Mark's Blog

Spring River Fly Shop & Guide Service

Mark's Blog!

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Thank you,

Mark Crawford

March 09

Tuesday

Had some rain on Monday night. The Spring River was not effected. It is still running low and clear. Walkins on public accesses have been a little tuffer. Float trips have been fantastic. Catching a lot of fish on Y2ks and bigger fish on cotton candies and brownies. I will be on float trips most of the week call me and book a trip and have a blast catching lots of rainbow trout.

11:03 AM GMT | Read comments(0)

March 08

Monday

We had a perfect weekend. The weather was fantastic and the fishing was spectacular. On float trips on friday and saturday we caught fish and missed fish all through the day. Just fantastic fishing conditions. Water levels are below 440cfs and water clarity is great. Y2k caught fish consistently with cotton candy coming in a close second. Fly fishers coming through the store were having great success using brownies also. Mayfly and caddis fly hatches are coming off in swarms. I have been using my mayfly emergers with great success. If at all possible come up through the week to avoid crowds. Float trips through unfished areas are hard to beat. Book a trip with me and let me do all the work so you can sit back and catch fish and have fun. No experience required....

I am uploading pics from the float trips I had over the weekend. Chance of rain this week stay tuned for up to date reports here on my blog. These are pictures of Dick and Ronald Spain of Minnesota and Cindy and Tommy of just north of Oceola AR. They had a great time.

Tight lines and good luck!!!

8:00 AM GMT | Read comments(0)

March 04

Thursday

Great forecast for this weekend. Water levels are at 450cfs and water clarity is great. Gonna be a perfect weekend. Hope to see you all on the river.

9:12 AM GMT | Read comments(0)

March 03

Wednesday

River conditions are perfect. The Spring is running below 450cfs and the water clarity is as good as it gets. I fished tuesday and caught several rainbow trout but they did seem to be a little spooky. Had to pull out some technical flies. Caught most of them on my trick or treat. It imitates an emerging mayfly. Had a couple on Brownie and Y2k also. Its just a great time to get out and enjoy the Spring River. Remember to give a hoot and don't pollute. And when you catch and release big fish, it makes for bigger fish in the future.

7:44 AM GMT | Read comments(0)

March 01

Monday

The weather forecast looks great for this week. Water levels are below 450cfs and the water clarity is clear. Mayfly and caddis flies are coming off the water regularly. It is just a great time to get out and enjoy mother nature. I spent some time with my family this weekend cleaning up around dam 3. It is important that we all take care of what God has given us to enjoy. A clean river is a beautiful river. I know a lot of people read my blog and fish the Spring because of me promoting it. So I feel a responsibility to help keep it clean. I would like to say I am very proud of Amanda and the boys for helping me clean up.

I hope you all get a chance and to experience something I am very passionate about. The Spring River.

8:55 AM GMT | Read comments(1)

February 26

Friday

Had a perfect float trip thursday. Started out slow but got hot when I put on a cotton candy. I have no idea how many fish my client caught. Caught a couple that were 16plus. At the end of the day we came up on a fall below Riverside Resort and caught fish after fish on my trick or treat. It was truly a great day. I know I'm doing good when my client says his wrist is wore out. Book your trip today and lets go have some fun on the Spring River. If you have never fly fished and want to learn there is no better place than on the river catching fish. I have simple fool proof techniques that really work, and we provide the flies and equipment if ya need it.Tightlines and good luck, Here are some pics of Bill Fidler of Memphis wearing a 3wt rod out.

7:51 AM GMT | Read comments(0)

February 24

Wednesday

I know I sound like a broken record but except for the cold the fishing on the Spring is perfect. The last two days with the water running clear I have been using my trick or treat. It is a small mayfly imitation with a orange glass bead head. Its unweighted so a small split shot in front of it about 8inches is the way to go. Gotta get it down deep. I strictly fish catch and release so don't worry about the big fish pics I put up, they are still in the river hopefully..

I fished at dam 3 a little this morning and caught several fish but had to spend a lot of time picking up trash. The Spring is such a beautiful place I wish people would help keep it that way. I know I would get more fishing time in.

I have a full day float trip tomorrow and I will post friday how that went. The water is low and clear and that usually means not only high numbers but some big fish. I do fish barbless but dangit, it is hard to get a good pic of a nice fish when fishing barbless. Usually on a big fish we will see him but he doesn't make it to the boat. Never forget keep that line tight. The rainbows on the Spring have a tendency to start rolling like a alligator when your landing them.

Have a wonderful day and I hope ya get to come by and enjoy the Spring...

7:52 AM GMT | Read comments(0)

February 23

Tuesday

The river is looking fantastic. I went fishing all morning and caught alot of fish. I used my trick or treat pattern mostly. It imitates a mayfly emerger with an orange head. Hooked up with some big fish but I fish barbless and didn't land but one nice fish. Landed a lot of healthy stockers that looked like they have had plenty to eat. On walkin trips we have access to about a mile of river frontage below dam 3 not open to the public. It is a beautiful stretch and full of trout. If you want to get away from the crowds book a trip with me and we will have a blast. Water levels are below 460cfs and the water is clear with a green tint. Perfect conditions for fly fishing the Spring. Come on over and give it a try.

12:50 PM GMT | Read comments(0)

February 22

Monday

Had a great weekend with beautiful weather. Seen some really nice mayfly and caddis hatches come off the river over the weekend. Had a walkin trip Saturday morning and caught a lot of fish on grandma's brownie and cotton candy. As the sun came out and the bugs starting hatching out we switched to my flying ace(mayfly emerger) and did well. Spring River Fly Shop has access to about 1mile of river frontage nor available to the public. This really helps me out on weekend walkin trips when I want to fish the river with clients and not have to contend with a crowd. The float trips are still the most productive and the way to go for a big fish. On a full day we cover over 6 miles of river. That's alot of river and alot of opportunities for nice trout. River levels are at 460 cfs and water clarity is great. Perfect time to come down catch some trout and enjoy our beautiful river. Have a great day and be sure to come by and check out the new shop on hwy 63 across from the start park.

7:24 AM GMT | Read comments(0)

February 19

Friday

Nice day out today. Looks like the rain is going to hold off until sunday. Flows are below 470cfs with good water clarity. Good fishing weather but I have to be honest, I'm ready for spring....

8:11 AM GMT | Read comments(0)

February 18

Thursday

It is absolutely beautiful on the river today. Went out this morning below dam 3 and caught several fish. Grandma's Brownie did the best. The fish were not tearing it up but they were biting. It may be a little to nice out today for high numbers. Looking forward to this weekend for better biting. 40percent chance of rain all weekend. When ever there is a light rain and it breaks during the day it can make some heavy hatches come off.

Tightlines,

9:33 AM GMT | Read comments(0)

February 17

Wednesday

Went out this morning for about 20min and caught a lot of fish. The water is looking really good. Used a emerging mayfly pattern I have come up with during the snows. Warm weather next couple of days has everything looking really good. Great time to come and fish the Spring.

7:29 AM GMT | Read comments(0)

February 15

Monday

Well the full day float was incredible. My clients had never been fly fishing before or so they say and they picked it up right off the bat. It's funny how when I take a husband and wife fishing that the wife always catches the most fish. The young lady that I took fishing saturday caught fish after fish. On a float trip this time of year the fishing is just outstanding. No one is floating down the river and I always have it to myself. Makes my job really easy. The were picky all day saturday and the only fly they wanted seemed to be the y2k. That was fine with me and the my clients had the time of their lives. They were pretty wore out from landing fish at the end of the day. Book a float trip with me and let me show you how I catch fish after fish on the Spring...

7:01 AM GMT | Read comments(0)

February 12

Friday

Water is looking good. Saturday looks like the best fishing this weekend with rain coming in Saturday night. Sunday looks pretty nasty. They say the best time to walleye fish is during terrible weather. I have had a lot of people coming up walleye fishing this time of the year. They are supposed to start running this time of year. I have not caught one yet on the fly but with persistence I plan on catching some. I fished this morning before opening the shop and caught several on the mayfly pattern. Looking forward to a full day float tomorrow.

8:46 AM GMT | Read comments(0)

February 11

Thursday

Really nice out today. I got to get out for 30min today and fish at dam 3 and hooked a monster... I hooked it on my new mayfly emerger, which is barbless. I was not able to hold onto him for very long but I did get to see him. Nice fish. I landed one more nice fish and landed several smaller fish. They were turned on today. And that was at 1pm, middle of the day... Water is running 480cfs. Will be a great weekend to get out and catch some beautiful rainbows. I have a full day float on Saturday so if you see me out give me a wave and I will tell ya what they're biting.
Tightlines,

Mark

1:39 PM GMT | Read comments(0)

February 10

Wednesday

Went fishing this morning and caught a few at dam 3. Water levels are still up around 480cfs. I would say anything between 500cfs and 450cfs is still wadeable but tuffer. Anything below 450cfs is perfect for wadeability. But of course areas around dam 3 are always wadeable even above 500cfs. The measurements I use are from the discharge of the Spring itself and does not include the Warmfork. Water clarity is perfect for me. Not clear but green tinted. Just enough green tint to allow me to use 4x flourocarbon and clear enough for the fish to be able to see my fly. Weather forecast for this weekend is looking really good. The mornings will be cold but highs in the low 40s during the day will feel like summer time.. Just remember to get the fly down to the bottom and use a grandma's brownie and you will catch fish.

Tightlines,

Mark

7:36 AM GMT | Read comments(0)

February 09

Tuesday

Thirty mile an hour winds have kept me off the river today. It is cold but the sun has cleared off all of the roads. Water levels have come up to around 480cfs which is a little high. The forecast for this weekend looks really good. High temps in the low 40s. I hope everyone gets to come up and enjoy some fly fishing this weekend. Feel free to come by the shop and say hello..

Mark

2:13 PM GMT | Read comments(0)

February 08

Monday

It is snowing... The roads are still clear as of right now. It would be a beautiful day to be on the water. Not sure when the snow is going to stop.. It is a winter wonderland up here. Tomorrow is my day off and you can be sure I will be fishing on the river.. A day like today a person could really get into some walleye. And by the way the river is looking great. Water is green tinted like normal during winter and the water levels are around 470cfs....

7:21 AM GMT | Read comments(0)

February 05

Friday

It is lightly raining today and lightly rained all night. The water levels have come up a little, around 470cfs. Water clarity is still good with a heavy green tint. But not muddy. Really miserable weather out there today. Perfect fishing weather. Dress warm and wear rain gear...

Fished at dam 3 before work and caught a few but they did not seem to be biting real hard this morning. Had a good time and caught fish on brownie and my new dry fly/nymph.

Have a great day and come by and see me,

Mark

7:26 AM GMT | Read comments(1)

February 04

Thursday

Weather looks like it might get nasty this weekend. This kind of weather really keeps people off the river but I must say it has been my experience that this is the best time to fish. There are no crowds. Usually you can fish easy access points and be the only one there. And the fish absolutely turn on for cold wintery weather. They love it... If anyone wants to volunteer to watch the shop I'm really wanting to hit the water and fight some big fish.... LOL I guy can dream can't he.. I have created some new patterns this last two weeks. They are a cross between a nymph and a dry fly. What's really cool is the trout seem to love them. Come by the shop and check them out.

Tight lines,

Mark

10:33 AM GMT | Read comments(0)

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