Fly Fishing in God's Country
April 2002

By Jay Harrod
Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism

It's easy for Arkansans to take for granted the state's vast fishing opportunities. Lakes and reservoirs cover more than 600,000 surface acres in The Natural State, which also boasts more than 9,700 miles of rivers and streams. Throw in ponds, which make for some of best fishing holes, and suddenly Arkansas's fishing menu can make for hard decisions.

Not only are the types of water that can be fished varied, so are the types of fish. Catfish, bream, crappie, walleye, and trout and bass of all sorts are pulled everyday from Arkansas's fisheries. Furthermore, Arkansas is home to three current world records: the brown trout (40 pounds, four ounces), the hybrid bass (over 27 pounds), and the walleye (22 pounds, 11 ounces). Adding more factors into the equation of diversity, are the many methods of fishing available to outdoor enthusiasts in Arkansas.

While fly fishing certainly is not the easiest of methods, it has been argued to be the most graceful -- the style requiring the most skill and patience. If pointalism painters were to fish, surely they would choose to fly fish.

A man who has taken the time to master his craft and has learned to appreciate the subtle beauties of the sport, and a man who has fished all over the United States, is Chad Foster, host of ESPN's "Fly Fishing America." Foster, a Louisiana native, has hosted the show for six of its nine years on the air, and was in Arkansas in February taping a trout fishing show on Lake Norfork's tailwaters, the North Fork River, which runs only five miles before joining the White River south of Mountain Home.

"I started fly fishing when I was about 10 down in Louisiana," Foster smiled and said. "My dad taught me how to fly fish, and I would fish for bluegill and bass. That's when I learned it, but I really didn't fly fish again until I was in my mid-twenties. I went out to Montana and fell in love with it."

Foster's love of fly fishing eventually blossomed into a part-time career that has allowed him to be paid to pursue one of his passions in life. "I think fly fishing is kind of unique in that you don't go to that many ugly places to fly fish," he said. "And there's something about being out on the water without a great big motor on a boat. Either drifting down a river or canoeing across a lake or standing in a stream.

"For me, I just go away from everything else that's going on in my life when I am fly fishing. I can just be out there and be one with nature. I literally don't have any thoughts of what's going on at home or with my business or problems I might be dealing with. It's a real escape for people I think."

Over his career with "Fly Fishing America," a 30-minute program that airs in April, May and June on ESPN2, Foster said he has taped some 70 shows in at least 15 states. "We try to do as many different types of fishing as we can. We do saltwater, freshwater. We catch bass. We catch tarpin. We catch trout. Blue fish, red fish, speckled trout. Bone fish. Just about anything...stripers. And geographically we like to be diverse. We have viewers from all over so we like to show a little bit of different parts of the country."

Despite Foster's goal of geographical diversity, this was not his first time to tape in Arkansas. Three years ago he traveled to the pristine waters of Crooked Creek near Harrison to fly fish for smallmouth bass with local legend fly fisherman David Whitlock.

"We caught a lot of fish that day," he said. "We didn't catch a lot of big fish. But I think Dave Whitlock is a great example of someone who understands that it's more than the size of the fish that makes the day. It's where you are and who you're with and the experience that you have that counts."

Arkansas's fishing, though, isn't the only thing that lures Foster to the state. "I come up to Arkansas three or four times a year anyway, because it's just a great place to be. It's beautiful," he said. "This is God's country."

But Foster will admit, fishing like he experienced in on Crooked Creek and the North Fork River reels him back more than anything. "This was my first trip on the North Fork, and it was incredible fishing. I don't know that I've been on a river and seen so many fish anywhere. We caught a lot of fish, and of course when you're taping a show, you never catch as many fish as if you'd just gone fishing. We saw tons and tons of fish." Foster and his show guest netted about half brown and half rainbow trout on their two-day excursion.

Foster pointed out that for a five-mile stream, North Fork has an unusual amount of public access, which is very important for fly fishers. "A lot of rivers like this have gone private all over the country, so the general public can't get on them," he said.

His praise of Arkansas's fishing continued. "This river and the type of fishing you have and the quality fishing you have ranks you up there with any of the great states in fishing."

Foster's guide during the film shoot, was Andrew Colley of Little Rock's Yellow Dog Trading Company. Colley has been a guide for four years but has enjoyed the sport for more than 14. While Colley has fished in other states, his knowledge of fishing in The Natural State is immense.

In his opinion, the best places to fish for trout? The North Fork, the Little Red and the White rivers.

"If you just want to catch a lot of fish, the Little Red is just hard to beat," Colley said. "The North Fork is really a river that fishes to your skills. It's a river that a really good angler and can catch just tons of fish most everyday, but at the same time can go out some days and not catch a thing. An angler that is just beginning can go out and catch just a few fish but really learn several things and then go out and start to catch more fish."

As far as the White River, it is consistency that's appealing to Colley, who prefers to fish just below the Bull Shoals Dam.

When asked about fly fishing for species other than trout, Colley quickly mentioned Crooked Creek and the Buffalo National River and the abundance of smallmouth bass in these scenic Ozark streams. But Colley made it clear that fly fishing options in Arkansas are seemingly endless. "There's various places on some of the bigger lakes where you can go to catch white bass, hybrids and striped bass...bream in backyard ponds. The little creeks alongside of roads. They are all great places."

Colley's main point is that in Arkansas, there is no need to drive for hours to reach a good fly fishing destination. In central Arkansas, for instance, Colley named the Arkansas River as a great place to catch crappie. "There's a lot of places right around Little Rock and all around towns across the state. Anywhere that's good for fishing in general is good for fly fishing. And a lot of times you'll find these places to be very productive because the fish have never seen a fly."

While living in Fayetteville, Colley frequented the twin bridges area near Goshen on Richland Creek, where fly fishing for whites, hybrid and even striped bass was exceptional. "It was a blast," he said. "From a fly fishing standpoint, if you could get to where the fish were, you could easily catch 20 or 30 fish. And that's a conservative estimate."

Although Colley enjoys fishing for all sorts of species in Arkansas, it is ultimately the trout that sets the state apart, he said.

"The size of the fish here are unbelievable," he said. "You talk to 10 people who've fly fished in Arkansas and in other states, and eight of them are going to tell you that Arkansas is the best fly fishing destination they've been."

Advice for newcomers? "First thing they need to buy is a good pair of polarized glasses," Colley said. "And also talk to people. Get and read as much information as possible. Ninety-five percent of fly fishing is what you know and how you apply it. But that's something that shouldn't scare you. It's a challenge. The reason the majority of people pick up fly fishing is because it's different. Fly fishing is a little more of getting back to the natural way of fishing. Imitating all the insects in the river. Being able to sit down and tie a fly and then go out and use that fly and catch fish and make them think it's really something living in the river. I mean that's the coolest thing."

Colley also suggested that newcomers invest in quality fly fishing goods, which he said should cost no more than $500 for gear that would last a lifetime.

The "Fly Fishing America" show filmed on the North Fork River is scheduled to air on ESPN 2 April 29 from 11:30 a.m. to noon, on May 2 from 11-11:30 a.m. and on May 4 from 7:30-8 a.m. (Central Daylight Times). "Fly Fishing America" also features a segment meant to provide the audience a better sense of the area in which the show was filmed. This portion of the show will feature the folk music of the Ozarks showcased by Mellon's Country Store owner Don Mellon of Mountain View and his fellow band members.

.For more information concerning fishing of any sort in Arkansas, visit www.arkansas.com/outdoors_sports/game_fish. Individuals may also order a free Arkansas Fishing Guide by calling 1-800-NATURAL or visiting www.arkansas.com/vacation_kit.