| Trout Fishing Articles |
John N. Felsher's Trout Fishing Adventures
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Cold water coming off the bottom of Greers Ferry Lake near Heber
Springs, Ark., destroyed a warm-water fishery on the Little Red River in the
early 1960s, but the frigid flow created some of the best trout habitat in the
country.
Clear water coming out from beneath the dam stays about 45 degrees
all year long. The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission began stocking
trout into the Little Red tailrace below the Greers Ferry Dam in the late
1960s. Before long, the river began producing huge brown trout. The river
also produces big rainbows, cutthroats and brook trout.
On May 9, 1992, H. “Rip” Collins of Heber Springs landed a lunker
trout. He caught a world record 40.25-pound brown on a 1/32-ounce olive
green jig tied to 4-pound test line.
About four miles upstream from where Collins landed his fish, Bill
Lindsey runs Lindsey’s Rainbow Resort. The cluster of 45 rustic log cabins
overseeing the marina dates to about 1965 and provides full-service for
trout anglers. People can stay in a variety of small to large cabins offering
different conveniences and amenities.
“The Little Red River is known for its big brown trout,” said Jared
Lindsey of Lindsey’s Rainbow Resort. “Brown trout spawn between
October and early January. That’s when we catch a lot of 8- to 15-pound
browns. We might see a couple 10-pound fish in a week and we see a lot
more 2- to 4-pound browns. Rainbows average about 1 to 1.5 pounds, but
we commonly catch some up to 3 pounds. The river also produced the
previous state record brook trout.”
Most people who visit Lindsey’s hire resort guides to take them out in
small boats. Guides can provide rods, bait and tackle. People need only to
show up. People can also rent boats and motors to fish the river on their
own.
Allen Williams and I joined Bo Vining, a Lindsey guide, on the Little
Red for a little trout action. With the river running extremely low due to the
ongoing drought ravaging Arkansas, current ran much less intense than
normal. Seeing the low flow, Bo suggested we throw bait.
We pulled up to one of Bo’s favorite holes and dropped anchor. He
tossed a few handfuls of corn into the water to get the fish into the mood.
Then, we baited Carolina rigs with a combination of corn, marshmallows
and wax worms. Because trout look up to feed, a marshmallow lets bait
float above aquatic grass carpeting the bottom.
Often, we tipped our hooks with chartreuse Berkley Power Bait nibbles
to add a little color, scent and flavor. Trout feed mostly by sight, but they
also use their well-developed smell organs to detect prey. Trout preferred
white Berkley Power Maggots, artificial creations that resemble the real
thing, but give off that classic Power Bait scent.
On the second day, Allen and I, joined by my son, Daniel, fished with
Josh Joyner, another Lindsey guide. On a much colder day, we headed for
the deep holes. We caught more and larger fish, some rainbows
approaching 2 pounds. Again, the trout preferred the Berkley Power Bait
Maggot and the marshmallow combination to all other baits.
During high water, anglers drift the river, tossing a variety of lures into
likely trout hiding spots. Some hot lures include small sinking or
suspending Rapala jerkbaits, Mepps spinnerbaits and even small
crankbaits in rainbow trout colors. Work these lures so they flow
downstream over grass beds and holes.
“One of my favorite lures is a Rapala Shad Rap in silver and black,”
Vining said. “I also like a Rattling Rogue and a Mepps roostertail. A jig is
always a favorite lure. Fish it on the bottom. People can move it too fast,
but they can’t move it too slowly. Another good method is using a Trout
Magnet jig tipped with a waxworm to hide the hook. Let it dangle about
three feet under a bobber. Trout will bite a jig without tipping it with a worm,
but tipping it does make a big difference.”
Anglers wishing to catch trophy trout might consider throwing only
lures. Large trout may hit bait, but they prefer lures that resemble fish,
especially other trout. When the state stocks rainbows into the river, big
browns feast on the stockies. Trophy hunters also need to cover a lot of
territory to find lunkers.
For more information, call Lindsey’s at (800) 305-8790. On line, see
www.lindseysresort.com.
Springs, Ark., destroyed a warm-water fishery on the Little Red River in the
early 1960s, but the frigid flow created some of the best trout habitat in the
country.
Clear water coming out from beneath the dam stays about 45 degrees
all year long. The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission began stocking
trout into the Little Red tailrace below the Greers Ferry Dam in the late
1960s. Before long, the river began producing huge brown trout. The river
also produces big rainbows, cutthroats and brook trout.
On May 9, 1992, H. “Rip” Collins of Heber Springs landed a lunker
trout. He caught a world record 40.25-pound brown on a 1/32-ounce olive
green jig tied to 4-pound test line.
About four miles upstream from where Collins landed his fish, Bill
Lindsey runs Lindsey’s Rainbow Resort. The cluster of 45 rustic log cabins
overseeing the marina dates to about 1965 and provides full-service for
trout anglers. People can stay in a variety of small to large cabins offering
different conveniences and amenities.
“The Little Red River is known for its big brown trout,” said Jared
Lindsey of Lindsey’s Rainbow Resort. “Brown trout spawn between
October and early January. That’s when we catch a lot of 8- to 15-pound
browns. We might see a couple 10-pound fish in a week and we see a lot
more 2- to 4-pound browns. Rainbows average about 1 to 1.5 pounds, but
we commonly catch some up to 3 pounds. The river also produced the
previous state record brook trout.”
Most people who visit Lindsey’s hire resort guides to take them out in
small boats. Guides can provide rods, bait and tackle. People need only to
show up. People can also rent boats and motors to fish the river on their
own.
Allen Williams and I joined Bo Vining, a Lindsey guide, on the Little
Red for a little trout action. With the river running extremely low due to the
ongoing drought ravaging Arkansas, current ran much less intense than
normal. Seeing the low flow, Bo suggested we throw bait.
We pulled up to one of Bo’s favorite holes and dropped anchor. He
tossed a few handfuls of corn into the water to get the fish into the mood.
Then, we baited Carolina rigs with a combination of corn, marshmallows
and wax worms. Because trout look up to feed, a marshmallow lets bait
float above aquatic grass carpeting the bottom.
Often, we tipped our hooks with chartreuse Berkley Power Bait nibbles
to add a little color, scent and flavor. Trout feed mostly by sight, but they
also use their well-developed smell organs to detect prey. Trout preferred
white Berkley Power Maggots, artificial creations that resemble the real
thing, but give off that classic Power Bait scent.
On the second day, Allen and I, joined by my son, Daniel, fished with
Josh Joyner, another Lindsey guide. On a much colder day, we headed for
the deep holes. We caught more and larger fish, some rainbows
approaching 2 pounds. Again, the trout preferred the Berkley Power Bait
Maggot and the marshmallow combination to all other baits.
During high water, anglers drift the river, tossing a variety of lures into
likely trout hiding spots. Some hot lures include small sinking or
suspending Rapala jerkbaits, Mepps spinnerbaits and even small
crankbaits in rainbow trout colors. Work these lures so they flow
downstream over grass beds and holes.
“One of my favorite lures is a Rapala Shad Rap in silver and black,”
Vining said. “I also like a Rattling Rogue and a Mepps roostertail. A jig is
always a favorite lure. Fish it on the bottom. People can move it too fast,
but they can’t move it too slowly. Another good method is using a Trout
Magnet jig tipped with a waxworm to hide the hook. Let it dangle about
three feet under a bobber. Trout will bite a jig without tipping it with a worm,
but tipping it does make a big difference.”
Anglers wishing to catch trophy trout might consider throwing only
lures. Large trout may hit bait, but they prefer lures that resemble fish,
especially other trout. When the state stocks rainbows into the river, big
browns feast on the stockies. Trophy hunters also need to cover a lot of
territory to find lunkers.
For more information, call Lindsey’s at (800) 305-8790. On line, see
www.lindseysresort.com.
Little Red River offers rainbow of
trophy trout fishing opportunities
trophy trout fishing opportunities
Josh Joyner, a guide for Lindsey's Rainbow Resort on the Little Red
River near Heber Springs, Ark., show off a rainbow trout he caught.
River near Heber Springs, Ark., show off a rainbow trout he caught.
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