"Hey, what are we stopping for?” I asked our fishing guide. “Shore lunch,” he replied. I thought to myself, this had better be the best Bull Shoals Dam shore lunch on the planet. I mean, we were going to stop fishing on the White River below the Bull Shoals Dam well-known for its reputation as one of the best trout streams anywhere. I had already had a delicious breakfast buffet at the award winning Gaston’s Restaurant this morning. Not to mention that the trout were biting like crazy. I had even caught one on my first cast of the day. Why stop now?
By the time we stopped a number of other boats in my party also started showing up. The fishing guides were all pulling up on shore and started cleaning the main course for our shore lunch. Our party had all chartered fishing guides out of Gaston’s Resort and had made arrangements with Gaston’s Resort to have the shore lunch. Walking up to the large outdoor shelter I spotted three round fire pits with glowing red hot embers. Hot grease was bubbling inside a cast iron skillet and would crackle when the fresh fillet trout were placed in it. Beside it in another fire pit was two Dutch ovens. The cook informed me that they had peach cobbler in them for our dessert. The aroma drifted my way, I was in heaven. My mouth was watering. It was like Christmas morning waiting to open presents. How much longer I kept thinking. Finally, first call for food. The race was on to get in line and get your plate filled.
Where do I start? It’s all good at Gaston’s Resort. Maybe I should start with the first class lodging, award winning restaurant, private landing strip for fly-in guests, gift shop, conference lodge, and private club. The resort also has three nature trails, a swimming pool, game room, tennis courts, and a playground for the kids. For some resorts that would be enough, but Gaston’s location on the world famous White River is what brings countless anglers to its resort. The White River is well-known for its reputation as one of the best trout streams anywhere. The resort has over 300 acres and 79 cottages for guests to stay in right alongside the White River. The view is breathtaking. It’s all good at Gaston’s.
Anglers fishing for Big Bass can catch them in a number of ways from artificial to live bait. If you wanted to catch a giant bass on a big trout imitating swimbait you would go to Lake Castaic in California; if you wanted to catch a monster bass on a live wild golden shiner you would go to Florida. There are a number of lakes where monster bass get caught every year on live wild golden shiners in Florida. Lake Okeechobee or the St. Johns come to mind, but these lakes are inundated with anglers, even during the week. One lake consistently overlooked is Lake Tarpon located next to Tarpon Springs, Florida, just north of the St. Petersburg and Clearwater area. The 2,500 acre reservoir holds the unofficial state largemouth record at 19.6-pounds. Lake Tarpon is always ranked in the top ten best fishing reservoirs in Florida. If an angler is not catching giant bass, they are probably catching fish in the 14-inch to 22-inch slot limit. On Lake Tarpon an angler is only allow to keep one bass over the 22-inch slot limit.
The White River below Bull Shoals Dam runs clear and cold year round. If not for the stocking of trout only a few native Arkansas fish could survive in this frigid water. Nathan Lackey and Ron Armagost are two experienced trout fishing guides who know all about the White River and its plentiful trout population. Both are licensed fishing guides working out of Gaston’s Resort and are experts at navigating the White River. They excel at finding schools of trout willing to bite, but can also put an angler on a fish of a lifetime.
The view is breathtaking; the Sunshine Skyway Bridge spans 5.5 miles long over Tampa Bay in Florida from St. Petersburg to Terra Ceia. It was constructed from nub steel and concrete and cost $244 million to build. The bridge was opened up to traffic on February 7, 1987. While the massive bridge towers overhead, it’s only a back drop to the real breathtaking giant that lives in the emerald-green Gulf waters below.
A long line of anglers were lining up and boarding the 85-foot “Two Georges” party boat that was getting ready to depart. The group of anglers was a collective mix of young, old, couples, and groups of friends. Anticipation was running high among the anglers hoping to catch and keep a grouper since the season was closing the following day. The captain and owner of Dolphin Deep Sea Fishing, Jesse Zuban, was taking Two Georges offshore to some deep water reefs that were loaded up with grouper. Before leaving the dock, a bait man came around selling live pinfish; a tasty treat grouper love to eat. With everyone on board, we were going offshore deep sea fishing.
Destinations
Where do I start? It’s all good at Gaston’s Resort. Maybe I should start with the first class lodging, award winning restaurant, private landing strip for fly-in guests, gift shop, conference lodge, and private club. The resort also has three nature trails, a swimming pool, game room, tennis courts, and a playground for the kids. For some resorts that would be enough, but Gaston’s location on the world famous White River is what brings countless anglers to its resort. The White River is well-known for its reputation as one of the best trout streams anywhere. The resort has over 300 acres and 79 cottages for guests to stay in right alongside the White River. The view is breathtaking. It’s all good at Gaston’s.
Anglers fishing for Big Bass can catch them in a number of ways from artificial to live bait. If you wanted to catch a giant bass on a big trout imitating swimbait you would go to Lake Castaic in California; if you wanted to catch a monster bass on a live wild golden shiner you would go to Florida. There are a number of lakes where monster bass get caught every year on live wild golden shiners in Florida. Lake Okeechobee or the St. Johns come to mind, but these lakes are inundated with anglers, even during the week. One lake consistently overlooked is Lake Tarpon located next to Tarpon Springs, Florida, just north of the St. Petersburg and Clearwater area. The 2,500 acre reservoir holds the unofficial state largemouth record at 19.6-pounds. Lake Tarpon is always ranked in the top ten best fishing reservoirs in Florida. If an angler is not catching giant bass, they are probably catching fish in the 14-inch to 22-inch slot limit. On Lake Tarpon an angler is only allow to keep one bass over the 22-inch slot limit.
The White River below Bull Shoals Dam runs clear and cold year round. If not for the stocking of trout only a few native Arkansas fish could survive in this frigid water. Nathan Lackey and Ron Armagost are two experienced trout fishing guides who know all about the White River and its plentiful trout population. Both are licensed fishing guides working out of Gaston’s Resort and are experts at navigating the White River. They excel at finding schools of trout willing to bite, but can also put an angler on a fish of a lifetime.
