Rooster Tails with white bodies and skirts, gold blades, are producing good catches. If you’re not getting the desired result, turn to a dark-colored skirt, mud brown, olive green or even black, depending on the area of the river you’re fishing. Any of a variety of spoons will bring some rainbows to your net — the Thomas Buoyant red/gold and silver/blue, one-sixth or quarter-ounce, or the brass and nickel/gold Colorados.

If you favor wriggling worms and chunky nightcrawlers on your hook, wait until later in the day when the afternoon releases are increasing the river level and keep your bait near the bank. The favorite PowerBait color is slowly switching from yellow to orange as we move closer to the spawn (Nov. 1). Mornings are already a little chilly, so bundle up when you head out for some great trout-catching.

“It’s breathtakingly beautiful here in The Natural State during October, so share the resource and enjoy the company of fellow anglers — take care of one another, respect the resource and share the space. Hope to see you on the river this week. ‘Fish Natural!’”

 Calico Rock Area

(updated 10-2-2025) Dave McCulley, owner of Jenkins Fishing Service in Calico Rock, said, “This last week we have seen levels around 7 feet in the morning and dropping below 5 feet during the day. Tuesday and Wednesday we saw higher water starting around 8 feet and dropping to 5 feet. Fishing has been great this week with Thompson Colorado quarter-ounce spoons in nickel/gold being the best lure. We also saw success with Rapala Countdown CD7 in rainbow trout colors. As usual, silver inline spinners with Uncommon Bait UV eggs and shrimp worked well.
“This week we received one stocking of 2,400 rainbow trout.”