Best Fishing Spots in Arkansas: Five Waters and the Exact Place to Fish on Each

How these five were chosen

Arkansas’s most famous water is cold water — the trout tailwaters that the Corps of Engineers’ dams created on the White and Little Red rivers — and three of these five pins sit on them. The other two are lakes where the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission has been actively building the fishery: stripers on Beaver Lake, and Florida-strain bass and new brushpiles on Lake Ouachita.

The sources are AGFC’s own: its trout-water pages, its fisheries news, and the Arkansas Wildlife Weekly Fishing Report it publishes every week. A water made the list only where AGFC names a specific public place we could pin.

A note on trout in 2026. In 2025 a spring flood damaged AGFC’s Jim Hinkle hatchery on the Spring River, and a late-summer low-oxygen die-off hit the federal Norfork National Fish Hatchery — which, AGFC says, normally supplies all the rainbows stocked in the Beaver and Norfork tailwaters and more than half of the White River’s. AGFC first issued a 120-day emergency order in October 2025, then adopted new limits for the Bull Shoals, Norfork, Beaver and Greers Ferry tailwaters, effective February 1, 2026, until further notice. We do not restate them here because they may change again; AGFC’s trout page and 2026-27 guidebook are the source. Note that some AGFC tailwater pages still carry the 2025 emergency banner.

White River — below Bull Shoals Dam

Why it is on the list. Bull Shoals Dam was built on the White River in 1952, and the cold water it releases made the river below unsuitable for its native fish — but ideal for trout. Experimental stockings of rainbow and brown trout showed what AGFC calls “exceptional survival and growth,” and regular stocking began in 1955. AGFC manages the trout fishery from the dam to the Arkansas Highway 58 bridge at Guion.

Why this exact spot. The tailwater below the dam is the head of that fishery and the coldest water on the river, and AGFC’s tailwater map shows public access right there: Forrest and Nina Wood State Park Access, the Jim Griffin walk-in access and Bull Shoals–White River State Park. The pin is on the river just downstream of the powerhouse.

Two AGFC rules shape this exact reach. There is no fishing within 100 yards of the dam, and the catch-and-release area that starts below that line is closed to all fishing from November 1 to January 31, down to the wing dike at the state park’s trout dock. In winter, start below the dike.

Target fish (AGFC). Rainbow trout · brown trout. AGFC’s rules for this water also cover cutthroat, brook and tiger trout.

Techniques by water level. Field reports in AGFC’s weekly report for early October 2026 describe generation flows below the dam of roughly 700 to 3,000 cubic feet per second — one unit — for most of each day, with small rises in the afternoon.

• Rising water: worms of almost any kind — red wigglers, nightcrawlers or scented artificial worms — are the standby while the river comes up.
• Steady, flat water: small spoons, hammered red/gold being a favourite, or small jigs in peach/moss or orange/brown, depending on the level.
• Low, clear water downstream near Calico Rock: quarter-ounce or one-sixth-ounce spoons in nickel/gold or copper/gold, small countdown minnow crankbaits in rainbow or brown trout colours, and jigs. A 4.3-pound, 21-inch rainbow came on a sculpin there in September.

Bull Shoals Lake itself, above the dam, is covered on our Missouri spots page. Below the dam, the river can rise several feet when generation starts; check the Corps of Engineers’ release report first. Our trout fishing for beginners guide covers the basics.

Little Red River — below Greers Ferry Dam

Why it is on the list. Greers Ferry Dam began commercial power generation in 1964, and its cold discharge turned about 30 miles of the Little Red River into trout water. AGFC began stocking rainbow trout in 1966 and introduced brown trout in 1977 — and the browns have established a self-sustaining wild population. The river holds the 4-pound-test line-class world record brown trout: 40 pounds 4 ounces, caught in 1992.

Why this exact spot. The reach directly below the dam at Heber Springs is the head of that trout water, beside JFK Park, which AGFC’s tailwater map lists as an access along with the Greers Ferry National Fish Hatchery. The pin is on the river just downstream of the dam, in the JFK catch-and-release area that AGFC’s guidebook marks for roughly the first half mile.

Target fish (AGFC). Brown trout (wild) · rainbow trout (stocked).

Techniques and timing.

• Low flows: late September 2026 brought the first real break from a long run of 90- and 100-degree days. As power demand falls, less water is released below the dam — and AGFC’s weekly report carried the view that cooler temperatures and lower flows made for a very good week on the river.
• Wild browns: wild fish are warier than stocked ones. Approach slowly, use light line, and expect your best chances at low light.
• Fly fishing: the Little Red is popular with fly anglers; our fly fishing basics and dry fly vs nymph guides cover the approach.

Trout rules on the Little Red changed in 2026 along with the White River’s — see the note at the top of this page. Generation can raise the river quickly; the Corps of Engineers and the Southwestern Power Administration publish the release and generation schedules, and AGFC links to both from its weekly report.

Beaver tailwater — at Beaver

Why it is on the list. Below Beaver Dam, AGFC says, the cold tailwater runs about 7.5 miles through northwest Arkansas before entering Table Rock Lake. It has been stocked with trout since 1966, and it holds a second fishery as well: a walleye bite that AGFC’s weekly reports followed all through September 2026. The October 1 report led with a 29-inch walleye, caught and released between Beaver town and Holiday Island.

Why this exact spot. “Walleye continue to be caught between Beaver town and Holiday Island,” the field report in AGFC’s September 17 edition said. The pin is on the river at Beaver, the upstream end of that stretch. Upstream, AGFC’s guidebook sets a special regulation area — artificial lures with barbless hooks — from about half a mile below the dam to just above Parker Bend Access, and a trout permit is needed to fish the tailwater.

Target fish (AGFC weekly report). Walleye · rainbow trout · the occasional striped bass — a 25-inch striper came out of the tailwater in late September.

Techniques.

• Walleye: slow presentations. Soft plastics worked near the bottom through deeper holes, current seams and transitions — where moving water meets slower water — were the reported pattern, and a crankbait took the 29-incher.
• Trout at low water: fish concentrate in the deeper holes, runs and areas with more current. Small spoons, small jigs in natural colours or hot pink fished about two feet under an indicator, and proven trout baits near the bottom.
• Fly fishing: low water suits simple weight-forward rigs. Dry flies early and late, and hopper-dropper rigs during the day.

Trout numbers here were also lower than normal in 2026, after the hatchery die-off. Our walleye fishing guide and river levels explainer cover why current seams matter.

Beaver Lake — Prairie Creek

Why it is on the list. Beaver Lake, the Corps of Engineers reservoir at the head of the White River system, is one of only four Arkansas lakes that AGFC stocks with striped bass — about half a million fingerlings go into those lakes each year, because stripers do not reproduce naturally there. Through late September 2026, field reports in AGFC’s weekly report described striper fishing as good even with the lake about eight feet below normal and water in the upper 70s to about 81 °F.

Why this exact spot. For stripers, the September 24 report said to look “from Prairie Creek down to the dam,” and the October 1 report found fish spread from the dam back to Prairie Creek. The pin is off the Corps of Engineers’ Prairie Creek park east of Rogers, which has a ramp, a marina and — per AGFC’s guidebook — a fishing pier for mobility-impaired anglers.

Target fish (AGFC weekly report). Striped bass · crappie.

Techniques by season.

• Stripers, early fall: cover water between Prairie Creek and the dam; fish were moving widely in early October rather than holding in one place.
• Turnover: the October 1 report expected heavy rain and cool fronts to “kick turnover into gear,” ending the summer pattern. During turnover, fish scatter and the bite can be erratic for a while — our lake turnover explainer covers what changes.
• Crappie: fair in late September and expected to improve as the water cools.

Beaver Lake’s level moves with the weather and dam releases; check the Corps’ lake level before launching. Our striped bass guide covers the fish.

Lake Ouachita — Rabbittail coves

Why it is on the list. Lake Ouachita, in the Ouachita National Forest west of Hot Springs, has 700 miles of undeveloped shoreline and more than 100 islands. AGFC has spent two decades working to grow bigger bass there, and in December 2025 it and the Corps of Engineers sank 77 new fish attractor sites — large cedar brushpiles that one AGFC staff diver calls “gold mines.”

Why this exact spot. Rabbittail, on the north shore, is where AGFC concentrated its Florida bass stockings: more than 812,600 Florida-strain largemouth fingerlings from 2007 to 2014, and roughly 100,000 more in 2023. In that area, the share of bass with at least 50% Florida genetics rose from 1% to 34% over the pilot, and AGFC notes Rabbittail “has a history of being a popular location for tournament anglers.” The pin is on the coves below the Rabbit Tail Access.

Target fish (AGFC). Largemouth bass · crappie · walleye · bluegill · catfish · striped bass (Ouachita is another of AGFC’s four striper lakes).

Techniques.

• Brushpiles: AGFC built the new sites in about 15 feet of water while the lake was eight feet low, so most sit in 20 to 25 feet in a normal year. Nearly all are between Island Markers 28 and 36, on main-lake points and saddles near the mid-lake islands, and AGFC publishes their GPS coordinates. Walleye, bass, crappie, bluegill and catfish use them all year.
• Bass, early fall: reports in AGFC’s October 1 report described small pods of bass chasing shad, caught on spoons, swimbaits and by trolling.
• Crappie, fall transition: deeper brushpiles near channels at cove entrances and in smaller creek arms, 12 to 20 feet, on jigs or minnows.

The Rabbit Tail Access is off Arkansas Highway 298: turn south on Buckville Road at the Buckville Recreation Area sign, drive 3.4 miles to Avant, then take Rabbit Trail Road 0.8 miles. AGFC warns that wind can raise substantial waves on open water and boat traffic builds on weekends — the coves are the sheltered option. Our largemouth bass and crappie fishing guides cover the rest.

Before you go

Licences and trout rules. AGFC requires a fishing licence from age 16. Anglers 16 and older also need a trout permit to keep trout anywhere in Arkansas, and to fish at all in the tailwaters below Beaver, Bull Shoals, Norfork and Greers Ferry dams. The 2026 trout rules are the thing most likely to catch visitors out; AGFC’s licensing and trout regulation pages are the source, and our licences and regulations guide explains where to look.

Dam releases. Bull Shoals, Greers Ferry and Beaver dams all generate power. The Corps of Engineers’ Little Rock District publishes real-time outflows, and AGFC links them from each section of its weekly report.

Pick the day. Tailwater trout respond to flow and light; reservoir bass and stripers to weather fronts and turnover. Our barometric pressure and best time to fish pages explain both.