Smallmouth

Word's getting out. There's a fish in the Ozarks that will drown a trout of the same size if tied tail to tail. The fish takes ferociously from the surface. It jumps. It digs. It lives in some of the prettiest places in the great state of Arkansas. This sport fish is the Smallmouth Bass.

Fly fishing is the preferred method with Trout and Timber; however, all of our guides are well versed in spinning gear tactics for these fish. Crawdad and baitfish patterns fill the boxes. The Smallmouth start out with these said patterns in April. Depending on the spring flows, lines will vary from floaters to 300 grain sink tips. Some of the biggest Smallmouth of the year are caught in April as the fish wake up from their winter slumber and voraciously feed before the calorie crunching spawn. It also doesn't hurt that these fish haven't been educated to artificials since October of the previous year. Spawning time varies every year, but usually occurs at the end of April and the first part of May. By the end of May predictable flows settle in, and it can become some of the most consistent action of the entire year.

Memorial Day weekend marks the end of fishing in the major drainages for the early summer. Peak floater traffic hits, and makes the fish a bit skiddish. However, it's the smaller tributaries and the multiple "River X's" that keep the program going. Trout and Timber will lean on these fisheries until mid-summer when the major drainages become too low for recreational floating. That's when the guides at Trout and Timber break out the rafts. The rafts and a guide's strong back put anglers on some of the best top water Smallmouth fishing anywhere. The Smallmouth are stacked in tailouts and riffles seeking cooler oxygenated water, sometimes 20-30 fish deep in a single riffle. A major percentage of the food load becomes terrestrial based. If an angler does the math, X and Y can add up to the top water perfect storm.

Smallmouth Waters

Buffalo River

To fish the Buffalo is to see what the Ozark range looked like 100 years ago. Much like the famed Smith River in Montana, the Buffalo is deemed a Wild and Scenic River (first in the United States). Clear water, vast gravel bars, limestone river beds, and 500 foot sheer bluffs dominate the valley. The Buffalo is a very exclusive drainage as there are only a select few permits, and Trout and Timber Outfitters is the only permitted outfit that specializes in fly fishing. The Smallmouth is the predominant species. They range in size from 1-4 lbs. However, Goggle Eye, Long Nose Gar, and Channel Cat also call this river home.
Trout and Timber offers both day and overnight trips on the Buffalo.

Kings River

The headwaters of the Kings make their humble beginnings in southern Madison County and flow north towards Table Rock Lake. The river substrate is predominated by gravel bars, snake grass, and log jams. It's a perfect river for Smallmouth and fly anglers alike. Some of the biggest Smallmouth of the year are caught in April/May as large lake Smallmouth from Table Rock make the migration up river to feed and spawn. The river still holds good numbers of Smallmouth in the 1-2.5 lb. class throughout the rest of the year.
Trout and Timber offers day trips on the Kings.

Crooked Creek

Crooked Creek is one of Forrest Smith's favorite waters in Arkansas. It's a smaller, more intimate water with larger drainage sized Smallmouth. The creek typically flows between 300-600 CFS, and is designed for the "fly rodder". The creek's layout is dominated by shallow gravel bars with medium depth slots, boulder gardens, riffles and runs, shady overhangs, and snake grass lined banks. The predominate species in the creek is the Smallmouth Bass. However, the creek is home to some of the best Carp fishing in the country. They tend to fish a lot like Bonefish on flats-- very spooky, but also very eager to eat a fly. Once hooked, an angler better watch his/her knuckles.
Trout and Timber offers day trips on Crooked Creek.

River X's and Other Drainages

As stated before, Trout and Timber has more Smallmouth water than they can shake a stick at. Some of these waters aren't well known, and we'd like to keep them that way. Some of these waters are bigger drainages, some of them smaller, and they are located somewhere in the state of Arkansas. Many of them don't have boat ramps, just a bridge abutment and a friendly farmer at the takeout. They are all very user friendly, and contain some of the biggest and unintellectual Smallmouth anywhere.
Trout and Timber offers both day and overnight trips on these waters.