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White River Fishing Report

Updated Fri, Sep 4, 2026 from live gauge and weather data

The brown trout river of the South: 100 tailwater miles below Bull Shoals where 20-pounders are a documented reality.

3/5
Fair. Fish the windows.A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.
Water temp
~54 F est.
Air / High
98 / 98 F
Wind
ENE 4 mph

Sources: Open-Meteo, solunar calculated for these coordinates.

Satellite view
Friday
4
September 2026

Today's Fishing Report

Generated this morning from live readings: gauge, weather model, sun and moon. A fresh report is published here every morning.

3/5Fair. Fish the windows.A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.

White River is in transition: bait on the move and predators following. Today brings clear skies, wind ENE around 4 mph, steady pressure near 1013 hPa and a high of 98. Water sits around 54 F for the season (estimated). With the last quarter, the solunar majors run 5:39 AM-7:39 AM and 5:39 PM-7:39 PM: the windows to build the day around.

The plan, species by species

Rainbow troutGood

Blue-winged olives and midges on soft seams; streamers on overcast days move the better fish.

Brown troutGood

Pre-spawn aggression: this is streamer season for the fish of the year.

Tomorrow: Similar at 101 F. The solunar majors shift about 50 minutes later.Next report: Sat, Sep 5, 6:30 AMHow this report is made →

Water and weather

Live readings.

No live gauge on this water

Conditions here are modeled from weather, season and the nearest stations. Water readings appear when a USGS gauge is available.

30405060JanMarMayJulSepNovSep, ~54 F now

Right now

Latest readings

Air temp98 F
High / Low98 / 76 F
WindENE 4-8 mph
Pressure1012.8 hPa, steady
Sky / Rain10% cloud, 4%
Sunrise / Sunset06:40 / 19:26
MoonLast Quarter, 50%
Water temp (seasonal)~54 F est.

Bite planner

Hour-by-hour bite forecast for today. Tap a bar to see why.

5 AM8 AM11 AM2 PM5 PM8 PMsunrisesunsetPRIMEPRIME

Next 7 days

Tap a day for the detailed outlook.

Fri Sep 4 · Overcast, 98/76 F, wind 6 mph, rain 4%

Fair or better. Calm and stable: plan around the solunar majors at dawn and dusk.

Species guide

The species that matter on White River: seasons, structure and how to fish each one. Today's ratings live in the report above.

Rainbow trout illustration

Rainbow trout

Best: Apr-Jun, Sep-Oct

The workhorse of western rivers: riffles, seams and dry-fly eats. Blue-winged olives and midges on soft seams; streamers on overcast days move the better fish.

Brown trout illustration

Brown trout

Best: Sep-Nov

Wary, predatory and nocturnal by preference. The big ones eat streamers. Pre-spawn aggression: this is streamer season for the fish of the year.

When to come: the White River calendar

Activity by species and month, and how the water warms through the year. Tap any cell.

Species activity by month

1 = slow, 5 = peak. Current month highlighted.

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Rainbow trout
Brown trout
SlowPeak

Water temperature through the year

Typical surface temperature for this water type; today is around 54 F (estimated, not a reading).

30405060JanMarMayJulSepNovSep, ~54 F now

Angler reports

Real reports from real anglers, reviewed before publishing. The water log below tracks each day automatically.

No angler reports yet this weekBe the first: your report helps every angler who checks White River today, and we feature the best catch of the week.

Water log, last days

Auto-logged from live data
Thu, Sep 3

3/5 Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day. Rainbow trout led the card at good. High of 98 F, wind to 11 mph.

Wed, Sep 2

3/5 Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day. Rainbow trout led the card at good. High of 99 F, wind to 8 mph.

Tue, Sep 1

3/5 Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day. Rainbow trout led the card at good. High of 100 F, wind to 7 mph.

Where roughly, what depth, what bait. Skip anything you want to keep secret.
Only used to send you this water's report each week. No spam, ever.

Before you go

License

Arkansas requires a valid fishing license for adults. Buy online from the state agency; one-day options exist for visitors.

Regulations

Arkansas license + trout permit. Special catch-and-release zones (Bull Shoals C&R, Rim Shoals) with artificial-only rules: check AGFC maps.

Access

Bull Shoals State Park, Wildcat Shoals, Cotter Big Spring, Rim Shoals and Buffalo City accesses ladder the river.

About this water

Tailwater of Bull Shoals Dam, Baxter/Marion counties, AR. One of North America's premier brown trout rivers.

Fishing White River: the full guide

A cold river in a warm place

The White below Bull Shoals Dam runs cold year-round through the Arkansas Ozarks: nearly 100 miles of trout water stocked with rainbows by the hundred thousand and patrolled by brown trout that grow past 20 pounds on them. Drift boats, johnboats and waders share riffles with bald eagles; Cotter and Norfork anchor the fishery.

How the White fishes

Everyday fishing: sowbugs, zebra midges and egg patterns under indicators from a drifting boat, or spinning gear with jigs and shad imitations. The event fishing: high-generation streamer days, throwing 8-inch flies on sink tips at the banks for the browns of a lifetime. Watch the dam release level on this page: it decides wading vs boating and where fish sit.

The generation chess game

White River trout fishing is a dialogue with the dam: low generation exposes wadable shoals where sowbugs and shrimp drift to sipping rainbows; heavy water floats the big-brown streamer game along the banks. The famous shoals (Wildcat, Rim, White Hole) each fish differently by flow level. Learn to read the SPA release schedule and the river becomes predictable: ignore it and it becomes dangerous.

Common questions

When do the giant browns bite?

High-water periods (heavy generation) from late fall through winter, when big streamers swim the banks: the documented 30-inch-plus fish mostly come then. The famous shad kill (winter dam die-offs) creates surface feeding frenzies.

How big do White River browns get?

World-class: 30-plus-pound browns are documented and 20s come every winter. The trophy window is November-February on big streamers and live-imitating baits during heavy generation.

Is fishing good at White River right now?

Check the daily report at the top of this page: it is regenerated every morning from live data. Today's read: Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.

Nearby waters

Lake Chicot42 miEnid Lake72 miGrenada Lake76 miArkabutla Lake78 miSardis Lake80 miLake Conway107 mi
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