SPRING FORECAST FOR 2010 – BEAVER TAILWATERS
Last year we dealt with lots of high water. Very, very few wading chances made boat fishing a necessity. When we did get wade able water, the weather was usually good at ruining the day. This made fishing very bad, but there is a silver lining to every cloud. In the past few weeks the COE has been able to get the water on Beaver Lake below flood pool and hovering around power pool. This has meant great wade fishing opportunities. The AGFC continued to stock trout during the higher water and all those trout have done is eat. There has not been a lot of fisherman to harass the fish so they are extremely healthy. This lack of pressure has allowed the fish to migrate around the Tailwaters freely. Also, the lack of fisherman has kept them from getting overly spooky.
A lot has changed in the overall layout of the Tailwaters below Beaver. A fall and winters worth of generating water has moved a lot of gravel around. Many of the deeper holes have been somewhat filled in, and the channel is a tad deeper. The winter weather caused a lot of downed trees and branches, so there are a few more hideaways for the trout. The AGFC's habitat improvements from years ago are still doing a great job holding fish. The quick currents over a longer period of time are making the lies in and around the rocks, root wads, and tree a prime lie for many trout. These areas also harbor large numbers of sculpins. With Table Rock varying in depth, the best idea on our Tailwaters is to cover ground. There is very little current so the fish are able to cruise the water a bit more. Don't get locked into one spot and change flies a dozen times. Adjust your depth and location before changing flies.
The AGFC has plans for some more habitat improvement in the near future. They have been upgrading and fixing the existing campgrounds to better suit visitors. They are currently working on the Parker bottoms parking lot and access. The bathrooms at the ramp access as well as the campground access are complete and very welcome. In the future they are looking at putting j-vanes and some structure between Parker and Bertrand as well as more up near the Dam Ramp. Sub-contractors are working on creel surveys currently to see how the trout are fairing after the long term high waters.
Beaver Tailwaters primary hatch is a small black or grey midge. These seem to come off in many different conditions. A WD40, zebra midge, and soft hackle are good to use during these. As with most Tailwaters, Beaver has a great scud and sow bug population. Watch how the trout are acting to tell when they are feeding on these bottom dwelling insects. Sculpins have been coming back pretty heavily this year, so do not discount the olive or black streamer. This is a good fly for prospecting the roaming trout. During normal times your typical nymphs and eggs will work under and indicator or dead drifted.
Zachary Hoyt is a fly fishing guide with Just Fishin' Guide in NW Arkansas. He guides on both warm and coldwater rivers in North Arkansas and South Missouri. He is very passionate about all aspect of fly fishing and tying. Most of the time he can be found rowing his wooden drift boat down one of the numerous Ozark waterways.