Cotter, Arkansas -- Cotter Trout Dock (870-435-6525) said, “The merry month of May has been good to we trout anglers on the Bull Shoals tailwaters of the White River. The water level has been low during morning and early afternoon hours, with late afternoon releases bringing a rush of cold, clear water for a whole different fishing adventure. Bull Shoals Lake level shows a small increase from our recent rains, now recorded at 655.85 feet msl.
“Lots of success with spinners and spoons on the low water, best in the morning. The sparkle from gold or silver Cleos is attracting really nice-sized rainbows, and the nickel/gold Colorado or a one-sixth-ounce Rooster Tail with a gold blade is hard for the trout to resist. You can experiment with shrimp or with various colors of floating eggs and you’ll bag your keep quantity, but the action may be faster when you use them together.
“Brown trout catches continue to delight the anglers around Cotter, mostly with live bait taken from the river (minnows, crawdads, sculpins), but we heard that more than one brown was hooked with shrimp and PowerBait. Pumped up nightcrawlers will surprise the trout and their bite might surprise the angler. Try it during slight rises in the water level.
“Be the early worm and get to the river while it’s still cool and the mist hangs low over the water. We welcome you to White River and continue to enjoy our Natural State.”
Calico Rock Area
(updated 5-21-2026) Dave McCulley, owner of Jenkins Fishing Service in Calico Rock, said, “For the bulk of the week, we continue to see great fishing. Quarter-ounce Thompson Colorado nickel/gold spoons remain our go-to lure but we also see a lot of people drift-fishing with eggs and shrimp. Additionally, CD5 Rapala Countdowns in rainbow trout or brown trout colors, Dynamic J-Spec or HD lures in ghost brown or rainbow trout continue to work well.
“The rain we received Tuesday did result in dingy water on Wednesday. There is rain predicted for several days over the next week. I believe if the rain is spread out enough we won’t see significant rise in water levels but I do expect we will see dingy water.
“Last week we received a stocking of 1,200 rainbows from the Jim Hinkle Spring River State Hatchery at the Calico Rock boat ramp. I was told on the same day they stocked at Norfork, Red’s Landing, Chessmond Ferry, Mt. Olive and Sylamore. Always good to see stockings spread out over the 36 river miles from Norfork to Sylamore.”
