White River - Beaver Tailwater
If you’re planning a fly-fishing trip and looking for a hidden gem in the Ozarks, the Beaver Lake Tailwater in Northwest Arkansas should be high on your list. Just below Beaver Dam, the cold, clear waters of the White River stretch for about 7.5 miles and offer some of the best trout fishing in the region.
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Beaver Dam was built for flood control and hydroelectric power, and its generation schedules can create pretty big changes for the Tailwaters. You could see a rise and fall of 6 to 10 feet when the lake is high or there is lots of demand for power on the electric grid. Anglers can also expect to find sporty populations of healthy rainbow trout and a growing number of browns, especially around areas with improved habitat structures. Whether you’re nymphing with midges and scuds or tossing streamers, there’s something here for every fly-fishing style.
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What to Expect Each Season
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The fishing is great year round and offers some unique fishing when compared to the other Ozark tailwaters. Winter brings solitude, strong midge hatches, and willing fish. In late February and March, the river hosts a strong run of walleye that are willing to eat flies and jigs. A few weeks after the walleye there is an equally strong run of white bass, which can be a blast to target mixed into your trout fishing. Spring and summer are great times to load up the boat and keep your rod bent all day.
Fall and winter are especially productive and great times to target trophy-caliber fish. Brown trout spawn in the fall, making them more aggressive and exciting to target. The upper stretches of the river are great for wading on low water, but you’ll need a boat to fish that area safely when the Corps of Engineers turns on the water to generate electricity. Even in low-water scenarios, the lower river is best accessed from a boat because there are very few access points and most stretches are too deep to wade.
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Other Attractions
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Its proximity to the Northwest Arkansas metro area means there are tons of great non-fishing activities that make this a great area for family vacations. You’ll be just 45 minutes from Bentonville – the “Mountain Bike Capital of the World”, home to Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, and the Scott Family Amazeum. In under an hour, you can go from casting a line to calling the Hogs at a Razorback game. The river runs minutes from Eureka Springs, a funky little town in the Ozarks brimming with art galleries, relaxed & gourmet restaurants and breweries boasting local flavors.
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While the Tailwaters may take a backseat to the White River below Bull Shoals dam and the Norfork, it is a great fishery capable of coughing up trophy brown and rainbow trout. We think it’s one of the best kept secrets in the state that can offer you days full of fishing or a quick adventure on family vacation.