Only experienced and safety-minded anglers should wade the North Fork at night, but those with the right skills and caution often tangle with first-quality brown trout like this one caught by angler Vic Attardo. Photo by Cindy Taylor.

Baxter County’s North Fork River is only four and eight-tenths miles long, but it measures up quite impressively against the Natural State’s other tailwaters, including the mighty White and world-famous Little Red.

The North Fork teems with handsome 16-inch brook and cutthroat trout and gargantuan browns up to 30 pounds that snack on freshly stocked 11-inch rainbows like a hungry fisherman munches a shore lunch of sardines and crackers. And only 15 months ago, a youngster caught and released a groaner of a rainbow on nearby Dry Run Creek that would’ve shattered the 19-pound state record by 6 pounds!

In addition to producing Arkansas’ finest trout fishing, the North Fork accommodates anglers with physical challenges; one access has a fishing pier designed for wheelchairs, one ramp has a lift to move wheelchairs into boats, and Dry Run Creek, which runs between the river and a hatchery, is reserved for handicapped anglers and those under 16 years old.

The North Fork attracts a high percentage of fly-anglers, but boaters and bait-slingers are just as welcome. Here’s a roundup of accesses, strategies for dealing with the river’s ever-changing flow, fishing techniques and other hints to help you enjoy your time on the North Fork and Dry Run Creek, including advice from veteran trout guide Wayne Reed.

NORTH FORK OVERVIEW
The North Fork flows in a southwesterly stair-stepping fashion in east-central Baxter County between the dam on the south end of Norfork Lake and the White River at the city of Norfork. Because water from the lake is released through the dam to control floodwaters or to generate hydroelectricity the short river rises and falls unpredictably. Safety is especially important on the North Fork, and the most successful anglers adapt their tactics, moving up and down the river in response to changes in flow.

When Norfork Lake was impounded in the 1940s and the resulting tailwater was too cold for native warmwater fish, the government mitigated the loss by creating the trout fishery. Now, fishing and related activities on the North Fork add about $80 million per year to the area’s economy.

QUARRY PARK
Public access begins at Quarry Park off state Route 177, east of Salesville. It features a concrete ramp and plenty of paved parking, along with walk-in access for waders. Expect plenty of competition for prime spots here, especially around the outflow from Dry Run Creek, which runs between the river and the nearby Norfork National Fish Hatchery.

“If you launch at the dam, you need to think about whether the water’s high or low and whether it’s going to be rising or falling later on so you don’t end up dry-docked downstream,” advised Reed, who owns a cabin and property on the North Fork.

For many years, anglers paid a small fee at McClellan’s Trout Dock, which provided privately owned access to the river between Quarry Park and the next public area downstream, but, unfortunately, it’s now closed.

RIVER RIDGE ACCESS
On a short drive south on state Route 5 from the dam, you’ll find the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission’s popular River Ridge access. Old-timers still refer to it as “Goat’s Bluff,” and some call it the “Handicap Access” because of the wheelchair-accessible fishing pier there. It offers walk-in access but no ramp.