Two-trout limit on the Little Red, first fall with it. Good or bad?

Up early with the dog this morning and got to thinking about this, so I figured I'd ask here instead of just grumbling at the coffee pot.

The new rule below the dam has been in since Feb 1. Two trout a day, and anything 14 inches or longer has to go back right away. This is the first fall season with it, and the browns and bows ought to be settling in for the cooler water. I've heard it both ways at the counter in Heber Springs. One fellow said it's the best thing they've done in years because the big fish finally get to grow out. Another said it's just a rule for the guides and fly fishermen, and the man who wants a few fish for supper is out of luck. If every keeper over 14 inches goes back, I'd guess most of what you bring home is a pretty small fish. Maybe that's the point.

I'm not a young man anymore and I don't wade like I used to, but I fished the tailwater a lot with my brother-in-law back in the day. We kept our fish and fried them that night, and nobody thought a thing about it. So I can see both sides. I'd also like it if my grandkids someday had a shot at a real trophy. Everybody still brings up that 40 lb 4 oz brown from 1992 that the Corps lists, and I doubt anything like it is coming out of there with a creel full of people. Then again, I don't know if the rule has anything to do with that.

So for those of you out there regularly, at Lobo, Cow Shoals, or wherever you go: are you seeing more big fish since February? Are people actually following the 14 inch rule? And do you still keep your two, or has it turned into catch and release for you?

Not a regular out there myself, I'm more of a tomato-and-tiller guy up here in Sugar Loaf 😄 but I've got a neighbor who's on the water at Lobo most weekends, and what he tells me matches your "maybe that's the point" thought. Most of what ends up on the supper plate now is a smaller fish, and he says that's fine with him. He keeps one or two for a fish fry and sends the big ones back to get bigger.

I'll say this, I like that the town's willing to try something for the long haul. That river is a big reason folks drive in, and every one of those folks eats at a place in Heber, buys gas, and fills up a motel room. A few of them wander into a live music night too, which is how I meet half of them lol. If a rule keeps the big browns around so that kids like your grandkids have a shot at one someday, I'm for it.

The 40 pounder is probably a once-ever thing, but I wouldn't bet against a few more 20 pound fish showing up over the years. Curious what the guides say too, they'd see it first.

Sugar Loaf tomatoes beat anything I ever grew, so no apology needed. Your neighbor's way of doing it sounds about right to me. One or two fish for a fry and the big ones go back. Honestly a 10 or 12 inch rainbow is better eating than some giant anyway. We always said the little ones fried up sweeter, and the bigger fish were more for the picture.

You're right about the money side too. My brother-in-law and I never thought about it, but we bought gas in Heber, ate at the same café after, and slept at the motel more than once when we didn't feel like driving home in the dark. If the rule keeps people coming back for the fishing, that helps everybody in town and not just the guides.

I'll still wait to hear from somebody who's out there every week before I decide anything. A few fish a season doesn't tell you much. But I'm glad to hear it's not shutting out the fish fry crowd. That was my worry going in.

Fished below the dam three times since spring, so not a regular, but I haven't seen anybody keeping anything over 14. Most guys I run into at Lobo keep one or two for supper and call it good. Nobody I talked to was upset about it.

It's the same argument we have over the antler rule every deer season. Let them grow vs. I want something in the freezer. Truth is the 14 inch cutoff still leaves plenty of eating size. Agree with you on the 10 to 12 inch rainbows, they fry up better than the big ones.

Still too early to say if there are more big browns. That takes a few years to show.

Ryan, the antler comparison is a fair one. Same argument every season, just with fins.

I'm more of a road crew and tax bill guy than a fisherman, so I can't speak to what's in the river. But I agree that a few years is the only honest way to judge it. One fall tells us how people are behaving, not what the fish are doing.

This thread has been quiet for a couple weeks. If any guides or weekly regulars are reading, we'd like to hear what you're seeing at Lobo and Cow Shoals. Are the 14 inch fish going back, and has anybody actually caught a bigger brown since February? I'd like to see this one revisited next fall too.

Ronald, I'm no weekly regular but I've been to Lobo maybe four or five times since spring. Every fish over 14 I saw went back, and one guy at the ramp had a tape out to check before he put his in the cooler. Might've been overkill but nobody's going to argue with him.

I kept two rainbows in September, around 11 inches, and fried em that night. Nobody's keeping me from supper, so that part of your worry I think is fine.

As for bigger browns, the only one I've seen was on somebody's phone, so I can't tell you anything. Agree with Gregory that it'll take a few years. Check back next fall and I'll report what I see.

Thanks, Michael. That's what I was hoping to hear. A fellow at the ramp pulling out a tape before a fish goes in the cooler tells me people are taking the rule seriously, and that's more than I expected. Back when I fished it we eyeballed everything, and I'd bet half our "keepers" wouldn't have passed a tape. My brother-in-law had notches cut in the handle of his net so he'd know without thinking about it. Might be worth doing again if I ever get back down there.

Two 11 inch rainbows fried that night is exactly the supper I had in mind, so I'm easier in my mind now. Sounds like the fish fry crowd is doing fine.

Sure, I'll take you up on checking back next fall. I wrote it on the kitchen calendar so I don't forget, and the dog will probably remind me anyway since he's up before the sun. If any guides do wander in here before then, I'd still like to hear what they're seeing at Cow Shoals.

Notches on the net handle is a smart one, cheap and you can't leave it back at the truck. I've seen those stick-on rulers for cooler lids too, same idea.

Not a river regular myself, but those 11 inch rainbows are a good size for the smoker if you ever get tired of frying. Pecan or apple, low and slow, and it's done before the fire gets old. Cool fall mornings are the best time for it anyway.

Put me down for checking back next fall too.