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Chasing trout on the White River in Arkansas
By Tom Adkinson
June 3, 2022
LAKEVIEW, Arkansas – Seventy years ago, there wasn’t a single trout in the White River in north-central Arkansas. Smallmouth bass ruled the roost, or perhaps better said, the currents.
Today, the river is a destination for anglers from all points on the compass and all levels of fishing experience who arrive thoroughly expecting to land multiple trout and likely trout of multiple species – and there’s not a smallmouth to be found.
A johnboat and eager trout anglers ease through a fog bank beside Gaston’s White River Resort. Image by Tom Adkinson
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The reason is that the Corps of Engineers built Bull Shoals Dam on the White River. That created a cold-water fishery because water that goes through the dam’s electricity-generating turbines is from the bottom of the lake and is about 50 degrees. Trout love that. Smallmouth don’t.
A trout uses its own strength and the current of the White River to put a serious bend in this angler’s fly rod. Image by Tom Adkinson
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The nearby Norfork National Fish Hatchery and the Jim Hinkle Spring River State Fish Hatchery guarantee successful trout experiences and this year will plop more than 750,000 rainbow, cutthroat and brook trout into the White River. Brown trout cruise the currents, too.
An entire outdoor recreation industry evolved. Perhaps the most noticeable example of that industry is Gaston’s White River Resort, about 2.5 river miles below Bull Shoals Dam.
The restaurant at Gaston’s White River Resort hangs over the river, providing views of fishing boats, herons, hummingbirds and sometimes rising trout. Image by Tom Adkinson
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It opened in 1987 with six anglers’ cottages, six boats and 20 acres of river frontage. It now has 79 cottages (standards and kings, some with kitchens), more than 70 boats, a full-service restaurant, conference facilities, three nature trails and one very special amenity – a 3,200-foot airstrip.
Frank Saksa, a 30-year guide at Gaston’s White River Resort, chats with a client while motoring to a fishing spot. Image by Tom Adkinson
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“It’s common for pilots to fly in just for a day’s fishing – or even just a meal – and then zoom off. However, most of our guests stay longer,” said Jacob Hanson, the general manager.
Anglers divide into those who prefer spinning tackle and those who want to fish with a fly rod.
Guide Frank Saksa works with both types and knows how to put his clients onto fish.
“I’ve fished all over the country, and the White River has the most consistent fishing I’ve seen. I catch fish here every day. Absolutely every day,” he said, drawing on 40 total years of guiding, with 30 of those years at Gaston’s.
Saksa says that he has many couples who are repeat clients.
“They like the certainty of fish, they like the resort’s restaurant, they like the comfortable chairs (on the resort’s johnboats) and they like the accessibility of a restroom,” he said, noting that he never has to travel very far from the resort.
Guide Frank Gaston nets another White River trout for a client. This year, more than 750,000 trout will be stocked in the White River. Image by Tom Adkinson
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Saksa also is Gaston’s fly fishing teacher, personally leading a one-day program (only two people at a time) that has clients casting and catching by the end of the day.
“Fly fishing is the future of this river. That’s what the next generation wants,” he said.
Saksa said a good student needs only two attributes: Patience and the ability to set aside all notions of how to cast.
When water conditions are favorable, there are places on the White River suitable for anglers to wade. Image by Tom Adkinson
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“Some people who’ve never fished actually think they know how to cast. Getting the basics down is what’s most important,” he said.
Although easily accessible by car, Gaston’s is a bit off the beaten path (3 hours from Little Rock, almost 4 hours from Memphis, more than 4 hours from St. Louis), so it can be a destination for some Ozark Mountain exploring as well as fishing.
One target for an outing is obvious. The Norfork National Fish Hatchery, source of many of the trout everyone seeks, is only 30 miles away. The staff there enjoys showing off the hatchery’s 96 raceways teeming with trout that are eager to explore the outside world.
Trip-planning resources: Gastons.com, Norfork National Fish Hatchery and Arkansas.com
(Travel writer Tom Adkinson’s book, 100 Things To Do in Nashville Before You Die, is available on Amazon.com.
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