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Home › Waters › Arkansas › White River
Tailwater · Ozarks · Arkansas

White River Fishing Guides

The Bull Shoals tailwater, a hundred miles of cold water through Cotter and Norfork that has produced world-record brown trout and supports a year-round guide fleet.

A boulder standing mid-channel in a shallow gravel river

Map of the White River

36 numbered points: 16 access points, 2 bait & fly shops, 3 outfitters, 6 bridges, 2 parks and conservation areas, 3 regulation section limits, 1 hazard, 1 USGS gauge, 2 points of interest. Tap a marker for details. Reviewed Sep 7, 2026.

Printable version →
  • Access / boat ramp (16)
  • Bait, tackle & fly shop (2)
  • Outfitter / canoe rental (3)
  • Bridge crossing (6)
  • Park / conservation area (2)
  • Regulation section limit (3)
  • Dam / hazard (1)
  • USGS gauge (1)
  • Point of interest (2)
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.

Open the printable map
All 36 points on this map
#PointTypeLat, LonNotes
1Bull Shoals Dam
USACE · eight generators		Dam / hazard36.36605, -92.57507Water can rise several feet in minutes when generation starts — listen for the horn and keep an eye on the bank. The special-regulation reach starts 100 yards below the dam.
2Bull Shoals Catch-and-Release Area
100 yards below the dam to the upstream boundary of the state park		Regulation section limit36.36478, -92.57824Seasonal special-regulation reach. Dates and rules on the AGFC site; approximate marker on the centerline.
3Bull Shoals-White River State Park
Arkansas State Parks · campground, trout dock, ramp, Gaston Visitor Center		Park / conservation area36.36378, -92.58577Campground on the river bank below the dam with a public ramp and trout dock; walk-in wading along the park shoreline when the water is off.
4Bull Shoals Seasonal Brown Trout Area
Wing dike at the state park trout dock to the park's downstream boundary		Regulation section limit36.36145, -92.58679Winter-season special area. Dates and rules on the AGFC site; approximate marker.
5Gaston's White River Resort
Lakeview · trout dock, guides, restaurant, fly shop, airstrip		Outfitter / canoe rental36.34799, -92.55956The AGFC's Gaston's public access ramp sits beside the resort. Marker placed at the resort airstrip.
6White Hole Access
AGFC · ramp, about 7 miles below the dam		Access / boat ramp36.32918, -92.53526Deep pool popular with drift boats. Approximate location, placed by river mile.
7Wildcat Shoals Access
AGFC · ramp off Wildcat Access Road, about 11 miles below the dam		Access / boat ramp36.30804, -92.57469Long wadeable shoal at low water; classic dry-fly water.
8US 62/412 bridge above Cotter
US Highways 62 & 412		Bridge crossing36.28446, -92.52808
9Natural State Fly Shop
Cotter · flies, tackle, guides		Bait, tackle & fly shop36.26713, -92.54043
10Cotter Bridge (US 62B)
1930 rainbow-arch bridge, National Register		Bridge crossing36.26733, -92.54445
11Cotter Access (Big Spring Park)
AGFC ramp in the city park, about 16.8 miles below the dam		Access / boat ramp36.26635, -92.54418Trout Capital USA. Cotter Spring boils up in the park; camping and wade access along the park bank.
12Cotter Trout Dock
Cotter · guided float trips, boats		Outfitter / canoe rental36.26590, -92.54342Oldest trout dock on the river, in Big Spring Park.
13Big Spring Park
City of Cotter · camping, picnic, spring		Park / conservation area36.26602, -92.54231
14Rim Shoals Catch-and-Release Area
Sign above the mouth of Jenkins Creek to the first power line downstream		Regulation section limit36.25689, -92.48156About 21 miles below the dam. Rules on the AGFC site; approximate marker on the centerline.
15Rim Shoals Access
AGFC · ramp and walk-in access via Rim Shoals Lane		Access / boat ramp36.25751, -92.47164Braided island shoals — the best-known wade fishery on the river at low water. Placed at the access road.
16Ranchette Access
AGFC · ramp, about 26.5 miles below the dam		Access / boat ramp36.20316, -92.47788Approximate location, placed by river mile.
17Buffalo City Access
AGFC · ramp just below the Buffalo River confluence		Access / boat ramp36.16452, -92.44060Take-out for Buffalo River floats too. Trout water continues; smallmouth mix in below the Buffalo.
18Rileys Outfitter
Buffalo City · shuttles, boats, lodging		Outfitter / canoe rental36.17104, -92.43340
19Cartney Access
AGFC · ramp, about 34.5 miles below the dam		Access / boat ramp36.19451, -92.38238Placed at the Cartney settlement; approximate.
20Shipps Ferry Access
AGFC · ramp, about 36 miles below the dam		Access / boat ramp36.21325, -92.35698
21AR 341 (Push Mountain Road) bridge
Arkansas Highway 341		Bridge crossing36.22364, -92.29954
22USGS gauge — White River near Norfork
Gauge used for this water's flow reading		USGS gauge36.22361, -92.30000Reads both Bull Shoals releases and, just below, Norfork Dam water. Generation schedules from both dams matter here.
23Norfork Access
AGFC · ramp at the North Fork confluence, about 42 miles below the dam		Access / boat ramp36.20930, -92.29093The Norfork tailwater enters here, adding cold water for the next 50 miles of trout river.
24Jacob Wolf House Historic Site
Arkansas Heritage · 1829 territorial courthouse		Point of interest36.21046, -92.28701Oldest public structure in Arkansas, on the bluff above the confluence.
25Norfork Adventure Supply
Norfork · fly shop, kayak rental, shuttles		Bait, tackle & fly shop36.20798, -92.28642
26Red's Landing Access
AGFC · ramp at the end of Reds Landing Lane, about 49 miles below the dam		Access / boat ramp36.16129, -92.25551Placed at the access lane; approximate.
27Chesmond Ferry Access
AGFC · ramp off Chesmond Road, about 56.6 miles below the dam		Access / boat ramp36.10891, -92.18631Placed at the access road; approximate.
28Calico Rock Historic District
River town on the bluff · restaurants, lodging, guides		Point of interest36.11813, -92.14293
29Calico Rock City Park Access
AGFC ramp in the city park, about 59.6 miles below the dam		Access / boat ramp36.11604, -92.14277
30AR 5 bridge at Calico Rock
Arkansas Highway 5		Bridge crossing36.11522, -92.14331
31Optimus Access
AGFC · ramp, about 69.8 miles below the dam		Access / boat ramp36.02294, -92.08218Approximate location, placed by river mile.
32Mount Olive Access
AGFC · ramp at Mount Olive		Access / boat ramp36.00063, -92.09293Placed at the settlement; approximate.
33Sylamore Access
AGFC · ramp at the AR 5/9/14 bridge, about 76.7 miles below the dam		Access / boat ramp35.94153, -92.11423Sylamore Creek enters nearby; Blanchard Springs and the Ozark National Forest are up the creek road.
34AR 5/9/14 bridge at Sylamore
State Highways 5, 9 and 14		Bridge crossing35.93936, -92.11336
35Guion Access
AGFC ramp at Guion Park, about 89.4 miles below the dam		Access / boat ramp35.93202, -91.95154Lower end of the AGFC-managed trout water.
36AR 58 bridge at Guion
Arkansas Highway 58 · end of the trout-managed reach		Bridge crossing35.92434, -91.94793

Guides on the White River

Claimed profiles take booking requests. Unclaimed profiles are built from public records so the river is never empty; the guide can claim or remove one any time.

About the White River

The White River below Bull Shoals Dam is the largest trout fishery in the mid-South and one of the most productive in the country. Cold releases from Bull Shoals and, on the tributary, Norfork Lake hold the river in the fifties for roughly a hundred miles through Cotter, Buffalo City and beyond, and the brown trout in it grow to sizes that have produced state and, historically, world records.

Guided fishing here is a river-boat tradition as much as a fly fishing one. Johnboats drift the runs with the current while anglers fish nymphs and small jigs, and drift boats and rafts work the same water for fly anglers. The Catch and Release area below Bull Shoals Dam and the Rim Shoals water are the best-known reaches, and the Norfork tailwater a few miles downstream is smaller, colder and more technical. Sowbugs and midges are the everyday flies; the shad kill in winter and the caddis in spring are the events.

The Norfork gauge reads the White below the confluence. Generation from Bull Shoals is what matters: on low or no generation the river wades in long stretches and the fishing is technical, and on full generation it rises several feet within an hour or two and becomes a boat fishery. The Corps publishes the schedule, and every guide on this river plans the day around it. Rising water is a real hazard for waders on these shoals.

Cotter calls itself Trout Capital USA, with Mountain Home, Bull Shoals and Norfork nearby, and there are more guides, lodges and shuttle services here than anywhere else in Arkansas.

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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.

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Posting to White River.

JPG, PNG or WebP, up to 12 MB. We resize it and strip the location data out of the file.

The name shown under the photo. Leave blank to stay anonymous.

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.

Flow alert

Tell me when the White River cfs

Now: 1,720 cfs, read 5:30 pm CDT, Sun Oct 18, 2026 (USGS 07057370, White River near Norfork, AR).

We never use this address for anything else and never share it. See the privacy policy.

Access

Bull Shoals Dam and the Catch and Release area: the top of the tailwater.
Bull Shoals-White River State Park: ramp, lodging and access below the dam.
Wildcat Shoals and Rim Shoals: the best-known wade and float reaches.
Cotter: town access, the Big Spring park and multiple ramps.
Buffalo City: the Buffalo River confluence and lower access.
Norfork and the North Fork tailwater: the colder, smaller tributary fishery near the gauge.
Always check the Bull Shoals generation schedule before wading.

Seasons

Year-round; the tailwater fishes in every month.
January and February: the shad kill below the dam, big browns and cold weather.
March through May: caddis, moderate generation and the best all-around fishing.
June through August: heavy generation in wet years, cold water in Arkansas heat, night fishing for browns.
October through December: brown trout spawning, protected areas closed, and excellent fishing around them.

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Questions

What is the current flow on the White River?

As of Oct 18, 5:30 pm, the USGS gauge White River near Norfork, AR reads 1,720 cfs, the 10th percentile for this date. Conditions update every 15 minutes.

What species can you catch on the White River?

Anglers target Brook Trout, Brown Trout, Cutthroat Trout, Rainbow Trout, Smallmouth Bass on the White River in Arkansas.

Are there fishing guides on the White River?

GuidedFloats lists 5 guides and outfitters on the White River. Claimed profiles accept booking requests; unclaimed profiles are built from public records and link to the business.

Where can you access the White River?

Bull Shoals Dam and the Catch and Release area: the top of the tailwater. Bull Shoals-White River State Park: ramp, lodging and access below the dam. Wildcat Shoals and Rim Shoals: the best-known wade and float reaches. Cotter: town access, the Big Spring park and multiple ramps. Buffalo City: the Buffalo River confluence and lower access. Norfork and the North Fork tailwater: the colder, smaller tributary fishery near the gauge. Always check the Bull Shoals generation schedule before wading.

When is the best time to fish the White River?

Year-round; the tailwater fishes in every month. January and February: the shad kill below the dam, big browns and cold weather. March through May: caddis, moderate generation and the best all-around fishing. June through August: heavy generation in wet years, cold water in Arkansas heat, night fishing for browns. October through December: brown trout spawning, protected areas closed, and excellent fishing around them.

Where are the fishing regulations for the White River?

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