| Trout Fishing Articles |
John N. Felsher's Trout Fishing Adventures
 | |  | |  | |  | |  |
| Articles and photos on this website are for the viewing pleasure of patrons of this site. All articles and photos on this site are protected by the copyright laws of the United States. Any unauthorized usage is strictly prohibited. If you wish to purchase an article or photo, contact John N. Felsher as listed in the contact section. |
| Articles and photos on this website are free for your viewing pleasure, but it takes money to keep this site up and running. If you would care to help keep this site up and running for the use of all outdoors patrons, you can make a cash contribution. If you care to donate, contact John N. Felsher as listed in the contact section. |
| Protected by Copyright |
| How you can help keep this site operating |
White water, brown trout make
river a fascinating place to fish
river a fascinating place to fish
Josh Bradford shows off a 12.01-pound brown trout he caught while
fishing in the White River near Cotter, Ark. It hit a live crawfish.
fishing in the White River near Cotter, Ark. It hit a live crawfish.
Resembling a glacier cut through a mountain canyon, thick fog
obscured the water, but offered a glimpse into the origin of the river’s name.
Slicing a path through the luxuriant Ozark Mountains, the White River
flows 720 miles from its headwaters to its destiny with the Mississippi River
in southeast Arkansas. In 1819, Henry Rowe Schoolcraft described the
White by saying, “It unites a current which possesses the purity of crystal
with a smooth and gentle flow and the most imposing, diversified and
delightful scenery. Our canoe often seemed as if suspended in the air,
such is the remarkable transparency of the water.”
Today, Schoolcraft would still recognize the incredible beauty and
clarity of this capricious river rumbling through thickly forested mountains.
Wandering eastward, it snakes along the Arkansas-Missouri line before
heading southeastward toward Batesville. At Newport, the White River
abruptly turns southward for 257 miles through eastern Arkansas.
Along its course, the White River changes dramatically from a rocky
mountain stream to a slow, meandering ribbon cutting through cypress and
tupelo swamps. Near Cotter, it emerges from the Bull Shoals Dam.
Completed in 1952, the dam formed a 71,000-acre lake that drops to 250
feet deep in places. Fidget water coming off the bottom of the lake turned
the White into one of the top trophy trout streams in the country.
In 1972, Gordon Lackey landed a then North American record brown
trout weighing 31.5 pounds. The record stood until Leon Waggoner caught
a 33.8-pound monster. H. “Rip” Collins of Heber Springs holds the current
world record with a 40.25-pounder he pulled from the Little Red River in
1992. Anglers catch a number of double-digit White browns, including a
few breaking the 20-pound mark, each year.
The river also produces abundant rainbow trout, probably more than
any other stream in North America, according to Arkansas Game and Fish
Commission sources. The AGFC stocks hundreds of thousands of trout
into the White River each year. On March 14, 1981, Jim Miller landed the
state record rainbow, a 19-pound, 1-ounce lunker. The river continues to
produce many rainbows in the 2- to 10-pound range with 6-pound fish
barely attracting attention.
In 1983, the state first stocked cutthroat trout into the White River.
Scott Rudolph pulled the state record 9-pound, 9-ounce fish, from the
White River on Oct. 6, 1985. Although not caught as often as rainbows or
browns, some White River brook trout exceed 4 pounds.
I joined Jim Nolan, a professional bass angler who does public relations
for Ranger Boats, on the White River. We fished an employee tournament
near Cotter. Although we could probably catch all the small rainbows we
wanted with bait, we tried for that one big bite from a monster brown that
might win the tournament for us. However, with limited flow coming out from
under the Bull Shoals Dam, the trout turned skittish in our pool. They
prefer a steady, more substantial flow that stirs up crawfish, sculpins,
minnows and other forage hiding in the thick aquatic grass.
We tried a variety of lures with limited success, enticing a few small
rainbows. However, Jim hung a giant brown that gobbled a Berkley Gulp
crawfish imitation attached to a jig. He lost probably the largest trout he
ever hooked, perhaps a 20-pounder, when the mighty fish stripped most of
his line before popping it on sharp rocks lining a mid-river channel.
The team of Josh Bradford, Kenny Stephenson and Matt Raynor faired
better beating 64 other people in the tournament. They landed a
tournament limit of five trout weighing 17.5 pounds. Josh anchored the
stringer with a 12-pound, 1-ounce brown that ate a live crawfish. They saw
the fish early in the day, but boat traffic spooked it. That afternoon, they
returned and tempted it with a live crawfish.
“We caught the big one at about 1:30 p.m. on the last cast of the day
right before we had to head to the weigh-in,” Josh said. “We were fishing
near the Highway 62 bridge not far from the weigh-in landing. It was the
biggest trout I ever caught. We fought it for about 300 yards before we
landed it. I want to thank Barry Price for pulling up his anchor and getting
out of the way while we fought this fish.”
obscured the water, but offered a glimpse into the origin of the river’s name.
Slicing a path through the luxuriant Ozark Mountains, the White River
flows 720 miles from its headwaters to its destiny with the Mississippi River
in southeast Arkansas. In 1819, Henry Rowe Schoolcraft described the
White by saying, “It unites a current which possesses the purity of crystal
with a smooth and gentle flow and the most imposing, diversified and
delightful scenery. Our canoe often seemed as if suspended in the air,
such is the remarkable transparency of the water.”
Today, Schoolcraft would still recognize the incredible beauty and
clarity of this capricious river rumbling through thickly forested mountains.
Wandering eastward, it snakes along the Arkansas-Missouri line before
heading southeastward toward Batesville. At Newport, the White River
abruptly turns southward for 257 miles through eastern Arkansas.
Along its course, the White River changes dramatically from a rocky
mountain stream to a slow, meandering ribbon cutting through cypress and
tupelo swamps. Near Cotter, it emerges from the Bull Shoals Dam.
Completed in 1952, the dam formed a 71,000-acre lake that drops to 250
feet deep in places. Fidget water coming off the bottom of the lake turned
the White into one of the top trophy trout streams in the country.
In 1972, Gordon Lackey landed a then North American record brown
trout weighing 31.5 pounds. The record stood until Leon Waggoner caught
a 33.8-pound monster. H. “Rip” Collins of Heber Springs holds the current
world record with a 40.25-pounder he pulled from the Little Red River in
1992. Anglers catch a number of double-digit White browns, including a
few breaking the 20-pound mark, each year.
The river also produces abundant rainbow trout, probably more than
any other stream in North America, according to Arkansas Game and Fish
Commission sources. The AGFC stocks hundreds of thousands of trout
into the White River each year. On March 14, 1981, Jim Miller landed the
state record rainbow, a 19-pound, 1-ounce lunker. The river continues to
produce many rainbows in the 2- to 10-pound range with 6-pound fish
barely attracting attention.
In 1983, the state first stocked cutthroat trout into the White River.
Scott Rudolph pulled the state record 9-pound, 9-ounce fish, from the
White River on Oct. 6, 1985. Although not caught as often as rainbows or
browns, some White River brook trout exceed 4 pounds.
I joined Jim Nolan, a professional bass angler who does public relations
for Ranger Boats, on the White River. We fished an employee tournament
near Cotter. Although we could probably catch all the small rainbows we
wanted with bait, we tried for that one big bite from a monster brown that
might win the tournament for us. However, with limited flow coming out from
under the Bull Shoals Dam, the trout turned skittish in our pool. They
prefer a steady, more substantial flow that stirs up crawfish, sculpins,
minnows and other forage hiding in the thick aquatic grass.
We tried a variety of lures with limited success, enticing a few small
rainbows. However, Jim hung a giant brown that gobbled a Berkley Gulp
crawfish imitation attached to a jig. He lost probably the largest trout he
ever hooked, perhaps a 20-pounder, when the mighty fish stripped most of
his line before popping it on sharp rocks lining a mid-river channel.
The team of Josh Bradford, Kenny Stephenson and Matt Raynor faired
better beating 64 other people in the tournament. They landed a
tournament limit of five trout weighing 17.5 pounds. Josh anchored the
stringer with a 12-pound, 1-ounce brown that ate a live crawfish. They saw
the fish early in the day, but boat traffic spooked it. That afternoon, they
returned and tempted it with a live crawfish.
“We caught the big one at about 1:30 p.m. on the last cast of the day
right before we had to head to the weigh-in,” Josh said. “We were fishing
near the Highway 62 bridge not far from the weigh-in landing. It was the
biggest trout I ever caught. We fought it for about 300 yards before we
landed it. I want to thank Barry Price for pulling up his anchor and getting
out of the way while we fought this fish.”