Fishing and
Hunting Opportunities for 2010
Instead of an extensive report, I would like to show a
timetable of my favorite fishing and hunting opportunities
for the upcoming months so you will know when to plan the trip
you are looking for. I hope to see you soon.
December and
January: There is solitude on
both rivers and lakes with fish numbers higher than any other
time of the year. Fly and spin fishing opportunities
exist on the river but on the lakes it is mainly plastics,
lures, and bait. Duck hunting is going strong especially in
January for the mallards; Hunt / fish combo packages are very
popular. In December, deer hunting is possible with modern gun,
muzzleloaders and bow with January bringing bow only
opportunities.
February: This is definitely
a highlight of my year, with the opening of the catch and
release area at Bull Shoals Dam, for both fly and spin anglers.
Around the middle of the month, the shad kill will start
happening on the rivers and lakes. On the lakes, the Walleye and
White bass should start their move in middle to late February.
The cold water Crappie and Bass bite are some of the best of the
year. Bow hunting for Deer is open till the end of the month
with hunting pressure the lowest of the year.
March, April
and May: This is the best time of year
for all fish species in both rivers and lakes with the fly or
spinning gear. Mixed bags are common with Stripers, Bass, and
Walleye all hitting the same lures and flies. I am certainly
looking forward to Crappie fishing this year and chasing
Stripers and Bass with the fly rod. The White and Norfork Rivers
are at a peek at this time of the year. It is undoubtedly a
great time for trophy Trout with both fly and spinning gear.
Turkey hunting starts around the 12th of April and hunting /
fishing packages are available. The season is open about a month
and opportunities are limited. This is also when the area starts
to get busy. To avoid the crowds, the serious anglers should try
to book a weekday, and everyone should make their reservations
early.
June: Most lake fish will start
their annual move out to the main lake points and summer holding
spots and once found can be easily caught. The summer Walleye
bite will start to take off with catches of 20 to 40 fish in a
day being the norm. Except for early and late in the day, fly
fishing opportunities on the lakes are disappearing. On the
river, we traditionally get back to some low water periods and
wade fishing is very popular with the fly fishers. Dry fly
fishing should take off about now with more species of Caddis
and Mayfly’s showing up every year as the rivers and lakes
naturally age.
July and August: This is a hot
time of the year, literally, but the fishing can also be very
good on the lakes fishing at night for Large and Smallmouth
Bass. Unfortunately, this style of fishing is not for the light
hearted and you should definitely know the water very well
before attempting this. Some of the year’s best daytime action
for Walleye can be during the dog days of summer this is quickly
becoming my favorite time of the year to catch old marble eyes.
On the White and Norfork Rivers, low water should be setting in
and I find myself fishing more dries than ever. Hopper fishing
in August can be fantastic. It surprises me every year how many
Big Browns are caught in August as they fatten up for the spawn
and winter.
September: Fishing on the White and
Norfork is good at this time of year; with cooler days a welcome
relief. All Trout species are aggressively feeding with the
spawn starting in a few short weeks. Early fall brings back the
mixed bags on the lake with Walleye, Bass and Crappie all coming
together awaiting the fall turnover. From September to November
the Ozarks are busy again with everyone including me wanting
that last day off to enjoy all that the fall season has to offer
before the winter weather sets in.
October and November: With the
cooling water, the lake fish are back on the move and fattening
up for winter. Multiple species are again often caught on the
same fly, lure, or bait. This is the best time of the year to
catch trophy Trout on the fly rod. Sight fishing for these
monsters is exciting to say the least, I urge all serious fly
fisherman to give this time in particular a try.
October 1st brings around bow hunting for deer again as
the year comes full circle, mid October brings a
muzzleloader season and around the first week of November is the
first modern gun season for Ozark Whitetail Deer.
The
high water years, starting in 2007, have had a very positive
effect on both population and size of all fish species in
our rivers and lakes. With the fry of the ‘07 season already
reaching legal size, you can see where the next 4 years are
going to be something special for everyone involved.
