Tailwater · Mixed · Arkansas

Ouachita River Tailwaters

Ouachita River Tailwaters terrain map

The Ouachita tailwaters are a named AGFC trout-water complex below the Ouachita dams where catchable rainbows are stocked in the cool months, not a White River rival.

Poor · Rainbow Trout
Sulphur Comparadun · 16-18
Closed season
Season reopens 1 November. Plenty of other water available now.
Closed — confidence not applicable today.
What moved it
  • LevelDry recentlyNo gauge reading
  • Water temp10.3°C
  • ClarityClear
Today's fly
SC
Sulphur Comparadun16-18
High-confidence seasonal pick
Conditions on the water
Estimate
Level
Dry recently
No gauge reading
Water temp10.3°C
ClarityClear
Weather25°C
WindE 12 km/h
Pressure1016 hPa
Rain · recent0.0 mm
Rain · ahead0.0 mm

No gauge on this water — readings are regional estimates from weather, not a live gauge.

Water temperature for Rainbow Trout
Ideal
10°C est.ideal 10–18°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.
Hatch timeline · todayQuiet day

Hatch predictions

Today's headline hatch shown — see all 7 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 3 with Pro.

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Through the year
0–3 scale · July highlighted
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Trout seasonSeason
2
2
2
1
1
2
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.
  • Seasonal AGFC trout-water complex below Blakely, Carpenter and Remmel dams
  • Verify current stocking, access, tailwater boundaries and permit/rule details before launch.
What's coming
Plan ahead
5-day outlook
About this water

The Ouachita tailwaters are a named AGFC trout-water complex below the Ouachita dams where catchable rainbows are stocked in the cool months, not a White River rival. This is southern Arkansas trout fishing at its most seasonal — cold-release windows, stocked fish, and a much more modest promise than Bull Shoals or Norfork. Hot Springs and Lake Ouachita anglers often ask about it, and the honest answer is that it's a cool-season, release-dependent stocked trout option.

  • Mixed
Water quality · US Clean Water Act
  • Aquatic life: Supporting
What this classification means

EPA ATTAINS assessment unit 'N. Fork Ouachita' (AR_08040101_023), 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_08040101_023

The full read · show the working · for Rainbow Trout · confidence 90%
How the 0 is built — score × weight = contribution
Temperature100 × 28%28.0
Flow80 × 22%17.6
Clarity85 × 18%15.3
Feeding Time70 × 13%9.1
Pressure75 × 7%5.3
Insect activity64 × 12%7.7
Conditions total= 83
Can you trust it?
Water temperatureair-to-water estimateestimated
Level / flowon-river gaugeobserved
Directions
Apple MapsGoogle Maps
Seasons & zones
  • Trout November → April
Related guides
Euro Nymphingsubsurface methods
Booking & contacts