Since, I've joined here I told you guys this, but now it is put out from none other than the Februrary issue of "Field and Stream" magazine that Mountain Home, Arkansas is the second best fishing town with a population under 100,000 in America. http://www.enjoymountainhome.com/

I wanted to link to the article but the January isuue is still up on the "Field and Stream" site with the best fishing cities over 100,000.

Who was #1 you ask? Oh, that was Glenwood Springs, Colorado.

This was just too good to pass up guys!

good stuff...

I used to go to Mountain View AR between classes to check grade the lumber inspectors at Conestoga Wood Specialties...was about a 4 hr ride from Memphis..

I always bought my beer before i left cause the closest place to get any was a 1 hr drive from Mountain View

Hooking up stripers and walleye on Norfork,  Smallies on the White River and bull shoals.  Trout pretty much everywhere...

I'm with you P Rock, I love the Mountain Home era.

Link:

http://www.fieldandstream.com/fieldstream/fishing/photogallery/article/0,13355,1701995,00.html

You want fishin'?   cannot beat Florida

Like cold weather? cannot beat Alaska

* Which lake, and which river, has the biggest fish? Tough question! While the records all seem to point to Bull Shoals Lake, Norfork Lake fish are usually just ounces behind. Unofficial Striped bass caught in Norfork are generally larger than the Bull Shoals stripers. When discussing river trophies, its also a tough call. Both the North Fork River and the White River have produced lots of records. Either lake, or either river, offer an excellent chance at new records.

The former all-tackle World Record Brown, still the

Arkansas state record at 38.9 pounds. It too was taken

on the North Fork River. It was beaten out by another Arkansas

Brown weighing 40.4 pounds taken in the Little Red River.

Another view of the current State Record Brown. This Brown

is still the second largest ever recorded, world-wide.

Here's the current State Record All-Tackle Brook Trout.

It was caught in the North Fork River and weighs 3 pounds

10 ounces. John Stark was on hand to make it official.

5 to 7 pound Rainbow are fairly common in the catch & release areas.

The current state record Rainbow is a 19 pounder caught in the White River.

This 53 pound Striped bass taken in Bull Shoals Lake

was a State Record for several years.

Current state record Hybrid bass, 22 pounds, 13 oz, caught on Bull Shoals Lake.

Line-Class & Other Records

1. Smallmouth Bass - 7 pounds 4 oz. -state record caught on Bull Shoals Lake

2. Spotted Bass - 7 pounds 15 oz - state record caught on Bull Shoals Lake

3. White Bass - 5 pounds, 5 oz. - state record caught on Bull Shoals Lake

4. Cutthroat Trout - 9 pounds 9oz. - state record caught on White River

5. Ozark Bass - 1 pound 4 oz. - state record caught on North Fork River

6. Black Crappie Line-Class World Records:

8# test: 1 pound 1 oz. - Bull Shoals

10# test 1 pound 11 oz. -Bull Shoals

12# test 1 pound 11 oz. - Bull Shoals

14# test 1 pound 13 oz. Bull Shoals

7. Striped Bass - 50 pounds on 6# test - World Line-Class Record - Bull Shoals

8. Blue Catfish - 68 pounds on 8# test - World Line-Class Record -Bull Shoals

9. Walleye - 19 pounds 13 oz. on 4# test - World Line-Class Record - Bull Shoals

10. Catch & Release Line-Class World Record Browns - White River

34 inches World Record All-Tackle

23 inches on 2# test

32 inches on 4# test

32 inches on 6# test

34 inches on 8# test

33 inches on 10# test

11. Cutthroat - Catch & Release World Record - 20 inches on 2# test - North Fork River

Come on down the fisin is fine and you can stay on the house boat.

Chris and I are hoping to spend a week on Lake Norfork  late March.

BassCat owners invitational.  Any lodging recommedations.

Matt

Lake Norfork Inn is right across from the largest Marina and I have heard good things about them however I have not stayed there myself. Try these links for information.

http://www.lakenorforkinn.net/

http://www.norfork.com/index.asp

I live over on the shores of Bull Shoals near the lake's d**n. If I can be of any assistance just let me know.

There's a place called Blackburns Resort on Norfork.  I've stayed there a few times.  

http://www.blackburnsresort.com/

I'd love to fish your area some time, but considering that I live 30 minutes from Oneill Forebay, I'm pretty happy with my locale.  Here's the world record landlocked striper that came out of the Forebay.  67.5 lbs.

Bull Shoals and the White River are  certainly favorites of mine.

Beautiful country, good people and great fishing!

Congratulations to Mountain Home!

And to all of north central Arkansas.

Nice Stripper Redlinerobert.

There are many nice places to fish and live. If anyone is looking for a place to relocate with a relatively low cost of living, in beautiful country where you can enjoy all four seasons but not bake in a long hot humid summer or freeze in a long cold winter then the Twin Lakes, Mountain Home, Arkansas area is in all seriousness a wonderful place. Nestled in the Ozark Mountains between two of the nicest reservoirs Norfork and Bull Shoals, the only National River Recreational Area the Buffalo River and National Forests there is every kind of fishing and hunting one can desire. There are canoe trips down the Buffalo River for river smallmouth while viewing some of the most awe-inspiring scenery in the Ozarks to fishing the outflow from the reservoirs (White River & Norfork river) in one of the top rated trout fisheries in the world. People from Germany, France and all over the world come to fish the place where you have the chance at 40 pound German Brown Trout. The lakes and rivers never freeze over and there are fishing tournaments held year round if you are into tournament fishing. Whether you like Fishing from panfish like crappie to big strippers to giant catfish or scuba diving in the crystal clear waters with a speargun, the Twin Lakes draw people from all over the USA. For the same square footage home here in Arkansas I pay 1/10 of what I paid in Texas and even though Arkansas has a State Income Tax my overall tax bill total per year still comes out to be less than 1/8 what it would cost me to be living in Texas under the exact same conditions as far as my taxes and insurance is concerned. Arkansas has one of the lowest overall tax rates in the USA, the cost of living, and housing is low especially when looking at a place back East, North, West like California. That is why Arkansas is one of the top retirement areas in the USA right now. A person can sell their home up north and buy a very large beautiful home on a lake here. So many people from the Chicago area have retired and moved to the Twin Lakes Mountain Home area its nick name is Little Chicago. If you like to spend time outdoors be it fishing, hunting, golfing, watching Mother Nature, and walking, whatever all year long if I thought you could beat this place I would have retired there and not here.