Cotter, Arkansas -- Cathy Wicker recently landed this 25-inch brown trout while fishing in the area of Bull Shoals White River State Park. She was guided to this monster by Eric Beecher of Cotter Trout Dock.

The White River below Bull Shoals Dam, known to everyone as the tailwater, is full of trout that enjoy the much cooler water below the dam. Anglers do, too, as you're talking about 58- to 60-degree water that's putting a chill to the surrounding air, whereas the rest of Arkansas is cooking in the 90s with the latest heat wave and humidity.

If you're near the Beaver Lake area, you can take in that tailwater for trout and a nice walleye bite these days. Near Bull Shoals, you have the option of the Norfork Dam tailwater on the North Fork River. Near Hot Springs, there are cool waters below Carpenter Dam in Lake Catherine, and there is also the Lake Greeson tailwater below the Narrows Dam.

And, of course, you can't forget the Little Red River below Greers Ferry Lake's dam near Heber Springs. That's one of the most popular tailwaters around and only an hour-and-a-half or less from Little Rock.

As for what's happening at Cotter, the releases from Bull Shoals dam have been higher lately for power generation to help folks run those AC's, and the lake has jump to about 3 feet over normal pool in recent weeks. In the tailwater, brown trout will come out to the scent of a sculpin or crawdad tail, according to our friends at Cotter Trout Dock. They also say the rainbow trout are less picky, regularly attracted to pink or white PowerBait mouse tail worms, and they love to nibble shrimp and live redworms on rising water. Also, make sure you have a D2 Trout Magnet peachy jig in one-eighth
ounce.

A little further down the White River at Calico Rock, the water is still nice and cool, but it's been a little higher of late too, at times approaching 9.5 feet. Dave McCulley at Jenkins Fishing Service says he and the guides there continue to have success drift-fishing the silver inline spinners with a No. 2 hook and two Uncommon Bait UV eggs, tipped with shrimp, of course. If you need more weight to get the bait to the bottom, try a size 7 split shot about 8-12 inches above the hook. Also remember to carry some Rapala Countdowns, CD5 or CD7, in brown trout or rainbow trout colors. They're always a favorite for the trout here.