But the White River, when shrouded by a gentle fog in the early morning, has an otherworldly quality. Great limestone bluffs squeeze against the wide, gentle river. Thickly forested hillsides slope down to the banks. The fishery is noted for the lunker browns, up to 40-pounds, but the staple game fish is the rainbow, stocked by the millions, and the fish most likely to be caught. In addition to the brown and rainbow trout, there are a few cutthroats and brookies stocked in the White.
Anglers report catches of cutts up to ten pounds.
Experts guess it is just a matter of time before a 50-pound trout is caught. The temperature of the most popular stretch of the river stays fairly constant all year. Don't be too surprised to catch smallmouth and largemouth bass, catfish, or sunfish either, as they are plentiful in the river. Rainbows typically run from 9 to 16 inches and will be the predominant catch. Fishermen catch so many 15-inch rainbows that they tend to fish out the river of these stockers until the next stocking date.