Current River Fishing (Best Bets)

[Steve King (Admin)]

Upper Current River: Rainbow, Brown trout

Current River (upper) (Ozark Region - Dent and Shannon Counties)
Information: [phone]

Camping, trout fishing, canoeing, the 19 miles of river from Montauk State Park to Akers Ferry has it all. Visitors have the choice of three areas to visit.

Montauk State Park
Rainbow trout are stocked daily in the 2.3 miles of water within Montauk State Park. If you don't mind the company of other anglers, this is the place to catch trout. The state park here also offers lodging, and restaurant facilities. See the Trout Fishing section of this publication for more information.

Blue Ribbon Trout Area
The 9.0 miles from the state park downstream to the Cedargrove bridge is managed for large size brown trout on a put-grow-and-take basis. Trout must be at least 18" to keep and the daily limit is one. See Trout Fishing Section for more information.

Brown trout, 8-10", are stocked each spring but do not reach legal size until at least two or three years later. Anglers in 2008 can expect to find more brown trout over 18 inches but fewer in the11 to 15 inch size range. Density of 18 inch and larger brown trout in fall of 2007 averaged 47 per mile and is up 42% from 2006. Warm summer temperatures in 2007 were probably responsible for low survival of fish stocked in late spring. Anglers wanting to catch rainbow trout should concentrate in the upper two miles of the Blue Ribbon Area from Montauk Trout Park boundary downstream to Baptist Access. Rainbow trout here make up about 25% of the trout population with the vast majority of them 11 - 15” long. These fish are the result of stocked trout moving out of the Trout Park. Downstream of Baptist Access the rainbows make up less than 10% of the trout population.

White Ribbon Trout Area
The 9.0 miles from the Cedargrove bridge to Akers Ferry are managed with rainbow trout on a put-and-take basis. This section has no minimum length limit and four fish per day limit. See Trout Fishing Section for more information. Rainbows, 10-12" are stocked once a month and twice a month from March through June. During the months of July and August, and when river levels are low, trout stocking is limited to the cooler section from Welch Spring downstream to Akers Ferry. Fishing in the White Ribbon Area is less crowded than in the trout park and the stream can be easily waded or floated in a canoe.

;D



Middle Current River: Smallmouth bass, Goggle-eye

Current River (middle) (Ozark Region - Shannon and Carter Counties)
Information: [phone]

This 70-mile stretch offers some spectacular scenery, easy floating and great smallmouth bass fishing. Smallmouth fishing in 2008 should be very good, with about 52% of the smallmouth population over 12 inches, and 7 percent over 15 inches. Look for smallmouth in deep rocky runs and pools with rootwads and boulders. Goggle-eye (Rock Bass) fishing in 2008 should be similar to 2007, with about 26% of the goggle-eye population over 7 inches, 11% over 8 inches, and only 1% over 9 inches. Look for goggle-eye near rootwads in a moderate to slow current. A canoe or jon boat is recommended to get to the best water. The National Park Service has camping and access sites at Pultite, Round Springs, Two Rivers, Powder Mill, and Watercress at Van Buren. For an Ozark Riverways map of these and other access sites contact the National Park Service in Van Buren at 573/323-4236.

;D




Lower Current River: Smallmouth, Walleye, Suckers

Current River (lower) (Ozark Region – Carter and Ripley Counties)
Information: [phone]

The 52 miles reach from Van Buren to the Arkansas state line offers some big water for smallmouth bass, walleye, and suckers. Look for smallmouth in deep bluff holes or areas with large boulders or rootwads in the summer. Spring time anglers may find the smallmouth in the faster water of the rocky shoals. Walleye, although not present in extremely high numbers, can be found in the deepest part of the river, with the best population found in the Ripley County waters above and below Doniphan. MDC has been working aggressively to boost walleye numbers by stocking fingerling size fish in 2003, 2005 and 2007. Walleye anglers should see an increase in the catch rate of 18 inch walleye in 2008 as these stocked fish reach the three to five year old mark. Suckers probably make up the most of the total pounds of fish in this section of the Current River. Hog suckers and several species of redhorse suckers are the most common. Summer time fishing can be excellent for these tasty species. A weighted line holding a number 4 or 6 size hook tipped with a worm can be very effective. Gigging of these fish from the front of a boat at night is a very popular tradition from September 15 through January 31.