David's Blog

The New Year is here and January is almost gone! I am looking forward to getting back out on Arkansas White river with my clients and chasing the trout. After almost 34 years of guiding on White River, I always feel the same about getting back at it this time of year. I have had my fill of deer hunting and computer work and am ready to get back to the river and also to seeing my customers enjoyment of their time spent trout fishing. Am also ready to get the video camera out and start recording some of the special memories I am able to to see happen while guiding.

Last year in 2011 I was finally able to go to Alaska and fulfill a life long dream of mine to go to there and spend time guiding fisherman in search of wild Alaska Salmon and wild Rainbow trout. Wow what a place, it was everything I had dreamed about and more. For a fisherman, any fisherman, if you can go to a place and catch fish on a fly rod that will average from 5 to 10 pounds and in numbers that are hard to keep up with in a single days time you have arrived!

There is just not enough space on this Blog to tell you just how much I enjoyed the fishing and the interaction I had with the folks that I guided while in Alaska, as well as the awe that Alaska's scenery inspired in me! Every outdoorsman owes it to himself to go there at least once in his life, do not wait for the bucket list..do it while you can, that is my advise.

My guiding season will be going full speed ahead starting February, 1st. I hope to be adding more to this Blog every day with comments, pictures and also video to my website telling the story of the fun times we have on White river in 2012. Looking forward to Blogging to the world about the wonderful place that I get to call my office most each and every day! DC

January, 20th 2012

January, 25th 2012

What a beautiful afternoon it was yesterday on White River! My oldest son and I fly fished with a good friend of ours and enjoyed plenty of action drifting egg pattern fly's under an indicator. This was CJ's first time fly fishing, he caught on fast and was soon casting from the boat..his first fish was a 15 inch brown of which he was quite pleased. After a couple of hours fishing, CJ had boated several fish and was really enjoying the fly fishing. Here is a picture of a chunky rainbow he caught towards the end of the afternoon.

I am glad we decided to fish yesterday as the weather today would have dampened even the most enthusiastic fisherman's desire to be on the river!

Looking forward to February 1st and fishing the Catch and Release area below the Bull Shoals Dam on the opening day!

February, 3rd. 2011

After fishing the Catch & Release Area just below the Bull Shoals Dam on Feb. 1st and 2nd I was sad to have today off but an unexpected cancellation has me doing website work today!

The fishing on Feb. 1st which was the opening day for the C & R Area and on Feb. 2nd was great to say the least. There were some shad coming through the dam from time to time and we did catch some good fish on white worms, however, the best bite was while drifting an egg pattern fly on the flows the dam released for us!

We boated between 20 to 25 brown trout in the 18 to 20 inch range on Feb.1st with the largest measuring 22 inches. Feb 2nd. fishing was about the same but it slowed for us in the afternoon just before we called it a day.

I will be back out tomorrow on Feb 4th as we have 5 boats hitting the river in the morning. Looks like we may be having a little later start do to some thunder storms that are to move through our area in the morning. I have posted a short video from Feb. 1st on the home page of this website. Follow the link below, I hope you enjoy the video!

February 15th, 2012

We have had several trips on the water since my last update on Feb. 3rd. The fishing has been good with an increase in the amount of shad making it through the Bull Shoals Dam when the higher flows are being released.

Feb. 4th We had several boats and customers on the water, the bite was the best for us when the water was peaked out for the day. After the water started dropping and fell about two feet the fishing action tended to slow down somewhat.

February, 5th We had a Cast & Blast trip with some long time customers and friends of mine. Lots of fish caught in the morning and several quail and a couple of pheasants bagged that afternoon with Ozark Mountain Bird Hunts. You can find the video of the Cast & Blast trip on the Home Page or click this link button.

February, 11th Very cold start to the day this morning at 15 degrees! Shad were flowing through the Bull Shoals Dam good but the bite was a little short. That will change as the trout get used to having an open all you can eat buffet line for a couple of weeks. We caught several rainbows on the white worm and the browns were biting river shiners when we dropped out of the Catch & Release Area and switched to live bait.

February, 12th Another very cold morning, we did not go to the river today until the afternoon, Carl Jones who is a fellow river guide and long time friend called me to say the shad were pouring through the Bull Shoals Dam into the White river My son CJ and I had to check it out. Carl had also told me they just caught a 30" 12 pound Brown trout. They snapped a picture of this great fish and turned it back into the river. We posted a "Shad Kill" video to our home page check it out at the following link.

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January, 2012 Posts