Best fishing towns

[RazorWild]

About a year ago there was a post on the best fishing/hunting towns to retire to in ark.  I couldn't find the post but have a buddy of mine that's lookin for a great spot.  I've always been partial to heber springs.  I remember someone mentioning Lake, ar? Never been, but wanting some suggestions. Although I grew up here, I havnt come close to covering the state.  Any input would be appreciated.

[SultanofSwine]

Depends on what type of fishing you prefer. If I was choosing, it would be hard to pass on Hot Springs. You have the Diamond lakes and are close to Greeson and DeGray.

[RazorWild]

Lookin for everything including trout and walleye

[SultanofSwine]

Then I would also consider Conway. Good lake in the backyard and reasonable drive to trout and walleye as well as lots of other great fishing.

[bolo]

cotter

[RazorWild]

cotter

Thank You! I think that's the spot so many folks were talking about on here.

[SultanofSwine]

Thank You! I think that's the spot so many folks were talking about on here.

If that is where you are interested in finding a place, shoot Spare Rib a pm. I am pretty sure he can help you out since he moved there.

[RazorWild]

Thank ya!

[DeltaBoy]

Holly Grove , Clarendon  East Lake and the White River.

[pioneerhog]

When I hit 59 1/2...I plan on living at Gassville.  Cotter's next door neighbor.  Trout fishing on the White and Norfork rivers, small mouth fishing on Crooked Creek and the Buffalo River, and walleye and crappie fishing on Bull Shoals Lake.  All within 20 miles of Gassville.

Sounds like heaven doesn't it?

[EastexHawg]

Not in Arkansas, but I think if I could retire right now to any town it might be Guntersville, Alabama.  It's a nice little town in a pretty part of the country on the best bass fishing lake I've ever experienced.  We spent a week there in April and I can't wait to go back.

But that's only if you like catching three to five pounders all day, however you want to catch them, with a giant mixed in every once in a while.

I just got back from Russellville and a week fishing a tournament on Dardanelle.  I'm no expert on Arkansas fishing towns, but I liked Russellville quite a bit.  It's a nice little city with most everything you need nearby, and all the people we met there were friendly and actually seemed like they were glad to be alive and employed.

[Porkchop#1]

Murfreesboro, AR is hard to beat, right at Lake Greeson, trout fishing in the Narrows tailwaters, 25 miles from Millwood, a little east of the Tri Lakes, (Dierks,DeQueen&Gillham), not too far from DeGray or the Hot Springs area lakes, and good float fishing farther south on the Little Missouri River.

[SpareRib]

Cotter is as close to heaven as I ever hope to be.  White River surrounds me on three sides.  The town has a distinct fishing culture.  Norfork River, 20 minutes, is one of the finest four miles of trout stream in the US.  Bull Shoals and Lake Norfork are 30 minutes away for black bass, stripers, crappie, and walleye..  Crooked Creek, 20 minutes for smallmouth.  Buffalo River, 25-30 minutes for smallmouth.  Tanycomo and the North Fork of the White are just above the MO line, less than an hour away.

People on the edge of town have deer and foxes coming thru their back yards.  It's all good.

Hey, Boar!  Why wait?    

[ennairb]

I like to fish in Norfork and surrounding area.

[RazorWild]

Sounds like Cotter is the winner.  Feelin a little jealous.  Maybe the day I leave hell (MS), I can make a move for Cotter!

[SultanofSwine]

Sounds like Cotter is the winner.  Feelin a little jealous.  Maybe the day I leave hell (MS), I can make a move for Cotter!

Spare escaped Memphis, so anything is possible.

[SpareRib]

Just like Kurt in Escape from NY.   

[ThisTeetsTaken]

Heber Springs. We currently hold WORLD RECORDS (Greers Ferry Lake) for Walleye and Hybrid Striped Bass. Until last fall we also had the WORLD RECORD (Little Red River) for Brown Trout.  Some say our really big walleye days are over here but we still have great numbers.  The hybrids are a dime a dozen and will wear you out in the summer.  Trout fishing is excellent year 'round.   We have some really good restaurants and plenty of places to stay for fishermen.  Having said all that I also really like Mountain Home and have considered buying a small piece of land there to build on.  Cotter and Gassville are also very nice.

[SpareRib]

Heber Springs. We currently hold WORLD RECORDS (Greers Ferry Lake) for Walleye and Hybrid Striped Bass. Until last fall we also had the WORLD RECORD (Little Red River) for Brown Trout.  Some say our really big walleye days are over here but we still have great numbers.  The hybrids are a dime a dozen and will wear you out in the summer.  Trout fishing is excellent year 'round.   We have some really good restaurants and plenty of places to stay for fishermen.  Having said all that I also really like Mountain Home and have considered buying a small piece of land there to build on.  Cotter and Gassville are also very nice.

Boy, can't deny this one.  Spent many hours fishing and diving in GF and chasing trout on the Little Red when I lived in Little Rock.  We owned property there once above the narrows.

Friend in my boat caught a 14 lb walleye one February up the Devil's Fork.  I lost an expensive rod, an Ambassador 5000C, and a good jigging spoon over the side of the boat to a heavy hybrid fishing out of Eden Isle when I put the rod down to light up.  On my wall today is a 10 lb rainbow caught on the shoal below Bill Lindsay's 20 years ago.  With a poorly placed speargun shot, I had a heavy catfish drag me through drowned blackberry brambles in 20 feet of water in a cove below Sky Point.

I have terrific memories of the area. 

[old hog]

Heber Springs. We currently hold WORLD RECORDS (Greers Ferry Lake) for Walleye and Hybrid Striped Bass. Until last fall we also had the WORLD RECORD (Little Red River) for Brown Trout.  Some say our really big walleye days are over here but we still have great numbers.  The hybrids are a dime a dozen and will wear you out in the summer.  Trout fishing is excellent year 'round.   We have some really good restaurants and plenty of places to stay for fishermen.  Having said all that I also really like Mountain Home and have considered buying a small piece of land there to build on.  Cotter and Gassville are also very nice.

Man, did not know we had lost the world record in Browns. Guess I need to keep up with it better. Also forgot to mention the whites running up the creeks in the spring. Some non-stop action there. So many it just messes ya up.................. (sorry couldn't help that)

[ennairb]

When did we loose the record for the brown? Who has it now?

[old hog]

Found this on a website
"The Freshwater Fishing Hall of Fame and the International Game Fish Association list the world record brown trout as a 41 lbs. 7 oz. ( 18.7956 kilograms) fish caught Sept. 9, 2009 in the Manistee River, Michigan."

Another one caught just last month in Michigan weighed in at 41 Ibs. 8 oz. but has yet to be certified. Rip Collins fish caught in the Little Red weighed in at 40 Ibs. 4 oz.

[ennairb]

My dad was the one who helped set up the little red trip for On The Rise, I watched that video again not to long ago. That was such a neat trip for all of them involved, I'm a little sad to hear the record went down.

[bolo]

Boy, can't deny this one.  Spent many hours fishing and diving in GF and chasing trout on the Little Red when I lived in Little Rock.  We owned property there once above the narrows.

Friend in my boat caught a 14 lb walleye one February up the Devil's Fork.  I lost an expensive rod, an Ambassador 5000C, and a good jigging spoon over the side of the boat to a heavy hybrid fishing out of Eden Isle when I put the rod down to light up.  On my wall today is a 10 lb rainbow caught on the shoal below Bill Lindsay's 20 years ago.  With a poorly placed speargun shot, I had a heavy catfish drag me through drowned blackberry brambles in 20 feet of water in a cove below Sky Point.

I have terrific memories of the area. 

sounds awesome

[DeltaBoy]

Nearly any part of Arkansas got good fishing.

[kaiserhog]

Eureka Springs-Holiday Island-Beaver.  Trout fishing on Beaver Lake Tailwaters, 20 minutes from Roaring River.  Walleye on Table Rock.  Stripers in Beaver Lake.  Smallmouth on Kings River as well as all species of Black Bass, Crappie and White Bass on both Table Rock and Beaver lakes.  Also some pretty big Catfish.

[Boarslab]

I've got a lot in front of Gaston's Resort in the Flippin school district I will sell you. It's on the Marion County side and it's pretty nice.  If anyone is interested send me message.  I will sell it pretty cheap too.

Thank You! I think that's the spot so many folks were talking about on here.