Recently started fly fishing and love it! Went to the Little Red the 1st of December last year to catch spawning Browns, did ok but was told that the spawn was later... closer to end of dec/jan. Anybody got input on what's the best time to go to fish the spawn? Any info would be appreciated. Thanks

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JR

I was just there this past weekend and they are definitely starting to spawn already. We caught a few good ones and had a great time. Talked to some other guys that caught some absolute monsters on Saturday. Multiple browns over 24 inches. So I would suggest getting out there as soon as you can.

2flyfish four headed that way in 2 weeks. i know he hits it a lot maby he will chime in.

kinda hard to answer your question. to many variables come into play. The brown trout spawn is kinda like any other spawn with fish. the browns typically start spawning mid october and last to mid january. when the peak is going to be is anyones guess. Water flows, pressure and location on the river all play into when fish are going to spawn. I have seen tons of fish on the shoals one day and then the next they are gone. pressure and low water is pushing these fish to spawn at night more and more. just go fish and make the most of it, the fish are going to do there thing on there own time.

best flies are typically orange eggs, red [censored]'s, and jamie rouse's Jdub sow bugs (jamie rouse is a full time fly guide on the little red and designed this fly just for the little red) that you can get from orvis.

Since this thread is about the Little Red, I was hoping to get some opinions. Living in Dallas, I'd like this to become my "go to" place for trout. But I'm the kind of guy that feels a bit guilty leaving my wife for a week. I know I could rent the usual cabins, but another thought has crossed my mind. Secondhand timeshares are incredibly cheap...like $1 on Ebay. And near the Little Red is a fairly large, outdoor focused timeshare on Greer's Ferry Lake. I am thinking about buying one, and using it at the same dates every year. I don't have a boat, so I am a bit at the mercy of the damn release schedule. But this timeshare has lots of golf, and I like that too. So I'm looking for the best time of year when my wife and maybe some of our friends could have a good time. The immediate tendency would be to get away from Dallas in August.Summer means options to bring the niece and her kids. October is supposed to be pretty, and the flows are supposed to stay low more often. But I like Spring months as well, and I don't like crowds.

Given this background, can anyone give me some advise? I want to be able to fly fish enough to satisfy that need, but I want the wife to want to go back as well.

Take a late Oct or early Nov week and make it an annual "Fall" vacation. Wives dig fall foliage and the weather is mild that time of year. Golf is still good and you're into the Fall Brown Trout period when bigger fish are on the prowl. The rest of the year in that area is either too hot or too cold and not as pretty.

But...you'll find you have plenty of flexibility with Fairfield Bay. If you decide to go in Summer or Spring some year, that won't be a problem swapping it out.

FlyGuy, thanks for the advice. This is where I was leaning...I just wondered about Spring. There is something about active trout and dormant foliage that excites me, but it might all be on the trout.If I do figure the timeshare option out, I'll post my progress.

If you can't fish the Little Red because of water release, then head up to Mountain Home and fish the White and Norfolk Rivers.