It’s been a heck of a long time since we had scheduled low water for both the White and Norfork for Sowbug Friday. The tyers and vendors will still be around tomorrow afternoon but you can bet your life there will be a subtle migration towards the tailwaters. Saturday morning can normally be a bit […]

Since Sowbug Roundup kicks off Thursday its a good time to return to this video Davy Wotton and I shot a few years back. We billed it at the time as a Lesson in Wet Fly Techniques but it blew my mind how many awesome tying tips Davy packed into these 23 minutes. You will […]

Windy enough to blow the cream out of your coffee. That’s been the story of this week. Springtime weather has slid on in upper 70s early in the week a slap of cold morning from a front midweek and warming back up tomorrow. And that wind is definitely a spring thing in the Ozarks. But […]

Guide Paul Brown backed up  again on Monday with 3 budding fly fishers and had a hoot. Teaching 3 newcomers at the same time is no joke but the boys father Kevin was impressed by the morning. Hey Steve we had a great time with Paul today. Thanks again and my highest compliment on Paul. […]

It’s officially spring and we have an outlook for the rest of the month and an overview of why the water is so cold right now.

Spring breaks for schools in surrounding State is in full swing and the Vincent boys had an awesome time last week on Dry Run Creek with our guide Paul Brown. If you haven’t heard about Dry Run it is a partially spring fed creek which runs alongside and takes the outflow from the Norfork National […]

Once in a while every so often you hear the story about the guy who actually did get to “be here yesterday” when it all the elements come together. Jason Taylor called SDO Wednesday night saying he was bringing his wife down for a last minute trip and could he get a guide? As it […]

Kicking off a new series of fly fishing videos things to make your fly fishing life easier. Fishing tips and tactics casting fly tying gear and anything else that takes our fancy. You will be able to find it here and across our social media: YouTube Instagram and TikTok. This episode deals with one of […]

The F3T is up and moving with the release of the official 2025 Tailer of films. The 19th Annual Fly Fishing Film Tour (F3T) is scheduled to be back in Big Spring Park Cotter on May 24. We will try and let you know when tickets come available. Enjoy the trailer The highly anticipated 19th […]

Launching March 26 my good mate and colleague Chad Johnson’s Reel Southern Podcast. Never short of a word and most of them worth listening to this should be some awesome entertainment from one of the fishiest and funniest guys on the river. More news to come.

A flurry of activity on the shad kill below Bull Shoals yesterday and Wednesday afternoon. But the warming temperatures have scheduled flows this morning a lot lower and even the highest are short-lived which might slow things down a tad. You shoulda been here yesterday as the cliche goes. Which was the opposite for Marty […]

So one of the questions I seem to get asked about quite a bit these days is the Aussie Murray Cod or Goodoo a freshwater predator which has attained a cult following among fly fishers. There is a nice article this month from South African fly fishing magazine editor Tudor Caradoc-Davies about a trip chasing […]

Trout fishing on Lake Taneycomo has been fairly good this winter. With the extremely cold spells we have experienced the water coming from Table Rock has plummeted to 41 degrees. That is pretty cold even for trout. Fish tend to not feed as much when water temps drop into the low 40’s. Even warm-water species […] The post March 2025 Fishing Report...

From The AGFC last week Earlier this month the Trout Management Program worked with University of Arkansas Pine Bluff personnel to complete the second season of the Bull Shoals Tailwater (White River) Brown Trout Research Project. Project objectives include estimating Brown Trout growth and survival in the upper portion of the fishery (Dam to Buffa...

The big question of course is has spring sprung? Are we going to be getting a cold April slap in the face as winter comes back late which is a truly Arkansas thing to happen. Plenty of people are pondering whether we will see the caddis return earlier this year. Once upon an Ozarks we […]

If you want to get perfect your Euro-Nymphing Skills this isn’t the Sowbug Class for you. Instead this Sowbug Roundup class Steve will be leading on 9.30am Saturday March 28 “A Heathen’s Guide to Euronymphing” looks at how Euronymphing can help your every day nymphing without a bunch of extra equipment. “If you have commitment […]

As fly tyers and fly fishers we are creatures of habit with tendencies to lock in on techniques and flies that serve us well. Sometimes we leave the wrong stuff behind. Like the Lap Dancer. The Lap Dancer was my first commercial streamer with Rainy’s Flies released I think almost a decade ago when the […]

This most be the most appropriate tip for the week. …..it seemed like a good idea to talk about ice and not the stuff in your glass. If you are fishing in these kind of temperatures you will discover the joys of trying to cast with your guides clogging with ice. It seems like a […]

Brr its cold. Even after all these years in Arkansas winters and a much better selection of coldweather clothing my Australian side comes out. Fishing in the cold is a matter of will power and desire to find those winter brown trout But it wasn’t just me in the latter part of this week the […]

Lefty Kreh wasn’t just the greatest fisherman of all time he was a mentor to generations of experts he influenced the course of the sport of fly fishing and most importantly he was a friend to tens of thousands. For many decades he traveled the country dazzling crowds with his casting and stories of faraway […]