Favorite Fishing Destinations Countdown: No. 4 - White River, Arkansas

The Bull Shoals tailwater is about a 12-hour drive from my house, and there truly is no practical flying option for most travelers. (If you happen to own a small plane, you fly directly to Gaston's!) Despite the long drive, I've always visited the White River as often as have had the opportunity, and if such an opportunity were to arise, I'd happily hop in my car and make the trek as quickly as I could pack my bags and load appropriate gear!

The trout fishery below Bull Shoals Dam extends approximately 100 miles, and more than 1 million trout get stocked in these highly productive waters every year. Stocking efforts and excellent fishing continue 12 months a year, and the fishery is as diverse as it is large. It can be fished from the shore, from various kinds of boat, or by wading (dependent on water levels), and fly-fishing, lure fishing and bait fishing are all popular and productive on the White River. Rainbows far outnumber other species, but any given cast in this river could produce a rainbow, brown, brook or cutthroat trout (along with a few non-trout species, which become more plentiful as you move downriver).

Many anglers travel to the White primarily for fast action from stocked rainbows, with expectations of taking home a limit each day. Quite a few of those plan annual fishing vacations to riverside resorts like Gaston's White River Resort, going out in guide boats in the morning and spending the balance of each day simply enjoying the river. For some, it's the only fishing they do all year, but a trip they wouldn't miss for anything.

By far my favorite way to fish the White is from a boat with a jerkbait at the end of my line, casting to shoreline cover and over midriver gravel bars for hefty brown trout. Unlike the rainbows, browns in the White are river-bred, and a very restrictive limit makes it a virtual catch-and-release fishery. Average size is outstanding, and any given fish that hammers a jerkbait could turn out to be a genuine trophy.

Jerking for the big browns works best with at least a few generators running. Browns are pretty cautious by nature, but higher flows put them in ambush mode. On lower water, I like to wade the river with light spinning gear and small plugs like a Rebel Middle Wee-Crawfish or TD47 Tracdown Ghost Minnow. That approach produces mostly rainbows, with an occasional brown in the mix.

Because the river is so large, the rainbows spread out, and many don't get caught right away. Because stockings are spread through the year and fish grow quickly in the White's fertile waters, you don't catch all "cookie cutter" fish like you do in many stocked trout streams. Common rainbow catches range from about 10 to18 inches, and they vary substantially in fatness and coloration.

Of course, as good as the trout fishing is, the White River's appeals extend far beyond fishing action. It's a beautiful river bounded by high bluff banks and is thick in Ozarks culture and simply a great place to be. From fabulous shore lunches with good friends at Gaston's to riverside camping in Bull Shoals/White River State Park to days of catching jumbo browns with Donald Cranor and his team of trophy trout specialists, I've enjoyed so many extraordinary times at the White since my first visit, which was more than a dozen years ago.

Most of my experience on the White has been in the first 20 or so miles downstream of the dam, so I know I've only skimmed the surface of what this amazing river has to offer. You can trust that my intent is to continue White River exploration for many years!

Let it Rain

Rain was hitting the tent when we woke up this morning. It' raining outside our hotel room tonight. In between, well, it mostly rained. While I won't deny the rain putting somewhat of a damper on the day's plans, it sure didn't keep us from fishing. In truth, Nathaniel, Asher and I had fun fishing the White River in a steady downpour. We had the river basically to ourselves, and we even managed to catch a few trout.

Fishing in the rain also made us appreciate the Gaston's restaurant more than ever. I had a Gaston's Burger, which is huge and comes with avocado and seriously good bacon. No doubt I also really enjoyed my coffee today.

Plan had been to camp tonight, but with heavy storms projected and even a tornado warning, we decided that driving toward the Buffalo River (where we will fish tomorrow) and getting a hotel room would be prudent. That also gave us the chance to dry out some gear and reorganize the back of the truck a little better.

I'm really look forward to exploring the Buffalo River tomorrow. Then, it'll be about time to point it back toward Georgia.

Remembering Jim Gaston

For starters I'll acknowledge that I should just call him Jim. That's how Jim Gaston introduced himself, and whether he was the honored guest at a grand conservation event or roaming Gaston's Resort to chat with guests, he said he was "just Jim." I always had trouble just calling him Jim, though, and I suppose I still do. As the gracious host of the events I attended and a man who did so much for conservation, his area's economy and the people around him, he deserved respect, and I have always thought of him as Mr. Gaston.

Mr. Gaston died a little more than month ago, while I was at the ICAST show in Orlando. He's been on my mind for the past couple of days, maybe because I've been thinking about possible Arkansas travel plans, and I wanted to take a moment to recognize him. I didn't know Mr. Gaston very well, but you wouldn't have known that if you'd ever seen him greet me -- always with the welcoming smile and the demeanor of an old family friend. But then again, if you were to have kept watching, you'd have seen that he welcomed everyone that way and that he gave every individual he spoke with his full attention.

My time with Mr. Gaston was all at Gaston's White River Resort, and mostly at a writers' gathering that the resort puts on each spring. He always asked if I was enjoying my visit, and it was obvious by his tone and facial expression that he wasn't just asking the question he was supposed to ask. He really wanted to know if I was enjoying my stay, and if there was anything he could have done to make a visit better, he'd have done it himself.

I remember Mr. Gaston talking about photography with a friend, Glenn Wheeler, and the conversation turning to a certain super-zoom lens that Mr. Gaston really liked and that Glenn had not tried. Mr. Gaston excused himself without explanation, disappeared for a moment, and returned carrying a five-digit-cost lens, which he handed over to Glenn to take out in the boat and try on his own cameras that afternoon.

I won't attempt to list Jim Gaston's achievements. Others are much better qualified for that and have done so in other forms. Suffice to say that the beautiful visitor's center that overlooks the White River at Bull Shoals Dam carries his name for good reason. I only knew "just Jim" and his warmth and graciousness, and I miss him already.

Gaston's Shore Lunch

As spectacular as the trout fishing can be on the White River, neither plentiful rainbows nor big browns are what I hear the most talk about from friends I fish there with each spring. As folks anticipate the annual Gaston's media event, arrive at the resort, head out each morning, and look back on the trip, the thing I hear about the most is the shore lunch.

That's understandable, and in truth it may be the thing I talk about the most. Anyone who is part of our group for the first time probably hears, "Just wait for the shore lunch!" from a dozen people before the first day's lunch occurs.

The food itself is spectacular and includes a portion of the morning's trout catch, fried chicken or the best pork tenderloins anyone has ever cooked, plus and amazing spread of sides a couple of varieties of cobbler to top off the meal. The event goes way past the meal itself though and includes seeing the guides clean the trout boatside, watching the chefs fry the fish over coals to a perfect golden brown, and then walking down the buffet, which is served in a White River style johnboat under a big riverside pavilion and filling plates.

The shore lunch is also about trading stories and passing around cameras and cell phones to share photos as everyone recharges a bit and anticipates the afternoon's fishing session. There's something spectacularly fun about sitting at picnic table and enjoying the morning catch while exchanging stories about fish caught, big ones that got a way and usually an amusing mishap or two -- and all with the river right there, offering a reminder of what awaits after lunch.

Eventually everyone finds their way down the boats, refueled for round two. Though almost too stuffed to move, pretty much everyone is already looking forward to the next day's (or next year's) shore lunch, and most are likely talking about how good it always is, even as they begin fishing again.

To learn more, visit the website for Gaston's White River Resort.

Bank-Fishing Day

Expected high water made Nathaniel and I think we'd be doing all of today's fishing from the shore, casting to any eddies we could reach, and that was indeed the morning plan. Water releases were cut back just before lunchtime, though, so we actually got to wade this afternoon.

Our best fishing was directly out from Gaston's White River Lodge, where we are staying. We caught a dozen trout, all of which were rainbows.

Tomorrow's approach will be substantially different as we are going out with a Gaston's guide instead of going on our own. I'm actually hoping the water will be high again so we can throw jerkbaits, but we'll see in the morning!

posted from Bloggeroid

Here, There & Everywhere

Fishing travel is getting ready to kick into high gear for me, so I hope you'll keep an eye my blog and Facebook fishing page. I've been home mostly for a while and have done most of my fishing in ponds near home or trout streams within day-trip distance in North Carolina or North Georgia. However, over the next few weeks I'll spend time fishing for bass in Alabama with friends from Hobie-Fishing, fishing for trout in Arkansas out of Gaston's White River Resort and fishing for a mix of species between the canyon walls of Utah's Lake Powell with the folks from St. Croix Rods. Each adventure has unique appeals and all will offer great photo and story opportunities. I suspect there also should be pretty good potential to get back to building this year's species list, which currently stands at 12.

A Dozen Delightful Days

Yesterday, I recapped half a dozen specific favorite fish from 2014, so today I thought I'd highlight a few of my favorite days on the water. When I looked back, though, I had a hard time narrowing it to a few. In fact, I picked a dozen, and I'd have a hard time ranking those, which only serves to remind me what a blessing it is to get to travel and fish and write fish stories for a living. And even with a dozen stellar days listed, I could have included several others. Listing is roughly in calendar order. Where a fuller post from the day exists, I've included "Blog Post" link.

Alabama Baitcaster Crappie - TJ Stallings and I spent a crazy fun day catching giant black crappie on Road Runner Rollin' Runners matched with 4-inch swimbaits, all on baitcasting gear with 14-pound test. Most weighed 2 pounds or more. Two broke the 3-pound mark. Blog Post

Bass Crazy Hobie Day - Nathaniel and I got to spend a couple of days with the Hobie Kayaks crew, trying out boats and taking photos, and enjoyed some seriously fast action bass fishing on private waters in South Alabama. In case you've ever wondered, fishing with your son, each in your own little Hobie Pro Angler, and catching more bass than you count, is seriously fun.

Wading the White - During last year's Gaston's trip, Nathaniel and I spent half a day fishing on our own, and as much as I always enjoy going out with the guides, there was something extra fun about wading shoals straight out from the resort, picking our own spots and catching a bunch of trout on Rebel Crawfish and Minnows and Ugly Bugs. Blog Post

Dry Run Farewell - No fishing for me on this outing. It was Nathaniel's final two-hour visit to his
favorite youth-only stream in Arkansas before he turned 16, and he managed to catch a huge and beautiful brown trout.

Niagara Slam - I mentioned this day with Capt. Frank Campbell yesterday because it included a brown trout that was one of my favorite individual fish from 2014. We mostly fished for smallmouths, and I'd guess we caught 50-plus fish that range from about 3 pounds to a weighed 5-15. Then, we put a cap on the day by running up the river and adding a steelhead and a lake trout.

Deadwood Finale' - Simple and fun. Wading right through Deadwood, South Dakota with friends from Cabela's and then exploring the canyon just downstream of town and catching more than our share of beautiful brown trout. Blog Post

Smallmouths in Sight - Clear, shallow water in the Sturgeon Bay areas and loads of big smallmouths absolutely locked in. Let's just say that we put the new Ugly Stik Elite outfits to a really good test that day!

El Salto, El Grande - This is another one I mentioned yesterday because it included my biggest largemouth in several years. Often you have to choose to go after numbers or target big fish. Paul Davis of Abu Garcia and I didn't have to pick on day one of my trip to Angler's Inn, which yielded 70 fish, including my 9-2, before lunch! Blog Post

Splendid Sequatchie - One of my favorite kinds of fishing is wet wading a cool-water stream for multiple species with spinning tackle, and the day I spent with Pat Roberson was that style of fishing at it's very best. We both fished with a single lure all day, and we caught countless fish and nine different species. Blog Post

Big Snowbird Plan Change - Nathaniel and I thought our day was done before it started when a muddy dirt road prevented us from getting to the delayed harvest section of Big Snowbird Creek. We instead waded a downstream section that probably hadn't been stocked for a couple of months, but the fish were surprisingly plentiful and quite cooperative, and we had the stream to ourselves. Blog Post

Asher's Birthday Outing - Asher and I only caught 10 trout in a pretty full day, but it was his first North Carolina trout outing, and it was just plain fun spending the day together knee deep in a stream. We also were celebrating his 10th birthday, so catching 10 fish was kind of cool. Blog Post

Ice Season Start - Going back only a couple of weeks, I quickly forgot about my nine bonus hours in MSP airport after I got on the ice with Jeff Sundin and Jon Thelen of Lindy. The first crappie came moments after I dropped a line in a hole, and the crappie/sunfish action never let up. The weather was also mighty nice, for ice fishing, and it was just plain fun being back out there. Blog Post

Overzealous Rainbows

With the water low and the area we were casting to being a known stocker hole, I traded my "bass size" jerkbait for a 2 1/2-inch Rebel Tracdown Minnow, which I believed the rainbows would gladly nab.
I was right -- kind of. I did catch a bunch of White River rainbows that morning, but in truth Nathaniel, who stuck with a larger jerkbait, caught just as many fish as I did -- if not more.  One thing our guide Richie Hays noticed that struck us all as odd was that my smaller lure seemed to catch a little larger grade of rainbow overall.
To learn more about fishing on the White River, visit www.gastons.com.

Beyond the Fishing

A big part of the fun of many fishing trips surrounds the folks who assemble in a place. During many of my travels, such as the recent trip to Gastons White River Lodge (http://www.gastons.com/) the circle of friends, new and old, includes mostly writers and guides or fishing pros who take the writers out to work together on magazine stories, photos, TV shows and such. On other trips, it's a group of friends who plan an outing together or possibly the people who happen to gather at the same lodge or lakeside grill any given day. Whatever the mix, most trips involve a collection of folks who have a strong common interest in fishing or in a particular destination but often little else in common, and the result is an abundance of interesting stories told and fun times shared both on and off the water. Some of the best fun at Gaston's, as awesome as the fishing was, occurred during the evenings, when everyone had put down there fishing rods and those who played guitars or other instruments picked them up.

The Wonderful White

Frank Saksa knows Rattlin' Rogues and brown trout.

A guide on Arkansas White River for the past two decade, Saksa was a pioneer of fishing jerkbaits on the celebrated tailwater. Time has taught him how to approach the river's hefty browns at various water levels and the kinds of casts, jerks and pauses that trigger strikes.

I've spend the past two days in the boat with Saksa, who guides out of Gaston's White River Resort (www.gastons.com), and I've seen first-hand what the browns think about an XCalibur Stick Bait or a Smithwick Rattlin' Rogue. Good casts, erratic jerks and long pauses are among the keys to success, but there's no substitute for a guide who knows where to drift, how to position the boat and how to direct you at any water level.

Of course, a river that's loaded with hefty browns doesn't hurt either. White River veterans consider 2- to 4-pound browns average on the White, and 6- or 7-pound fish aren't uncommon when the bite is on. When he turbines are turning (the more water the better), Saska likes nothing better than throwing big jerkbatis for heavyweight brown trout. I agree!