Cotter, Arkansas -- Perfect Arkansas Ozark autumn days—cool mornings, warm, sunny afternoons—are unmatched for making memories on the White River. Bull Shoals Lake is approaching 656.66 mls, 3 feet below the fall pool elevation of 659 mls. The current generation schedule continues to follow the pattern we've seen for the last six weeks or so, minimum flow in the mornings (very low), gradually increasing to over 3 units (9,000 cfs) in the late afternoon.
The rainbow bite has been steady and plentiful here on the tailwaters of Bull Shoals Lake in the Cotter area. Favorite baits: orange/brown or mossy/olive green jigs, 1/8 oz. and Thomas Buoyant red/gold hammered spoons. Cast those spoons toward the bank, then use a slow and steady retrieval. Don't ever leave your shrimp at home. Tie that on with your favorite colored egg (salmon egg, Power Bait, fluff ball) and enjoy a lot of excitement.
September may not provide the best catches of brown trout, but a sculpin drifted near the bottom can still generate the desired outcome. You'll never know how good an air-filled nightcrawler works until you try it. Get a worm blower, fill a worm with air, float it out there and watch the action.
The Arkansas Game & Fish trout management program keeps our resource healthy and stable and our natural resources have stayed strong. If you've not visited Cotter before, come join us. The river will capture your heart.