THE WHITE RIVER EXPERIENCE

As I write this I'm only a few yards from the White River near it's confluence with the mighty War Eagle river.  This is the area of the White I was first introduced to as a child back in the mid 1950's.  They now call this area Beaver Lake and it is 100 miles from my present home in Cotter as the "crow flies" and over 400 miles as the river flows. From this vantage point the White has already traveled many miles in a Northerly direction from its start in the Boston Mountains near the old community of Red Star, Arkansas. What an awesome river!

The sheer size and volume of the White river is what has kept it so wonderful for so long despite modern man's manipulation of her. By the late 1800's she was already gaining fame as a river to float and fish. The towering limestone bluffs and cold milky-white waters (color from the limestone) were something to see, and the fishing was fantastic! Back then visitors fished for the alligator gar, walleye pike, (jack salmon to the hillbillies) and most notably; the smallmouth bass (Ozark trout to the early hill people).

Then came the taming of the river with the mighty dams and the creation of the "tailwater fisheries "and a new kind of trout became the most sought after fish for visiting anglers. Without argument most fishermen will agree the tailwater that lies below the Bull Shoals dam is the place to be for the best trout fishing in Arkansas. The river looks a little different than it did in the old days but, she has kept her character with the changes. And at least for me, as long as I have known her, she is still the mother of all rivers in this area we call the Ozarks.  And yes, I'm still in love with her, same as I was when I first saw her at the tender age of four. Some things don't change.

So what is this White River experience? Well I guess it can mean different things to different people. And maybe you just might have to visit and find out what it means to you. But I have to warn you, you might just fall in love!

Hope to see ya, 
Marc Poulos