Trout Fishing in the Ozark Mountains

One thing is for sure. There is no shortage of troutyear-round trout tailwaters in the Ozarks, and about
streams in the Ozark Mountains of Missouri and130 miles of these can be found in Arkansas. Access
Arkansas. Some are spring-fed rivers and creeks.is ample. The White River below Bull Shoals Dam is
These provide everything from daily stocked put andthe most well known, providing one hundred miles of
take fishing for gullible trout, to the pursuit of wildquality trout water. The upper twenty miles is the
rainbows in a pretty spring creek. There are alsomost heavily fished of this tailwater, but there are
trophy brown trout streams that can and do produceyear-round populations of trout all the way to Guion,
stream grown trout in the ten pound range. In all,which is 92 miles below Bull Shoals Dam, and trout
there are eighteen spring-fed streams in the Ozarksrange considerably further downstream in the winter.
that are managed for year-round trout fishing,The reason why this tailwater can produce trout for
seventeen of which are in Missouri. All have publicsuch a long distance is due to the fact the North
access. Of these, the freestone section of the NorthFork River flows in about fifty miles below the dam.
Fork of the White is often considered to be theThe North Fork River also provides world class
best, with trout populations in the thousands per mile,tailwater trout fishing, and it gives the White River
with the upper section holding lots of wild rainbowsthe shot of cold water it needs to extend its trout
and some browns, and the lower section holding a lotwater by fifty miles. Every true trout fisherman
of browns and some rainbows. Other streams thatshould make a visit to the White River in their
are well worth fishing are the Eleven Point, Littlelifetime, because 100 fish days can, and regularly do
Piney, Current, Meramec, and Niangua Rivers inhappen. This article just scratches the surface of
Missouri, and the Spring River in Arkansas.trout fishing in the Ozarks, and I will describe specific
The tailwaters of the Ozarks are a completelystreams in detail in coming articles.
different animal. All of the Ozark tailwaters are partIn short, there is something for every trout
of the White River System. All of these tailwaters offisherman in the Ozarks. There are not as many
bottom draw dams hold thousands of rainbow troutstreams as there are in the Appalachians or the
per mile, as well as the constant chance of catching aRockies, but the ones that we do have compare
world record brown. Cutthroat and brook trout canfavorably to the trout streams anywhere else in the
be found as well. There are about 150 miles ofworld. Come and give Ozark trout fishing a try.