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Doug, This info is to late to help you for this trip, but something you might try next time is to purchase a one-man pontoon boat (see pic below). I've been using one since '01 and it's great. I highly recommend it. However, there are some things to remember. First, don't be cheap. Be prepared to spend $800-$1200. You always get what you pay for (or so I believe), and the last thing you want is to be in a cheap rig when the water rises or if an unexpected situation occurs on the water. I've seen cheaper boats on the market, but my peace of mind and safety are worth more than $500 or less. Second, if you do buy one, practice fishing out of it in low water conditions first so as to get used to controling the craft and rowing it around the water. Fishing out of a pontoon boat takes some getting used to, so be paitent. Third, make sure your craft has a fly rod holder and anchor system, unless you don't mind dropping that $500 rod to the bottom of the river or getting blown around like a kite on a windy day. You'll thank me later for mentioning these. Also, State law requires a life jacket and a floating foam can holder for your "soda" so as to cut down on accidental littering. Finally, I've used my boat on the Beaver, Norfork, White, and Little Red rivers. The White, however, is a special case. Since it has 8 units, be very careful. I would be weary of floating with any more than 4 units running...the current becomes too swift. Check with the locals there to get a better idea of just how fast the current can get. This past summer a friend of mine and I floated/fished Norfork with 2 units. It was the fasted ride of my life! Just know your river conditions and your skills. My boat has put me in some great spots and I've caught lots of fish in it. You won't regret it. Check out (shameless plug coming up) www.blackbearpontoons.com In my opinion, these are the best on the market hands down. Good luck.

Don, Welcome to the world of fly fishing. It's addictive to say the least. I even gave up golf (I'm sure the PGA wasn't losing sleep over that decision) to fish more. Enjoy!

Motor, You are right on the money. Ten years ago when I lived in Little Rock, the Little Red was only a short drive up the road. It's a great river and there certainly are other places along it to catch some nice browns. To this day I don't understand why they allow that circus to go on at cow shoals. As far as I'm concerned, they ought to ban the fishing there during the spawn and let the browns do their thing. It's funny that cow shoals has become what it has. I remember my dad taking me there in '78. As a yound boy I just sat in the car and watched that crazy old man fish most of that chilly November morning completely undistrubed. Not another soul around. Apparently he went back and told some folks... .My, how the times have changed!

Good to know they are starting to enforce the new regs. on BTW. Hopefully, word will get out and violations will be few and far between. Only time wil tell....

Glad to know that it's not just me..haha. I'm going to try to come up Sunday if possible.

Thanks for bringing the typo to my attention...no, that's not on the white river, but rather the catch-n-release on Beaver. In fact, she's never fished on the white (I'm working on changing that though).

Troutgal- My wife fishes with me a lot of the time, so you are not alone on here. Often she'll just log in under my username and look through the posts to see what's going on with area trout waters. I'm sure there are other women on here as well. Here's a pic of robin.

I thought I'd share this pic from last summer. I slowed the shutter speed down just a little to allow for more exposure. Sometimes it works well, sometimes not. I particularly like the reflection of the tree in the water. I entitled this photo "Solitude." patrick

I fished the right side of this island down by spider creek but without any success. It looked like the perfect spot too.

Hey Steve, I just found this forum and plan to post my own observations about BTW. I hope Brice made it home safely. See ya next weekend. Patrick

Hello to all. Nice to read all the good input. I'm originally from Little Rock and now live in Springdale. I miss the Little Red very much- an absolutely wonderful river to fish. These days, however, I find myself making the short trip up to BTW. I am very hopeful that the new regs will improve the conditions there. It really is a beatiful stretch of river.