Per usual, Davis, Stone and I got the itch bad and headed down early. After the slow weekend we had on the Little Red a few weeks back, we were amped to put a few fish in the boat so we decided to fly which would add an extra day and half on the water (4.5 days total!). We boarded our Navajo Cheiftain in St. Louis around 11:30 a.m. The flight was just under an hour so we were able to get a half day in when we arrived.
After a brief in-flight beverage service, the wheels were down and we arrived at Copper John's, just below Bull Shoals Dam on the White River. Jamie and Matt were already at the place with boats in the water and streamer rods rigged. We suited up as quickly as possible and headed for the boats. I pulled the solo straw and would be fishing with Matt for the first half day. Stone and Davis had Jamie "Hey Dude" Rouse in control of their boat.
The game plan, again, was to streamer fish. I love streamer fishing. I would rather catch one good fish on a streamer than 50 average fish on nymphs. That was the plan this weekend. We would switch to nymphing if shad started coming through the dam and fish stopped chasing the big stuff, however, our primary plan of attack was to pound the banks and rip streamers, big ones.
Right out of the gates we started hitting fish. My first cast, in fact, I stuck a decent brown that got off. The second cast I had a good chase but no strike. The third cast we netted an aggressive little rainbow:
Davis and Stone enjoyed early success as well and got on the board with these bad boys:
Fortunately for me, my boy Matteo decided to take me a little further away from the boat traffic. The heavily bearded 25 year old at the helm gambled and showed up his boss on day 1. We netted these two good browns literally on back to back drifts--one 21.5 inch and one 20 inch. Nice call Mr. Millner!!
Our home away from home was The "Lodge" at Copper John's. The place was pretty nice, although slightly small compared to the two story accomodations we had the previous year at Rim Shoals. We had a nice full kitchen, fireplace, sitting area, and three bedrooms--two equipped with queens, and one with a twin and bunk bed.
Ryan, one of the proprieters, kindly offered free firewood, ice, and propane for our grill. Copper John's runs a solid operation and I would recommend it for smaller groups.
Day 2 was still the power trio--Davis, Stone and I. After the previous day's success with the larger browns coming away from the boat traffic, we decided to head down river in the trucks for a full day of streamer fishing several miles down river. We chucked and ducked all day and managed to net several more quality fish. A handful of these suckers were in the 20+ range.
You may notice the point of view cameras ("POVs") in some of the shots. When I figure out how to upload video, I'll post some clips of fish eating and the ridiculous commentary that goes on in the boat. If you're lucky, you'll hear an authentic "hey dude....here's the deal." Fish with Jamie or Matt and you'll understand what I'm talking about.
Each day on the water proved more successful than the last. Many big fish were still to be caught by the group including one 24 inch hog. That's it for now. I need to get everyone else's pictures and start editing some video. There's more to come in Part II. Stay tuned.
Each day on the water proved more successful than the last. Many big fish were still to be caught by the group including one 24 inch hog. That's it for now. I need to get everyone else's pictures and start editing some video. There's more to come in Part II. Stay tuned.
