Bull Shoals Honored as a Volunteer Community
Bull Shoals has been honored as an Arkansas Volunteer Community of the Year for five years. Sue Culver is the Volunteer Coordinator. Activities of the following organizations contribute to the achievement: Bull Shoals Theatre, Parks Committee, Historical Society, Cemetery Board, VFW, Library Board, Police Auxiliary, Fire Department Auxiliary, Meals on Wheels, Lions Club, Rotarians, Chamber of Commerce, Bull Shoals churches, and the people of Bull Shoals.
Arkansas' popular camping and fishing state park in north central Arkansas
near Lakeview has a new name. Bull Shoals State Park is now officially
named Bull Shoals-White River State Park. Since this park offers visitors
access to one of the nation's finest fishing and boating combinations,
the renowned White River and Bull Shoals Lake, the State Parks, Recreation
and Travel Commission felt the park should recognize both these waters
in its name.
One of mid-America's premier trout streams, the White River is famous
for record rainbow and brown trout. A dam on the river forms 45,440-acre
Bull Shoals Lake, popular for its lunker bass, crappie, catfish and trout
fishing. Situated below the dam, Bull Shoals-White River State Park stretches
along both the lakeshore and riverside.
It's a new name for this state park, but it's the same spectacular setting
in the scenic Ozark Mountains where the White River and Bull Shoals Lake
meet at Bull Shoals Dam. Come discover why this state park has long been
an Arkansas favorite.
Stocked Rainbows
Make Bull Shoals Hot Springtime Fishing Destination
By Jill M. Rohrbach, travel writer
Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism
Bull Shoals – The fishing fury caused by freshly stocked rainbow trout
eager to bite on a dangling hook is celebrated each spring during Trout
Madness, which will take place in April at Bull Shoals Lake in north-central
Arkansas.
“It’s a great opportunity for kids that have never caught a fish before,”
said Steve Hermanson, owner of Bull Shoals Lake Resort.
The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission
will release about 150,000 rainbow trout into Bull Shoals Lake, which
has more than 45,000 surface acres of water and a 1,000-mile shoreline.
“We’ll have all of them in the water by Easter,” AFGC Biologist Mark Oliver
said. The stocked trout are an average of 12 to 13 inches long and weigh
up to 2 pounds.
Of the trout to be stocked, 7,500 will be tagged by the AGFC. Fishermen
can turn in the tags, which are worth between $5 to $100. Those with tags
can turn them in by filling out cards, available at area resorts and marinas,
and sending them to the AGFC per the instructions on the cards.
AGFC uses the tags to determine the percentage of stocked fish being caught,
where fish travel in the lake, what time of year the fish are caught,
how long the fish stay in the lake and how fast the fish grow.
Bull Shoals, Hamilton and Catherine are the only lakes AGFC stocks annually
with rainbows. The AGFC also stocks channel catfish, blue catfish, walleye
and crappie in Bull Shoals.
Oliver added that lake fishing is easier for families than fishing on
the White River below Bull Shoals Dam where currents can be extremely
swift.
The stocked trout are kept in nets at various boat docks in Bull Shoals
Lake. They’re easy to catch once released because “they’re hungry and
ready to eat,” said Mike Didway, a fishing guide for Bull Shoals Lake
Boat Dock. “They’re used to getting fed three times a day.”
Bull Shoals Boat Dock nets some of the fish for AGFC. Because the feeding
schedule increases closer to their release, the fish are ready to “attack
anything, which is kind of neat,” Didway said. “You can catch a lot of
fish.”
Didway suggests using spinner bait such as a Mepps spinner or a Colorado
Spoon spinner. “Those two baits seem to work best out here on the lake,”
he said.
In April, the water temperature normally remains cold enough that trout
stay in shallow water. If the lake temperature is above 64 degrees, though,
they head for deeper waters. If warmer water is the case, Didway suggests
using red worms, night crawlers and corn. Under those circumstances, most
people fish at night and drape lights over the side of the boat. The lights
draw the bait fish up and the trout follow, often finding a fisher’s hook
instead.
Another good fishing method is to troll until a couple of fish are caught.
Once the fish are found “you can limit out real quick,” Didway explained.
There is no length limit on rainbow trout, but five is the catch limit.
It’s more than just stocked trout that make spring fishing excellent.
Numerous other fish are fairly easy to catch as well - walleye, crappie,
catfish and several species of bass. Big stripers (in the 50-pound class)
are also on the fishing menu.
“It’s just a bonus. You never know what’s going to grab the line at that
time of year,” Didway said.
Many outfitters and guide services are available. For more information
on Bull Shoals Lake, call (870) 425-2700 or visit www.swl.usace.army.mil/parks/bullshoals.
Fishing seminars are also being planned. For information on lodging, area
attractions or other activities taking place during Trout Madness, phone
the Bull Shoals Lake/White River
Area Chamber of Commerce at 800-447-1290. The Bulls Shoals/White River
area Chamber of Commerce, along with the Resort Owners Committee, is sponsoring
the event.
