# Ozark trout slam



## netboy (Dec 12, 2006)

Spent the last 3 weeks at our house in north Arkansas. Weather was pretty cold with a few mornings in single digits. Fished the Spring, Norfork, White and Eleven Point rivers. Overall the fishing was good with high numbers of trout, no trophies but some decent trout. Rivers were low and clear so there were lots of sight casting opportunities.

A few pictures...

Cutthroat from the Norfork









Brookie










Rainbow from the Spring










Brown










Rainbow from the Eleven Point










And a Spring river rainbow


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## karstopo (Jun 29, 2009)

That's quite a variety and some nice looking fish. I had no idea there are cutthroat trout in Arkansas. And brook trout, too. 

I know there are a lot of big reservoirs up there. Is that what sustains the water temperatures needed for trout? I know that country gets mighty hot in the summer.


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## netboy (Dec 12, 2006)

The White river near us is the tailwater of Bull Shoals lake. There are 2 other tailwaters upstream on the White, one below Beaver lake and another below Table Rock lake. The Norfork river is the tailwater of Norfork lake. They generate electricity at these dams so you have to pay attention to the generation schedules. Water comes up pretty fast and you don't want to be caught in the rise. They stock rainbows, cutthroats, brookies and browns in Bull Shoals and Norfork tailwaters.

The Spring and Eleven Point rivers are created by natural springs so the water levels are only affected by rain events. The Spring river is stocked with rainbows, cuts and browns. The Eleven Point is only stocked with rainbows.

There is some natural reproduction of all species in the rivers and they say the browns are most successful.


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## Permit Rat (May 13, 2014)

I thought the upper Norfork River was spring fed also. I've been to the mill where the spring comes up out of the ground. Funny because there's nothing in the spring except some grass carp. They say the water can't support normal fish life, due to low oxygen content. The carp can take in some atmospheric oxygen....I guess. Anyway, the water has to travel downstream a ways, where it becomes naturally oxygenated and will hold fish.

Yeah, I forgot about all that, but you're right and this might be the year that a lot of trout are wild-hatched, due to the early abnormally cold weather. According to the Missouri biologists, the trout all go through the motions of spawning, but the water is too warm and the eggs develop too fast and "burn out"...(their term...I don't understand this) 

You can witness all this from the outflows of the fish hatchery below Tablerock dam. Trout (BIG trout!!) all congregate in these outflows every Fall, as if to want to swim upstream to spawn.


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## Capps Guide Service Inc. (Aug 24, 2016)

*Upper White River in Arkansas*

We are seeing lots of river spawn rainbows and browns the last couple of years. Some browns are on there beds now


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## Capps Guide Service Inc. (Aug 24, 2016)

Nice fish!


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## netboy (Dec 12, 2006)

Permit Rat ...
Yes, the North Fork of the White river above Lake Norfork is spring fed just like the Eleven Point and Spring. It is in Missouri and managed by Missouri Dept of Conservation. It has a good population of browns and rainbows.
Locals call it NFOW.

The tailwater below the dam is locally referred to as the Norfork river even though it technically is the lower portion of the North Fork of the White.


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## SwampRat (Jul 30, 2004)

Beautiful fish... Great job and thanks for posting.


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## gotmuddy (Dec 19, 2013)

great post, this is one of the reasons I live here.


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