RATES PAGE FOR GUIDED FISHING TRIPS AT COTTER TROUT DOCK

White River and Buffalo River Guided Trips -
Rates & Reservation Information

2023 Rates - Guided Float Trips

Prices below are per boat. For example;
full day with 2 people in one boat is $360 ($180 each person).

Spin/Bait Fishing Trips

White or Norfork River 1 person - full day
$380

2 people - full day $380

3 people - full day $495

White or Norfork River 1 person - half day
$280

2 people - half day $280

3 people - half day $399

Buffalo River 1 person - full day $410

2 people - full day
$410

3 people - full day $460

Fly Fishing Trips

White or Norfork River 1 person - full day
$420

2 people - full day
$440

White or Norfork River 1 person - half day
$345

2 people - half day
$370

Buffalo River 1 person - full day
$480

2 people - full day
$480

Lunch

Full day trips include a lunch of our homemade sandwiches, chips, fruit and desert.
Half day trips include snacks.

An optional Shore Lunch is $30 per person, kids under 8 eat free. Your fishing guide does the cooking. A shore lunch is prepared on the banks of the river over charcoal and can include your morning catch if you wish. Shore lunch is bacon/tomato sandwiches, french fries, hush puppies, black-eyed peas, and dessert. See meals page for more info.

Parties of five or more boats (10 people) require that we provide camp cooks to prepare lunch instead of having the guides cook. While this increases the price of a shore lunch to $36 per person, your lunch is ready in much less time and you're back on the river fishing rather than waiting for your guides to set up lunch, cook and clean-up.

What's Included

All single day float trips are completely outfitted with the following: Life jackets, Fishing Guides, Boats, Motors, Gas, Paddles, Anchors, Swivel Chairs, Nets, Ice Box, Ice, Soft Drinks, Drinking Water, Cushions, Box Lunch, Return Transportation, Fish Cleaned and Iced.

Prices include all applicable taxes, but do not include bait, license or trout permit.

Price does not include Arkansas fishing license and trout permit, which costs $50 for a three-day non-resident issue. Go to the Home Page for more information on fishing licenses.

Cancellation and Deposit Policy

Deposits: $100 per boat per day required, or provide credit card information. We will never actually put any charges on the credit card you provide without talking to you first.

Cancellations: Charging our customers for cancellations is possibly the worst part of our whole business.   It does not happen often but we understand that no one is happy.

Once we have booked a guide for your trip they will be turning down work elsewhere and we have to pay the guide a cancellation fee of $125 for a Day Trip and $200 for a Camp Trip if the trip is cancelled after 14 days prior to the trip.   This is not the full pay that the guide would have been paid for the trip; it is a cancellation fee. If we did not pay cancellation fees to our guides we would immediately have no guides.

We make every attempt to book the cancelled guide/guides on our other trips and make calls to book them with other guide services. If this is successful, you will will not be charged any cancellation fee.

Weather: The guides are ready to fish in any weather (other than lightning). Lightning usually requires waiting a short time until the danger is past.   Please watch weather forecasts as best as possible prior to your trip. We realize this is not always successful, but we cannot waive cancellation fees for weather.

Why Bait Is Not Included.....................

We try to keep our rates as low as possible for everyone and still pay our guides well. Some people bring their own lures and use no bait at all. If we include some set price for bait in our rates, it would not be fair to everyone. Therefore, the way it has always been done at Cotter Trout Dock is.....

1) Your guide will take out bait that he believes is needed after talking to you about your preferred fishing methods; lures only, live bait, scented, fishing for big browns only, etc.
2) During the day, when we make out your invoice, that bait will be put on your invoice.
3) When you come in, the guide will return any unused bait and we take it off your invoice. You pay only for bait that was opened or used during the day. You can take home any bait that was opened but not used if you wish. Bait usually averages $10 per person.

We are not a bait shop; we do not try to make money by selling bait. We keep on hand only what our guides tell us works. We do sell bait to people who are not on a guided trip, but that is not our main business and in fact we are generally priced less than Walmart even to people who are not on our guided trips! We take an additional 15% off to our guided customers which means we are selling very close to cost.

2023 Rates - Overnight Float Camping Trips -
Per Person Per Day

Camp trips are priced "per person per day". For example; a trip where four people (or more) fish one day, then camp and then fish the next day is a two day camp trip. This trip would be $820 per person ($410 per day in the table below).

Spin/Bait Camp Trips

White River Party of 2 or 3 $460 per person per day

Party of 4 or more $410 per person per day

Buffalo River Party of 2 or 3 $500 per person per day

Party of 4 or more $450 per person per day

Fly Fishing Camp Trips

White River Party of 2 or 3 $535 per person per day

Party of 4 or more $490 per person per day

Buffalo River Party of 2 or 3 $550 per person per day

Party of 4 or more $500 per person per day

What's Included

All Overnight White River or Buffalo River Float Trips Are Completely Outfitted With The Following: Meals, Guides, Life Jackets, Cooks, Boats, Motors, Gas, Paddles, Anchors, Swivel Chairs, Nets, Ice, Ice Boxes, Soft Drinks, Drinking Water, Cushions, Tents, Cots, Sleeping Bags, Pillows, Sheets, Pillow Cases, Lanterns, Tables, Dishes, Silverware, Food, Return Transportation, Fish Cleaned and Iced.

Prices include all applicable taxes, but do not include bait, license or trout permit. DEPOSIT: $100 per person per day required on all overnight float trips.

Price does not include Arkansas fishing license and trout permit.
A three-day non-resident fishing license and trout permit is $50.00.
An annual resident fishing license and trout permit is $20.50.

Young Camper's Special - 35% Off Regular Prices

For reservations on overnight camping trips scheduled for July and/or August, we are making a special offer for parties of four or more paying adult guests. Each of the four adults may bring a son, daughter, or guest UNDER THE AGE OF 18 for 35% discount! Cotter Trout Dock is doing this because young fishermen are our future. So come on parents and grandparents - bring your children or grandchildren on a White River or Buffalo River fishing trip they will never forget!

Fishing License Information

If you plan to fish, you will need an Arkansas fishing license and trout permit. One way to obtain your license is to order it by phone or over the Web at the Arkansas Game & Fish Commission Web site. Click here for license ordering details.

You can also call 223-6349 between 8:00 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. in the Little Rock area, or 1-800-364-GAME (1-800-364-4263) 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Please have your credit card and an identification number ready. Your identification number can be a driver’s license, social security number, hunter education number, state ID number or passport number. Your hunting or fishing privileges become effective immediately and your license will arrive in the mail in a few days. Lifetime and commercial licenses are not available by phone or online.

Otherwise, it only takes a few minutes for us to get it for you on our Arkansas Game and Fish terminals in our office.

Reservations & Questions

To make reservations please phone us. If you wish, you may inquire about availability by email. We accept credit cards, traveler's checks, personal checks, business checks, and cash.

Please advise us of how many will be in your party, whether you want a single day or overnight camping float trip, and any special arrangements you may need. If you wish to have a specific menu please also let us know your dietary requirements.

Float fishing is a very personal, intimate and rewarding adventure that's unlike anything you've ever experienced. All trips are tailored exactly to the requirements of our clients. Let us know in advance of your needs, and we will be happy to make the necessary arrangements.

Contact Us
Email:ctd@southshore.com

Ron and Debbie Gamble
Owners/Operators
P.O. Box 96
Cotter, Arkansas 72626

870-435-6525