So our bipolar spring weather has been keeping us on our toes.  River flows have come up quite a bit from 400 CFS in Wellsville 5 days ago to just over 1000 CFS yesterday.  Flows dropped again today with cooler temps in the high country and the Ark is currently hovering at 870 CFS.  With that drop in flow the river cleared up quite a bit today and fishing was back to normal.  Even with the stained water we had been seeing the last few days fish were still happily feeding.  The Arkansas should be fishing great this week with lower flows and clearer water.

Look for fish holding tight to the banks and sitting on rocky shelves and seams.  Running shallow nymph and hopper dropper rigs have been consistently producing fish.  Fish have still been rising to caddis dries but there hasn’t been a decent hatch for the past week or so.  Streamer fishing has been good recently too but in the hour I was out fishing for fun this morning every boat was hucking meat and fish might be tired of seeing giant streamers.  My hopper dropper rig with a sz.14 Hares Ear and sz.14 Hot Spot Pheasant Tail was producing fish consistently.

We’ll see what next weeks weather has in store for us, river levels and clarity should be stable this next week on the Arkansas and fishing will be solid.  We’ll keep you posted as things change, happy fishing, stay safe out there!!