Arkansas’ Great Cotter Trout Festival Begins May 4
OutdoorHub 04.25.12
The small, northcentral Arkansas town of Cotter will be celebrating the title of “Trout Capital, USA” beginning May 4 during the Great Cotter Trout Festival. The two-day festival will give trout fishing enthusiasts a first-hand look at the world-class trout fishing on the White River.
Rainbow, brown, brook and cutthroat trout can all be found in the cold White River water flowing out of Bull Shoals dam through the town. The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission is doing its part to help with the festival by stocking the river with over 148,000 catchable rainbow trout since March 1.
The festival will be held at Big Spring Park and is sponsored by the Cotter Area Chamber of Commerce. There will be over 50 craft and food vendors on site. There is live entertainment both days featuring a number of local entertainers. Demonstrations will feature fly-tying, fly and spin casting, Arkansas Game and Fish Commission’s trout tank, the AGFC shocking boat and its stocking raft also will be on hand.
This year’s event will feature the Annual Plein Air on the White River sponsored by the White River Artists. Plein Air on the White River is a three day event culminating in artists painting and drawing around the festival site on Friday and Saturday. Special guest at the event will be award winning artist Jason Sacran, who will be giving demonstrations for the local artists. The annual parade will be held at 9 a.m. on Saturday morning on Harding Boulevard to the festival site in Big Spring Park.
For more information on the festival and the town of Cotter, go to www.cotterarkansas.com or contact the Cotter Area Chamber of Commerce at 870-321-1243 or office@cotterarkansas.com.
