Brook Trout – Introduced in the cold tailwaters of dams in the Ozarks and some large springs. This colorful, small trout prefers cover, such as boulders and logs, protected from current and predators. It eats insects and crustaceans, often during daylight. Spawning, though rarely successful, occurs in late fall and early winter. Brook trout are less tolerant of warm water than are rainbows. Like other trout species, breeding males develop a “kipe” (hooked lower jaw) during spawning to build and defend their “redds” (nests).
Brown Trout – Browns reproduce in the White River, below Bull Shoals Dam and in the Little Red River. Seasonal fishing closures in the early winter on the White River protect the most active spawning areas. Brown trout prefer water temperatures between 50 and 60 degrees. Young browns feed mostly on small aquatic invertebrates, while adults prefer crayfish and fish. Most trout waters in Arkansas must be stocked to maintain the population, but brown trout are one of the few trout species that reproduces well in Arkansas, offering a “wild” fishery with only minor stockings.
Cutthroat Trout – Cutthroat trout are stocked in the White River below Bull Shoals Dam, below Norfork Dam and in the Spring River. Cutthroats are not known to reproduce in Arkansas. Cutthroat trout eat mostly insects, although larger individuals will eat minnows and small fish. Cutthroats are not as tolerant of high-water temperatures as rainbows. Cutthroats get their name from the striking orange slash mark found underneath their jaw.
Rainbow Trout – Introduced in the cold tailwaters below dams in the Ozark and Ouachita mountains and into some large springs such as Mammoth Spring in northern Arkansas. Although natural reproduction occurs, most rainbow trout in Arkansas have been raised in hatcheries and stocked. Rainbows feed on crustaceans, aquatic insects and fish. Spawning, though rarely successful, occurs in fall and early winter. Large-scale stocking of rainbow trout began in the late 1940s when the construction of large, deep reservoirs in the Ozarks and their coldwater discharges wiped out native fish populations. Brown, rainbow, cutthroat and brook trout fishing has become immensely valuable to the state’s economy and provides many recreational benefits.
