The rainbow-hued spinners and spoons continue to attract a good share of trout, and the overcast days call for shiny silver blades and spoons. The silver Cleo have played a part in successful landings and returns. When the sun peeks out, change tactics — look for chartreuse- or lemon-lime-colored baits, either in an egg pattern or in the body and/or skirt of a Rooster Tail or spinner. Add gold blades and you’ll tempt some good-looking rainbows. It’ll be easy to keep your bait near the streambed because the White River water level near Cotter has remained fairly low during the past month.
No surprises for the brown bite: They’re nibbling on sculpins and shad, and continue to remain near the bottom and center of the stream, or hiding in deeper holes behind rock and brush structure.
“The weathermen promise warmer temperatures beginning Saturday, so pack some sunscreen when you’re headed to the river. A rain poncho might come in handy, too. Visit The Natural State for some terrific catches and lots of Ozark hospitality.
Calico Rock Area
(updated 4-23-2026) Dave McCulley, owner of Jenkins Fishing Service in Calico Rock, said, “Fishing continues to be good. The last few days we have seen evening water generation from the dams. The Norfork Dam water reaches us overnight and the Bulls Shoals Dam water reaches us late the next morning. The lower water conditions (3-ish feet), before the Bull Shoals Dam water reaches us, has been great fishing using artificial lures such as quarter-ounce spoons, Rapala Countdown, Dynamic HD or J-Spec lures. When the water arrives late in the morning, rising to around 4 feet, the bite slows down for a while but picks back up early in the afternoon.
“The guides have been fishing downriver in the mornings and, after lunch, moving upriver where the water is already dropping. During the higher water times, we see success with drift-fishing with inline spinners, eggs (try different colors until you find what the trout prefer that day) and shrimp.
“The weather forecast starting on Friday shows some rain each day for the next week. With the drought conditions, any rain we get will be good, and if the forecast doesn’t change, the rain will be spread out enough — we shouldn’t see flooding. I do expect we may see dingy or even muddy water conditions from the Buffalo River and the creeks feeding into the river above Calico Rock.”
