ARKANSAS (KFSM) — Anglers on the White River in northeast Arkansas near the Bull Shoals Dam have recently struck gold thanks to a recent stocking of 7,500 rainbow trout, that included some with a golden color variation, according to Arkansas Game and Fish Commission (AGFC).
Christy Graham, the AGFC trout management program coordinator, says the fish were stocked on May 6. Anglers have already begun sharing social media post of the golden fish they reeled in.
“Golden rainbow trout cause a lot of excitement because they are something that looks completely different from the rest of the fish anglers catch. It is just another unique opportunity that anglers will have over the next few months when trout fishing," Graham said on Facebook.
The AGFC says golden rainbow trout is a variation of rainbow trout that some organizations stock as a novelty for anglers.
Graham says the stocking of standard rainbow trout and the golden ones were part of a federal reimbursement from 2017 when a flood decreased the Jim Hinkle State Fish Hatchery's ability to produce trout. According to the AGFC, the flood damage reduced the number of rainbow trout stocked in Arkansas by 25%.
“The flood at Spring River was unfortunate and had a significant impact on our anglers. We’re happy to be able to provide this additional opportunity for the next couple of years to offset that loss,” says Graham.
The AGFC was able to purchase roughly 60,000 rainbow trout from a private fish farm in Missouri with the reimbursement. Another 60,000 rainbow trout will be bought in 2020 with the compensation.
Golden trout are native to California.
