Tailwater · Limestone · Arkansas

Little Red River (Greers Ferry tailwater)

Little Main Restigouche terrain map
Terrain map

The Little Red below Greers Ferry is central Arkansas's trophy-brown river, and it carries some genuine history — it once gave up a world-record brown trout, and the reach has held big fish ever since.

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
27°C
Wind
E 12 km/h
Gentle breeze
Pressure
1019 hPa
Rain · 24h
0.0 mm
No rain
Rain · ahead
0.7 mm
No meaningful 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 Greers Ferry tailwater — verify current rules against AGFC
  • Arkansas trout permit/licence applies.
Directions
Apple MapsGoogle Maps
About this water

The Little Red below Greers Ferry is central Arkansas's trophy-brown river, and it carries some genuine history — it once gave up a world-record brown trout, and the reach has held big fish ever since. It's a classic Ozark generation tailwater: cold, rich, and entirely at the mercy of the dam. Low water is technical wade fishing over gravel and weed with midges, sowbugs and scuds; generation is drift-boat water where the big browns move to streamers in the push and the low light. It broadens the Arkansas picture beyond the White/Norfork complex and gives Little Rock anglers a tailwater of their own. Same rule as all of them: know the generation schedule before you commit, because the river answers to the powerhouse, not the sky.

  • Limestone
Seasons & zones
  • Trout1 January → 31 December