Wade Fishing Safety on the White River Tailwaters

Everybody enjoys wade fishing for trout, but the tailwaters on Arkansas' White River make for some of the most dangerous wading conditions to be found anywhere in the United States. Even experienced wade anglers have drown after getting caught in a high water situation and being swept off their feet by rising waters. There are risks. Here's some facts you should know.

A General Understanding of the Forces Involved

According to Art Hobson, Professor Emeritus of Physics at the University of Arkansas, there are four forces that affect the wade angler. Here is a summary of an email reply he sent to my question about the effect of gravity and buoyancy on wading.

The dangerous thing about the tailwaters, or any stream where water is rising, is an angler can be standing still in one place while the last two of these forces are increasing as the water comes up and the flow becomes stronger. Wading out or back across then becomes much more difficult than it was wading into the stream.

Simple Questions

Anglers, however, do not have to be physics students to wade safely. They can ask themselves three simple questions:

1) Should I even be wading here? There are places where it is just crazy to try to wade at certain times with daily fluctuations in the river stages occurring. Water releases often occur daily—sometimes even multiple times in a day.

Water levels on short tailwaters or right below the dams can rise and fall rapidly, and anglers may easily be able to hit low water during the off times. A long tailwater such as Bull Shoals, however, can be hard to guesstimate because the crest (the highest point to which the tailwater rises on any given occasion) may take hours to get downstream.

Take a visual survey of the area when you enter the stream and keep an eye on a landmark at the river's edge to determine if water is rising or not. Be observant of subtly changing conditions and get to a point of safety at the first sign of rising water. Don't delay.

2) Am I wading beyond the limit of my ability? The simple rule of thumb is: If I can't comfortably wade without aid, I am in trouble. A wading staff can help, but don’t rely on it to help you wade beyond your ability. In rising water, at some point even a wading staff will be useless. Get out while it is easy. Wading in rising water can become quickly treacherous.

3) Can I return safely across if the water level comes up faster than I expect? Or, what will I do if I cannot return or fall in? A little forethought may help keep you out of trouble.

What Is CFS?

Cubic feet per second (cfs) is a measurement of flow. The formula for figuring cfs is:

area (ft2) x velocity (ft/s) = flow (cfs or ft3/s )

To figure it, one must know the area cross section (width x average depth) of the flow and the speed of the current (in feet per second).

The Corps of Engineers uses this measurement below the dams at its gauging stations. It is a more precise measurement than the number of generators that may be on-line.

Ways to Get Information

There are three sources of information for wade anglers on the White River tailwaters.

Using all these tools, anglers can get an idea of what has previously occurred, what current generation is on-line, and what is potentially expected to occur in the next 24 hours or so. Again, take the predicted generation schedule with a grain of salt.

Remember these tools are generally good for trying to see trends over several days of generation and for learning what the river looks like under these different gauged situations. They are generally useless for the casual angler wanting to know whether or not he can safely wade fish. Actual river observations then are more useful in this case.

I Just Want to Find Some Wade Water. Where Can I Go?

Sometimes wade fishing is just not going to be possible or practical as the safe wading window on any given stretch of tailwater may only last a matter of minutes or a few hours. You have to know the areas and the options and where to run to if water is high or about to be high at one locale and low at another. Keeping up with the generation schedules and what the Corps is actually doing can be complicated, but a must. Assumptions can get you into trouble fast. Most anglers start out wade fishing close to the dams where they can tell more easily if water conditions are changing.

To gain the knowledge necessary to know how to work the system requires knowing where the accesses are and their characteristics and seeing the river under a vast variety of conditions. Most of us guides have had to learn the system by trial and error, and it is not easily explained to newcomers; so be patient and don't figure on becoming an expert on the tailwater without investing some serious time to learning the river, the times and the seasons per the Corps of Engineers.

These caveats are why a lot of anglers hire guides who have boats, so they do not have to be running around the countryside looking for a place to fish. They can safely wade fish until water does come up and then fish high water and/or enjoy a leisurely float the rest of the day.

I would recommend to anyone interested in learning more that one learn the public access points and visit them under a variety of scenarios. Be prepared for frustration but also opportunity. Above all, be safe and happy wade fishing!

Wade Safety Tips
  • Be aware the river bottom is constantly changing with the rise and fall of water from generation. Gravel bars rearrange and debris from snags downed trees can be submerged in new areas.

Constructive comments welcome.