The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission (AGFC) recently stocked tiger trout in the White River below Bull Shoals Dam as part of its ongoing efforts to enhance trout fishing in the state.
On March 17, 200 tiger trout, averaging 12.5 inches at the time of stocking, were delivered from the Jim Hinkle Spring River State Fish Hatchery. The hatchery, AGFCs only coldwater fish facility, plays a key role in supporting Arkansas’s renowned trout fisheries.
AGFC Trout Program Coordinator Christy Graham says “Diversifying trout fishing opportunities is a major goal of our newly revised statewide trout management plan. We work with subject matter experts and stakeholders to develop this plan that will guide trout management actions during the next 10 years.”
Tiger trout are a sterile hybrid which can occur naturally in the wild, but is extremely rare. The trout stocked by the AGFC cannot reproduce, which causes all of the trout’s energy to be used for growth rather than reproduction, creating a very fast growing fish that is highly prized by anglers.
The AGFC first introduced tiger trout to the Bull Shoals Tailwater in 2020, stocking 2,560 catchable-sized fish, followed by an additional 1,840 trout in 2021. By 2023, stocked tiger trout had already reached the 24-inch minimum length required for harvest.
An additional 3,000 tiger trout are planned for stocking this summer, with fish currently being raised at hatchery facilities.
The AGFC regulates tiger trout in the Bull Shoals and Norfork tailwaters with a 24-inch minimum length limit and a one-fish daily bag limit.
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