Hunting or Fishing

December 19, 2023

The Arkansas River – The Tailwater (The Tire Hole to the Diver Hole & the Osprey Run to the Valco Ponds Run.)

Flows:  90 cfs.

Moon Phase:  Waxing Gibbous (58% illumination).

Water Temp: 45F @ 9a.

Water clarity: Clear to about 3’.   

Air Temp: Mid-40sF @ 8:30a – 60F @ 3:30p.

Hatches: Midge: 9:30a – 3p. Small size 24 in the AM and larger olive size 20 in the early afternoon. BWO: Sparse, seen a few 11a – 1:30p. Size 24/22.

Spawning: Redds seen but no spawning activity observed.

Flies: #16 Red Copper John, #16 Guide’s Choice Hare’s Ear, #22 Flashback Black Beauty, #22 Disco Midge, #18 Pheasant Tail, #22 Sparkle Dun, #22 Cripple, #22 Mercury Baetis, #24 & #22 Top Secret Midge, #22 Black Rojo Midge, #24 Green Tube Midge, #20 Black Bubble-back Zebra Midge.

Top producers:  Pheasant Tail, Rojo Midge, Mercury Baetis, Green Tube Midge, Black Bubble-back Zebra Midge, #22 Top Secret Midge.

Were we hunting?  Or fishing?

We were doing a little of both – actually.

We weren’t hunting with any firearms, but with our fishing rods.

It was one of those days where we had to find the fish.  Hunt for them.

A weir just above the Osprey Run.

There are different tactics used when you hunt for fish – and a lot depends on the conditions.  On this day I tried all the different ones that I know of.

Sight fishing of course.  That’s the preferred method and the one with the highest probability of success.  When you can see the fish you can observe what they’re doing, then dial in the depth and change out flies as needed, until you get the fish to take.  That is as long as you don’t spook the fish first. Or if you see the fish rising you can cast your dry flies to them.

Experience is key too. Knowing the river-bottom structure and where you landed fish before. This is my second preferred method.  These spots are in likely holding areas and the fish seem to be in particular ones more than others.  I usually fish these spots until they stop producing.  Fish are really finicky and I seem to find them in certain places – and then for some unknown reason they vacate the space only to turn back up there at a later time.

And when all else fails you’re left covering unfamiliar holding areas such as drop offs, troughs, pocket water, riffles, pools, and tailouts.  When you’re left doing this the good thing is that you often find new places where the fish congregate. But this tactic requires a lot of time and patience.  In the riffles and troughs you have to cover them methodically going across the river.  In the pools you have do the same, and also adjust depth then cover it again. And if you don’t get any action, you’re left wondering “do I have the right fly tied on – or is there just no fish in this particular spot”?   

Adding to the challenge when fishing in the winter season – which we are now in – the fish’s metabolism is much lower. They don’t move as much while trying to conserve energy and a lot of times you have to get your fly right on their noses in order for them to take. It’s much more challenging when you can’t see them and are just covering the water.

Brian got this 18" rainbow in the Tire Hole.

Brian Kenney.

On this particular day it was difficult to sight fish.  The water is still a bit cloudy from the reservoir turn-over that happened during November and we had to deal with low light.  When the light was right you could see in the water but not that far out in front of you. The few occasions when I was able to see fish – I was almost right on top of them.

We wanted to start in the Tire Hole.  A place where we’ve had a lot of fun, sometimes hooking up and landing fish over twenty inches, and pretty regularly getting 18” to 20” trout.  It’s not a really deep hole and the run consist of some ankle-to-knee deep riffles, a pool and a tailout which leads to yet another pool.  The water keeps getting slower as it flows downstream.

It was open when we got there and our expectations were high.  But after covering it several times without even a bump, my enthusiasm began to wane. After a while, I mentioned to Brian that we were going have to cover a lot of water to find the fish. Finally I decided to move on, leaving it to Brian.  He had the whole run to himself.

I began to move downstream and covered all the likely spots.  Brian and I both have fished here so many times that we know spots that usually hold fish. Usually being the key word here.  I’ve found that when it comes to fishing – any kind of fishing – it’s best to use generalities.  As soon as you state something as certain, the fish will prove you wrong!

Another look at the weir above the Osprey Run. It looks fishy - but it's hard spot to get your flies into position.

The place was pretty crowded and some of the spots were taken as I moved downstream.  It was tight and I found myself covering some spots that were not my go to spots, but still looked fishy.  And some of them had produced a fish here and there in the past. 

There was a constant wind blowing from the start with occasional gusts making the water choppy. Even though it made sight fishing even harder, you can use this to your advantage because the fish can’t see you as easily either.

With the wind we didn’t see a bunch of midges in the air but we did see a few and knew they were hatching.  In the morning they were the smaller variety – looked to be in the size 24 to 22 range.

I was in the Flag Hole when Brian came down to meet me. It was then about 11a and I still hadn’t had even a bump.  No action at all.  I asked how he made out in the Tire Hole and he had netted an 18” rainbow in the top pool and a 12” one at the tailout.  He got the 18 incher on a #24 Green Tube Midge which imitates a midge larva. A small one at that.  The 15 incher he got on a #22 Top Secret.

Another one of Brian's rainbows. This one starting get some nice coloration.

Brian Kenney.

Well, at least one of us was having some action.

We decided to head down to the Diver Hole. Our plan was to give it a shot, then get in the car and head upstream to the Valco Ponds Run and fish the upper part of the river in the afternoon.  That was unless the Diver Hole was producing.  This is one of the places where at times there’s been a bunch of fish in it and other times the place is deserted – of fish that is.

As we walked that way I was thinking I wanted to start at the very top of the #1 Plunge Pool.  There is a trough along the south bank – river right – much like the trough in Tom’s Run that I fished last week, and I’ve got some fish out of it before.  Even though I’ve seen a few others fish it, it’s often overlooked by most fishermen.

When we walked up that trough was open, but there was a guy in the #2 Plunge Pool and another in the Diver Hole.  I headed to the trough and Brian was able to get into the run between the #2 Plunge Pool and the Diver Hole.  It’s a nice run and we’ve had great success in it at times in the past.

I was getting rainbows between 6" and 10".

As I worked my way down the run the wind took one of my casts and my flies ended up in one of the trees overhanging the run.  They were stuck on a branch and my only choice was to break them off - losing all my flies.  I decided to change up my flies on the retie – choosing a #16 Guide’s Choice Hare’s Ear as my lead fly and followed it with a #16 Pheasant Tail and a #22 Mercury Baetis.

Now all set, I headed to the top of the trough.  I wanted to get my flies as close the bank as possible.  It was risky with another overhanging tree and a log lining that side of the trough. But if there were fish in it, that’s where I thought they’d be.

On one of my casts, I got my flies into perfect position, saying to myself “that’s where I want to be” and as they drifted under the overhanging tree they paused. I set and BANG! Fish on baby!

Another nice rainbow in Brian's net.

Brian Kenney.

This fish had some size to it – I could feel his weight.  And he was a fighter.  I had him the trough for a bit then he got into the fast water and took me into the #1 Plunge Pool.  I thought I’d lose him when he went over the boulders and into the pool.  I had him in a good position, right across from me and I could see him.  A nice rainbow that looked to be in the 20 inch range.

I continued to struggle with him and felt a quick pop-pop. When you feel that it usually indicates that the fish had taken one of your top flies and was able to spit it only to get foul hooked by one of your trailing flies. Right after that Brian came up and offered to help net him.  But the fish was now pretty far downstream from me and below Brian. It was getting close to spilling into the #2 Plunge Pool and it was now most likely foul hooked. 

I tried to bring him back upstream and he broke off.  Dam it.

Brian covering the Diver Hole.

I continued to fish the trough and quickly landed three small rainbows – 6” to 8”.  They were taking the Pheasant Tail.

By now the other two fishermen had left and Brian and I covered the Plunge Pools and the runs between them and the Diver Hole, and the Diver Hole itself.  No runs, no hits, no fish.

We both took turns eating our lunch as the other fished and when finished, we drove up to the Valco Ponds parking.  We planned to start at the Valco Ponds Run and then either move upstream or down. This is another run where we’ve found lots of nice browns and rainbows in the past. 

As we walked up on the run we found two guys fishing the top of it.  I asked the guy furthest downstream if he minded me fishing below the log – which was downstream of him.  He obliged.

Another little guy.

I cautiously walked up to the bank. There have been lots of times when I’ve found fish just off the bank feeding below the log and I quickly saw two nice rainbows. Yes. They definitely had my attention.

The wind was blowing left to right and in order to get the proper drift, I had to cast to my left into the wind.  And I got a little sloppy.  On my first cast the wind blew my flies and indicator back towards me and too close the fish. The splash spooked them and they moved out into the pool, only to quickly came back.  As I continued to cast into the wind – it knocked my flies and indicator down, slapping them hard on the surface. This further spooked them.

Fish spooked and gone.  And an opportunity missed.

We covered the run and eventually made our way up to the Osprey Run.  Walking directly to it along the road instead of by the river.  It was quicker that way.  When we got there we found a guy fishing the bottom of it.  Standing on the bank above the river, we didn’t see any fish in the upper or middle part of the run.  But we couldn’t see into the middle, or the other side of the river, and decided to give it a shot.

#2 Plunge Pool bottom left, #1 Plunge Pool in the middle, and the trough along the tree line above the #1 Plunge Pool.

It was no use.  Brian gave up on it first and began to make his way downstream to the Hatchery Hole, one of his favorite holes on the river.  I told him I’d be right behind him, then got interested in some fishy water just upstream where there is a weir and a deep pool below it.

This ended up being a very difficult place to wade fish. There was a nice seam of highly oxygenated water in the middle of it – but the pool dropped off very quickly. I couldn’t wade into the water far enough to get into position.  And with eddies on both sides of the pool I just couldn’t get a good drift – even into the tailout.  After giving it a college try, I headed downstream.

When I got to the Cliffs Run I could see Brian fishing just upstream of the Hatchery Hole and three guys fishing in it.  The Cliffs Run is made up of riffles with small pockets scattered about and some nice troughs that are about calf to knee deep.  In the past, Brian has had more success in this run than me, but I have caught a few in it and like to fish it.

I couldn’t see into the water and had to cover it methodically.  First with short casts, then incrementally longer ones until I was a little past mid-river.  Then moving downstream a bit and doing it again.  This took some time and I landed a few little rainbows.  They hit the #22 Mercury Baetis.

Below the log in the Valco Ponds Run.

By now the guys in the Hatchery Hole had left and Brian was now fishing it.  But rather than head down to join him, I stayed in the Cliffs Run. If I had a choice between fishing a pool – which the Hatcher Hole is - or fast water like the Cliffs Run, I’d take fast water every time.

As we were walking out of the Valco Ponds run earlier, we saw small clouds of flies thinking they were BWOs. The way they were dancing around, I thought they resembled Tricos.  It was too late in the year for them, but you never know.  And there were now small clouds of them above the bushes that line this run.

Wanting to definitively ID them, I grabbed my aquarium net and snagged a couple of them out of the air.  They were midges.  The ones I call “fuzzy midges”.  They have fuzzy antennae sticking out in front of their heads and I see a lot of them along this river.  They were about a size 20 and olive in color.

And yet another little guy!

The Rojo Midge is a fly pattern that Greg Garcia developed.  It’s tied in red or black with white McFlylon or something similar protruding out of the front of the fly’s head. I think Mr. Garcia developed this fly to specifically to imitate the type of midge that was now hatching.

I tied one on in black. A size 22.

Then I quickly landed a couple more rainbows on it.  They too were the small ones.  The bigger of the bunch was approaching 10” and put up a nice fight – for a small rainbow that is.  I wasn’t real thrilled about the size of them, but it was action and I was interested to see what they were taking – happy to see it was the Rojo.

I was still covering the water as I explained earlier but going a little closer toward the far bank. There was something there that caught my eye – a fishy looking section and I casted to it. I had quite a bit of line out and as my indicator drifted in the current it suddenly paused – I had a hit. 

I set the hook and the water exploded.

Jeez – it was about time I had a decent size fish hooked up. It was a beauty – a big and brightly colored rainbow.  He came out of the water violently shaking his head.  Splashing back into the water only to jump out again. 

This time he spit my fly.

You have got to be kidding me!

After a bit I walked down to join Brian.  He had got a few more rainbows in the 12” to 13” range on a #20 Black Bubble-back Zebra midge.

We hunted for the fish.  And found some.

For me it was too many opportunities missed and I’m anxious to get back out and hunt for more.