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Arkansas White River trout fishing trip
Posted on 2/2/15 at 9:32 am
Posted on 2/2/15 at 9:32 am
Another poster and myself drove up to North Arkansas Friday morning. We had a great fishing trip Friday afternoon. It was a do it yourself kind of thing. The people who rented us the cabin let us use their boat and we just fished right in front of the cabin. We probably caught 30 and managed to keep a limit of good sized rainbows.
Saturday morning we woke up and met our guide for a "brown trout" trip. We put in and he felt us out/sized us up for about 15 minutes right around the launch catching some small ones. Once he realized we knew how to fish he said, "Reel them up and lets go catch you boys a big one."
We switched to much bigger baits and ran a few miles to a more secluded part of the river. It was freaking on. We caught 25 browns with 7 of them weighing more than 3 pounds. We also managed to boat another limit of nice sized rainbows as just a by product catch even though we were targeting browns.
Once we were done, the guide said we couldn't have picked a better day for it. Overcast with a temp range between 30 degrees that morning and 46 degrees that afternoon is perfect for catching nice browns in January.
Over a day and a half we caught 25 browns, 2 cut throat, and probably 75 rainbows. It was an awesome trip.
Here are some scenery pics from the two days on the river...
Saturday morning we woke up and met our guide for a "brown trout" trip. We put in and he felt us out/sized us up for about 15 minutes right around the launch catching some small ones. Once he realized we knew how to fish he said, "Reel them up and lets go catch you boys a big one."
We switched to much bigger baits and ran a few miles to a more secluded part of the river. It was freaking on. We caught 25 browns with 7 of them weighing more than 3 pounds. We also managed to boat another limit of nice sized rainbows as just a by product catch even though we were targeting browns.
Once we were done, the guide said we couldn't have picked a better day for it. Overcast with a temp range between 30 degrees that morning and 46 degrees that afternoon is perfect for catching nice browns in January.
Over a day and a half we caught 25 browns, 2 cut throat, and probably 75 rainbows. It was an awesome trip.
Here are some scenery pics from the two days on the river...
This post was edited on 2/2/15 at 9:41 am
6
Posted on 2/2/15 at 9:35 am to Clyde Tipton
Very cool! Sling some flies next time though!
Posted on 2/2/15 at 9:38 am to Clyde Tipton
What guide did you use?
Posted on 2/2/15 at 9:43 am to gismap
quote:
Sling some flies next time though!
We both fly fish, but we were up there for meat. This was a catching trip.
We just didn't have enough time to dedicate to it.
Posted on 2/2/15 at 9:44 am to Clyde Tipton
Posted on 2/2/15 at 9:49 am to DownSouthJukin
quote:
What guide did you use?
A guide named Donald Cranor. He has a website.
I knew it was going to be good when he took Bill Dance the day before us.
Posted on 2/2/15 at 9:56 am to Clyde Tipton
Where did y'all stay? Pretty great to be able to use a boat with cabin rental.
Looks like an awesome trip.
Looks like an awesome trip.
Posted on 2/2/15 at 10:02 am to DownSouthDave
quote:
Where did y'all stay?
The White River Trout Lodge. They have this monster that sleeps over 20 people.
But we rented the little man camp next door that sleeps 3 for $125/night.
quote:
Pretty great to be able to use a boat with cabin rental.
Well, it was $60 for the half day. It didn't come with the rental. He only has 2 boats, so it's not a guarantee they will be available. We were just the only ones there.
The "fishing season" doesn't start for another couple months. So, a lot of stuff up there is off season rates and the rivers are stocked full in anticipation of the coming rush this spring.
It's a great time to go, but you are rolling the dice. It can get extremely cold. We just caught the 2 days before the front rolled through Sunday.
This post was edited on 2/2/15 at 10:26 am
Posted on 2/2/15 at 10:06 am to Clyde Tipton
quote:
We just caught the 2 days before the front rolled through Sunday.
And it was still getting to or near freezing each night. It got down to 12 degrees last night after the rain pushed through.
It's 19 degrees right now.
Posted on 2/2/15 at 10:10 am to Clyde Tipton
Any word on when the shad kill is coming this year? Its usually around mid-late February. That is when the fishing is insane.
We fished the Norfork/White last November and had a blast. The weather wasn't great but I caught an 18" Brown and an 18" Rainbow on a fly rod. We fished 1.5 days, each person probably caught about 25 or so.
We fished the Norfork/White last November and had a blast. The weather wasn't great but I caught an 18" Brown and an 18" Rainbow on a fly rod. We fished 1.5 days, each person probably caught about 25 or so.
Posted on 2/2/15 at 10:14 am to slinger1317
quote:
Any word on when the shad kill is coming this year?
We talked about it. He said it varies so much from year to year that you can't time it. A few different factors have to line up to make it happen, and even more things need to line up to make it happen right.
More years than not it happens right but every 3 or 4 years it barely does it, if it does it at all he said.
Posted on 2/2/15 at 10:42 am to Clyde Tipton
Awesome pics. I have stayed at Gaston's on the White a few times. I enjoy the hell out of trout fishing.
Posted on 2/2/15 at 10:46 am to jorconalx
quote:
Gaston's on the White
Gaston's is a classy place. I've fished near it and I've eaten a very nice dinner or two there over the years at their restaurant.
Posted on 2/2/15 at 10:55 am to Clyde Tipton
cant wait to do it again
we also saw a groundhog and a load of deer
we also saw a groundhog and a load of deer
Posted on 2/2/15 at 11:03 am to hardhead
I was there this week last year. We got there right at the onset of an ice storm. We fished 3 days in morning temps of 5-6 degrees with daytime highs in the upper teens. Tough fishing due to the cold, but we loaded up daily. Caught lots of Browns, some up to about 5 lbs.
That river is heaven on earth for me. I've been going since 1983. I am going back to Gastons with the family in May. Can't wait.
That river is heaven on earth for me. I've been going since 1983. I am going back to Gastons with the family in May. Can't wait.
Posted on 2/2/15 at 11:16 am to Clyde Tipton
Thats a nice trip What type of gear were you using and what type of baits were you throwing?
Posted on 2/2/15 at 11:19 am to VernonPLSUfan
quote:
what type of baits
If you bring gulp salmon eggs you have to stand behind a tree when you bait your hook, or else they jump out of the water and bite you.
Posted on 2/2/15 at 11:35 am to VernonPLSUfan
Gulp salmon eggs are deadly on the little rainbows. They also bit good old night crawlers very well.
The guide may not want me disclosing his tactics for the browns...
The guide may not want me disclosing his tactics for the browns...
This post was edited on 2/2/15 at 11:38 am
Posted on 2/2/15 at 12:59 pm to Clyde Tipton
Last winter we used minnows with the hook threaded through their back emerging at the head. Loop of line around the tail. Apparently Browns like to strike those minnows head first.
Summer before that the magic bait was a white power bait egg with a pink grub threaded up the hook below.
Seems every time I go there is a different tactic. We've used basic worms, inflated worms, fake pink grub worms, shrimp (worked well), salmon eggs, Berkley eggs, corn... just to name a few.
Summer before that the magic bait was a white power bait egg with a pink grub threaded up the hook below.
Seems every time I go there is a different tactic. We've used basic worms, inflated worms, fake pink grub worms, shrimp (worked well), salmon eggs, Berkley eggs, corn... just to name a few.
Posted on 2/2/15 at 1:30 pm to Clyde Tipton
quote:
A guide named Donald Cranor.
Thanks. My dad and I take a fishing trip every year. The past few have been to Port Aransas, but I think we'll head back to the White River this year.
I've seen that lodge from the river-nice place.
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