# Ep. 223 - Christy Graham - How the Ozarks Became a World-Class Trout Fishery

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-ozark-podcast-4768900/ep-223-christy-graham-how-the-ozarks-became-a-world-class-trout-fishery
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-ozark-podcast-4768900/ep-223-christy-graham-how-the-ozarks-became-a-world-class-trout-fishery.md
Podcast: [The Ozark Podcast](https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-ozark-podcast-4768900)
Published: 2026-07-01T10:00:00+00:00
Episode link: https://traffic.megaphone.fm/TSOL5053730376.mp3
Audio file: https://traffic.megaphone.fm/TSOL5053730376.mp3
Processing state: not_requested
JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/the-ozark-podcast-4768900/episodes/ep-223-christy-graham-how-the-ozarks-became-a-world-class-trout-fishery
Duration seconds: 2709

## Resource

Trout weren't always in the Ozarks...and the story of how they got here is wilder than you'd expect. → ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Join other Ozarkers in our Patreon - The Holler⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ → ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Get weekly updates, show notes, and stories in our NEWSLETTER⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Arkansas Game & Fish trout program coordinator Christy Graham joins Kyle to trace the full arc of Ozark trout fishing: from rail cars delivering the first rainbows in the 1890s, to the Corps of Engineers dams that replaced legendary smallmouth fisheries with cold water tailwaters, to the $230 million-a-year economy now built around a non-native fish. Along the way you'll learn why the Little Red River is the most magical (and most self-sustaining) trout fishery in the state, and why catching more fish might actually mean worse fishing. Whether you're new to fly fishing or a lifelong angler, this is the episode that gives you the full picture of what you're standing in when you wade into an Ozark tailwater. Together with... ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Vortex Optics⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ - Industry leader in scopes, rangefinders, and binoculars ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Maverik⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ - Adventure's first stop in the Ozarks 0:00 – Trout Aren't Native to the Ozarks 4:15 – History of Trout in the Ozarks: Rail Cars, Dams & Mitigation 6:25 – What Happened to the Smallmouth? 12:35 – Why Were the Dams Built? 17:00 – When Did Trout Fishing Really Take Off? 22:50 – More Fish vs. Bigger Fish? 24:30 – How Important Is Trout Fishing to Arkansas? 31:00 – Natural Reproduction vs. Stocking 38:00 – Who Runs What? What is The Ozark Podcast? In the Ozarks, people have always lived in rhythm with the natural world. Hunting, fi…

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## Transcript

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