Date: November 3, 2025 | Photography: Courtesy of vendors |
Three outdoors enthusiasts from around the state weigh in on what makes Arkansas the ideal place for hunting, fishing, and more
CLINT GASTON
Owner of Gaston’s White River Resort, one of the most established fishing resorts along the White River in North Arkansas
Q: What makes the White River such a wonderful place for trout fishing?
A: The first thing is the many species of trout that call the White River home. We have rainbow, brown, cutthroat, brook, and tiger trout all in our river. The quality of the trout is the next thing. Many of our guests catch their personal best trout on each visit. Generally, it is the browns that steal the show, but we have been seeing a lot of 24-inch rainbows caught and released. Another great thing about the White River is how forgiving it is for beginners. We love seeing the progression of anglers who start out spin fishing with bait, then moving to artificial lures or jigs, then ending up with a fly rod in their hands. Finally, you can’t forget about the beautiful scenery while chasing trout on the river. The boat rides through fog, the blue herons, bald eagles catching their own trout, deer along the riverbanks, and many other opportunities to watch wildlife. It’s a reminder that we aren’t the only ones who enjoy this body of water.
Q: Tell me about one of your earliest memories at Gaston’s White River Resort.
A: Growing up around a business, the majority of my memories were helping out around the property: Picking up litter, stocking the tackle shop, and helping out on the dock are the things I spent the most time doing. My favorite, though, was catching and selling sculpins to the guides before their trips. To this day, you can find me and my sons catching sculpins off the dock.
Q: What are some of the comments you hear from people about the beauty of The Natural State?
A: First timers to Arkansas are always blown away by the natural beauty and how friendly everyone is. They have no idea that Arkansas is this beautiful. We have families and groups that have continued to come back year after year for decades. They could go anywhere in the country, yet they choose to come back to Arkansas.
Q: How does it feel to carry on the legacy your grandfather started almost 70 years ago?
A: At times it feels as if it’s what I was born to do!
Visit gastons.com for more information about rates for guided fishing trips, accommodations, and more. Photo courtesy of Clint Gaston
LEA WHITE
Coordinator of Becoming an Outdoors Woman (BOW), a series of outdoor skills workshops and classes provided by the Arkansas Game & Fish Commission
Q: How did you become the coordinator of the Becoming an Outdoors Woman program?
A: I was in the process of pursuing a master’s degree in fisheries at the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff when I began my career as a part-time fisheries technician with the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission. In this role, I worked with the Aquatic Resource Education Program where I taught fishing techniques and transported a mobile aquarium to schools and events across the state. After six months, I became the first woman hired full-time at the AGFC Joe Hogan Fish Hatchery. From there, I advanced through leadership roles at the Aquatic Resource Education Program over the course of 18 years before pursuing this position.
Q: What did spending time outside look like for you as a child?
A: I have always loved spending time outdoors; my mother could never keep me inside. I was constantly walking, riding my bike, or driving a four-wheeler through the woods. My grandmother introduced my siblings and me to fishing as soon as we could walk. We felt spoiled because she owned a general store in Watson, Arkansas, where we could get sodas, candy bars, chips, and deli meats. She would close the store, and we would go fishing together.
Q: What are some of the most popular classes in the BOW program?
A: Deer Camp is one of the most popular events. The ladies start the weekend by learning how to sight in and shoot a rifle, followed by two hunts. If a deer is harvested, everyone gets a chance to help process it on-site. Night Catfishing on the banks of the Arkansas River at Cook’s Landing is also a wonderful experience. I bring all the poles and bait, and everyone else brings a chair, making it more of a social event. We enjoy watching the sunset over Pinnacle Mountain, talking with new friends, and it’s a bonus when someone catches a big catfish. This year, I added a Pollinators Camp at the Grandview Prairie Nature Center in Columbus, Arkansas, and I hope it will return next year in June.
Q: Why do you think it’s important to teach these classes and help develop more outdoorswomen?
A: Women tend to be process-driven. When they learn a process and feel safe, they are more likely to try it independently, which is an opportunity offered at BOW events. Most feedback from participants indicates that they want to learn about the outdoors so they can teach their children and other family members. This also evokes fond memories of their youth when family members took them hunting or fishing. They are looking to reconnect with those experiences and feelings. This engagement fosters a greater conservation mindset among these women, contributing to the preservation of our state’s natural resources.
Visit agfc.com/education/becoming-an-outdoors-woman for more information including class catalogs, schedules, and links to the BOW Facebook page. Photo courtesy of Lea White
JONATHAN WILKINS
Owner of Black Duck Revival, which is based in Brinkley and offers guided hunting experiences, recipes, and outdoor inspiration
Q: How does the experience at Black Duck Revival differ from other guided duck and game hunting trips?
A: My focus is on the entire hunting experience. I refer to it as holistic. I work as hard as humanly possible to provide the best quality hunts that I can for my clients. I tout what I offer as an experience rather than a hunt. We are going to hunt, talk about the place, the species and their migration routes, and we go in depth on processing our harvest. There will be hands-on, in-person wild game cooking tutorials, and the whole thing will be steeped in ethos and ethics. The totality of the hunting experience is a microcosm of my world views. I want people to leave with amazing memories and a heightened skillset so they can turn their hunting adventures into experiences for the people that matter most to them.
Q: Do you feel as though you continue to learn during these hunts, even as you’re the person teaching?
A: Of course. I’m always learning. The way that I have approached Black Duck Revival means that there’s always some new aspect to what I am doing. The biggest takeaway and most heartening thing I have learned from my clients is how passionate a lot of folks are for an opportunity to have a hands-on connection with the natural world and the capability that yields. It has become such an everyday factor in my life, and it is a really good reminder to me of what a privilege it is to have that access and opportunity on a daily basis.
Q: Creating interesting recipes out of game is a part of your repertoire. What inspires your dishes?
A: I am really inspired by the French notion of terroir, the idea that place informs and defines the ingredients and methods used in the kitchen. I choose to live in the South and come from a long line of Southerners, and to me Southern cooking is one of the world’s great cuisines and the stock from which I pull the vast majority of my culinary ideas.
Q: Besides hunting, are there any other ways you like to get outside and enjoy the great outdoors in Arkansas in the fall?
A: If I’m not actively hunting then I’m in the woods scouting or foraging. When I fish I’m looking for duck spots. Everything leads into everything else—that’s what I mean when I say holistic. Also, I go from bears to deer to ducks to fur trapping to crappie to turkeys, so, for me, the seasons are continuous.
Visit blackduckrevival.com for more information and follow Jonathan on Instagram
(@blackduckrevival). Photo by Joseph Haeberle and courtesy of Jonathan Wilkins
