
Established 1954
Catch a Rainbow!
870-435-6525
800-447-7538
Single Day Float Trips -
Guided Fishing Trips with Cotter Trout Dock
If you have never been on a guided
trout fishing trip, you may think that people who go
on guided fishing trips are all "serious" fishermen
looking for trophy trout. As you can see
by some of the pictures on this site, our guides
know where the big ones are and how to get
them.
However, most of our guests are really looking for
great day fishing, like to catch a lot of trout and
mainly have fun. If you check out the testimonials page or TripAdvisor
and talk to anyone who has been here, you will see
that our guides provide this in abundance!
Note: Our Testimonials page is kind of out of date
and not being added to very regularly as we have
been encouraging our customers to use TripAdvisor
instead.
Our "day" guided
fishing trips range in length from a half day trip (4 hours), to a full day (8.5
hour) trip covering about 10-12 miles to near or
below Crooked Creek and then working our way back to
the dock. We usually fish downstream from the
dock as that is where we believe the better fishing
usually is, but sometimes we fish upstream if we
know it has been good fishing that way. The
guides have individual opinions and knowledge about
where they think is best.
Some people fish two or more days or maybe one day
plus a half day; whatever you want to do. Our usual guided fishing trip
leaves the dock at 7:00 a.m. (or later/earlier if
you want) but the guides are used to coming in to
the dock at 3:30.
All trips are fully outfitted with all you need for
a safe, comfortable
excursion. Our boats are wide Jon boats equipped with comfortable swivel seats and all
safety gear. If you have your own rods/reels
bring them; otherwise we have plenty available at no
charge.
A large cooler with ice is on each boat. Soft
drinks of your choice are provided, along with
bottled water.
Lunches
There are two choices for lunch: our box lunch or our
shore lunch. A box lunch

includes sandwiches made by Debbie, chips, fruit and
a desert item. A box lunch is included in the
price of our full- day trips. For info on shore
lunches please click here
or on the "Shore Lunch and Camp Trips Meals" button in
left column.
Actually, there is another choice..tell us if
you want something else and we will do our best to
provide it. Our normal rates for full day
include a box lunch of excellent sandwiches (2 per
person), chips, fruit and desert.
We are famous for our excellent shore
lunches cooked by your guide on the
riverbank over charcoal. With either lunch,
your guide can set up a "roll-up" table and
the swivel chairs from your boat; you do
not sit on the ground (unless you want to).
Some people just eat a sandwich in the boat
and keep on fishin!
Cotter Trout Dock Guides

Your Cotter Dock guide is more than a fishing
master. He also baits your hook, manages your
tackle, drives the boat, cooks and serves lunch and
otherwise ensures your comfort and success all day
long.
Guided fishing trips on the
cold, clear waters of the Arkansas White River and
North Fork River is an experience unique to the
Arkansas Ozarks. Our professional guides are highly
qualified with many years experience on these rivers.
They're courteous, pleasant outdoorsmen.
They know where to fish, how to fish, and what bait,
lures or flies to use. They catch fish in either
high or low water conditions, all year long.
All of our guides are
experts with lures or bait. We also have a number of
great fly fishing guides Some are both. They don't
expect you to be an expert. For newcomers, these
professionals will bait your hook, cast and take the
fish off while you just reel 'em in.
Our guides conduct trips for the novice and the
experienced fisherman alike. We encourage you to bring
your children. The guides accommodate angling friends,
families, or business groups.
Scenery is a big part of the float trip experience,
and the White River system has
plenty of it.
Single Day Guided Fishing Trip

Relax in a comfortable chair as an experienced guide
pilots your "John " boat leisurely down the river.
Savor the solitude and spectacular rugged mountain
scenery that unfolds with each bend.
You may find an arrowhead on the gravel bars as quite
a few of our guests have. Your guide will tell you
interesting historical facts and local folk lore -
like the stories of the lost mine and the
rough-and-tumble days of the railroad.
While you're enjoying the scenery, you'll also be
catching lots of rainbow, brook, brown, cutthroat
trout, or smallmouth bass. Catching forty or fifty
rainbows in a day is not uncommon.
Some folks chose to release all their catch, but you
are allowed to take out five per person per day for a
two day limit. Fish that you want to keep are cleaned
by your guide and packed with ice in styrofoam coolers
at no charge (or in your own cooler if you bring one)
for your trip home.

Single day guided fishing trips cover 10-12 miles of
river, are conducted by a great guide and are outfitted
with boat, motor, chairs, cushions, life jackets,
lunches, soft drinks, ice chest and bottled water.
These trips usually permit about 8 hours of fishing
depending on your lunch choice.
You relax and fish. Your Cotter Dock guide does the
work. Quietly drift along catching trout, or you can
anchor over the big holes.
White
River
- Producer of Several Line Class Trout World
Records

The cold,
crystal clear White River flows from Bull Shoals Dam
17 miles above Cotter, our starting base. For the next
60 miles its chilled waters are perfect for rainbow,
brown, and cutthroat trout, as well as providing
natural air conditioning that keeps you comfortable
even during July and August.
The White River receives regular trout stocking, plus
it has good populations of native trout. The scenery
is primarily Ozark forests and bluffs with some open
fields. There are homes along the river banks in some
areas, but for the most part the scenery is primitive.
You'll see several types of animals, birds, and
wildflowers along the way. We recommend the Arkansas
White River for those who's primary interest is
catching lots of trout.
North
Fork
River - River of World Trout Records
This 4.5 mile branch of the White River has produced
two All-Tackle world record browns, and limit catches
of rainbow trout are commonplace. The North Fork also
produced the Arkansas State record brook trout. At
times, it can be fairly crowded.
Cotter Trout Dock often fishes the North Fork as part
of an overnight float trip, but single day float trips
can also be arranged.
Buffalo
National
River

The Buffalo National River was America's first
National River. If you want the quintessential Ozarks
experience, we highly recommend an overnight camping
trip on the Buffalo, which is a warm water fishery.
The small mouth bass fishing is excellent, the scenery
indescribably spectacular.
Cotter Trout Dock is one of only a handful of
concessionaires authorized to conduct guided fishing
trips on the Buffalo by the National Park Service.
Only 100 to 115 boats operated by concessionaires can
be on the 100 mile float trip area. This regulation
preserves the pristine quality of the Buffalo River
experience.
Rugged
and remote, the Buffalo River is nearly inaccessible
terrain and therefore is best fished as an overnight
camping trip of 2 or more days; however we do lots of
single day trips on the Buffalo River. The best
times to take a guided fishing trip on the Buffalo
River is from mid-March to the end of June depending
on water levels. Because the Buffalo is a free-flowing
river, water may be too low or too high for fishing at
other times. But it just depends; every year is
different and quite often we can do late fall trips.
Arkansas
Tarpon
 If you want
to try something really different; you might like to
fish for "Arkansas Tarpon" on the Buffalo River.
OK, that's my name for them; they are actually Gar
fish; but they often jump clear out of the water when
hooked and they always fight. They are
definitely different!
Click on the images!
Contact Us
Email:ctd@southshore.com
Ron and Debbie Gamble
Owners/Operators
P.O. Box 96
Cotter, Arkansas 72626
Local: 870-435-6525
Toll Free:
800-447-7538
|