Employees Jim Owen Boat Company 1940
Photo Courtesy of
Rodger Fortner.
Soon after that last trip, a Cotter, AR trout dock bought up his inventory as an entire new fishing sport on the White River was just coming to life.
Cold water trout fishing was just breathing its first breaths with experimental rainbow stocking in 1948. Browns were introduced in 1949. Congress authorized the Norfork National Fish Hatchery in 1955 to help offset the warm water fishery losses below the dam and regular stocking began. The hatchery launched one of the state’s most successful industries with marina and resorts opening along the river between Bull Shoals dam and Guion County.
Johnboat float trips were reinvented and have become a trademark of the trout fishing industry. Gone were the days of week long trips on the White River fishing for smallmouth. Day trips would soon be all the rage but a few outfitters still carry on the tradition with overnight trips complete with guides, cook boats and all the comforts available on a gravel bar.
Scott Branyan introduced the White River to the Makenzie drift boat in 1996 and the drift boat has become the popular choice of fly fishing guides on the Bull Shoals tailwater. The White River with it’s tributaries and lakes hold 16 state fishing records and a few world record catches including a 40 pound 4 ounce brown landed, May 9th 1992 on the Little Red River near Heber Springs.
Cotter, Arkansas has become, Trout Capitol of the U.S.A. and that’s a whole other story.
References:
http://mdc.mo.gov/conmag/1996/07/boat-builder-white-river?page=0,1
http://mofolkarts.missouri.edu/docs/johnboat.pdf
http://www.encyclopediaofarkansas.net/encyclopedia/entry-detail.aspx?entryID=6078
The White River and Jim Owen by Larry Dablemont
MDNR - Historic Preservation Department – Galena Missouri Historic Preservation Survey
http://www.cottertroutdock.com/WhiteRiverInfo.htm