Living in the delta, I’ve never even seen a trout nor know anything about them and I want to go catch some to see what it’s about. Which river in Arkansas is a good place to go? Time of year? So I think a guide is the way to go. Does anyone on here recommend a guide service. I’ve found several online but apparently the only thing people care about is the lunch they cook you on a sandbar. The only thing I’m worried about is catching fish and a nice clean place to stay at night. (Hotel or “resort”)
Thanks for the help y’all I honestly forgot all about posting this lol I’m probably going to just do a guided trip just so I don’t have to do anything but catch fish and reel them in and then the next trip I might go by myself.
Book through Rose's Trout Dock, where the 'Fork and the White meet. Get James Southard for a guide. Rose's has good, clean cabins for rent and James knows all the Trout by their first names.
We use Donald Cranor, and have for about 10 years. He can set you up with a full or half day trip. You can learn a lot from a day on the river with a guide--pick his brain! Many good places to stay, on and off the river. We stay at the River Rock Inn at Mountain Home--simple but inexpensive. Gaston`s is more expensive but on the river.
Agreed on hiring a guide. Head on up to Mountain View, down to either Angler's White River Resort or Jack's Resort. Hire a half day. The tactics you learn will work on any Arkansas trout waters. I like that area for a lot of reasons; and one being that there aren't nearly as many boat docks lining the river. If you run up river a few miles, it becomes desolate. Wildlife is everywhere. No sign of civilization unless there's another boat in the area. Cellphones don't work anywhere in the area, which to me means I'm in the right place. It's VERY quiet out there; and IMO, almost as if it's too quiet. There are plenty of fish. The guides know where they are and they'll help you catch 'em. Once you figure it out, you're good to go on Arkansas Trout. Most of the guides are a lot of fun to fish with as well. I was skeptical the one and only time I hired a guide and now I'm wanting to do it again.
I am closer to the Little Red but prefer to fish the White. The White has a little better quality of fish, and they seem to taste better if you plan on keeping any. There are more fish per mile of river on the Little Red but I still prefer the White, by far. Just as the Little Red, you'll have to watch the river conditions. After a few days of rain, the White becomes brown-and depending on how much rain, can get really high, really swift, and downright dangerous. Also don't fish the White after dark. We impose a 1 hour rule. We'll fish the river to within 1 hour of dusk, and then we're heading back to the ramp if we aren't there already. That river is not the place you want to be after dark as the fog sets in over the water and you can't see a thing and spotlights are worthless. BTDT. Thing about both rivers and mostly the White, is that you never know what you're going to catch. Sandra and I went a few times last year and she has the trout figured out, and the simplest possible rig ever similar to vertically fishing for crappie. But the thing is, I like to stay busy, so I'm casting and retrieving-and lots of times will pull up a nice smallmouth, Trout of whatever variety and some of them had Lampreys attached to them.....or rock bass....or in a few cases some really nice Crappie. And they tasted VERY good--I guess cause the water's cleaner? We enjoy ourselves thoroughly every time we go; even if we do get caught in a summertime late afternoon shower 4 miles downriver from the ramp....
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