Tailwater · Limestone · Arkansas, US

Norfork (North Fork) River below Norfork Dam

North Fork White River downstream from Norfork Dam

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
Blue Winged Olive · 18-22
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 temp12.0°C
  • ClarityClear
Today's fly
Blue Winged Olive
Blue Winged Olive18-22
Proven pattern for this period
Conditions on the water
Live gauge
Level
Steady
Live
Trend only — level not reported
Water temp12.0°C
ClarityClear
Weather9°C
WindN 12 km/h
Pressure1034 hPa
Rain · recent0.0 mm
Rain · ahead0.0 mm

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

Water temperature for Brown Trout
Ideal
12.0°Cideal 10–16°C
0°14°28°

A dam sets this river's temperature, not the weather, so it can shift several degrees within hours when the release changes. Measured at the gauge. It also warms as it runs away from the dam.

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 — conditions well-balanced, with water temperature particularly in your favour.
Likely species
Hatch timeline · todayQuiet day

Hatch predictions

Today's headline hatch shown — see all 5 active hatches hour by hour as a supporter.

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Sub-surface · on the nymphunder the surface

Hatch predictions

Supporters see the full sub-surface read.

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Beyond the hatch · worth watchingambient prey(1)

Hatch predictions

Top prey shown — see all 3 as a supporter.

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Evidence
Records-basedModerate confidence

Based on species-occurrence records, not local invertebrate surveys.

Through the year
0–3 scale · October 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 · 2
  1. North Fork White River downstream from Norfork Dam
  2. 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 85 is built — score × weight = contribution
Temperature100 × 28%28.0
Flow80 × 22%17.6
Clarity95 × 18%17.1
Feeding Time65 × 13%8.5
Pressure80 × 7%5.6
Insect activity67 × 12%8.0
Conditions total= 85
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
  • Trout 1 January → 31 December
Related guides
Booking & contacts