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TALE WATERS & TIDES · POCKET FISHING GUIDE
ARKANSAS SPORTFISH
RARE

Cutthroat Trout

GO100SCORE
WHITE RIVER (BULL SHOALS TAILWATER)
🔥 SPAWN NOW

Tailwater jewel with the crimson throat slash.

SIZE
12–18 in
MAX
28+ in
WEIGHT
Up to 9 lbs
HABITAT
TailwatersCold rivers
Cold dam tailwaters (White River below Bull Shoals); deep runs.
DIET
Sowbugs, scuds, midges, small baitfish, drifting insects.
BEST BAITS
Sowbug & scud patterns · Midge nymphs · Small inline spinners
SEASONAL PATTERN
🌱SPRING
☀️SUMMER
🍂FALL
BEST❄️WINTER
Summer: Hold near cold dam releases.
ANGLER INTEL · RIGHT NOWHIGH CONFIDENCE
DEPTH
2–6 ft
shallow cover
TIMING
Any time today — steady bite
TOP LURE · LURE
Sowbug & scud patterns
reaction strikes on bed — aggressive
TACKLE
Light spinning 2–6 lb, or a 4–5 wt fly rod
TECHNIQUE · Slow presentation in shallow cover
ANGLER STATS
SPAWN 43–52°F TEMP MATCH
BITE
55
FIGHT
72
STEALTH
80
FUN FACT
Named for the blood-red slash beneath its jaw. Arkansas stocks cutthroat fingerlings in the White River tailwater, where cold dam water lets a Rocky-Mountain native grow into a 24-inch trophy slot far from home.
STATUS
Secure (stocked)
Stocked · Salmonidae
LIVE PFG SIGNAL48°F · White River — Bull Shoals Tailwater● GO 100
YOUR CARD · ACTIONSNOT YET COLLECTED
🪪 ID marks
  • Red-orange slash under the jaw
  • Heavy black spotting
  • Golden-olive flanks
💡 Tips
  • Drift sowbugs during low, wadeable flows
  • Fish light line in clear, cold water
  • Bull Shoals tailwater is the trophy zone

🌙 Lunar profile

LOW Lunar ImpactBest phases: Full Moon
☀️ Daytime
Similar to Rainbow in tailwaters. Flow-driven activity dominates over lunar cycles. Dry flies during hatches.
🌙 Nighttime
Minimal lunar-driven night advantage. Generation schedule is primary predictor of feeding activity.
⚠️ Tailwater note: Generation schedule overrides lunar influence in Arkansas tailwaters.
🔗 Source: Quigley et al. peer-reviewed study; AGFC Cutthroat Trout management

Where to catch

White River — Bull Shoals Tailwatergoodstocked
Fly FishingSpinners
Stocked in limited quantities in the upper reaches.