Making memories

Beauty, serenity of Ozark trout fishing is worth the trip

By Joyce Hartmann

LITTLE ROCK — Gaston’s White River Resort in Lakeview has been on my “bucket list” for quite some time, so when I was invited to join a group of writers for a few days, I jumped at the chance.

My husband, Bob, and I drove 84 miles from our Choctaw home through Marshall, Harriet, Yellville and Flippin, home of the world-famous Ranger bass boat. Crossing Bull Shoals Dam, we were there.

Super-friendly staff checked us into our spacious pink cottage with its deck and river view, fireplace, kitchen, TV, Internet connections ... yep, I could live here.

Our first event was a shore luncheon at the end of a nature trail lined with bluebird houses. Everything was cooked in Dutch ovens and served on a johnboat table. Hungry anglers devoured mouth-watering fried trout, pork tenderloins, biscuits, baked beans, hash browns and delectable peach cobbler.

Our group had fished all morning and arrived by boats with their guides. Guides keep first-timers safe and help catch fish; they know where to drift, what bait to use, how to keep the boat positioned at any water level and where to find the trout, whether they be rainbows (stocked and abundant), browns, brook or cutthroat.

After lunch Bob and I joined them. Our guide, “Red” Adkerson, a native of Cotter, grew upon the river and has guided for 34 years.

“The river can be treacherous,” Adkerson said. “Up to eight generators could be running. It helps to know the river. Anchor fishing in currents can cause a boat to capsize.”

Five generators were running as we float-fished in the swift current. We used artificial bait: white worms, Powerbait, red glow worms ... rigged not to drag bottom in the filamentous algae. It was a warm afternoon, and the biting was on. We each caught our limit (five rainbows per person per day) in a short time. We also caught and released a few smaller fish.

Catching food fish here is almost as quick as going to the grocery store. No need to get up at dawn, they’re out there and hungry all the time. You can cook them in your cottage kitchen, take them home frozen or fresh, grill them outdoors or even have the restaurant cook them for you.

Gung-ho anglers hunt big trophy browns to catch and release; they might fish all day and keep none, all for the thrill of seeing big lunkers. World champion trout have been caught right here.

Birds were everywhere. A regal bald eagle perched high overhead, eyeing two mallards swimming below. One tree held a cluster of sunning black vultures, and another presented the prehistoric spectacle of a great blue heron rookery. Cardinal songs mingled with the tropical sound of purple grackles and fish crows. Our senses came alive.

After our guide cleaned our fish, I visited with Jim Gaston, resort owner and CEO. I was led to his office by his three “limited-edition guard dogs,” as Jim calls his mixed breed fluffy pets bedecked in bandannas. They barked excitedly all the way to his desk, where he was immersed in digital photography and computer technology.

The 67-year-old easy-going sportsman talked as though we had been friends for years. He said his dogs had been rescued, adding, “They make the best pets.”

Jim shared a little bit of the resort’s history.

“My father started the resort back in 1958 with six boats and six cottages and 20 acres of White River frontage,” he said. “I came down when I was about 20 and it was not long after that that he passed away. I never thought I’d go into the resort business, always thought I’d go into construction. But times were hard like they are today, and bottom line, I didn’t have enough money to leave.”

Times were also simpler. Jim went to a local banker and asked to borrow some money. The banker gave him a note for $50,000.

“Don’t you need a co-signer?” Jim asked. “No,” the banker said. “I have faith in you.”

So he built up the business. Today the world-famous fishing resort has more than 400 acres and 79 cottages on two miles of White River frontage. The air strip grew to 3,200 feet. Boats number more than 70 in a large dock. He’s added a pool, restaurant, private club, conference facilities, playground, game room, nature trails and more.

“People often ask me why the cottages are pink,” Jim said. “My father painted his cottages pink, and each time I built a new cottage, I didn’t have enough money to paint them all a different color. I call it a family tradition.”

Jim works seven days a week and loves his job.

“I can’t feature anybody having a better life. Where else could I take my dogs to the office? I saw a bald eagle just outside my door this morning. It’s a very chaotic world out there, and I feel fortunate to live in Arkansas, particularly here.

“I do travel more now. I believe one of the most important things we can do is to make memories.”

Making memories: That’s what our trip was all about, too.

That evening our group met for dinner in the backyard of one of the cabins for a steak cookout and later, “pickin’ and grinnin’.”

The next morning I sat on our cottage deck. Looking up, I thrilled to see the upward spiral mating flight of the timberdoodle.

We ate a sumptuous buffet breakfast in the restaurant. Bird feeders were at each window. Vintage bicycles and unicycles hung from the ceiling, along with old boat motors, washing machines and farm tools.

“It’s a museum,” Bob said.

There are other things to do if you get tired of fishing. Don’t miss the James A. Gaston Visitor Center, where you’ll see sweeping vistas overlooking the dam. Watch the short movie, co-narrated by Jim Gaston, Forrest Wood and other locals who tell about life before and after the dam was built. You’ll learn about the importance of the Ozark johnboat, gasp at the size of record-breaking fish and learn about the importance of this dam to hydroelectric power and flood prevention.

More than 600,000 people visit Bull Shoals-White River State Park each year, and with its 105 campsites, picnic areas, hiking and mountain bike trails, it’s not hard to see why it’s a popular getaway destination. One trail in particular, the beautiful Gaston Wildflower Meadow trail, is teeming with dormant prairie and woodland posies always ready to burst forth in changing colorful splendor.

On the way back to our cabin, we checked out the Gaston peacocks. They spread their amazing plumage and shook their tail feathers, cooperating for photographers. There were even fairy-like albino peacocks, guineas and a pheasant. Near our cabin we admired a flock of large white domestic geese. We wandered to the airstrip, visualizing all the planes coming in for Sunday brunch.

Driving home, we now knew why Gaston’s is visited by people all over the world. Of course the trout fishing is spectacular, but everything else is first class, too: cottages, food, choice of activities, cleanliness, birds, friendliness, serenity -Jim Gaston’s work on his resort and with the Department of Arkansas Parks and Tourism has made a great impact on Arkansas, and this whole area is well worth the trip - a great place to make memories.