People in the know around the Little Red River understand that it consistently produces monster Brown Trout. This article is to enlighten people about some subtle details as to why...
A surprising fact is that unlike the Rainbow Trout which is stocked at a rate of roughly 118,000 per year, Brown trout are not stocked. As a matter of fact they have only been stocked once. So how did they get there, being that they are not native to Arkansas? The answer is as follows... On December 7th, 1975, the Arkansas Fly Fishers (AFF) were permitted by the AGFC to plant 20,000 fertilized "bitter root strain" brown trout eggs, sourced from a Pennsylvania hatchery. A month later the boxes which contained the eggs were empty denoting a successful hatch. One year later, the first Brown Trout was pulled out of the Little Red by Lou Piper. The ecstatic fisherman held in his hand a small brown, proof that the hatch had been a success! In 1978, 5000 fingerling browns were released at Cow Shoals to ensure the future success of the Brown trout population by the AFF. All of the Browns in the river today, are a result of those eggs and fingerlings introduced in the 70's. In the 1980's the spawn was so furious one man stated " you could literally walk across their backs to the other side of the river” at Cow Shoals. Just a short decade later, the world record brown was caught by Howard "rip" Collins, a 40lb 4oz behemoth. A record which held for essentially 2 decades. It has been speculated by biologists that fish came from the original batch of eggs first placed in the river! So, what makes the Little Red River so well suited for Brown Trout reproduction? That is a story for another day. In the meantime, come visit us here at the Little Red Trout Dock RV Resort. Stay in our cabins, RV sites, rent a boat or have one our professional guides show you first hand just how special our river is. (book online using the link below)
Until next time, tight lines my friends.... J. Landis
http://www.redrivertroutdock.com/
