Tailwater · Mixed · Arkansas

Little Missouri River (Narrows tailwater)

Little Missouri River (Narrows tailwater) terrain map

The Little Missouri below Narrows Dam is southwest Arkansas's small, seasonal tailwater trout fishery — a cold-release stretch below Lake Greeson that the AGFC stocks with rainbows to give the Ouachita country a trout option, mostly through the cool months.

Prime · Rainbow Trout
Sulphur Comparadun · 16-18
Primelive now
About as good as it gets
River steady at a fishable height. On the feed top to bottom — start on the rises with a dry, drop a nymph if they stay down.
75% confidence
What moved it
  • Level1.02 mLast reading 22h ago
  • Water temp10.3°C
  • ClarityClear
Today's fly
SC
Sulphur Comparadun16-18
High-confidence seasonal pick
Conditions on the water
Live gauge
Level
Steady
1.02 m
Last reading 22h ago
Water temp10.3°C
ClarityClear
Weather26°C
WindSE 6 km/h
Pressure1019 hPa
Rain · recent1.6 mm
Rain · ahead0.0 mm

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

Water temperature for Rainbow Trout
Ideal
10°C est.ideal 1018°C
0°14°28°
How to fish it · for Rainbow 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
Excellent — water temperature is right today, though time of day could be better.
Hatch timeline · todayQuiet day

Hatch predictions

Today's headline hatch shown — see all 3 active hatches hour by hour with Pro.

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Sub-surface · on the nymphunder the surface

Hatch predictions

Top nymph shown — see all 3 guilds with Pro.

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Beyond the hatch · worth watchingambient prey

Hatch predictions

Top prey shown — see all 2 with Pro.

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Evidence
ModelledModerate confidence

Modelled from regional ecology — no survey or occurrence data for this water yet.

Through the year
0–3 scale · July 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
SulphurHatch
2
3
2
Trico (Eastern)Hatch
2
3
3
2
Eastern Blue-Winged OliveHatch
2
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
2
Eastern Summer BWO (Drunella)Hatch
2
3
3
2

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

Ranked for today
Rainbow Trout fly box
Permits & access
Permit required — see local rules.
  • Arkansas trout permit/licence required; a seasonal, stocked tailwater below Narrows Dam — verify current AGFC stocking and reach rules
  • RELEASE SAFETY: flow is hydropower/release-controlled — check SWPA generation before wading; the river rises with release.
What's coming
Plan ahead
5-day outlook
About this water

The Little Missouri below Narrows Dam is southwest Arkansas's small, seasonal tailwater trout fishery — a cold-release stretch below Lake Greeson that the AGFC stocks with rainbows to give the Ouachita country a trout option, mostly through the cool months. It's a modest, pretty river of gravel and ledges, nothing like the White in scale, and it lives and dies by the dam: cold releases make the trout fishing, and when the release pattern and the summer heat take the cold away the trout fade and the water belongs to the smallmouth and the swimmers. Read the release first, fish small nymphs, midges and eggs near the stocked water while it's cold, and treat it honestly as the seasonal put-and-take tailwater it is. A useful southern Arkansas outlier, distinct from the bigger-name Ozarks tailwaters.

  • Mixed
Water quality · US Clean Water Act
  • Aquatic lifeSupporting
What this classification means

EPA ATTAINS assessment unit 'L. Missouri R.' (AR_08040103_018), 2022 Integrated Report. Aquatic Life use: Fully Supporting. This is a Clean Water Act assessment-unit classification (the US analogue of WFD), not a live reading.

Status is for the Clean Water Act assessment unit covering this reach.

EPA ATTAINS (Clean Water Act) · AR_08040103_018

The full read · show the working · for Rainbow Trout · confidence 75%
How the 80 is built — score × weight = contribution
Temperature100 × 28%28.0
Flow80 × 22%17.6
Clarity85 × 18%15.3
Feeding Time45 × 13%5.9
Pressure75 × 7%5.3
Insect activity65 × 12%7.8
Conditions total= 80
Can you trust it?
Water temperatureair-to-water estimateestimated
Level / flowon-river gaugeobserved
Prey activitymodelled from regional profilemodelled
What would change the calculation
The dawn and dusk windows score higher than the midday lull.
Directions
Seasons & zones
  • Trout1 January31 December
Related guides
Booking & contacts