| Trout Fishing Articles |
John N. Felsher's Trout Fishing Adventures
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With bait, nearly anyone can catch a load of small rainbows, but less
than four miles from where H. “Rip” Collins landed the 40.25-pound world
record brown trout, we wanted bigger action.
That afternoon, we checked into one of the 45 rustic cabins
overlooking the Little Red River at Lindsey’s Rainbow Resort in Heber
Springs, Ark. Most people who fish this section of river hire guides, but we
wanted to do it on our own this day. My sons, Daniel and Steven, climbed
into one of the resort boats as we headed downstream until a major rocky
shoal blocked our way.
While big trout sometimes eat small baits, such as waxworms,
marshmallows or corn, most big browns prefer a bigger meal. Frequently,
big browns eat smaller rain-bows or other trout stocked by the state. They
also eat minnows and other small fish. With lures, people generally catch
fewer, but bigger trout than by fishing with bait.
Looking for bigger fish, we threw lures that afternoon, but only one
trout, a 3-pound brown, took the offering. Tossing a sinking Rapala jerkbait
upstream, I let it fall slowly as it drifted downstream. Every few moments, I
twitched the bait to make it dart from side to side. The big brown rose from
the submerged grass to smash the enticement, putting up quite a fight on
ultralight tackle. Just before dark, we released the fish and headed back to
the lodge.
“The Little Red River is well-known for big brown trout,” said Jared
Lindsey, son of Bill Lindsey, the resort owner. “At times, we might see a
couple 10-pound fish in a week and we see a lot more 2- to 4-pound fish.
Rainbows typically average about 1 to 1.5 pounds, but we commonly catch
rainbows up to 3 pounds. The river once held the brook trout record. We
also have some cutthroats.”
After a good sleep in the cabin, we headed out again in the morning.
This time, we joined Larry Levine, a guide. Larry headed upstream to a
deep hole by a waterfall. Most of the river averages less than seven feet
deep with thick grass covering much of the bottom. In the extremely clear
water, people can often see fish swimming just above the grass. Under the
waterfall, the depth dipped to more than 20 feet. Again, we opted for lures
over bait.
Cold water coming off the bottom of Greers Ferry Lake turned the river
into a trophy trout stream. With little generation at the dam, little water
flows down the river. Fish become lethargic and hole up in thick grass. A
sufficient release at the dam creates a good steady current that can
stimulate fish into biting. The current dislodges small creatures living in the
grass, kicking off a feeding frenzy.
“When they first turn the water on at the dam, trout go into a feeding
frenzy,” said Bo Vining, another Lindsey guide. “That water flow pushes
snails, sowbugs, freshwater shrimp and other creatures out from under the
rocks. During running water, fish bite artificials better.”
Alas, very little water flowed through the dam this morning. We threw a
variety of lures and picked up some sizeable rainbows on spinners and
rainbow trout-colored countdown Rapala jerkbaits. Daniel connected with
the largest trout of the day, a good brown that hit a Mepps spinner. By
noon, we switched to bait, mostly Berkley Power Baits, to finish out a limit of
rainbows.
“If people want to catch big trout, they need to specifically fish for big
trout and cover a lot of territory,” Vining explained. “It’s almost like bass
fishing. We fish in-between the pockets of moss with larger lures. If people
specifically want to target larger brown trout, they might use countdown
Rapala crankbaits, Rattling Rogues or Rapala Shad Raps in silver and
black. I also like a Mepps roostertail. A marabou jig fished on the bottom is
always a favorite lure. People can move it too fast, but they can’t move it
too slowly.”
Lindsey’s provides full service to trout fishermen including boats, bait
and tackle. People may stay at the cabins and fish on their own, rent boats
or hire guides. People may also eat at the restaurant on the grounds.
Some people stay in the cabins and fish nearby Greers Ferry Lake or other
stretches of the Little Red River.
For more information, call Lindsey’s at (800) 305-8790. On line, see
www.lindseysresort.com.
than four miles from where H. “Rip” Collins landed the 40.25-pound world
record brown trout, we wanted bigger action.
That afternoon, we checked into one of the 45 rustic cabins
overlooking the Little Red River at Lindsey’s Rainbow Resort in Heber
Springs, Ark. Most people who fish this section of river hire guides, but we
wanted to do it on our own this day. My sons, Daniel and Steven, climbed
into one of the resort boats as we headed downstream until a major rocky
shoal blocked our way.
While big trout sometimes eat small baits, such as waxworms,
marshmallows or corn, most big browns prefer a bigger meal. Frequently,
big browns eat smaller rain-bows or other trout stocked by the state. They
also eat minnows and other small fish. With lures, people generally catch
fewer, but bigger trout than by fishing with bait.
Looking for bigger fish, we threw lures that afternoon, but only one
trout, a 3-pound brown, took the offering. Tossing a sinking Rapala jerkbait
upstream, I let it fall slowly as it drifted downstream. Every few moments, I
twitched the bait to make it dart from side to side. The big brown rose from
the submerged grass to smash the enticement, putting up quite a fight on
ultralight tackle. Just before dark, we released the fish and headed back to
the lodge.
“The Little Red River is well-known for big brown trout,” said Jared
Lindsey, son of Bill Lindsey, the resort owner. “At times, we might see a
couple 10-pound fish in a week and we see a lot more 2- to 4-pound fish.
Rainbows typically average about 1 to 1.5 pounds, but we commonly catch
rainbows up to 3 pounds. The river once held the brook trout record. We
also have some cutthroats.”
After a good sleep in the cabin, we headed out again in the morning.
This time, we joined Larry Levine, a guide. Larry headed upstream to a
deep hole by a waterfall. Most of the river averages less than seven feet
deep with thick grass covering much of the bottom. In the extremely clear
water, people can often see fish swimming just above the grass. Under the
waterfall, the depth dipped to more than 20 feet. Again, we opted for lures
over bait.
Cold water coming off the bottom of Greers Ferry Lake turned the river
into a trophy trout stream. With little generation at the dam, little water
flows down the river. Fish become lethargic and hole up in thick grass. A
sufficient release at the dam creates a good steady current that can
stimulate fish into biting. The current dislodges small creatures living in the
grass, kicking off a feeding frenzy.
“When they first turn the water on at the dam, trout go into a feeding
frenzy,” said Bo Vining, another Lindsey guide. “That water flow pushes
snails, sowbugs, freshwater shrimp and other creatures out from under the
rocks. During running water, fish bite artificials better.”
Alas, very little water flowed through the dam this morning. We threw a
variety of lures and picked up some sizeable rainbows on spinners and
rainbow trout-colored countdown Rapala jerkbaits. Daniel connected with
the largest trout of the day, a good brown that hit a Mepps spinner. By
noon, we switched to bait, mostly Berkley Power Baits, to finish out a limit of
rainbows.
“If people want to catch big trout, they need to specifically fish for big
trout and cover a lot of territory,” Vining explained. “It’s almost like bass
fishing. We fish in-between the pockets of moss with larger lures. If people
specifically want to target larger brown trout, they might use countdown
Rapala crankbaits, Rattling Rogues or Rapala Shad Raps in silver and
black. I also like a Mepps roostertail. A marabou jig fished on the bottom is
always a favorite lure. People can move it too fast, but they can’t move it
too slowly.”
Lindsey’s provides full service to trout fishermen including boats, bait
and tackle. People may stay at the cabins and fish on their own, rent boats
or hire guides. People may also eat at the restaurant on the grounds.
Some people stay in the cabins and fish nearby Greers Ferry Lake or other
stretches of the Little Red River.
For more information, call Lindsey’s at (800) 305-8790. On line, see
www.lindseysresort.com.
Little Red River
runs with big
brown trout
runs with big
brown trout
Daniel Felsher shows off a
nice brown trout he caught
on a Mepps spinner while
fishing with Larry Levine of
Lindsey's Rainbow Resort
on the Little Red River near
Heber Springs, Ark.
nice brown trout he caught
on a Mepps spinner while
fishing with Larry Levine of
Lindsey's Rainbow Resort
on the Little Red River near
Heber Springs, Ark.
