Big Rainbow Trout Again Proves Arkansas Has World-Class Action
April 2003

By Craig Ogilvie, travel writer
Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism

Most trout anglers agree that big catches are often made during the cooler months, and Arkansas is a prime reason for the theory. Patrick Monroney of Fayetteville proved it again in the fall of 2002 by landing an estimated 24.7-pound rainbow on the North Fork River, in the tailwaters of Norfork Dam.

Monroney made the catch on an orange-yellow glo-ball with a size 12 barbless hook. Since he was fishing in a catch-and-release area of the stream, the trout could not be officially weighed. The state record for rainbow trout is 19.1 pounds and was landed by Jim Miller of Memphis in 1981 on the White River. Monroney's catch cannot be considered a record because of the restrictions where it was caught.

Arkansas trout are hatched and stocked within the state.

A photo was snapped and measurements made to determine the fish was almost 31 inches long, and 23.5 inches in girth. The dimensions help biologists estimate the weight of the fish. Under catch-and-release guidelines, anglers are required to return the fish to the water as quickly as possible. The goal of the program is to enhance fishing by providing larger trout for anglers in a few protective zones around the state.

Articles about the champion-class fishing in Arkansas have appeared in publications around the world. Record catches making headlines include a 64-pound, eight ounce striped bass from the tailwaters of Beaver Dam (White River) in 2000, and the world-record 22-pound, 11-ounce walleye taken from Greers Ferry Lake in 1982.

The trout-fishing world was turned on its ear in 1988 when Mike Manley of North Little Rock landed a 38-pound, nine-ounce brown trout near the same spot Monroney was fishing on the North Fork. However, the best was yet to come. Less than four years later another Arkansas angler broke Manley's record.

The late Howard "Rip" Collins of Heber Springs went on an impromptu fishing trip with a neighbor on May 9, 1992, and returned with a 40-pound, four-ounce brown from the Little Red River. It still stands as a world record for the species.

Fly fishing is popular below the big dams and in natural coldwater streams.

Browns are cousins to the rainbow, brook, cutthroat and lake trout, and all are part of the action in Arkansas' cold mountain waters. While browns are the largest, rainbows remain the number-one catch. The White, Little Red, North Fork and Spring rivers are the state's best known trout havens. The Spring, boosted by the massive cold waters of Mammoth Spring, is the nearest thing to a natural trout river in the state. It runs cold and shallow for about 15 miles and is a favorite of fly fishermen.

Trout fishing was virtually unknown in Arkansas until U.S. Army Corps of Engineers projects created Norfork and Bull Shoals lakes after World War II. The cold runoff from the massive dams created ideal habitat for trout. The Norfork National Fish Hatchery was completed in 1957, and one of the state's most successful industries was soon underway.

Beaver Dam, on the upper reaches of the White, and Greers Ferry Dam, on the Little Red, were added during the 1960s and quickly joined the other Corps of Engineers projects as trout habitat-producing facilities. Another federal fish hatchery, constructed below Greers Ferry Dam, propagates rainbow and brook trout for the Little Red and other streams in the Ozarks.

Two other trout hatcheries, one federal and one state-operated, are operated near Mammoth Spring. The state Game and Fish Commission facility on Spring River produces 12-inch trout for a unique stocking program unlike any other in the nation. The combined in-state hatcheries produce more than two million trout for Arkansas waters each year, making the program a national leader.

Trout grow big in Arkansas. Some rivers have catch-and-release programs to ensure future lunker catches.

Arkansas boasts over 150 miles of trout-filled streams. The White provides over 90 miles of habitat downstream from Bull Shoals, and the Little Red offers another 30 miles below Greers Ferry Dam. Trout are also found in almost 100,000 acres of lake water in the state. Popular targets include lakes Bull Shoals, Ouachita, Hamilton, Catherine. Short stretches of the Ouachita and Little Missouri rivers, in the Ouachita Mountains, are excellent seasonal rainbow retreats.

Fly-fishing is popular below all of the state's big dams, but anglers must stay alert for sudden changes in river stages due to power generation at each site. Johnboats, which are flat-bottomed rigs with comfortable chairs, are the preferred mode of fishing travel below the larger dams. Guide services, full-service marinas, resorts, camping and cabins are all available in most of the trout zones of the state.

Arkansas' trout-fishing season is year round, and regulations and catch-and-release districts are outlined in information available at sporting goods stores, marinas and wherever licenses are sold. For general information about hunting and fishing in the Natural State, contact the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission at (501) 223-6300; or visit their website at www.agfc.com. For more information on fishing records in the Natural State, link to www.agfc.com/fishing/fishrecords_all.html.