Take a break, come go fishing with us!

[Lucky]

Just a reminder...if you decide you want to do some serious fishing, this is a great time of the year for it here in Arkansas.

I know you guys in New York and Colorado and Montana think you have some trout fishing, but you haven't seen big fish until you come here.

Our state record for German Browns keeps getting bumped up. Now it is over 40 pounds. You read that right...40 pounds of the meanest hook nose Browns you have ever seen.

Rainbows? Five to seven pounders are commonplace in the catch and release areas. The state record? A little over 19 pounds.

Striped bass? 50+ pounds.

Walleye have been introduced not too long ago, and they seem to like the long growing season. Even though the fishing pressure on walleye is minimal compared to other species, there have been some big walleye taken. Our World Line-Class Record for 4# test is just over 19 pounds. When I walleye fished in Canada, they couldn't believe the size of our fish...it takes ten times as long to grow them up there. Our world record walleye is just under 23 pounds.

So, if you want sport fishing at its finest, and a chance to land a world record fish, come on down to Arkansas. Once you get here, you'll find that food, lodging, guide service and most anything else you need is a fraction of the price you'll pay at the famous fishing destinations.

I'm not working for the guys at Game & Fish or Parks and Tourism, it's just that it's late and this is what popped into my head. Hope to see you here.

[Lucky]

Got a little Ryan Braun juice in the water down there, Lucky?

I cannot even imagine a 40+ lb. trout and I've seen my share.

When they first started stocking the German Browns, they thought it would be an annual thing...a put and take fishery where people would catch out most of what was stocked and most of the rest would die out in the summer. They never imagined the Browns would spawn/reproduce, because the conditions were totally wrong. What turned out to be wrong was the marine biologists. Not only did the Browns survive the summers (mostly in deep holes), they grew like crazy and spawned like there was no tomorrow.

These rivers were warm water until the '60s, when most were damned up to create hydro-electric plants. A side effect of that is that the water for miles and miles below the dams is very cold, generally around 42 degrees. This killed out the native species, and let the G&F people to try the rainbows and the Browns. One reason they didn't think it would work is that power generation increases the water flow dramatically. The normal hatches don't take place regularly. What the Browns and rainbows did, however, was learn to feast on all the sow bugs and other goodies that were kicked up when the water ran fast and deep. They grew at unheard of rates, which is why you have such huge trout.

It's great fly fishing, but many people come out there with Zebco reels and earthworms. One kid caught a 30+ pounder at night with a kiddie rod/reel and a red wriggler. Fly fishing is great at night, too. Use big black streamers or sculpins stripped slowly, and watch out.

Despite the zillion different fly patterns that people have used, many successfully, there have probably been more big trout taken using a wooly bugger than anything else. After that, I'd say a simple scud pattern. These fish, at least the one to ten pound variety, are not picky and will hit what you throw out there. It's not like some places in Montana where you have to spend hours sneaking up on the stream and then cast while lying down. (A slight exaggeration, but not by much.)

Anyway, if you want to see some massive trout, I'll post some pictures. Rainbows are really pretty, but those monster Browns are downright scary.

[bryanbutler]

when i was a kid i went to a family reunion of my fathers family in oklahoma and we went out fishing. 15-20 lb. catfish. no kidding. i was used to the little ones in utah and was absolutely freaked out. catfish should not get that large. then i watched that stupid "monster fish" TV show on NatGeo where in india there are catfish that are like 5-7 ft. long and accused of killing people. what is it with catfish?

had a friend that went "noodling" in arkansas - showed some pictures of like crazy-big catfish. i'm wondering if lucky has ever "noodled." (so-to-speak )

[Lucky]

Unashamed to admit that I have, in fact, noodled.

There are huge catfish out there. One place they can be found is near the bottom of the big hydro dams, on the lake side, where the water is 600 feet deep plus. I've heard underwater welders who have been down there talk about seeing catfish the size of VWs.

Arkansas has a World Line-Class Record for Blue Catfish...68 pounds on 8# test. That must have been a battle.

The local Prosecuting Attorney spear fishes a couple of the lakes up in central Arkansas, mostly for bass and catfish. He's brought in some catfish that were pushing 50 pounds. It's a hellluva thing. He sinks Christmas trees, fallen trees, anything he can use to create cover, then notes the location on his GPS. He'll go from honey hole to honey hole, shooting fish. I went with him once, but there was something about shooting spear guns at close quarters in murky 30-foot deep water that just didn't grab me.

[Gregg]

Is there anytime when the kids are off of school for the summer to come on down and experience good fishing? I assume not, but it doesn't hurt ask.

[johnnya24]

From wiki:

The largest Ictalurus furcatus, caught in the Missouri River on July 20, 2010, weighed 130 pounds (59 kg). The largest flathead catfish, Pylodictis olivaris, ever caught was in Independence, Kansas, weighing 123 lb 9 oz (56.0 kg). In July 2009, a catfish weighing 193 pounds was caught in the River Ebro, Spain, by an 11-year old British schoolgirl.[18] However, these records pale in comparison to a giant Mekong catfish caught in northern Thailand on May 1, 2005 and reported to the press almost 2 months later that weighed 293 kilograms (650 lb). This is the largest giant Mekong catfish caught since Thai officials started keeping records in 1981.[19] The giant Mekong catfish are not well studied since they live in developing countries and it is quite possible that they can grow even larger.

[johnnya24]

There is also some pretty interesting stuff on here

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-17013285

I didn't realize that it's been 52 years since human beings were last at the deepest part of the ocean.

[Bob Kohm]

I would love to get down there and do some fishing-- I'm more of a saltwater guy but have really gotten into inland fishing over the past few years between the Adirondacks, trout streams up in the Shenandoah and what has revealed itself as one of the best urban fisheries in America in Potomac River bass fishing. Noodling you can keep, lol-- I have no doubt my first catch would be something lovely like an alligator snapping turtle-- but the size of the trout you're talking about are killing me.