We have good news! The encore of “Arkansas Wild: The Story of Trout Tourism on the Little Red River” will air Thursday, Nov. 27, at 7 p.m. The film explores the unique story of one of Arkansas’s most celebrated waterways. The Little Red River is home to the state’s only self-sustaining wild trout population. It was once the site of a world-record brown trout catch.
Filmmaker and University of Central Arkansas Associate Marketing Professor Dr. Benjamin Garner, a native of Searcy, returns to Garner’s home waters to uncover how the Little Red River became both a natural treasure and an economic driver for the region. The documentary highlights the balance between thriving tourism and the ongoing conservation challenges it entails.
Through conversations with local fly-fishing guides Jamie and Kati Rouse, Arkansas Game and Fish Commission Deputy Director Ben Batten, University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff fisheries biologist Dr. Steve Lochmann and the staff at Lindsey’s Fly Fishing Resort in Heber Springs, Arkansas Wild paints a vivid picture of life along the river – from its legendary trout fishing to the people working to protect it.
The Little Red River, flowing from the Greers Ferry Dam in the Ozark Mountains, has been a haven for anglers since trout were first introduced in the 1960s. The river’s reputation grew quickly, especially after brown trout were first planted at Cow Shoals in the 1970s by Dave Whitlock and the Arkansas Fly Fishers. Decades later, anglers still come from around the world in search of trophy trout, though longtime locals have noticed a decline in the number of large fish since the river’s heyday in the 1980s and ’90s.
“Arkansas Wild” invites viewers to reflect on the past, present and future of the Little Red – a place where natural beauty, community, and conservation intersect.
HOW TO WATCH
Don’t miss the encore of “Arkansas Wild: The Story of Trout Tourism on the Little Red River” on Thursday, Nov. 27, at 7 p.m., on Arkansas PBS or livestreaming at myarpbs.org/live.
For more information about the film and its production, visit benjaminrgarner.com.