Winter Fishing

Rim Shoals Lodge and Fly Shop is located in North Central Arkansas where we experience relatively mild winter weather, with an average January high of 40°. Most winter months see stretches of mild weather with temperatures in the 60’s.

Unlike many blue ribbon trout streams, The White River does not ice over or have a closed season. You'll enjoy unbelievable trout-fishing excitement in the Rim Shoals area.

Above picture taken on New Year's Day, 2005

If you haven't enjoyed the special beauty in our hills and rivers at this time of the year and you love nature, you owe yourself a trip. Our wildlife is much more visible. Deer, beaver, mink and raccoons graze and water on the banks of the White River while eagles soar overhead. Whether you're a nature lover or a trout bum, Rim Shoals is the place to be this winter.

Shad kill occurs normally from December thru February and sometimes into March. It is sporadic, so you can’t plan a trip around it, but if you are fortunate enough to be here at the right time and experience a shad kill, you’ll be ruined. The trout go mad. They gorge on shad until you think they can eat no more yet they continue to slash big shad patterns.

Another winter activity is the spawning season. Brown trout spawn from November through January. Rainbows and cutthroat spawn from late winter into early spring. We discourage fishing the redds, but the point is, that the larger spawning fish are more active and aggressive and maybe less cautious than normal, giving you a better opportunity to hook that once-in-a-lifetime trout.