Mountain Home, Arkansas. It just sounds like a fisherman's paradise. I've known about Mountain Home for quite sometime. From this little hamlet in the heart of the Ozarks, you can fish the famed Bull Shoals, Norfolk Lake, and White River. Pro bass anglers head here every year for tournaments. World record brown trout have been pulled out of the waters.
From this one little town, you can be on a multitude of freshwater fish species within the same day if you want to. It was ranked second as Best Fishing Town by Field & Stream. That issue of Field & Stream featured a picture of the dining room at Gaston's, the iconic lodge on the White River that I'll be staying at.
When I received an invitation from good friend Noel Vick to come down to Mountain Home for a weekend of fishing, I didn't have to think long before saying yes. Luckily for me, Noel works with Northland Fishing Tackle, Frabill, and Marcum underwater cameras, so not only do I get a weekend in prime fishing territory, but I also get to try out all the new lures, gadgets, and outerwear these companies produce (among them the Best of Show-winning Frabill Stormsuit and the new Northland Live-Forage).
Arkansas is an often-overlooked fishing destination state. Often over-shadowed by its neighbor to the south, Louisiana, Arkansas's eastern boarder is made up entirely of the Mississippi River. The reservoirs situated along the Arkansas River are some of the best for bass and crappie in the United States (Dardanelle and Maumelle come to mind). The northern part of the state is the beautiful Ozarks and the Ouachita River flows through the southern part of the state. And the Louisiana Delta is a short ride away for saltwater opportunities.
Given the vast diversity in Mountain Home, I'm not sure what I'm fishing for yet, but I should be at least spending one day targeting walleye.
Either way, I'm anxious to bring you updates and reviews of the new gear this weekend, and hopefully catch some nice fish (like this Norfolk striper caught earlier this week!
