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Patterns for the White

No stream I've fished has a richer water supply than the White, but due to the height and speed fluctuations of the water, the White's aquatic plant, invertebrate, and vertebrate life must be very hardy and adaptable.

Aquatic insects, especially the larger species, don't maintain significant enough populations in the White to trigger much trout feeding. But smaller (#14-24) mayflies, midges, and caddis do fairly well. The river's crustacea (scuds, sowbugs, and crayfish), as well as snails, worms, and leeches, are extremely abundant, and trout grow large on the hordes of vertebrates such as small stocker trout, sculpin, darters, chubs, dace, shiners, threadfin shad, and suckers.

The White's tailwaters are primarily nymph and streamer water, but the river also provides excellent dry-fly action. My best subsurface flies are the Red Fox Squirrel Nymph (#6-18), Dave's Scud and Sow Bug (#14-20), tan/olive soft hackles (#16-20), Pheasant-tails and Hare's-ears (#14-30), NearNuff Sculpin and NearNuff Crayfish (#4-10), Matuka Sculpin (#8-5/0), and the Sheep Minnow, a threadfin shad pattern (#4-8).

The surface flies I depend on are Sulphur Emergers and Duns (#12-20), Parachute Adams (#14-20), Elk-hair and Poly-wing Caddis (#12-22), midges (#18-22), Blue-winged Olives (#20-24), Dave's Hoppers and Dave's Cricket (#8-12), and Carpenter Ants (#14-16).

(Fly patterns from top to bottom) Whit Sow Bug, Goldbead Red Fox Squirrel Nymph, Glassbead Midge Pupa, Whit Scud, Midge Emerger, Whitlock Red Fox Squirrel Nymph, Olive and Dun Soft Hackle, Copper Beadhead Flashback Pheasant-tail Nymph, Gold Beadhead Flashback Gold-ribbed Hare's-ear Nymph

Dave and Emily Whitlock live near Mountain Home, Arkansas, where they conduct the Whitlock Fly Fishing School (www.davewhitlock.com). Dave is an author, wildlife artist, world-renowned fly designer, and conservationist. Emily is a fly-fishing instructor, photographer, and active conservationist. See also their story on fly-fishing for carp: "Stalking the Golden Ghost."

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