LITTLE ROCK — Trout fishermen casting into the tailwaters along the White River have been making surprise catches ever since the dams' spillway gates were opened this spring.
Walleye, for example, have been so plentiful below Bull Shoals Dam that anglers have been successfully targeting the tasty fish, says Drew Daniel of Centerton.
He was relaxing at Copper John's Resort after a day of trout fishing last week when he talked to two fishermen preparing to head out at sunset to fish below the dam.
"They said they were going after walleye, and it looked like they intended to use stick baits of some kind," Daniel reported Monday.
Within a couple of hours, the fishermen were back with a hefty string of the big-eyed fish.
"They must have had a dozen," Daniel said. "They were big ones, too, weighing 6-8 pounds."
Daniel's report was backed up by guide Mike Neher of Flippin, who regularly fishes below the dam with his clients.
"Oh yeah, the river was full of walleye after the spillway was opened, and we've caught a bunch of them," Neher reportedTuesday. "I had one fly-fishermen catch five the other day, but a lot of other kinds of fish have also been showing up below the dam.
1
"Someone caught a 4/2-pound smallmouth bass. Somebody else fishing from the bank close to the golf course caught white bass, and someone even got a 38-pound catfish," Neher continued. "I've also been seeing some big drum coming down the river and some big gar, too."
He also noted that walleye and stripers have shown up in the Norfork tailwaters after the spillway of Norfork Dam was opened, adding that fisheries crews used electro-fishing gear to stun and remove the stripers to protect the trout population.
Warm-water species also have shown up in the tailwaters below Beaver Dam, where the spillway gates were opened four times during spring.
"They've been catching walleye and [largemouth] bass," Jessi Eardley at Beaver Dam Store said Tuesday.
Debbie Paxton at Riverview Store added stripers to the mix.
"People fishing from the banks have been catching all kinds of fish - rainbow trout, brown trout, walleye and stripers," Paxton said.
NEW ACCESS ON FAST TRACK
Work is under way to have the new access to War Eagle Creek near Clifty open for the Fourth of July weekend, according to Allen Felkins, regional maintenance coordinator for the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission.
"The contractor hired to improve the road leading down to the creek started work [Monday]," Felkins said Tuesday.
Work on the half-mile of unimproved road between the commission's access sign and the creek will include leveling the surface, filling the deepest ruts with rocks and covering the surface with gravel.
"Right now, we are just trying to help people be able to get in and out of there, and I told the contractor to have it passable by Friday," Felkins said.
The commission acquired the property about eight years ago, but until this week had done nothing to improve it.
A recent effort to reach the river was successful but tricky even in a four-wheel-drive pickup because there was barely room to straddle ruts that would have highcentered the truck. The condition of the access was subsequently brought to the attention of Game and Fish Commissioner Sonny Varnell of St. Paul, who made it a priority to have the access improved as soon as possible.
The access is about four miles downstream from the Rocky Ford access near Withrow Springs State Park and seven miles upstream from the Arkansas 45 bridge over the creek near Hindsville.
Since the bridge access is closed, paddlers using the new access as a put-in would have to continue past the bridge for 0.4 miles to a private access on the right bank provided by War Eagle Canoeing. The property of the new outfitter is located on Madison County Road 8340, the first gravel road north of the Arkansas 45 bridge. The entrance to the outfitter's property is about ahalf-mile down the road on the left. For more information, the outfitter can be contacted at (479) 790-2508.
The new public access is about 4 1 /2 miles from the Clifty store on Arkansas 12, and the route to it is somewhat complicated.
How to get there:
At the Clifty Store, head south on paved County Road 8615. At the first fork, bear right, staying on CR 8615. At the next fork, bear to the left to continue on CR 8615. The paved road eventually will become gravel and cross a lowwater bridge over a small creek before coming to a "T."
At the "T," turn right on CR 8400. Go about a half-mile to thesecond gravel road on the left and turn left on CR 8404. Follow the road between chicken houses and bear to the left past the last chicken house.
About 100 yards ahead is a large, green Arkansas Game and Fish Commission sign marking the entrance to the access. The access road leads to the left a few yards behind the sign.
While the present improvements to the access will be minimal, Felkins hopes to make more extensive improvements next year.
"If I can get the budgeting, I hope to come back next year and put in ditches, culverts and a parking lot," he said.
Outdoors, Pages 37, 38 on 07/03/2008