BERRY BROTHERS GUIDE SERVICE
Fly Fishing For Trout

Thinking Outside the Box  By John Berry

Last week Chuck Kirk, an old fishing buddy of mine, stopped by Cotter for an all too brief visit during a cross country trip. He was driving from California to New Hampshire and his route brought him within a few miles of my house so he veered off and dropped in. We spent the first night drinking good single malt scotch and talking about past fishing expeditions to Montana, New Mexico, Colorado, and Florida and of course Arkansas. Early the next morning we woke up Lori, ate breakfast and headed for the river. We made a stop at a fly shop along the way to buy Chuck a pair of wading boots and a hat. I loaned him everything else he needed but his feet and his head were too large to fit mine.

When we arrived at the access, the conditions were perfect. The water level was down and the temperatures were in the mid eighties with a cloudless sky. I gave Chuck a few flies that had been working lately and we waded down to one of my favorite spots. He started fishing immediately using my four weight Sage Light Line (my favorite rod) that was still rigged with a zebra midge from my last trip.
He decided to give the zebra midge a shot. He made a nice cast and began catching fish immediately. He did well all day.

I was struggling a bit further down stream. I tried a zebra midge but it wasn’t working for me. I finally landed a trout on a scud and pumped his stomach. It was full of caddis larvae. I looked in my various fly boxes and pulled out a fluttering caddis. I caught a fish but the going was slow. I pumped that fish and
really studied the caddis. They were much leaner than the fluttering caddis. The closest thing I had was a wet fly, the green butt. I decided to give it a try but rigged it up as a nymph. It began producing immediately. Lori had also been struggling. I got on the walkie talkie and told her about my discovery. She quickly rigged a green butt as a nymph and began catching fish.

The first fish I caught was a fat seventeen inch rainbow. I was fishing my old, beloved Winston four weight (the second rod I ever bought over twenty-five years ago). This is a very light and soft first generation graphite rod. It was barely up to the task. The rod was bent double and I had difficulty handling the fish in the heavy water. Luckily I had a large net and was finally able to land the bow. The
hot action continued for the rest of the day. I left convinced that I needed to  develop a nymphal form of the green butt.

As I walked out, I thought of a similar situation involving Chuck that happened several years ago. We were fishing the Norfork near what is now the handicap access. They trout were taking emergers. Chuck didn’t have the right fly. He tied on a light Cahill, which he was carefully presenting to the fish with no success. After a while, the fly got waterlogged and sank into the film. He got a strike almost  immediately. He figured he was onto something. He kept fishing the dry as a wet fly and caught a bunch of fish.

The gist of the matter is sometimes you have to think outside the box. Just because a given fly is designed for a particular situation, that doesn’t mean that you can’t use it in a different manner. There is no rule that says a dry fly must always be fished as a dry fly or a wet fly must be fished as a wet fly. When you match a fly to the hatch, concentrate on size, shape and color. Sometimes the best match may not be apparent. When you get into a situation like this, be creative. You may surprise yourself!

Western Flies in Southern Waters By John Berry

Every time I go out west, I spend a lot of time cruising fly shops. I look at patterns and tying materials trying to get ideas for things that might work here. One of the things that have always amazed me is the size and numbers of terrestrial patterns used there. I have spent a lot of time fishing in the Smokies and I know that terrestrials are important there. The patterns there are traditional Eastern patterns made of natural materials (fur and feather) that are fairly realistic in their appearance and the same size as the naturals. I fish them often and I know that they work here in Arkansas. The western terrestrials are as a group totally different. They are often made of foam with rubber legs and almost always have some sort of quick sight on them. They are oversized and resemble nothing I have seen in nature. When I first saw them I snickered and passed on by. I thought they were some sort of joke perpetrated on anglers from back east that didn’t know any better. I never bought or tried a single one of them.

The first year that I guided for Hooked On A Cure I drew Jack Dennis as my celebrity. Jack is the real deal. He has had the top fly shop in Jackson Hole for thirty-eight years. He has written several books on fly tying, produces fly tying videos and regularly appears on television. If that isn’t enough he was one of the founders of the One Fly Contest and is captain of Team USA in the Fly Fishing World Championship. I was naturally excited to have an angler of his caliber in my boat.

When we started out I gave him a few local patterns and explained how we normally fished around here. As we were drifting through the Jenkins Creek area he said “I see noses poking up.” He stopped and tied on a large ant with a trude style wing and rubber legs. It looked like nothing I had ever seen. He immediately hooked a fine rainbow. In fact, over the course of the day he hooked and landed a lot of fish. I didn’t count but it was certainly as many as any one else boated that weekend. At the end of the day he gave me a fly that I used it as a pattern to tie a few.

Over the next two years, it became a standard in my box. I found that the trude style wing made it easy to see and the rubber legs gave it some realistic action particularly in broken water. I especially like to fish it at the end of the day in riffle water. It produces fish after fish and has become my favorite attractor dry fly.

This year, I was lucky enough to draw Jack again. I talked to him about my success with the ant and he told me that I would be impressed with the latest pattern he was fishing, the 747 ant. This thing had a black foam body, rubber legs, a plastic wing case and two parachute posts. Yes, I said two parachute posts. This makes the fly easy to spot even when it is seventy feet away. Over the course of the day, Jack caught plenty of trout and fished no other fly. He would cast into likely spots and mend to achieve a perfect drag free drift. He would occasionally twitch the fly to imitate a struggle on the part of the ant often triggering a vicious strike. When we had drifted through areas with rising fish we would motor back up and pass through those spots again. At the end of the day he gave me the fly (the only one he had) and one of his fly tying videos that featured the 747 ant. I have eagerly added it to my repertoire.

I may not be the brightest bulb in the chandelier, but I figured out that the gaudy western flies that I once smirked at can produce trout. All it took was a competent angler with confidence in the flies to demonstrate that they will work on our waters. This gives me a new weapon to add to my arsenal. Western attractors don’t be afraid to give them a try.

Grass Carp By John Berry

Last week, the Damsels (the North Arkansas Fly Fishers ladies organization), had an outing and invited my wife, Lori to attend so that she could coordinate their involvement with the Outreach Program at this years Federation of Fly Fishers Southern Council Conclave. I thought it was a great idea until I learned that the outing was to be at Dave and Emily Whitlock’s home and I was not invited. Worse yet, there was to be a pot luck dinner (I have attended a Damsel pot luck dinner before and the food was fantastic. Everyone was told to come early so they could fish the pond. The email even stated that the pond was loaded with fish.

I was excited. Dave has been my fly fishing idol since I began fly fishing over twenty five years ago. He does it all, teach, write, draw, tie, and of course fish. He is one of the great innovators of our sport. Emily is no slouch either. She is a renowned teacher, lecturer, conservationist and angler in her own right. Lori patiently explained that this was a Damsel outing and the only way I could attend was to dress in drag. I don’t look that good in men’s clothing let alone women’s. Reluctantly I accepted my lot in life. To console myself, I went fishing at Rim Shoals with my cousin Quin. We did well and caught some nice fish.

Meanwhile over at the Whitlock’s, Lori was having the time of her life. The outing was a farewell party for Emily (she and Dave are moving to Oklahoma). There was a festive atmosphere and most of the ladies were drinking margaritas and chatting inside. Not Lori. She and a couple of diehards were out at the pond fishing their hearts out. She caught a nice bream on a marabou jig.

About that time, Dave came out. He went to the dock and began tossing out handfuls of fish food on the pond. The surface of the water literally began to boil. Large catfish started to feed voraciously. Dave clipped off Lori’s fly and tied on a small fly that matched the fish food. He attached a strike indicator about six inches above the fly. He then instructed her to cast into the maelstrom. She cast and patiently watched the indicator for a couple of minutes. The fly absorbed water and began to slowly sink. All of a sudden, the strike indicator went down like the titanic. She quickly lifted the rod driving the fly deep into the fish’s mouth

The fish made a long run bending Lori’s rod almost double in the process. She was fishing a Sage six weight rod, a Ross reel with a disc drag, floating line and 4x tippet. This is heavier tackle than Lori usually fishes and during the fight she was wishing for more. The big fish took several runs, but Lori hung with him. She regularly fights large trout on light tackle, but this was something different. The fish was larger and more powerful than anything she had ever hooked. Several Damsels noticed the commotion and walked down to the pond to get in on the action. Some one asked what size tippet she was using. Lori said 4x. They gasped and said that 2x was the norm for the large fish here. Dave said that it was a challenge to land big fish on smaller tippets and besides Lori was doing fine. Finally, after a long struggle, Dave deftly netted the fish. It was a huge Grass Carp. Dave estimated it to be well over nine pounds. It was the largest fish Lori had ever caught. She continued fishing until dark catching a 6½ pound catfish in the process.

When it was all over, Lori thought about how much she enjoyed the outing and how great it was to have someone rig you up and net your fish. Normally she is guiding and does this for other people. To have Dave Whitlock do this was a thrill. She had read several articles about carp fishing but never realized just how exciting it was. Now she understands.

The Fishing Vest By John Berry

The first item that most people acquire when they take up fishing is the fishing vest. This piece of gear, invented by the immortal Lee Wulff, should be the last thing you buy. The reason is simple, you tend to over buy. We all know how to choose the proper vest. It's obviously the one with the most pockets. A vest with 28 pockets is twice as good as one with 14 pockets. The problem is that as soon as you buy one with 28 pockets, you will return to the fly shop until you have filled every pocket with stuff whether you need it or not. Just because a travel iron or complete set of Ginsu knives will fit into one of the pockets doesn't mean that you will actually need them. My clients frequently complain about how tired they are or how much their back hurts at the end of the day. I ask them how much their vest weighs! I can't tell you how many times it is in excess of 20 pounds. The important lesson here is that while a lot of pockets are handy, you do not have to put something in all of them. You could even leave a few completely empty!

The fabric that the vest is made of is important. While the heavy cotton canvas models are durable but slow to dry if wet, the light mesh vests will be significantly cooler on a hot summer day and will be significantly lighter and take up less room in your duffel bag. Color is a consideration also. Lighter colors will be cooler in the direct sun while a green vest will blend in with the trees better while fishing a small mountain stream in the Great Smoky Mountain National park.

You cannot buy a vest that is too short or too large. Always buy a shortie, because with a regular vest it is too easy to wade over the tops of your lowest pockets. This maneuver causes you to stop and dry out your fly boxes or throw away that fine Cuban cigar that you were going to relish this afternoon when you caught a hog in your favorite hole. As for the proper size, be sure to try the vest on over the heaviest clothes that you will be fishing in. If you fish all winter make sure that it will fit over a down jacket or a couple of pile jackets and a rain shell. Size it for the winter not the summer when you are fishing in a T-shirt.

Finally, consider fishing without a vest. If you are bream fishing you can put everything you need in a shirt pocket. The British don't wear fishing vests, They prefer a shoulder type field bag. Personally, I prefer a simple pouch that hangs around my neck. It has six pockets and I don't use two of them. It does have two D rings that I attach the items that I use the most to. This way I don't have to rummage through pockets to find my tippet or fly box.

The proper vest should make your time on the water more enjoyable!

First Hatch By John Berry

Last Sunday, I went fishing with my wife Lori and my neighbors, Mike and Cathy Wilhelm. The Sow Bug Round-up was over and the river was on the bottom. We arrived at Rim Shoals at 11:00AM and found that the parking lot was packed. We didn’t worry because we knew that the majority of the anglers would clear out by lunch so that they could head home. We walked the trail down stream and crossed the river. My favorite hole was occupied so I fished some likely spots and picked up several fish on size 20 olive scuds.

I looked up and observed that my favorite spot was available. I scurried over to it and on my third cast hooked and landed a twenty-inch brown. After a spirited battle and photo opportunity, I settled back in the hole and noted a caddis on the water. I cut my nymph off, removed the lead and strike indicator, and tied on a fresh 6X tippet about five feet long. I then quickly tied on a size 16 elk hair caddis and started fishing dries. It was my first hatch of the season and the adrenaline was pumping.

The first take took me by surprise and I set the hook too hard breaking off the fish in the process. I quickly set about tying on a new fly. While I was doing that I noticed that the caddis were a bit larger than the fly I was using and they seemed to have a white wing. I changed to a size 14 lime trude. A better match, it would also be easier to see. I carefully applied fly dressing and returned to the business at hand. Over the course of a half hour I calmed down and landed a half dozen fine trout. I looked up and saw that Cathy was sitting on the bank. She is relatively new to fly-fishing and needed to get in on the action. By this time I had caught enough and I thought it was time to share.

I waded over and asked if she wanted to fish the hatch. She said yes, it would be her first hatch. We waded back to my spot and I demonstrated the technique. I then traded rods with Cathy and she began carefully casting the fly. On the fourth cast she hooked and landed her first trout on a dry fly. The excitement of watching the trout rising to take the fly flipped her switch and she was totally absorbed by the process. About this time the water around us began to boil with hatching insects and rising trout. It was like throwing a t-bone steak into a group of feeding sharks. Over the next hour Cathy caught and released nine trout, the largest being a sixteen-inch brown. I was able to photograph her catch to record the occasion. Mike noticed the commotion and reluctantly waded over to get in on the action. He had been hammering the trout with scuds and emergers all day and it was hard to give up something that was working. Cathy handed him the rod and She and I sat on the bank and watched Mike land his first trout on a dry fly even though the hatch had subsided.

Further down stream Lori had noticed the hatch and had also fished it with a trude landing over a dozen trout on a dry after catching quite a few on small scuds.

That evening, while sharing a pizza, we relived the excitement of the day. For Lori and I, it was the return of an old friend. For Mike and Cathy it was the discovery of the most exciting aspect of fly-fishing, dry flies. Let your first hatch be something special!

Grilled Shore Lunch By John Berry

While we were gearing up for the World Championship Shore Lunch Contest, I got to thinking, what about a grilled shore lunch? Fried foods are certainly tasty but may not be the healthiest thing you could eat. I am already on cholesterol medication, so my wife, Lori, grills fish at home and it is delicious. Are there others like me that crave the taste of freshly prepared fish served on the shore of a beautiful trout stream but want to avoid fried foods for whatever reason? I think so.

So Lori and I set about creating a healthy and delicious alternative to the traditional shore lunch. What we came up with was a grilled shore lunch where everything is prepared on the grill. Our menu consists of grilled fish, fresh corn grilled in its husk, and grilled fresh asparagus. Our fish course varies. I know that a lot of fly-fishers fish catch and release and I am a no kill guide. As a result Lori and I usually grill wild salmon. We are not total fanatics though. Two or three times a year we will harvest a couple of eleven or twelve inch stocker rainbows and cook them. We never take more than we will use for that meal and they don’t hit the refrigerator, never mind the freezer.

Lori always cooks on charcoal because she thinks it produces a subtle flavor that enhances everything cooked on it. Gas is more convenient, but the food just doesn’t taste the same. Her grill of choice is the Weber Smokey Joe. Though small and convenient to carry in the boat, it has a tight fitting lid and easily adjusted vents so that you can carefully control your heat. When cooking on stream, she uses match light charcoal so that she doesn’t have to carry charcoal lighter fluid and the coals are ready sooner.

She cooks the corn first because it takes longer to get done. First she soaks the corn in its husks for at least one hour. If we are going to float the river all day, she puts the corn in a Ziploc bag with some water and carries it in the cooler. She puts the corn on the grill and cooks it for twenty-five minutes. Lori turns the corn three of four times. When it is done she carefully removes the husks and puts a little butter on it (you could leave the husk on until everything else is done to keep it warm).

Lori cooks the fish next. She brushes the fish with olive oil and dusts it with Cavenders Greek Seasoning. A little lemon juice and a sprig of fresh rosemary from our herb garden and the fish is ready for the grill. She cooks it for four or five minutes on each side. If you are cooking trout put a lemon wedge and rosemary sprig in the cavity and cook it whole until the eyes are cloudy. Remove the head and serve.

She cooks the fresh asparagus last because it doesn’t take long to cook. To prepare it she snaps off the woody part of the stem and brushes the asparagus with olive oil and seasons it with lemon pepper. She grills it for a couple of minutes on each side and squeezes on a bit of lemon juice. The menu will vary with the seasons. Early in the summer it may be an organic Bibb lettuce salad with a balsamic vinaigrette. Later in the summer it could be a tomato and basil salad from our garden.

For dessert we have a bowl of fresh fruit. We get whatever is in season, blue berries, strawberries, peaches, or any thing else that looks good. We wash and slice it and put them in a Ziploc and carry them in the cooler. A dollop of cool whip and you are ready to go. I also like a nice loaf of good bread.

We have been enjoying it for some time and even offer it as an upgrade to our clients. The next time you are considering a shore lunch with a healthy twist think grilled!

Size Does Matter By John Berry

You are out there on the Norfork, the fish are rising, and you just captured an insect. You want to match the hatch. When you took the Berry Brothers Fly-Fishing Class, Dan told you to match the insect with a fly from your fly box based on size, shape, and color. For some reason you do not have an exact match. You think real hard and remember that Dan said the most important factor is size. If you just have a fly the right size but wrong shape and wrong color, it would be more productive than one that is the right color and the right shape but too big. I have found myself catching fish on an elk hair caddis during a sulphur hatch just because that was the best size match in my fly box.

If size is important, what sizes should we carry? I pump the stomachs of the first few trout I catch every time I go fishing. Based on these observations, I have found that most of the insects we will encounter in this area are much smaller than we thought. When I first started fly-fishing and even before I started tying flies, I went to the fly shop and saw that the big flies cost the same as the small flies. It was no leap of faith for me to buy the biggest ones that I could find. Even when I started tying flies, I found that the big ones were easier to tie than the small ones. Fifteen years ago, the smallest fly I fished was a fourteen. Now that is one of the bigger flies in my box. I regularly fish eighteens and twenties and carry flies as small as twenty-six.

If you are fishing smaller flies then you need to be fishing smaller tippets. When I first started fly-fishing I only carried 4X tippet. Now I regularly fish 6X and sometimes 7X. If you have ever tried to push 4X tippet through the eye of a size twenty fly, you have been challenged. One of the tricks I discovered was to cut my tippet at a 45degree angle. This creates a point on the end of the tippet that is easier to insert in the hook eye. I have also found that if you are dealing with small flies and tippets you are going to need help in the form of some sort of magnifying lens. I wear bifocal polarized sunglasses whenever I am fishing and that does the trick for me. Dan wears a flip focal.

When you choose a rod, you base your selection on the size fly you will be fishing not the fish you expect to catch. The ultra stiff meat stick you bought to cast extreme distances will not protect small tippets. My brother Dan and I regularly fish four weights with a sensitive tip while Lori fishes a five weight that also has a sensitive tip. Why not get a two or three weight or even smaller? Don’t forget that you will be casting in the wind or that there are some really big fish around here. If you hang a trophy on a small rod it will take a long time to land that monster and you may be stressing it unnecessarily.

Finally you need to get a small fly mentality. My wife Lori is intense and when she sets the hook she does so with great vigor. As a result, even though her fly rod has a very sensitive tip she cannot fish tippet smaller than 5X. You need to keep in mind just how strong the tippet is and set the hook accordingly.

If you take all this in consideration and think small you will catch more fish.

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