The Little Red River also offers the scenic beauty of the Ozark foothills.

The trout-fishing world was turned on its ear in 1988 when Mike Manley of North Little Rock landed a 38-pound, nine-ounce brown trout in the tailwaters of Norfork Dam in north central Arkansas. However, the best was yet to come. Less than four years later another Arkansas angler broke Manley's world record.

The late Howard "Rip" Collins of Heber Springs went on an impromptu fishing trip with a neighbor on May 9, 1992, and returned with a 40-pound, four-ounce brown from the Little Red River. It still stands as a world record for the species.

Browns are cousins to rainbow, brook, cutthroat and lake trout...and all are part of the action in Arkansas's cold mountain waters. While browns are the largest, rainbows remain the number-one catch. Jim Miller of Memphis, Tennessee, reeled the state-record rainbow from the White River, near Mountain View, on March 14, 1981. It tipped the scales at 19 pounds, one ounce.

The White, Little Red, North Fork and Spring rivers are the state's best-known trout havens. The Spring, fueled by the massive cold waters of Mammoth Spring, is the nearest thing to a natural trout river in the state. It runs cold and shallow for about 15 miles and is a favorite of fly fishermen.

Trout fishing was virtually unknown in Arkansas until U.S. Army Corps of Engineers projects created Lake Norfork and Bull Shoals Lake after World War II. The cold tailwaters from the massive dams created ideal habitat for trout. The Norfork National Fish Hatchery was completed in 1957, boosting what would soon become one of the state's most successful outdoor industries.

Beaver Dam, on the upper reaches of the White, and Greers Ferry Dam, on the Little Red, were added during the 1960s and quickly joined the other Corps of Engineers projects as trout habitat-producing facilities. Another federal fish hatchery, constructed below Greers Ferry Dam, propagates rainbow and brook trout for the Little Red and other streams in the Ozarks.

Flyfishing is popular on all Arkansas trout streams.

Two other trout hatcheries, one federal and one state-operated, are located near Mammoth Spring. The state Game and Fish Commission facility on Spring River produces 12-inch trout for a stocking program unlike any other in the nation. The combined in-state hatcheries produce over two million trout for Arkansas waters each year, making the program a national leader.

Arkansas boasts more than 150 miles of trout-filled streams for fishermen. The White provides more than 90 miles of habitat downstream from Bull Shoals, and the Little Red offers another 30 miles below Greers Ferry Dam. Trout are also found in almost 100,000 acres of lake water in the state. Popular targets include lakes Bull Shoals, Ouachita, Hamilton and Catherine. Short stretches of the Ouachita and Little Missouri Rivers, in the Ouachita Mountains, are excellent seasonal rainbow retreats.

Fly-fishing is popular in the tailwaters of all the state's big dams, but anglers must stay alert for sudden changes in river stages due to power generation at each site. Johnboats, flat-bottomed rigs with comfortable chairs, are the preferred mode of fishing travel below the larger dams. Guide services, full-service marinas, resorts, camping and cabins are all available in most of the trout zones of the state.

Links to numerous web sites with detailed information on such services and facilities can be accessed via Arkansas's tourism web site at www.arkansas.com. Select "Lakes & Rivers" on the homepage, then choose the river or lake of your choice to find fishing-related services available on or near that body of water.

The trout fishing industry plays a vital role in Arkansas outdoor recreation and travel. The season never closes. In fact, some of the largest catches are made during the cooler seasons.

For more information about trout fishing, phone the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission at (501) 223-6300 or visit www.agfc.com.