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Little Red River
A celebrated tailwater trout fishery below Greers Ferry Dam that once produced the world-record brown trout.
Depth & Structure
Cold tailwater trout river below Greers Ferry Dam — about 29 miles of trout water with rocky, uneven bottom, swift shoals, current seams, and deeper pools behind large rocks and under undercut banks. No sourced numeric depth range; the fishable character is wadeable runs and pools rather than lake depth.
Best Lures
Small in-line spinners, small spoons and small crankbaits/minnow plugs; fly patterns including small nymphs, sowbug/scud imitations, streamers and egg patterns during the fall brown trout spawn; tiny jigs for spinning anglers.
Best Baits
Drifted salmon-egg rigs on high/generating water are a documented local tactic, and nightcrawlers, waxworms and salmon eggs are listed as consistent baits — but lure and fly fishing is the headline game on this tailwater.
Gear to Bring
5-weight fly rod, 8-9 ft, for most trout work; or ultralight/light spinning rod with 4-6 lb line. Waders (water is cold year-round), felt-soled or high-grip wading boots, and a wading staff for release-driven current.
Local Tips
['Flow is controlled by Greers Ferry Dam power-generation releases — check the USACE/SWPA generation schedule before wading; high releases make wading unsafe and push anglers to drift tactics.', 'Brown trout spawning run is mid-October through November, when…
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Related Water
Fish photos: brown trout — Wikimedia Commons · rainbow trout — Wikimedia Commons
Fishing regulations, seasons and limits change — always check the current rules for this water before you fish. Spot pins are approximate area markers, not launch or access coordinates.