When do you go? When they are generating power or when they are not? I’ll be fishing with a spinning reel. Best bait and still of fishing? Really any info will help,

Not..You cant fish if too much water is moving. They have a minimum flow

check the app to get generation schedule before you go. It's harder during the week, but they don't generate much on the weekends. I't all but pointless to try when the generators are running. They stock on the third Thursday of the month, so it's generally good to go shortly after that, but there are always fish there. The last few years they've been stocking dinks in the winter and slightly larger in the spring/ summer months. years back you could count on catching 17"+ fish in the summer, but now you're lucky to get a 13-14" (I think they switched the hatchery that they were using) It's still a lot of fun and they're always good eating!

What’s the best bait? Worms with a spilt shot, corn or small spinners?

Corn whole kernel

This is the answer you seek. Red or white is best. Slipshot weight. 2-4lb flourocarbon leader. String 2 on a hook and let the point stick out just a little bit. It needs to be floating, up off the bottom, dont let it sink.

Take a small dip net. Those are some of the slickiest things I ever tried to pick up?

Coldest water I've ever felt even in august

Really good advice

I learned the hard way.

I don't have any idea if you've ever fished for trout before but a few pieces of basic knowledge before you go;

Use as light and as clear a line as you can. I use nothing bigger than 4lb.

Ultralight spinning reel if not fly fishing.

A 1/16 inline spinner is a good choice on a spinning reel.

Whole kernal corn from a can, salmon eggs and trout/crappie bites are effective on a tiny egg hook. I use a #10 or smaller hook and prefer whole kernel corn or real salmon eggs.

A simple and easy rig is a single small splitshot about a foot above the hook. That's all that's needed. A tiny float is optional but I don't think it really helps and may actually hurt your chances. Toss it out there in a hole and let it soak for a few minutes. If you can see your line, watch it closely. No bite in 5 or 10 minutes? It's either a slow day or you missed a fish.

I inserted my opinions and preferences in this post, so take them with a grain of salt. Good luck to you.

I fish the little red in Ar. Corn and marshmallows. 2lb leader.

We didn’t catch a single fish. 🤷🏻‍♂️

Went Saturday morning and had a blast. Took a bit to find them, and then key in on what exactly they wanted to bite best. But once we did, had a 2-man limit in less than an hour. There was a handful of folks around us that were not so successful…but they didn’t have any good intel from JW77 The man knows the trick to Sipsey trout!



And it was some mighty fine lunch fare!

Is there places to camp overnight close by? My kids want to camp and this looks like a cool idea.

Stoney lonesome is a few miles from there. I know people camp there but its really a offroad utv rock crawler park. There or somewhere on smith lake. You might also call riverside fly shop. They would know of a close place to camp if anyone would

Ok thanks. I went to call today but they are closed, so I will call tomorrow.

Called the fly shop today and talked to Randy. Super helpful and had answers to all my questions. Really a jam-up guy and I bet we talked for 20mins and he acted like I was a close friend he hasn't talked to in a while. A pleasant experience non the less. A little "pushy" on the guided trips they offer at the fly shop but we will see, either they are hard to catch or he is promoting their service I don't know.


Camping is available behind their shop for both campers and tent people like me. Overall sounds like a good experience, but I'll give an honest review on a separate post on this forum.

jwalker77 it appears that you are a local or have good experience fishing this area, if you want to reach out and pm me about techniques or tips feel free. Not looking for any secrets, just looking to learn the art and passing it on too my boys. Thanks in advance. I've sent you my phone number so check your pms.

Whitebone, the guy at the fly shop absolutely was trying to promote his business. But dont think too bad of him. I really doubt hes making a fortune. Probably just making a living. Ive never seen their place be very busy.

Jolly green giant corn is the best.

Man y'all got me wanting to get my fly fishing stuff out...haven't done it in several years. What app are y'all referring to that tells when they're generating?

Apc shoreline....Look at smith dam

I downloaded the shorelines app. It shows when they're generating power.

More power to you if you want to fly fish. But using the JW77 method, we out-caught the fly fishermen 10-1. Just sayin...

And theyll stare at you like youre a three headed beast from hell when they see you walk by them with a stringer of fish. Its kinda funny

We always did the best years ago on rainbow colored or chartreuse power bait. The pink with glitter is good at times. One day they like one color the next day it’s another. Light line not over 4 pounds and small little bait hooks. I mean small on the hooks. Always did better with the power bait you scoop out yourself than the ones already in nugget form. As far as feeding time. It’s on or off. They may bite like crazy for 30 min and shut down for next 2 hours. Find you a good hole way downstream away from the pump house and crowds holding fish and be patient you will get em. Little red wigglers are good also I found out about the time I quit fishing it. Me and a buddy use to wear em out over there before it got popular and crowded.

Lol. You’re right about that. I grew up in Sipsey and I fly fish but mainly saltwater. It’s amazing how pretentious some people can be about a non native stocked fish. Haha.

I started fishing there about 29 years ago. I’ve caught a truckload of them. I fly fish unless I have kids with me then I fish with them with spinning tackle. Yes some folks act like you’re sinning for keeping non-native fish that don’t even spawn there.

There are more and more people that act like that when you keep bass now too....like you've broken one of the 10 Commandments or something...

I have had really good success with some powerbait (orange or red). Get a small hook, a small split shot and cast it out and let it sink and wait. It won't take long. You can catch some bigger trout by using a rooster tail. Now is a great time to go. My son and I went a few times last year and caught a limit every time.

Made the trip to Bremen today and fished for about 3hrs with a couple of guys I met at the fly shop. Considering it’s been 17yrs since I last fly fished it came back to me pretty quick. Caught 3 (the other guys caught a few too). This is the only one I got in the net, probably 10-11”. The other 2 were noticeably bigger but both got off when I tried to net them so no pic…I guess I still need practice at that part. The 2nd one was probably the biggest…guessing 14-15”, I fought him for 6-8 minutes and he was still pulling hard. Can’t wait to go back.

Jealous Gomer, looks like a great time

Am I reading this correctly that on Wednesday they'll be generating starting at 5:00pm, but it will be off by by 6:00pm? Taking my son and a friend up there...hopefully...

https://apcshorelines.com/lake/smith/

I miss fishing there. We use to limit out every trip easily years ago. Those things are awesome on the grill 😊

Yes, that's what the app shows as well. Riverside Fly Shop also puts the generation schedule on their site, but I don't trust it because it often doesn't match the shorelines app. I would go by the app, but know that it can change with little or no warning. Best thing is just check the app before pulling out of the driveway and then roll with it. If you're fishing and the sirens go off, just get [way] up the bank immediately....I'm told, depending on how far upstream you are toward the dam, that when the siren goes off, you may only have as little as a couple of minutes before the water level starts rising and it will do so quickly.

Was there a canoe or kayak launch behind the dam?

I think Riverside Fly Shop on 69 just below the dam has one that you can use for a nominal fee....Someone else may be able to give you more info on where to put in/take out. I've never done it myself, just heard people talk about it a lot.

I see that fly fishing vest has shrunk over those 17 years. I have that same problem

Just a little bit.......apparently hanging in a closet for the better part of 2 decades will do that to them!

I don't plan to use it much...will probably go with a small sling pack instead.

Went back today and took GomerJr since school was out. We got our butts kicked. I fly fished, he tried rooster tails and even corn on a small hook.

Zero bites, never even saw a fish rise or anything. No sign of life whatsoever. Pretty day but frustrating

Walker caught them all.

I did my part acouple weeks ago. Might go back one more time in a couple weeks

Those 7 inch rainbows look like bait. I am a microlight trout fisherman. Maybe someday I will try the sipsey. I believe with all my heart that no fish pulls as hard as a 4 pound bull rainbow in freshwater.

Surely you mean relative to the tackle you use for them, right….?

Big rainbows do fight hard, turn flips and are the slickest thing on earth

All of this is true. Next time I go, I will have a net.

Yeah it’s a really heartbreaking watching a great dinner flop around and get back in the river even after getting your hands on it several times.

Or break your 4 lb test......

Yep. Better have a net if you plan on getting a big one out of the water using 2-4lb leader