That albino deer sighting in Missouri brought to mind a local legend every Ozarker ought to know about.

You've probably heard some version of the white stag: old-world legend, a nearly-uncatchable white deer that shows up as an omen or a messenger from some magical realm.

Well the Ozarks have their own version. It’s called the Snawfus.

Described as an all-white, deer-like creature, much larger than a regular buck, the Snawfus is said to have plum or dogwood branches growing out of his head instead of antlers.

Most of what we know comes from folklorist Vance Randolph, who collected the stories in his 1951 book We Always Lie to Strangers: Tall Tales from the Ozarks.

That blue haze that settles over the mountains come fall and winter? Old-timers blamed it on the Snawfus, said to breathe out spirals of blue smoke as it flew and leaped over the hills.

Another tells of a pioneer who ran out of bullets, loaded up plum pits instead, and hit an albino buck square in the head. The deer got up and ran off. Later, word got around about a white buck running the hills with a plum tree growing where its antlers should be.

Some say seeing an albino deer is a bad omen out here. Cross paths with the real Snawfus, old-timers warn, and it's a sign your time's near up.

So keep an eye out. Next time you're in the woods and catch a flash of white or a little blue haze hanging in the trees, you might be looking at an Ozark Snawfus.

We pulled one of our favorite conversations back out of the archive this week.

Chad Johnson, one of the top guides on the White River, sat down with us at Diamond State Fly Co. to break down how flows, generation schedules, and on-the-water reads separate those who guess from those who catch fish.

We wanted to know:

Here are four lessons every angler ought to keep in mind when it comes to White River flows.

By the way, you can find links to the flow charts and schedules on Diamond State Fly Co’s website here.

1. Under 6,000 CFS, fish the middle. Over 6,000, fish the banks.

Chad's own number-one tip: low water pushes brown trout into the safest, deepest water they can find, and high water pushes them to the banks to feed.

Low water spreads fish out and calls for midges and woolly buggers fished slow.

High water concentrates big browns on the banks and opens the door to streamers, hoppers, and girdle bugs.

2. Falling water shuts fish down, but don’t call it quits.

A fast drop puts fish on the defensive as they jockey for safe water, but once the drop slows to a trickle in its final stretch, they've already settled back in and started feeding again.

3. Chasing “the push” is a real strategy.

A rising river triggers a short window of aggressive feeding, and Chad's move is to stay ahead of it, working downstream hole to hole as the rise comes in.

The window can be as narrow as a football field, so it rewards anglers willing to move, not sit still.

4. Adjust your expectations to each fish’s “feeding math”

The average 2-pound rainbow works through roughly 500 midges a day, while a trophy brown might only eat one baitfish and four crawdads.

Knowing that helps set realistic expectations. It’s harder to be one of a big brown’s five meals a day than it is to be one of a rainbow’s 500.

Those four should be helpful for anyone, but Chad’s best tips are in the episode. If you're getting on the water this weekend, go listen to his full breakdown before you rig up.

By the way, if you make your way out to Cotter to hang with Chad yourself, members of The Holler get 10% OFF all in-store purchases @ Diamond State Fly Shop.

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Kinda like this guy…

We’ll be back next week with more stories from the Ozarks.

Til then,
The Ozark Podcast