many anglers back to our world-class trophy trout stream. On weekends, since the first of June, wade fishing has been possible at JFK Park from 5:30 am until the horn blows at 11 a.m. Wading at Cow Shoal has been possible from dawn until about 12:30 pm, until around 2 p.m. at Winkley Shoal (Swingin' Bridge) and until about 3:30 or so at Libby Shoal. Even with 8 a.m. water releases on weekdays, you can wade fish at Winkley from dawn until 11:30 am or so and until around 1 p.m. at Libby Shoal.
When our lake level is higher than the preferred maximum of 461.44 feet above mean sea level (called top power pool), the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is responsible for the water releases. When our lake level is below top power pool, water releases are controlled by Southwestern Power Administration (SWPA) in Tulsa, Oklahoma. What is happening now is that the Corps has instructed SWPA to release water from Greers Ferry Lake at the rate of 3,000 day-second-feet of water per 24-hour day. A day-second-foot (DSF) of water is one cubic foot of water per second over a 24-hour period. This is the equivalent of one generator operating for 24 consecutive hours or 2 generators in operation for 12 straight hours. They are choosing the latter. Since many businesses close on the weekends and holidays and since a lot of people don't get up early and go to work then as well, the demand for early morning hydroelectric power on these days is reduced. SWPA has decided to reflect this reduction in demand by beginning their releases later in the morning. This is, by my definition, tourism-friendly water releases and can mean millions of dollars for Arkansas tourism if it becomes a standard protocol.
Several customers came in the shop last weekend to report that the rocks in our river inside JFK Park nearest the dam were so slippery that several anglers had taken unscheduled swims. Fortunately, no one was seriously injured. This can't be said for the 79-year-old gentleman that drowned recently in the Norfork River when he slipped and fell into the icy water. Wading safety is important and here are a few wading guidelines to ponder. Always try to maintain at least two points of contact with the streambed at all times. A wading staff helps with that. If you need to turn around, turn downstream. Turning upstream can throw you off balance. Don't step on the top of large rocks. Keep your feet on the bottom between the large rocks. Don't get your boot wedged between the rocks. Avoid rocks with a smooth, flat surface that have a 45-degree angle from the top to the bottom. You are sure to slide down to the deeper or faster water. Always be aware of rising water when fishing tail waters like the Little Red River. Keep your eye on a fixed object (not a floating one) to warn you of rising water. If you fall into the river in a spot that causes you to be swept downstream, don't try to swim. Position your feet downstream and float on your back. Work your way to the side or shallower water or to slower water and don't panic! Never cast or wave your rod around during a lightning event. Graphite rods are great conductors of electricity. Don't cast and move at the same time. Have a quick escape route if things get rough. Always wade with your wader belt cinched tight! You are wearing a wading belt, aren't you?
Bugs that trout like to eat continue to hatch most every day along our beautiful cold-water fishery. They include midge, bwo, caddis, march brown, sulphur and hexes. The best dries to try include sulphur (#18-#20), midge (#22-#32 cream), para adams (#18), march brown (#14), blue winged olive (#18-#20) and elk hair caddis (#16-#20 tan or black). Sub-surface offerings should include sowbug (#14-#16 tan, smokey olive, uv tan or uv light gray), zebra midge (#16-#22 red, copper or black), San Juan worm (#14 red, worm brown or fluorescent cerise), copper john (#14-#16 green, copper or red), red or green @ss soft hackle (#14-#18) or woolly bugger (#8-#12 olive, brown or black).
If you have questions about anything in this report, direct them to 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 from our web site at www.littleredflyshop.com. I'm Little Red Jed Hollan, mgr.
Heber Springs, Ark. —
