Tailwater · Limestone · Arkansas

Beaver Tailwater

Beaver Tailwater terrain map
Terrain map

The Beaver tailwater is northwest Arkansas's home trout water — a short, cold tailwater below Beaver Dam that gives the Fayetteville, Springdale and Bentonville crowd a real trout river without the drive to the White.

Species

A proper day on the water

Low and clear — careful approach country. Stay small, stay accurate.

75% confidence in this read
Water temperature for brown trout
Cool — slow
9°C est.ideal 10–16°C
0°14°28°
Why this score · for brown trout
  • Temperature8228% weight
  • Flow8022% weight
  • Clarity9518% weight
  • Feeding Time5013% weight
  • Pressure807% weight
  • Insect activity6212% weight
Conditions
Level
Dry recently
No gauge reading
Water temp
9.0°C
Estimated
Clarity
Clear
Air temp
25°C
Wind
E 15 km/h
Gentle breeze
Pressure
1018 hPa
Rain · 24h
0.0 mm
No rain
Rain · ahead
7.8 mm
Light rain · next 48h

Live readings — water temperature is an estimate where the gauge does not record it.

How to fish it · for brown trout
When
Nymphing can work through most of the day.
Where
Cover mixed depths.
Method
Start with tight-line nymphs and adjust if fish rise or drift higher.
Kit
9 ft #4 rod, floating line, 12 ft tapered leader to 4–5 lb fluoro tippet.
Why this works
Good — water clarity is right today, though time of day could be better.
Through the year
0–3 scale · June highlighted
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Trout seasonSeason
1
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
1
Black MidgeHatch
2
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
2
Freshwater ShrimpHatch
2
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
2
Western Blue-Winged OliveHatch
2
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
2
Pale Morning DunHatch
2
3
3
2

Numbers are intensity 0 (none) to 3 (peak) — a guide, not a guarantee.

Permits & access
Permit required — see local rules.
  • Open all year
  • AGFC 2026 changes (effective 1 Feb 2026) affect the Beaver Tailwater — verify current rules against AGFC
  • Arkansas trout permit/licence applies.
Directions
Apple MapsGoogle Maps
About this water

The Beaver tailwater is northwest Arkansas's home trout water — a short, cold tailwater below Beaver Dam that gives the Fayetteville, Springdale and Bentonville crowd a real trout river without the drive to the White. It's a stocked-rainbow numbers fishery first, with a quieter brown-trout undercurrent for those who put in the time. Like every Ozark tailwater it lives and dies by generation: low water opens up the wading and the technical midge-and-scud fishing, while a release turns it into drift water. It's smaller and gentler than the White, which makes it a good place to learn the generation game without the big river's consequences — but the principle is the same. Check what the dam is doing first.

  • Limestone
Seasons & zones
  • Trout1 January → 31 December
Other water nearby · 3