“The continued releases from Bull Shoals Dam have led to drift-fishing, and anglers are regularly pulling in quality rainbows throughout the day. Bull Shoals Lake is sitting at just above 692 feet msl and water releases have begun to fluctuate. Mornings on the river over the last week began with an average of one unit (about 3,000 cfs), then much higher releases later in the afternoon. The Corps of Engineers is working hard to drop all the lakes in the White River watershed equitably and safely, so prepare for continued releases throughout the summer.

“Add a nibble of shrimp to the barb to test the waters for increased action (single hooking point only). Jigs are the ticket for morning hours with low water. Higher water calls for silver/blue spoons, brassy Colorados or silver Cleos. A cup of nightcrawlers or redworms is a must during the late-afternoon rise. The No. 7 Rapala Countdowns of almost any color (gold/black, brown or brook trout, rainbow, silver/black) are great to have around for brown trout fishing.

“Come on over and indulge in a little of the great outdoors. There’s no greater Great Outdoors than here in the Arkansas Ozarks.”

Calico Rock Area

(updated 6-19-2025) Dave McCulley, owner of Jenkins Fishing Service in Calico Rock, said, “Before the rains Sunday night, the river was around 9-10 feet with good clarity. Drift-fishing with a No. 7 split shot 8-12 inches above a No. 2 bronze hook (with or without a silver inline spinner), Uncommon Bait Neo Pink UV eggs with corn or shrimp worked well. The fish seemed to remain on the gravel bars. There was some success using artificial lures such as Dynamic Lures J-spec in glimmer trout or Rapala Countdown CD7 in rainbow trout.

“The heavy rains Sunday night caused flash flooding in the creeks, causing the river to rise and crest at 14.5 feet Monday morning. By Monday night through Tuesday morning, the river cleared up before dirty water from the Buffalo River arrived. Tuesday afternoon, Norfork Dam opened some floodgates, and Bull Shoals Dam increased water generation. Wednesday morning, the river was around 10 feet with some dinginess, and by late morning, the river was dropping and clearing.

“This weekend, the White River claimed three boats, one here at the Calico Rock bridge, one on the Norfork River and one below Bull Shoals Dam. All it takes is one second for things to go terribly wrong, especially with the higher and faster water. Respect the river, be careful, make sure the kids are wearing a life vest and your boat has the required safety equipment to include a throwable flotation device. With the lakes so full, I expect we will see higher-than-usual water throughout the summer.”