BAIT, LURES AND FLIES
The vast majority of anglers on the tailwater fish from shore with grocery store baits, such as kernel corn and marshmallows, but prepared baits are popular, too. Canned salmon eggs, wax worms and plain ol' garden redworms work as well.

Trout are attracted to the flash and vibration of many types of artificial lures. In-line spinners can be very effective in 1/16- to 1/8-ounce sizes. Small spoons, especially Little Cleos, are frequently noted in fishing reports, and Rebel's Teeny Craw and other ultralight-sized crankbaits are also effective.

It's hard to go wrong with simple fly patterns, such as the venerable old Woolly Bugger, which resembles dragonfly nymphs, baitfish or crawfish but actually matches no living creature. Dead-drift them by casting upstream and retrieving slightly faster than the current or simply cast olive or black Woolly Buggers down and across and let them swing in the current. And hold on because strikes are vicious.

Scuds and sowbugs -- crustaceans reminiscent of the landbound bugs that we called "roly-polys" in our youth -- form the backbone of the tailwater's food chain. Flies that imitate these natural fish foods are always effective. Soft hackle flies and tiny emerger patterns always work, too. Bowman recalled that the river supported huge colonies of sculpins years ago, which suggests that thumb-sized baitfish patterns in mottled browns, blacks and olives, dead-drifted or stripped slowly near the bottom, should get plenty of attention from brown trout that seek a big meal.

"We want people to go fish there, harvest plenty of trout and have fun," Bowman said.

SPAVINAW CREEK UPDATE
For more than a decade, if you've paid close attention to the fishing rules and regulations, you might've noticed an entry for something called Spavinaw Creek and wondered where it was and why you've never read or heard anything about it. In the mid-1990s, AGFC trout biologists determined that this spring-fed creek in Benton County, which lies entirely on private property, was suitable for trout. The agency even stocked it with rainbows and browns and established those regulations you see in the annual fishing booklets.

"It grew brown trout up to 8 to 12 pounds in early experiments," Bowman recalled.

Spavinaw flows with clean, high-quality water, and it's the only place in the world where you'll find a species of dusky salamander that's so rare it hasn't been named yet.

The idea of a remote, intimate trout fishery was especially attractive to fly-anglers, who visualized an Ozarks-flavored version of the famed spring creeks out West. And the commission had also accurately predicted that the demand for quality public fishing in the northwest corner of the state was growing as quickly as the population.

Unfortunately, public fishing on Spavinaw Creek has never become a reality. If you look hard enough on the Internet, you'll find fairly recent reports from successful trout anglers who have access to the creek through private landowners.

"We haven't stocked trout there or done any direct management in over eight years," Bowman confirmed. "We planned to stock and regulate it and buy some land to gain public access, but land costs were high." With folks moving to northwest Arkansas, snapping up land and building houses and businesses as if a gold rush were on, property values around the creek have rocketed into the $3,000-per-acre range.

That harsh economic reality means the AGFC is going to need help -- in the form of generous property owners, private organizations or outside sources of funding -- for all Arkansans to be able to enjoy Spavinaw Creek. If Bowman allows his imagination to run free, he easily envisions a mini-wildlife management area designed for consumptive uses (bowhunting and fishing, for example) and non-consumptive activities such as wildlife watching on a walking trail. "If we could find willing landowners or groups to cost-share with us, Spavinaw could become something really special," he said. "It'd be a great resource for the area."

MORE INFORMATION
In addition to a valid fishing license, Arkansas resident anglers 16 or older must carry a $5 trout stamp. Non-residents require special licenses and ante up $12 for their trout stamps. Licenses and stamps are available at outdoor stores statewide, or you can obtain them by phone at 1-800-364-GAME or buy them online at www.agfc.com. While you're on the phone, ask for a free Wading Safety Tips brochure or download it in .pdf format at www.agfc.com.

Find more about Arkansas fishing and hunting at: ArkansasSportsmanMag.com