Don Adams

January 26, 1957 - August 23, 2011  

Donald R. Adams, former resident of the San Lorenzo Valley and graduate of SLVHS, lost his battle with leukemia and went to be with the Lord on the 23rd of August, 2011. Don passed away at his home in Bull Shoals, Arkansas with his family by his side. Don spent his younger years fishing the huge Steelhead of the San Lorenzo River and later became a well renowned fly fishing guide. Don's passion moved him to Mt. Shasta, Lake Tahoe, Alaska and finally Arkansas where he guided hundreds of anglers on the White and Norfork Rivers. Don traveled throughout the US and the Caribbean to pursue his love for fishing and was a staunch believer in catch & release. Don's first passion was for Jesus Christ, his Lord & Savior. "I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again." John 3:3.

We will miss you Don. "...well done good and faithful servant."

Don is survived by his mother, Gretchen Harris of Oregon, his sister, Laura Adams-Cole and family of Oregon, his sister Lisa Crivello and family of Scotts Valley and his sister Kristina Seleshanko and family of Oregon.

Services will be private. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to The American Cancer Society or Cancer Treatment Centers of America.

Thank you to those that attended the Memorial for Don @ River Ridge Inn... pictured above is Tripp Babin saying a prayer in his memory.

Don meant so much to our family as we developed our friendship over the past six years. My two kids absolutely adored Don and always looked forward to a visit with him. We will always miss him but take comfort knowing he is in the Lord's hands.  

-Larry Babin   

Sadly, our good friend Gabe Cross also passed way recently. Gabe suffered a number of health complications and ultimately succumbed to his battles and passed away in his sleep at his home in Idaho. Gabe was an extremely talented fly fisher, writer, and editor that was passionate the fisheries he guided during his tenure in Arkansas as well as the fisheries he was introduced to when he arrived Idaho some years ago. Gabe will be missed terribly. God bless you GC.

Fly Fishing Report  

Cooler temperatures have arrived as the fishing remains hot!

In what seemed to feel like an overnight event, the temperatures in early September dropped from a long period of 100 degree days down to a more comfortable mid-nineties. Meanwhile, both Bull Shoals Lake and Norfork lake are less than ten feet from reaching power pool as generation releases have stabilized. Based on the current factors involved, it may be sooner than later that the flows are reduced to wadable conditions assuming that any unforeseen events take place. Some speculation and rumors seem to indicate that the COE may run the lakes further in to power pool for construction projects on the lake but at this point it may be premature to guess. Ultimately, both rivers are releasing more consistent flows versus the peaks and valleys experienced in July and August making for a steady bite. 

Repeat client Ken D. from Tyler, TX wanted to ensure his wife Janet could get in on this hopper action so he sent her along with his sister in law to do just that! Janet casts hoppers like a rock star! Janet recently sent me this note... Hi Larry - What a great time Cathy and I had with you on our fly fishing trip.  Can't thank you enough for all your work getting us on the fish. Our family has had great fun with the pictures you put on the website.   From the looks of your website, you were having fun catching more big browns this past weekend. Take care and thanks again,  Janet D. 

Although the thirteen year cicada hatch has expired, the introduction to our annual hopper season turned out to be a nice follow up to an already dynamic surface bite on almost every section of river. Our guide trips during the past month usually incorporate extended flows that range between Bull Shoals Dam down to Buffalo City and everything in between. Some of the bigger fish have come during the early morning hours but ultimately the bite remains consistent as the day progresses. A bit of a change up may involve size and colors of these foam and rubber leg concoctions and even perhaps a second dropper. On more than one occasion clients were able to land two fish at once utilizing this rig.

Regardless of technique, the action on both river systems is excellent. Whether you're geared up with a nymph rig, terrestrial, or streamer rig, the overall action and quality of fish is exceptional. 

John K. from KS follows our site and wanted to get in on the hopper action so he brought his dad, brother, and brother in law, for a two boat trip with Forrest and Larry recently and was not disappointed. Shortly after launching at the State Park en route to Cotter John stuck this 25" brown along the banks and landed quite a few more brilliantly colored buttery browns down river.  

Since the regulation change on the harvest of brown trout went from one over 16" to one over 24" the average brown size has increased dramatically.  

New client Danny F. fished hoppers with us along with his father and stuck some nice browns including this one about ten miles below Bull Shoals Dam. 

Gorgeous colors on White River brown trout are beginning to reflect the fall colors which are just beginning to turn.  

The Norfork generation pattern is now a consistent four thousand cubic feet per second which is perfect for a productive float in the drift boat. In fact, our recent trips have resulted in plenty of wonderful cutthroats and browns still eating cicadas, hoppers, green BH hare's ears, and Garrett's purple death. Josh from TX, pictured below, landed this nice Norfork Cutthroat in the catch and release area during his first experience fly fishing. 

For those of you that fished with us in September... we sincerely thank you. For those of you that want to experience the White River and Norfork Tailwater in a whole new light... Book an October trip soon before they're gone!  

Fish with the most diverse team on the river. Book with a Blue Ribbon guide. blueribbbonflyfish@hotmail.com or call 870.425.0447.

Blue Ribbon... the original gateway to the White and Norfork rivers. 

Kristopher Bouldin      Forrest Smith           Larry Babin           Dennis Schule