Need advice on where to move

[alikair]

I am hoping to retire in NW Arkansas 4 years from now.

i am a avid bank fisherman and enjoy gear as well as Fly fishing with a spey rod for stealhead.

Looking into "best places to live" if you like river fishing, Mountain home came up as one of the best.

The white River (south fork) that is near mountain home looked like a great river to fish for trout. And the lakes nearby looked great for boat fishing for Strippers.

I did not care for mountain home so much. the town just does not do it for me. Now Bentonville seems like a lot better choice to buy a house but its kinda far of a drive.

Are there good rivers to fish near bentonville or is it mostly lakes?

I prefer rivers with some current so I can swing a fly. Watching a strike indicator is still water puts me to sleep :)

 

My home water is the Clackamas river in Oregon.

All replies welcome and Hello to all!

[Bassmeister]

The Beaver tailwaters have trout fishing. Eureka Springs is the closest city to it. 

[sfiser]

Mountain home is by far the best area for fishing in our state as far as trout and bull shoals/Norfolk for bass and stripers.  Trout fishing on the white cannot compare to beaver tail waters.  The white is a world class fishery, beaver tailwaters cannot hold a candle to it (although it’s close and has decent fishing).  You can also Spey cast and fish the white, not very possible at beaver tailwater.  The northwest arkansas area is nicer than mountain home and has more to do but as far as fishing, it has nw Arkansas beat.  Both good areas and both have pro’s and con’s.

[bferg]

Don’t move here- we are full.  
 

just kidding- this is a great place to live.  We moved to Bentonville from Denver 12 years ago and never looked back (except for in Sunday’s when I have to watch the Chiefs or Cowboys).  
 

Sfiser hit the nail on the head as far as fishing goes.  Mt Home is pretty ideal- world class trout fishing, excellent smallmouth/walleye/striper fishing, and some great ozark small mouth fishing in the streams around there.

Bentonville has other benefits- and there is fishing close by here- it’s just not the same as Mt Home area.  

[Tanderson15]

Love BS but wife wanted more than Walmart. Moved from Parker Co 13 yrs ago love the people and live in Rogers. TR and Beaver are ok. 

[tjm]

If there is any good river fishing around Bentonville or Rogers metro some one tell me where, please. 

[sfiser]

12 hours ago, tjm said:

If there is any good river fishing around Bentonville or Rogers metro some one tell me where, please. 

depends on how far you want to drive.  There is the elk river, indian creek, and sugar creek just to the north in Missouri.  War eagle creek is just west of the rogers area over torward Huntsville and it has smallmouth/largemouth bass.  Buffalo river around Ponca can be floated (depending on the time of  year) or waded for smallmouth.  Osage and Spring creek out toward XNA and cave springs can be waded for smallmouth (just make sure you dont trespass on peoples property).  Illinois river out past tonitown near siloam springs also can be fished for smallmount/largemouth.  A wealth of small creek angling in the NW Arkansas area, just depends on how far you want to drive.  Any local creek that has flow all year and enough water to cover a fishes back, will have bass and perch in it.   

[tjm]

How far and what you consider good fishing or what you consider river fishing, the problem with most of those you named is no real access. Elk and Illinois  probably qualify as rivers with fair fishing except for :

3 hours ago, sfiser said:

just make sure you dont trespass on peoples property)

Elk almost has to be boated because  there are only three public accesses, I used to fish Qsage but don't call that a river by any measure and have no idea where to access it now, same is true of Spavinaw. Since Spring Creek is tributary of the small Osage  it is more of a branch than a creek. The  two Sugar Creeks are kinda my home waters and they have one actual access between the two in what is likely a hundred miles of  wadeable water, boatable only in highish conditions. You didn't mention Indian Creek and it is another small trib of the Elk that has a couple public access points.  I guess it's been 50 years since I fished the Illinois but it was by boat and access back then was limited. I've never fished the White above Beaver Lake or War Eagle Creek but in passing by them they impressed me as smallish streams.  I don't believe there are any perch in this area.

So there is some pretty good small creek warm water fishing within easy driving distance of Bentonville, but the same is true of almost any town in most states. Access and trespass is a problem even on these small creeks as well as the hordes of people trying to use many of them, I've not counted but estimate at least 100 kayakers per day during some weeks on each of the nearby creeks that normally flow about  50-100CFS,   put in mostly at pay accesses.

Being a wading fly angler and having lived in this area off and on since ~1950, if I were relocating in north Ar. with wade fishing water as a criteria it might be to the Harrison-Yellville area, with the idea that it is kinda within driving distance to the White and Buffalo and not too far from the Little Red and likely has some small creek fishing similar to here. However if the major thing is just to live in Bentonville for some other reason and you think you might fish, then it is a fairly nice metropolis. You must realize that for practical purposes  the cities of Bella Vista-Bentonville-Rogers-Springdale-Fayetteville and any smaller towns nearby are all one place, look up NWA.  Population about 545,000 and increasing by 25-30 people per day since the 2010 census, it's a busy place.

[Devan S.]

3 hours ago, tjm said:

How far and what you consider good fishing or what you consider river fishing, the problem with most of those you named is no real access. Elk and Illinois  probably qualify as rivers with fair fishing except for :

Elk almost has to be boated because  there are only three public accesses, I used to fish Qsage but don't call that a river by any measure and have no idea where to access it now, same is true of Spavinaw. Since Spring Creek is tributary of the small Osage  it is more of a branch than a creek. The  two Sugar Creeks are kinda my home waters and they have one actual access between the two in what is likely a hundred miles of  wadeable water, boatable only in highish conditions. You didn't mention Indian Creek and it is another small trib of the Elk that has a couple public access points.  I guess it's been 50 years since I fished the Illinois but it was by boat and access back then was limited. I've never fished the White above Beaver Lake or War Eagle Creek but in passing by them they impressed me as smallish streams.  I don't believe there are any perch in this area.

So there is some pretty good small creek warm water fishing within easy driving distance of Bentonville, but the same is true of almost any town in most states. Access and trespass is a problem even on these small creeks as well as the hordes of people trying to use many of them, I've not counted but estimate at least 100 kayakers per day during some weeks on each of the nearby creeks that normally flow about  50-100CFS,   put in mostly at pay accesses.

Being a wading fly angler and having lived in this area off and on since ~1950, if I were relocating in north Ar. with wade fishing water as a criteria it might be to the Harrison-Yellville area, with the idea that it is kinda within driving distance to the White and Buffalo and not too far from the Little Red and likely has some small creek fishing similar to here. However if the major thing is just to live in Bentonville for some other reason and you think you might fish, then it is a fairly nice metropolis. You must realize that for practical purposes  the cities of Bella Vista-Bentonville-Rogers-Springdale-Fayetteville and any smaller towns nearby are all one place, look up NWA.  Population about 545,000 and increasing by 25-30 people per day since the 2010 census, it's a busy place.

Dang never better an answer.....one thing I will add.....

 

For those of us UNDER retirement age.....location to work is important...not so much location to our hobbies. I have no problem packing up on a Saturday and driving 3-4 hours one way to fish a crowded creek because my time and days are limited to the same as the bulk of the population. I don't like it but until I strike it rich or find a Saturday-Sunday gig that pays the same as Mon-Fri then that is what I'll do. 

 

For those of you at retirement ago....my philosophy is live where there are usable infrastructure for when you are no longer capable.....doctors, hospitals, shopping, airports if those are remotely important to you. If fishing is the only infrastructure then you wouldn't be asking the question, you would know Mtn. Home is the better location.

 

You have the ability to take off Mon-Fri morning and drive to CC, BS, Norfolk, White River, Buffalo, and Kings from Rogers and fish all day without being in the flotilla or mob of fishermen like it will be on Saturday-Sunday.   

[tjm]

1 hour ago, Devan S. said:

You have the ability to take off Mon-Fri morning and drive to CC, BS, Norfolk, White River, Buffalo, and Kings from Rogers and fish all day

A trip to Norfolk-White area from here is likely to be a three day deal, after driving that far it'll be time for a room not the river, and after time on the river I'd need a room before starting back.  The drive hurts worse than it did  a while ago. You better make those long runs to fish way before you reach retirement age. I do hit RRSP during the week.

  

1 hour ago, Devan S. said:

.doctors, hospitals, shopping,

are all available in Mtn Home, jobs might be more available in NWA.