Temperatures will be great this week, but get the rain suits out. That’s what my Dallas girls, Vanessa and Ivy did in May. They’ve been coming to fish with me for 24 years every first week in May for Vanessa’s birthday. This year it was rainy but each day they watched the radar and called me, and by golly we would go.
On October 28, this Saturday, is the Northwest Arkansas Chapter Trout Unlimited 514 Fall Stream Cleanup. Everyone is welcome, bring the kids and help us protect our home water. We meet at the Beaver Dam boat ramp at 9 a.m. Lunch will be provided. Bring shoes and clothes that can get wet/dirty, water bottle, sunglasses and a trash grabber.
The Kings River is the one I’m going to hit this week before the water gets too cold and they shut down on feeding. Fish are active right now and love this temperature and flow after the rains we’re gonna get.
Of course, my choice on the Kings River is a fly rod. My go-to fly is a white woolly booger with a red wrap around the neck with a silver bead head, but they also like the San Juan worm in natural color with the orange wrap around the hook. They also like the olive woolly booger, and if you can find a decent deep hole, use a crawdad pattern.
For conventional fishing, a jig head with any type of plastic body, white or smoke swimming minnow, a tube jig in watermelon with red flakes, anything that imitates a minnow or crawfish in a lure – like a Rapala silver with black back or the rebel crawdad. Rooster tails, white with the red head, are good.
There are many walk-in accesses on the Kings. Call Beaver Dam Store (479) 253-6154 or Kings River Outfitters (479) 253-8954 to find the nearest ones.
Trees are in full color, it’s a beautiful time to be on the river. If you need help getting out and getting your adventure on, whether for sightseeing tour or a guided fishing trip, give Custom Adventures Guide Service a call at (479) 244-5259.