Fall Foliage in the Ozarks, White River looking into the mouth of Crooked Creek

Hello to everyone!

I just wanted to let you know that I think the Fall Foliage might be peaking a bit earlier this year…

(The picture?  No, that’s not this year’s photo!  Not quite time for that…  I did take it, though… Out in a john boat, fishin’ one day, the foliage was pretty…  and we were looking up the mouth of Crooked Creek and I snapped the photo…  I always really liked this one…)

Anyway, back to why I’m writing…

Steve and I were talking this morning, and we thought about the folks who have called/emailed recently about the fall foliage…  typically, we always tell folks it peaks the last 2 weeks of October, sometimes going into the first week of November.

But this year???  We think it may be coming a week to 10 days earlier…  Why do we think that?  Did the “voices” tell us?  Was it information received in my most recent “download from the Mother Ship?”  (Several guests have asked me if the bluetooth headset I wear is for receiving “downloads from the Mother Ship”…  yeah…)

Well, No and No…  I do not “hear voices” (that I would admit to publicly…) nor has the Mother Ship had anything to say about the Fall Foliage…

But, I do have some reasons…  like critters…

For example, the squirrels…  yes, the squirrels…  even before the really hot weather was over, they started getting their thick winter coats…  yes, already!  Way too early…  they already look prepared for winter.  And the nut gathering is going on full force…  several weeks sooner than normal in my opinion.

Other ground critters have already “fattened up” and “coated out”, too; groundhogs and racoons…  even our resident Eagles, Isaac & Rebekah, kicked their baby eagles, Paul & Rachel, out of the nest a couple of weeks early.

And did I mention that some of the Brown Trout are already “pre-staging” for lack of a better word?  More on that in my next blog…

(Contrary to popular belief, those things don’t necessarily mean a more severe winter, but typically do mean cooler weather coming sooner…  Yes, my Gramma said so…)

Another thing…  the Sycamore leaves (which don’t normally turn pretty colors anyway) are already falling off the trees in significant numbers…  Some think it’s just because they were stressed due to the unusual high temperatures this summer…  maybe…  maybe not.

Another reason – the cool spell we’ve just had.  We all know the cool weather brings on the fall color change.  If we don’t get too much more hot weather, the leaves will definitely change more quickly.

Goin’ a little further…  a long-range (2-month) forecast for the entire “Deep South” region from my favorite source!  Yep…  the Farmer’s Almanac…  says Sunny, Cooler weather than normal for this time…

Oh, yeah…  and Dale thinks so, too…  I really didn’t need any other reason, now did I?

At any rate; if you are planning your Fall Outing this year, give us a call on the toll-free, 866-435-6535, and let us help you plan your trip!

We hope to see you this FALL!

It’s been kind of a harsh winter, but I think we’re past it now…  Spring break has been really busy the last couple of weeks, and the kids have been having fun on the White River.  (and the BIG kids, too!)  We have new eagle chicks again this year, and there are even some wildflowers coming out.  I don’t know about you, but I am definitely happy winter is over! 

By the way…  to all of you who were supposed to have already sent me pictures over the last 2 weeks, this is a little reminder…  you forgot!  C’mon, guys!  send me your photos!  Thanks  

Here are a couple of photos with Logan S., shown here fishing below the Cotter Rainbow Arch Bridge… 

Trout Fishing on the White River

Logan S. Trout Fishing below Cotter Rainbow Arch Bridge

Spring Break & Kids Trout Fishin’, Eagle chicks, wildflowers comin’ up…  yup, Spring is Here, folks!  Hope to see you on the river soon… 

The generation patterns, although fluctuating, have been on the low to medium-low for the past week, in the range of 1-2 generators, with small spiked up to 3 generators.  See the graphs below:

In our area, a somewhat wider portion of the river, there is good wade access at 2000 CFS.  That is also enough water to navigate by boat, although some shoals might require short stretches of having to drag.

Fishing, both spin & fly, has been very good.

For the bait fishermen, soft-shell crawdads, sculpin, shrimp, nightcrawlers & redworms have given the best results, it hasn’t really changed much from last week, other than nightcrawlers have been working better this week.  Hot pink Nitro worms are still working really well too, along with chartreuse power bait.

For those who like to fish artificials, the smaller Bouyant spoons in nearly any color, and Size 3 & 5 Rapala countdowns in Silver/Black and Gold/Black have been the top producers, although this week several folks have reported that the Rainbow Rapalas are doing well for them.

For fly-fishing, the White River staple, the olive woolly bugger, has also been a go-to fly — either beadhead or non-beadhead.  A few guests also reported that brown woolly buggers were working for them as well. Pink San Juan worms, beadhead midges and various Copper John-style patterns have also been effective.

My prediction for water flow for the next week is as follows:  The lakes are not particularly high, even with Bull Shoals Lake going up to almost 655.3.  However, you have to remember this time of year, decisions are made off the SEASONAL pool level, which is 656, not 654.  In other words, the Corps doesn’t have to run water just to get the Bull Shoals Lake down. 

Under these circumstances, control is back in the hands of SWPA for the time being, who will only run it for power demand.  With the moderate temperatures we’re experiencing in the region, chances are the demands will be relatively light, even with some rain in the area over the last few days.  So my guess is we’ll see more of the same this week.  This is good news for waders and boaters!

Remember, you can always get up to the minute information and explanations to help you interpret it at http://www.hisplaceresort.net/River-flow.htm. 

We look forward to serving you!

Your White River Trout Diva

Well, until I’m done with them, anyway!

After all, catchin’ those big White River Trout just gives you an adrenaline rush that doesn’t mesh well with all that graciousness & humility nonsense…

Besides that, not much feels better than showin’ up those men-folk who know more about fishin’ than we do…  am I right?

Do you remember that old Bob Seger song?  The one called, “Her Strut”?  Yeh, you do…  You remember it — goes like this:

She’s totally committed…
to major independence…
But she’s a lady through and through…
She gives ‘em quite a battle!
All that they can handle…
She’ll bruise some, she’ll hurt some, too…
But, oh…  they love to watch her STRUT…
Oh…  they do respect her, but…
They love to watch her STRUT!
Oh…  they’ll kill to make the cut…
They LOVE to watch her STRUT!

Anyway, back to the story…

I just gotta tell ‘ya ’bout my Diva Joyce.  She’s one of those sweet, demure, good natured, and very humble ladies.

Yeh, Yeh…  I agree…  I needed to put an end to that ASAP!

Well, I did my best to corrupt her, a just little bit, while she was fishing with her husband, James.

Now, James is a great guy, to be sure — don’t get me wrong.  But, he deserved some ribbin’ after the major “Trout Fishin’ Smack-Down” Joyce put on him the other day…

Lemme tell ‘ya how it all happened…

First day out with one of our guides, she got this really nice Rainbow.  She came up and told me about it like it was no big deal — wanted me to come take a picture.  Actually, if memory serves, she said that, “the guide wanted to know if maybe I wanted to take a picture…”  Yeah, right…

Joyce w/ Rainbow Trout, His Place Resort

So, I went down to take a picture, not really expecting much, and about fell off the dock.  Folks, I’d have been shoutin’ from the rooftops with a Rainbow like this!  The picture really doesn’t do it justice.  And all I got out of Joyce was this sweet, disarming grin.

Well, I really teased her because she was SO humble about it.  She started talking about how it was “just good luck”, it was because of the “great guide” (which truly did have something to do with it), how her husband must have brought her luck, etc., and tried to totally downplay her Diva-ness…

I told her, “Hey, Joyce…  c’mon!”  THAT fish deserves a little STRUT, don’t you think?  Happy Fish Dance?  Something???  You need to be obnoxiously arrogant about it for at LEAST a week or two!”

She just kind of grinned at me, and went back to her cabin.  So, I razzed James a little bit as he walked back because I simply could not STAND the thought of him not appreciating just what a truly great Rainbow this was!  But he knew…  He absolutely knew…  Especially by the time I was done with him! 

So, anyway, they go out the next day, too…

They’re out with Big John again, and she comes walkin’ into the tackle shop ’round lunch time…  She has this great grin on her face…

She says, “Woops!  I did it again!  Got ‘yer camera, Julie???”

That’s when I saw it…  The STRUT…  You know the strut I’m talkin’ about.  That’s the moment I started thinkin’ ’bout that old Bob Seger song… I knew she had it goin’ ON down on the boat dock!

She was literally oozin’ tons of pure Trout Diva-ness…  Made me proud…  brought a tear to m’ eye…  So, I grab the camera and go down to the dock.

I was expecting to see something nice, but definitely not THIS nice — I got a picture of the best Rainbow I’ve seen in a long time…

Trout Diva Joyce... yep, it's bigger than the first one...

Now THAT’S what I’m talkin’ ’bout!  Folks, you gotta understand…  This is the kind of Rainbow that you stop to thank Jesus personally, and if you listen carefully you can hear a choir of angels singing, “Hallelujah!”  OK, OK…  Well, it’s like that for me, anyway!

I don’t think Diva Joyce is gonna have any problems with that strut for awhile, folks…  Get a great fish like this once, maybe luck…  But, twice?  That’s pure Trout Diva-ness!

Strut on, sister Joyce!  Strut on, girl… 

And all the brethren said, “AMEN!”

Your White River Trout Diva

You can see them across from the Observation Deck.  They hatched kind of early this year, around the 20th of February.  We believe there are two this year, as they are starting to stick their heads out of the nest…

When we first moved here, the eagles hadn’t produced chicks for several years.  As this pair is an older, more established pair, they don’t migrate like the younger eagles generally will, but stay in this area year ’round.  Several folks, including some from AGFC, said their time for chicks was behind them…

So, I waited…  No chicks in 2002.  No chicks in 2003.  I wasn’t really expecting anything in 2004, as I was pretty convinced by that time that everyone who’d told me they wouldn’t have chicks anymore was right.    But, I was still praying that they would…  I’ve always really been drawn to eagles.

Yes, yes, there are definitely more important things to bother God about — but I thought if maybe I bugged him enough about it, and if He had some spare time…  maybe I’d get some eagle chicks!

And then, 2004.  Our first batch of eagle chicks!  By this time, our pair had not produced chicks for the previous 5 years, according to the locals.  It was really cool, and made sure to thank God for what I know was a little intervention on His part!

I’ve been blessed now to see them raise chicks pretty much right in front of me for 5 years, and now going into my 6th.  Watching them hunt tirelessly to feed the chicks, teaching them how to hunt, watching them get into trouble (subject of another blog, for sure!) has been…  well…  “really cool” doesn’t even begin to describe it, folks.

Hope you can come check it out…