Gaston's White River Resort Online Newsletter Ozark Mountain Trout Fishing

Early Winter 2005 Newsletter

http://www.gastons.com/news/winter05.htm

Minimum Flow Passes House and Senate

After decades of hard work, the White River is finally going to
count on a minimum flow of water from the dam when it's needed.
The White River is already a world-renown fishery for trout, and
now we will have an even better habitat for trout. When the water
is low in the summer, the gravel bottom of the river heats up and
causes the water temperature to rise, which kills trout. Trout are a
cold water fish and cannot survive in warm water conditions. This
legislation is the single most important thing to happen to trout
fishing since the construction of Bull Shoals Dam. Previously,
water was only generated as electricity was needed, or for flood
control. Now, there will be a small amount of water let out of the
dam during low-demand periods, and our trout habitat will not
be subjected to extreme temperature fluctuations. The number
of trout will not only increase, but the quality of trout will improve
as well. This is a great win for the White River and we are all very
excited to see the bill pass through the U.S. House of Representatives
and U.S. Senate. Thank you to all of those who have worked so hard
to make this happen!

Gaston's Gift Cards Make Great Gifts!

If you are not sure what to get someone this holiday season, consider
purchasing a gift card from Gaston's! We can make the gift cards in
any amount you wish, so the card can be a stocking stuffer, or a large
present that anyone is sure to enjoy. You can buy your friends or
relatives a gift card so they can enjoy our restaurant, gift shop, or
pick out some bait, tackle, or fly fishing supplies. You can also get a
gift card that would allow them to rent cottages, book fishing trips, and
much more! Please call us at 870-431-5202 ext 200 and we can help
make your Christmas shopping a little bit easier this year.

Big Brown Season and Discounted Cottage Rates

It's that time of the year again, when fishing for German Brown trout
is at it's finest, and our cottage rates are at their lowest all year! We
refer to this great time of year as "Big Brown Season," and enjoy the
fact that people come from all over the country to take part in our world-
class trout fishing. You will not find a better trout river in the world when
the browns are active here. Our winter fishing has become so popular
over the last few years that we constantly have television shows filming,
magazine writers publishing, and radio show announcers telling their
audiences about what a fantastic time they had while fishing on the White
River in January, February, and March.

So what makes this time of year so special? There are many reasons.
Brown trout are much like salmon. Each November, our browns start
heading up river towards the dam to their spawning beds. They will
spend the next couple of months protecting their eggs from other trout,
and therefore are very elusive and harder to catch. Once they leave their
spawning beds sometime in January, they are extremely aggressive and
looking for anything they can swallow to make up for the lack of food from
previous months. What makes this even better is a phenomenon known as
the "shad kill." What happens in the winter months is that the temperature
drops, so customers that use our dam for electricity are running their heaters
a lot more. This brings the demand for power up, and therefore we have
higher amounts of water generation than other times of the year. On the
lake side of the dam, there is a small fish called a shad. It's white/silver in
color and was actually a stocked fish in the White River, back in the 1870's.
The shad in Bull Shoals Lake enjoy playing near the intake grates for the
generators, and when the generators are turned on, a large number of
shad are sucked through the dam and into the river, where the hungry
brown trout prey on them. With so many shad floating in the water, the
trout are not too picky about what they grab, so if you happen to throw
in a lure that looks like a shad... you are going to catch a lot of browns.

Some of the best lures to use in the winter time are Smithwick Rogues,
Rapala Husky Jerks, and Krocodile lures. Fly fishermen even tie flies
that look like shad, and are very successful when fishing from a boat.
Another popular method of catching large browns is to use 1/16, 1/8,
and 1/4 ounce jigs in white, brown, or even black. If you fish with jigs,
you'll want to use a 4 lb. green low visibility line, and the guys fishing
the larger lures on high water should use 6 or 8 lb line in the green
low visibility color. Higher water is typically during the week as
opposed to generally lower water on weekends, but when it gets
cold enough, water will run constantly. Check our archived fishing
reports that date back over a decade to get a good feel for the type
of generation we see: http://www.gastons.com/gfr.html

Please note that fishing in high water can be dangerous, so we do
not allow the use of anchors on high water. If you anchor, you run
a pretty good risk of sinking the boat. When the water is running fast,
the person operating the motor really needs to concentrate on that
job while the others fish, so you do not end up hitting a tree, dock,
or other obstruction. For those who would rather fish than run a boat
and motor, you can book one of our excellent guides and let him do
the work for you while you concentrate on bringing in the catch of a
lifetime. Our guide rates are very reasonable and well worth the price.

With the money you save on cottage rentals, you can easily afford to
take a guided trip everyday that you are here. Starting now and going
through the end of February, if you stay two nights or more with us, you
automatically get 40% off of your cottage rates! That's almost half off!
We have many cottages with fireplaces that are great after a cool day of
fishing, and all cottages are built right along the river so you can wake up
and get back out there as soon as you want to. There are so many reasons
that we are America's #1 Trout Fishing Resort... come see why!

Here are some pictures of large brown trout caught over the Big Brown
Season previously. Most of these fish were released back into the White
for others to enjoy, and we strongly suggest doing the same. You can
have a picture taken with your trout, get some measurements, and have
a replica made by your favorite taxidermist. If you want to keep some
trout to eat, keep a few pan-size rainbows, but please consider releasing
the trophy browns. Catch and Release is a very important program for our
river and helps ensure that our trout dynasty will continue for a very long time.

Gaston's Now Offers Free High Speed Internet

We are now offering free high speed Internet access in all of
our accommodations! If you bring your laptop, you can just
plug right in to the DSL modem and surf the Internet, check
your email, and more... all at no charge. We are dedicated to
providing you with a first class accommodation at a reasonable
rate. This is one of the many reasons that we say...
It Costs No More To Go First Class...

Christmas Shopping in Gaston's Gift Shop

When you are looking for a one-of-a-kind item, or shopping for
someone that is difficult to shop for, stop by or call our gift shop.
We stock a large number of fishing and outdoors related gifts,
as well as many other items you will not find most places. We
even sell fishing ornaments for your Christmas tree! Of course,
our bait and tackle shop is a great place to stock up on your fishing
gear, flies and fly fishing accessories, and much more. Guys, we
have many items that any woman is sure to love! Our store is
open seven days a week from 7 AM until at least 6:30 PM, usually
later. Please call us at 870-431-5202 for store hours and information.

Remember: White River Trout Fishing
Is OPEN Year Around.
NO CLOSED SEASON !!!!

January, February, and March offer some of
the best trout fishing to be found anywhere!

White River trout fishing is excellent in January, February, and March!

For the most recent fishing conditions and information, please
check out our White River fishing report, updated each Friday.
http://www.gastons.com/gfr.html
The oldest and most complete White River fishing report on Internet ... Since 1995!

Free Information on Arkansas, The Natural State

Free Arkansas Fishing Guide
http://www.arkansas.com/helpful-info/free-vacation-kit/

Arkansas Vacation Kit, Living in Arkansas Guide and MORE

For detailed information please click on the link below.
http://www.arkansas.com/helpful-info/free-vacation-kit/

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With Best Wishes,
Danny Gaston

http://www.gastons.com