Has anyone been to Broken Bow lately? Last time I was there was just before Thanksgiving and it was CROWDED! I caught a few and had a great time but would have been more fun with less folks there.

Wayne

Will be there this weekend. Always crowded on weekends and supper crowded around holidays and summer

I don't ever go on week ends. I was last there about the middle of November on a Wednesday. Crowded was an understatement.

Wayne

This time of year with the log stops out there is a bunch of water to fish even if it’s crowded

Hope to go This Tuesday, will give you some photos hopely. We only go on T & T days. It sound like there are going to be some big Rules changes coming on the LMF in Feb.
Hope to talk Eddie about them and see what the changes are going to be.

Can you send a link to those "big Rules changes?" Please

Found somebody's copy paste:

• Reduces Lower Mountain Fork River Trout Area rainbow trout bag limits from Broken Bow
Dam to State Park Dam from six (6) to three (3) daily of which only one (1) may be greater than
twenty-five (25) inches in total length.
• Reduces Lower Mountain Fork River Trout Area rainbow trout bag limits from State Park Dam
to U.S. Highway 70 to one (1) rainbow twenty-five (25) inches or greater.
• Reduces the Lower Mountain Fork River Trout Area brown trout bag limit to one fish of thirty
(30) inches or more
• Expand Lower Mountain Fork River Trout Area to include a portion from Rough Branch Creek
to the re-regulation dam.
• Eliminates bait restrictions; restricts entire Lower Mountain Fork River Trout Area to barbless
hooks.

I wish the local law enforcement a LOT OF LUCK enforcing these bag limit regs!

I really hate that the spawning fish will be jerked out of Evening Hole.

With the bait restrictions removed it will be shoulder to shoulder. Bad, bad decision, and all in the name of Tourism $$$$.

I am new to fly fishing and I am 73, but I have never kept a single fish at LMFR. I am too old to ever be very good at this, but I am just now figuring out what I have missed all these years.

Wayne

If you like the LMF then you will ABSOLUTELY LOVE the White and Norfolk Rivers in Northern Arkansas.

No question, this is a bad thing for those who want to fly fish.

I fished in the White River once back in the 70's (not fly fishing) and that is one of the most beautiful places on this earth. Unfortunately, my wife is disabled and I can't get that far away anymore.

Wayne

Trout fishing at lmf is a put and take fishery. The fish are supposed to be stocked and removed, the fishing (for trout at least) hasn’t really been worth the time and effort down there in probably 10 years since the first flood that wiped out lost creek. Even if they do remove the restrictions on bait it won’t matter a whole lot because large holdover fish have been few and far between since probably 2010. Back then the trout fishing was great, it wasn’t uncommon to catch 2-3 20+” browns out of the river on a weekend, biggest trout I saw was rainbow that went 29”, it was a big hook jawed male, not a hatchery brood stocker. It’s just not the same river any more. I haven’t caught a good size brown trout since 2015. That river’s trout glory days have come and gone and I think the state has finally recognized it so they’re going to let the bait dunkers and lawn chair fisherman do their thing.

Sorry I call BS. Reproduction has been decent and I’ve caught plenty fish from 18”-22” recently including browns.

Many of the Arkansas fisheries have some amazing trout populations. I prefer to drive the extra hour or 2.