By now, it has become well known to most anglers that trout fishing in Arkansas can be a bountiful endeavor. The White River and its tributaries comprise a renowned watershed considered to produce some of the best trout fisheries in the world. People come to Arkansas’s White River to immerse themselves in the boundless Ozark wilderness and find inspiration in its sacred waters. Perched along the banks of this majestic treasure is Gaston’s White River Resort. These coveted waterways are home to four different types of trout to target on any White River retreat, and Gaston’s is here to give you the low down on each of them.
Trout Fishing in Arkansas: Different Types of Trout
Thanks to stocking and conservation efforts by the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission (AGFC), four species consisting of brook, cutthroat, rainbow, and brown trout are available for all eager anglers visiting Arkansas for a White River retreat.
Brook Trout
In the mid-1980s, several thousand brook trout escaped to the North Fork River from Norfork Trout Hatchery and never looked back. Although no other stockings commenced until the 1990s, these fish have continued to thrive and are a welcome addition to the White River’s ecosystem. Brook trout have a dark greenish-brown coloration with distinct marbling of lighter shades throughout its back and extending to its tail.
Cutthroat Trout
First introduced in the early 1980s, the AGFC first acquired cutthroat trout from the state of Wyoming in exchange for smallmouth bass fry. Today, hatchery-raised fingerlings are stocked and continue to thrive for those trout fishing in Arkansas. Cutthroat trout are identified by their red, orange, or yellow coloration underneath the jaw and the uniform spotting throughout its body.
Rainbow Trout
Most of the trout caught in the White River will likely be rainbow trout. Pound-for-pound, these are some of the most robust trout to reel in, as they often breach upon the hookset, therefore creating an epic display of water acrobatics, unlike any other river fish. These salmonids are sought for their fighting spirit and their delectable culinary offerings and are stocked regularly. Rainbow trout are highly recognizable due to the pink band that extends from their gill flaps to about their posterior dorsal fin.
Brown Trout
Due to their relatively long lifespans, browns are usually the most massive species you’ll find while trout fishing in Arkansas and tend to be more skittish than their smaller cousins. Brown trout typically feed at night or during cloudy skies and are a lot more selective about what they put into their mouths, so you may need to experiment and be dynamic with your lure choices. Fortunately for us, the largest concentration of reproducing brown trout is just below the Bull Shoals Dam on the White River. The brown trout’s most prominent characteristic is the overall brown to golden coloration and dark spots with rings speckled throughout its body.
Gaston’s: Your Basecamp for a White River Retreat
We are grateful to be nestled in one of the most productive trout fisheries in the world and would like to invite you to see for yourself. Gaston’s White River Resort has all the accommodations and amenities you would expect from a successful Arkansas fishing lodge and will show you the meaning of trout fishing in Arkansas. For more information on how we can facilitate your White River retreat, please call 870-431-5202 or visit us online!