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Home › Waters › Arkansas › Caddo River
River · West central Arkansas, running east out of the Ouachita Mountains past Caddo Gap and Glenwood toward DeGray Lake · Arkansas

Caddo River Fishing Guides

Arkansas's best-loved float stream, running clear and fast out of the Ouachitas past Caddo Gap with smallmouth on every shoal.

A small boat on flat water at first light against a wooded shore

Map of the Caddo River

15 numbered points: 3 access points, 6 bridges, 3 parks and conservation areas, 2 hazards, 1 USGS gauge. Tap a marker for details. Reviewed Sep 16, 2026.

Printable version →
  • Access / boat ramp (3)
  • Bridge crossing (6)
  • Park / conservation area (3)
  • Dam / hazard (2)
  • USGS gauge (1)
Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors. Points are curated from OpenStreetMap and state agency sources; confirm access and hours before you go.

Print it. Bag it. Bring it.Phones die, screens crack, and most of this water has no signal. Print this map, fold it into a zip-top bag or dry bag with your license, and you have a backup your electronics can’t give you. Every marker is numbered so you can say exactly where you are.

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All 15 points on this map
#PointTypeLat, LonNotes
1Golf Course Road bridge
Montgomery County · above Norman		Bridge crossing34.45365, -93.68206First road crossing on the mapped upper river, above Norman.
2Manfred Road bridge
Montgomery County · above Caddo Gap		Bridge crossing34.39640, -93.62208Quiet county crossing a couple of miles above Caddo Gap.
3USGS 07359610 — Caddo River near Caddo Gap
USGS gauging station		USGS gauge34.38278, -93.60611The flow reference for the whole float. Coordinates are the station's own; nothing on the river is timed without it.
4US 70 / AR 8 bridge, Glenwood
Elm Street · Glenwood		Bridge crossing34.32155, -93.55241The main highway crossing at Glenwood, midpoint of the free-flowing river.
5Caddo Valley Railroad bridge
Caddo Valley Railroad · Glenwood		Bridge crossing34.31987, -93.54197Short-line trestle just below the Glenwood highway bridge.
6Amity Landing Recreation Area
USACE · head of DeGray Lake		Access / boat ramp34.26260, -93.35546Corps recreation area where the free-flowing Caddo slows into DeGray Lake.
7DeGray Dam
USACE · NID AR00151		Dam / hazard34.21386, -93.11285Head of the tailwater. Generation at the dam sets the flow, the depth and the temperature of everything below it.
8Spillway-Dam Recreation Area
USACE · below DeGray Dam		Park / conservation area34.21935, -93.10105Corps day-use area on the bank immediately below the dam.
9Channel Road bridge
Below DeGray Dam		Bridge crossing34.20663, -93.10812First crossing below the dam, in the outlet channel.
10Boat ramp below DeGray Dam
Ramp in the outlet channel		Access / boat ramp34.19982, -93.10775Unnamed in OSM; the ramp on the cold-water reach between the dam and the re-regulating pool.
11DeGray Re-regulating Dam
USACE · NID AR00151S002		Dam / hazard34.17712, -93.10054The lower dam that smooths the generation pulse before the river runs on to the Ouachita.
12Lower Lake Recreation Area
USACE · re-regulating pool		Park / conservation area34.17756, -93.09865Corps area on the pool between the two dams.
13Boat ramp at Valley Street, Arkadelphia
Arkadelphia		Access / boat ramp34.17668, -93.07139Unnamed in OSM; the town ramp a few hundred yards above the Valley Street bridge.
14Valley Street bridge, Arkadelphia
Arkadelphia		Bridge crossing34.17553, -93.07131Town crossing on the last mile or so before the Ouachita.
15Caddo Valley City Park
City of Caddo Valley		Park / conservation area34.18583, -93.06635Riverside town park on the lower river.

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About the Caddo River

The Caddo is the float stream that Arkansas paddlers name first, and the reach through Caddo Gap is the heart of it. The river comes out of the Ouachita Mountains fast, clear and shallow, running over gravel bars and through shoals with enough gradient to keep things interesting without demanding whitewater skills. On a warm weekend the upper river carries a good deal of recreational float traffic, which is worth planning around rather than being surprised by.

Anglers fish it for smallmouth bass first. The shoal and gravel structure through the Caddo Gap and Glenwood reaches holds them well, and the clarity of the water makes for genuinely visual fishing when conditions are right. Spotted bass are mixed in throughout, largemouth take over in the slower pools toward the lower river, and Ozark bass hold in the faster pockets. Longear sunfish are abundant and provide constant action on light tackle, and they are thick enough through the shoal water that a child with a fly rod will stay busy all afternoon.

There is a second fishery here that surprises people. Below DeGray Dam downstream the Caddo runs cold enough to support stocked rainbow trout, creating a tailwater reach that operates on completely different rules and seasons from the mountain water above. Anglers should be clear about which Caddo they are fishing, because the regulations, the techniques and the fish all change at the dam.

The upper river is unregulated and rain-driven, running strong in spring and dropping to a wade-and-scratch level by late summer. The gauge near Caddo Gap tells the story. Outfitters in Caddo Gap, Glenwood and Norman run shuttles and rentals through the season, and the classic day trips run between the established accesses. Check current Arkansas regulations, as some Ouachita region streams carry special black bass rules.

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Reader photo license v1.0 — the short version:

  • You grant Guided Floats, LLC a non-exclusive, royalty-free license to publish, resize and crop your photo on guidedfloats.com and in GuidedFloats’ own social posts and apps. You keep the copyright and can use the photo anywhere else.
  • You confirm that you took the photo yourself, that publishing it does not infringe anyone else’s rights, and that anyone recognisable in it (or a parent or guardian, if they are under 18) is happy for it to appear here.
  • Credit is printed beside the photo wherever it appears on the site, using the credit name you give us. Leave it blank and we use your name; write “Anonymous” for no name. Your email address is never published.
  • Withdrawing is one email to hello@guidedfloats.com naming the photo. It comes off the site within 7 days.
Read the full license

Version 1.0, dated 6 September 2026. Applies to every photograph submitted to GuidedFloats through the contact form, a species page, or the community board.

1. What you give us

By ticking the box on the form you grant Guided Floats, LLC (“GuidedFloats”, “we”) a non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free license to store, copy, resize, crop and display your photograph on guidedfloats.com, in GuidedFloats’ own social media accounts and mobile apps, and in material that promotes the site itself, in connection with the fish, water or community feature you sent it in for. The license lasts until you withdraw it (section 4).

You keep the copyright. The license is not exclusive, so you can use the photo anywhere else and license it to anyone else. We will not sell your photo, license it on to anyone else on its own, or use it in paid advertising for a third party.

2. What you confirm

You confirm that you took the photograph yourself (or otherwise own the rights to it), that you have the right to grant this license, and that publishing the photo does not infringe anyone else’s copyright, privacy or other rights.

If any person is recognisable in the photo, you confirm that they have agreed to its being published here, and that a parent or guardian has agreed on behalf of anyone under 18. Please do not send photographs of other people’s catches, screenshots, or pictures copied from other websites or social media.

3. Credit

We print the credit name you give us beside the photo wherever it appears on the site, and record it as the photo’s creator in the page’s structured data. If you leave the credit blank we use the name you gave us on the form. Write “Anonymous” if you prefer no name at all. Your email address, phone number and the exact spot the photo was taken are never published.

4. Withdrawing the license

You can withdraw the license at any time by emailing hello@guidedfloats.com, or by using the contact form, and telling us which photo you mean. We will remove the photo from guidedfloats.com within 7 days of receiving your message and stop using it in anything new. Copies that are already outside our control — search-engine caches, social posts that have already gone out, printed material already produced — may take longer to disappear or may not be recallable, and we are not responsible for those.

5. What we may do

We choose which photos to publish and may decline any submission without giving a reason. We may crop, resize, sharpen or colour-correct a photo for display, and we may remove a photo at any time. We will not alter a photo in a way that misrepresents the fish, the water or you.

6. Your details

We keep your name, email address, the credit name, the water and date you gave us, and the network address the submission came from, with the submission record, as our evidence of this license. We hold that record for as long as the photo is published and for the retention period described in our privacy policy. Location data that your camera or phone embedded in the file is removed before the photo is published.

7. Versions

The version of this license you accepted is stored with your submission and printed with the photo. A later version does not apply to a photo you have already sent unless you agree to it.

Access

Caddo Gap - the gauge reach and the most popular float access on the river.
Glenwood - the main lower access above the lake with outfitter services.
Highway 240 crossing - bridge access on the upper river.
Norman area - upper river access near the headwaters.
Amity area - access on the lower free-flowing reach.
DeGray Lake upper end - the bottom of the mountain river reach.
Below DeGray Dam - the separate trout tailwater reach downstream.

Seasons

Spring: the best flows of the year and strong smallmouth fishing before float traffic builds.
Summer: low clear water, heavy recreational traffic on weekends, best fished on weekdays.
Fall: quiet water, cooling temperatures and the most pleasant fishing conditions of the year.
Winter: cold and low, with the tailwater below the dam the more reliable option.

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Questions

What is the current flow on the Caddo River?

As of Sep 17, 5:30 am, the USGS gauge Caddo River near Caddo Gap, AR reads 31 cfs. Conditions update every 15 minutes.

What species can you catch on the Caddo River?

Anglers target Bluegill, Channel Catfish, Largemouth Bass, Longear Sunfish, Ozark Bass, Rainbow Trout, Smallmouth Bass, Spotted Bass on the Caddo River in Arkansas.

Where can you access the Caddo River?

Caddo Gap - the gauge reach and the most popular float access on the river. Glenwood - the main lower access above the lake with outfitter services. Highway 240 crossing - bridge access on the upper river. Norman area - upper river access near the headwaters. Amity area - access on the lower free-flowing reach. DeGray Lake upper end - the bottom of the mountain river reach. Below DeGray Dam - the separate trout tailwater reach downstream.

When is the best time to fish the Caddo River?

Spring: the best flows of the year and strong smallmouth fishing before float traffic builds. Summer: low clear water, heavy recreational traffic on weekends, best fished on weekdays. Fall: quiet water, cooling temperatures and the most pleasant fishing conditions of the year. Winter: cold and low, with the tailwater below the dam the more reliable option.

Where are the fishing regulations for the Caddo River?

Regulations change by season and section. Read the current rules on the Arkansas agency site: https://www.agfc.com/regulations/general-fishing-regulations/