To appreciate the reputation the White River enjoys among trout fishermen nationwide, one has only to perform an online search and view numerous articles and videos from well known online magazines and other fishing resources. Websites and videos sing the praises of this river and recount the big trout it produces year round.
The river flows 722 miles through Arkansas and Missouri: and is home to 8 dams, 6 reservoirs, 3 tailwaters, and countless tributaries. The waters below Bull Shoals dam are famous for being a productive trout fishery and for the monster browns that live in them. The White has produced two world record brown trout weighing in at 38lb 9oz and a 40lb 4oz and holds a healthy population of brown trout in the 18-30″ range. The browns can be elusive, but the river is also stocked with 12-16″ rainbows and even has cutthroats and hybrids called Tiger trout.
I, Al Harper, floated and fished sections of the White in an inflatable drift boat 8/16 & 17/22 and I also did a section of the Spring River the following week during an extended fishing and RV camping excursion. The weather was mostly fair and temperatures moderate. From a campsite at the Bull Shoals White River State Park the fish guiding industry that thrives on the White was evident as several boats motored upriver so clients could fish while drifting down.
I enjoy the vibe of the area even when I’m not actually on the river by dropping in on fly shops and restaurants in Gassville, Cotter and Bull Shoals where out-of-state license plates are usually visible in the parking lots. Fishing in a river where you’ve got a shot at really big trout or at catching many of them draws anglers from all over. The region’s motto is “Trout Capital USA”.
I threw streamers and hoppers and caught fish on each outing. No monster browns this trip but I did catch a beautiful tiger trout. Interestingly enough it hit a large streamer with coloration very much like its own. Tigers are a sterile intergeneric hybrid. They are a cross between the brown and the brook trout. Its pronounced pattern gives it the name since it has stripes like a tiger. Specialized hatchery rearing techniques are able to produce tiger trout reliably enough to meet the demands of stocking programs. I also caught one a couple of years ago down there and they put up a real fight thrashing around vigorously even after netted.
I found rainbows and a couple of browns on the Spring River to be receptive to small white streamers. And one aggressive smallmouth practically inhaled a streamer. I fished a dry fly at times but wasn’t able to figure out what they were coming to the surface for. My experience coincides with what I heard from a guide who claimed they just don’t do well with dry flies on the Spring. I’m not sure why that should be and will keep trying dry flies until I’m more convinced. But on a positive note: now that schools have begun the “canoe and kayak hatch” on the Spring seems to have subsided — at least during the week. The river is known as a party float kind of place. A local celebrity known as DJ Supermoon organizes floats from May to September, much to the chagrin of local fishermen. But only two kayakers came by during my 5-mile float. I enjoy the river not only because I usually catch fish there but also because it has an interesting mix of moderate falls, rapids and deep holes. I did notice more houses being built along the Spring. It isn’t protected from development like the Current and the Eleven Point. One other cool thing about the Spring is its consistent flow because its source – Mammoth Spring – isn’t dammed. So there isn’t a water release schedule to figure out like on the White and other tailwaters. Those release schedules published online by power companies aren’t exactly indecipherable (at least not after reading them a few times), but understanding what a “planned” release means to your chances of wade fishing a certain shoal only seems to come with hard won personal experience. I guess that’s part of the satisfaction of this activity we love so much.
