Matt Tucker with a 24" brown from the Little Red River.

Description of Water

The Little Red River is home to world record brown trout, biggest of which was a 40lb 4oz behemoth caught by Rip Collins on 05/05/92, prior to that 30lb fish on the river were not out of the question with several 20lb fish being caught annually.  These monster trout along with large rainbows and the ability to catch brook trout and cutthroat from the same river make the Little Red River a destination for many fly fisherman.

The river is narrower than its tailwater counterparts of the Norfork River and the White River below Bull Shoals Dam, making the importance to pay attention to generation schedules and water levels of the utmost importance.  The river is typical tailwater that is best fished by boat, as you can be floating in some sections and casting to trout in rootwads of stream grown trees.  There is a plethora of private docks along the river, which make the scenery not quite as nice as some of the other trout waters in Arkansas, but the river definitely makes up for it in the size of its fish.

The first time that I fished the Little Red River was in 2004 as part of the Fly Rod & Reel Trout Bum Tournament and I had the pleasure of fishing it with local guide Jamie Rouse.  We spent the day throwing streamers and getting huge follows, which resulted in me landing a 25″ brown trout from the waters on a clouser minnow.  There is plenty of water to fish if you have access to a boat and are able to get away from the crowds.

Popular Access Points

1. JFK Park and Trout Hatchery with Boat Ramp (Google Earth Download) (Garmin Waypoint Download)
2. Cow Shoals Access (Google Earth Download) (Garmin Waypoint Download)
3. Barnett Access with Boat Ramp (Google Earth Download) (Garmin Waypoint Download)
4. Libby Access (Google Earth Download) (Garmin Waypoint Download)
5. Lobo Access with Boat Ramp (Google Earth Download) (Garmin Waypoint Download)
6. Dripping Springs Access with Boat Ramp (Google Earth Download) (Garmin Waypoint Download)
7. Ramsey Access (Google Earth Download) (Garmin Waypoint Download)

Maps of Stream

1. Arkansas Game & Fish Commission Map of the Little Red River (Greers Ferry Dam)

Recommended Fly Patterns

1. Sowbug (Size: 16)(Color: Gray)
2. Crackleback (Size: 16)(Color: Sulphur or PMD)
3. Wooly Bugger (Size: 10)(Color: Black, Olive, or Gray)
4. Tungsten BH Mono-Midge (Size: 18)(Color: Olive, Clear, Black, Brown)
5. Tungsten BH CopperHead Midge (Size: 18)(Color: Rust)

Stream Specific Links

1. US Army Corp of Engineers Water Generation at Little Red River Tailwater (Greers Ferry Lake)
2. Weather.com Weather Forecast for Area (Hot Springs, AR)

Photos of Stream