# August Arkansas Trip



## netboy (Dec 12, 2006)

Spent the month of August at our place in North Arkansas. We had 6 inches of the rain the day before we arrived so most of the rivers were high and muddy. Fortunately the Norfork tailwater is quite short and has no major tributaries so it stays clear after big rain events. Fished there the first few days until the other rivers got back to normal.

Fishing was great with lots of rainbows along with a few browns, cutthroats and brooks. Had 2 days on the Norfork where I got an Ozark slam and caught all 4 species of trout. Best flies were soft hackles and midges on the Norfork and White and egg patterns and Woolly Buggers on the Spring and 11 Point rivers.

Decent brown from the Norfork









Fat rainbow from the Spring (5.4lbs on my hand scale)









White river Cutthroat









Another Spring river rainbow









Wife with a Norfork rainbow









Wife playing one on the Norfork









Close up of a nicely colored brookie


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## Worm Drowner (Sep 9, 2010)

Very nice report! A couple of my buddies & I are thinking about going up that way in Nov-Dec.


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## Permit Rat (May 13, 2014)

Where did they stock brook trout? Spring River? Wow, a lot has changed in the Ozarks, since I left. Too bad the brookies can't reproduce. If I were ever going to eat a trout, it would be the little juveniles from the feeder streams that haven't reached spawning size yet.

Anyway, looks like y'all had a nice trip. I looked to buy a cabin on the Norfork in the years before my dad passed, but I think more in smallmouth territory. In some ways I wish that had happened....My life might be different today.


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## netboy (Dec 12, 2006)

Permit Rat said:


> Where did they stock brook trout? Spring River?


They stock brookies in the White, Norfork and Little Red rivers. They raise them at the Greers Ferry Natl Fish Hatchery and release them once a year. They are small when released (6-7"). I've caught them up to about 12". Definitely the prettiest trout up there. There is a minimum size limit 0f 14" but it's rare to catch one that big (at least for me).

I was at Norfork last year when they did the stocking and saw a couple of big browns having a feast on them. Sure wish I had a large articulated steamer in brook trout color with me that day.


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## Outearly (Nov 17, 2009)

Thanks for the post, and I have a few questions:

1. Guided or unguided - is it easy enough to carry out without a guide (nothing against them, I just like trying to figure it out on my own).
2. Drift boat/canoe/kayak/walk in... how do you access the water?
3. I see a few anglers in the background on some shots, none on others. Are there spots you can fish by yourself, or are there lots of folks around? 

Many thanks.


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## netboy (Dec 12, 2006)

All unguided. I'm a do-it-yourselfer also. Never hired a guide in my life.

Most spots are accessible without a boat except for the Eleven Point where there is very limited access. The Norfork can get pretty crowded on the weekends so we only go there during the week. The White is a much bigger river so you can always get away from other folks. Canoes and kayaks work fine on all the rivers.

The Norfork and White rivers are tailwaters with dams that generate electricity so you need to be aware of generation schedules. The water comes up very quickly and you don't want to caught on the wrong side of the river. The Spring and Eleven Point are spring fed rivers so they are only affected by big rain events.


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## Outearly (Nov 17, 2009)

Many thanks, great information.


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## Permit Rat (May 13, 2014)

Another tailwater, just south of Branson, emanating from Tablerock dam. Same applies concerning electricity generation schedules. There used to be a website that gave the proposed schedules, so folks could plan. They were pretty good in keeping to the schedule, but there was always the chance that demand could change on a moment's notice.

There are some monster trout caught from all the tailwaters, every year.


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## SwampRat (Jul 30, 2004)

Went fished both the White and Norfork in early August as well. Water rise for White was ~5' when they started generating. Norfork was probably ~4'. It's not a 'tidal wave', but you could practically watch it rise.

Had a great time in both tailwaters.

Netboy, beautiful pics...really nice fish. Can't wait to add Cut-throat and Brookie on my caught list.


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## netboy (Dec 12, 2006)

Here's the link to the SWPA website that shows the generation schedules. It's usually pretty accurate, but they can change it at any time based on power demand.
It's updated around 3pm each day for the next day's schedule and they post the entire weekend's schedule on Friday afternoon.

http://www.swpa.gov/generationschedules.aspx


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