Tailwater · Limestone · Arkansas

Norfork (North Fork) River below Norfork Dam

Norfork Dam venue image

The Norfork is the White's compact, famous little sibling — a short, cold, intensely fished tailwater below Norfork Dam where brown trout were stocked back in 1949 and have been growing large and wary ever since.

Prime · Brown Trout
Sulphur Comparadun · 16-18
Primelive now
About as good as it gets
Low and clear — careful approach country. Take your time — read the water before you cast.
90% confidence
What moved it
  • LevelLiveTrend only — level not reported
  • Water temp10.7°C
  • ClarityClear
Today's fly
SC
Sulphur Comparadun16-18
High-confidence seasonal pick
Conditions on the water
Live gauge
Level
Steady
Live
Trend only — level not reported
Water temp10.7°C
ClarityClear
Weather27°C
WindW 8 km/h
Pressure1018 hPa
Rain · recent29.6 mm
Rain · ahead1.4 mm

Live readings only. Trends shown where the gauge supports them.

Water temperature for Brown Trout
Ideal
10.7°Cideal 1016°C
0°14°28°
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
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 2 active hatches hour by hour with Pro.

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Sub-surface · on the nymphunder the surface

Hatch predictions

See the full sub-surface read with Pro.

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Beyond the hatch · worth watchingambient prey

Hatch predictions

Top prey shown — see all 3 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
Brown Trout fly box
Permits & access
Permit required — see local rules.
  • Open all year
  • Catch-and-release / artificial-only / slot rules apply on parts of the river — verify current AGFC reach rules
  • Arkansas trout permit/licence applies.
What's coming
Plan ahead
5-day outlook
Other water nearby · 2
Gallery · 1
  1. Terrain map of the venue
    Terrain map
About this water

The Norfork is the White's compact, famous little sibling — a short, cold, intensely fished tailwater below Norfork Dam where brown trout were stocked back in 1949 and have been growing large and wary ever since. Because it's short and intimate, it's even more generation-sensitive than the White: a single unit coming on can turn a delicate low-water wade into a fast, pushy river in the time it takes to walk back to the truck. On low water it's exquisite technical fishing — midges, scuds and sowbugs on the famous catch-and-release flats, sight-fished to big rainbows and the odd trophy brown. On generation it's drift-and-streamer water. The fish are educated and the tippet is thin; this is a river that rewards finesse and punishes the angler who doesn't watch the water rise.

  • Limestone
The full read · show the working · for Brown Trout · confidence 90%
How the 84 is built — score × weight = contribution
Temperature100 × 28%28.0
Flow80 × 22%17.6
Clarity95 × 18%17.1
Feeding Time60 × 13%7.8
Pressure80 × 7%5.6
Insect activity66 × 12%7.9
Conditions total= 84
Can you trust it?
Water temperaturelive gauge readinggauge
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