Arkansas History and White River Fishing Historical Overview The state of Arkansas's history, according to
Bull Shoals Lake and the White River below its dam, are synonymous with fishing in Arkansas. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers project, located in north central Arkansas on the Missouri‐Arkansas state line, enjoys a wide reputation for lunker bass fishing along with its twin, Lake Norfolk, just to the east. Bull Shoals Dam was completed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in 1951. It is the fifth largest concrete dam in the United States. Including the portion located in Missouri, the lake totals some 45,500 surface acres. Almost 1,000 miles of rugged shoreline is open to visitors and 60,000 acres of public land provide a variety of opportunities. Over 20 parks developed through the cooperative efforts of local, state, and federal agencies are located on the lakeshore. The Bull Shoals‐White River State Park is a 725‐acre (2.9 km²) park in Baxter and Marion Counties of Arkansas both above and below the massive dam. Optimum conditions: The cold water from Bull Shoals Lake released through the dam keeps the water temperature 58 degrees or below year‐round. Biologists say because they are most active in 55‐degree water, the fish are constantly feeding on the White River.
Let us go fishing
Fine‐Fine day of Fishing
Camp time ‐ Chow time! Wildlife and Many birds
Along the river, besides the white-tailed deer, many bird species are common. The Great blue heron is likely the most common species. They create a rockery in the trees where the pairs had established flimsy nests. But the nest is suitable to hold the egg during incubation. Blue Grosbeak Pileated Woodpecker Red‐bellied Woodpecker Cardinal
A Bald Eagle perched near its nest. The herons are the local fish king and take many trout for their own sustenance. Below is an Eastern Kingbird (largest distribution of any North American Kingbird) and a Myrtle Warbler (small New World warbler)
Richard's Notes Richard enjoyed his visit and fishing on the White River in northern Arkansas. His first trip with Dwayne at Beard's Guide Service http://gofisharkansas.net/ was in 2011. He returned in 2018 with his grandson, Michael, and son‐in‐law Aaron. He went on to say that building the dam created a serpentine matrix of backwaters that are great for recreation and out‐of‐door activities. The downstream section of the river follows the natural channel and provides a picturesque scenic landscape that can be enjoyed from the water. Much of the shoreline is high banks and not suitable to easy access to the water until one is further downstream when there are fishing lodges and boat docks for fisherman. Sunrise on the White is always exciting, typically, fog is prevalent from the cold bottom water being discharged from the dam meeting the warmer surface air, but Dwayne knows this river and the channel from many years of fishing. Navigating in the early shrouded fog is an awesome experience and as the fog lifts so does the shoreline beauty open‐up. Big brown trout are a trophy sought after on the White. My 26" monster was just 1/2" short of the minimum limit so it was released for another year to grow. Michael caught a beautiful rainbow. Rainbow are the most prevalent game fish in the river, and it is a lot of fun to get your limit of these beauties. A special treat is to have a shore lunch of freshly caught trout. Dwayne is a skilled preparer of hush puppies and french fries. What a great break in the day to enjoy the morning catch and then go back for the afternoon. It was a great time on the White River. Thank you Richard Garland for sharing the White River in Arkansas. Sources: https://www.arkansas.com/mountain‐home/outdoors‐nature/white‐river, http://whiteriver.net/, https://www.arkansas.com/mountainburg/motoring/boston‐mountains‐scenic‐loop, http://gofisharkansas.net/ https://www.arkansasheritage.com/Learn/Historic_Timelines/prehistory‐through‐secession, https://encyclopediaofarkansas.net/entries/louisiana‐ purchase‐through‐early‐statehood‐1803‐through‐1860‐398/, https://answersdrive.com/how‐did‐the‐state‐of‐arkansas‐get‐its‐name‐3475529, https://www.history.com/topics/us‐states/arkansas, https://skeptics.stackexchange.com/questions/23579/is‐it‐against‐the‐law‐to‐mispronounce‐ arkansas, https://www.sos.arkansas.gov/education/arkansas‐history/how‐did‐arkansas‐get‐its‐name, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bull_Shoals, Arkansas https://www.arkansas.com/mountain‐home/outdoors‐nature/bull‐shoals‐lake and https://www.arkansas.com/things‐to‐do/outdoors/bird‐watching‐ wildlife. acuri.net John R. Vincenti & Richard Garland Arkansas History and White River Fishing