Red River Trout Film to Premiere on Arkansas PBS

Benjamin Garner (Photo provided by Arkansas PBS)

The title isn’t as succinct as “Trout Fishing in America,” but a film about brown trout angling in Arkansas will premiere at 7 p.m. April 11 on Arkansas PBS.

“Arkansas Wild: The Story of Trout Tourism on the Little Red River,” is the work of filmmaker Benjamin Garner, a Searcy native who is also an associate professor of marketing at the University of Central Arkansas in Conway.

The documentary dives into the impact of tourism on the river below the Greers Ferry Dam, conservation challenges and the waterway’s reputation as Arkansas’ only self-sustaining wild trout population. The Little Red has also produced some world-record size brown trout and has tested and delighted fly-fishers for decades.

The film also showcases the river’s natural beauty and its power as a tourism destination. It features interviews with Ben Batten, deputy director of the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission; local fly fishing guides Jamie and Kati Rouse; fisheries biologist Steve Lochman of the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff; and the staff of Lindsey’s Fly Fishing Resort in Heber Springs.

“The Little Red River holds a special place in my heart,” Garner said in a news release. “It’s where I learned to fish for trout, and I’ve seen the impact tourism has had on the river. With this film, I hope to raise awareness about the conservation challenges facing the Little Red and inspire others to take action to protect this valuable resource.”

Arkansans introduced trout in the Little Red River after Greers Ferry Dam was completed in 1962. Dave Whitlock and the Arkansas Fly Fishers planted the first brown trout eggs in the river at Cow Shoals in the 1970s. Ever since, the river has attracted anglers from around the world questing to catch world-class brown trout.

But local guides and anglers say they’ve seen fewer large fish over the last 20 years than they saw in the 1980s and 1990s.

A free screening of the movie is scheduled Saturday, April 20, at 6:30 p.m. at Thaden School in Bentonville.

The film can also be streamed on Garner’s website, benjamingarner.com.