Outdoor Writers Converge on Gaston’s White River Resort
Outdoor Revelations
Bill Cooper 415/16
“Bill, I’d like to invite you to the Gaston’s writers event this year,” said Ron Wong, a Memphis based outdoor writer and radio personality over the phone.
“Count me in,” I responded immediately.
Larry Rea, an outdoor radio show host from Memphis has organized the event for nine years. “Jim Gaston ran the resort for doubt 45 years and welcomed our outdoor writers with welcome arms. His grandson, Clint, is following, graciously, in his grandfather’s footsteps.”
Gaston’s White River Resort is the #1 trout fishing resort in America.
Gaston’s began in 1958, when Al Gaston purchased 20 acres, 6 cottages and 6 boats on the banks of the White River, in Lakeview, Arkansas.
As thy say, the rest is history. Gaston’s is now the #1 trout fishing resort in the nation. The resort now covers over 400 acres with two miles of river frontage, has 79 cottages ranging in size from two double beds and a bath to a two-story cottage with 10 private bedrooms.
The original 6 boats have grown to over 70, with a massive state-of-the art dock to house them all.
Additions over the years have brought a world class restaurant, with a view of the famous White River, a private club, pool, gift shop, tennis court, duck pond, game room, nature trails and a 3,200 foot airstrip. To top it off, Gaston’s offers a Conference Lodge which seats 125 people.
Eighteen outdoor writers, radio ad TV show hosts converged on Gaston’s White River Resort in mid-April to enjoy the grand amenities of the resort and test the world class trout fishery.
Craig Hart, of Pure Fishing, provided lures and baits for the media anglers.
Attendees included: Kristine Houtman, of Crystal Bay, Minnesota and Fish on Marketing, Gil Lackey, of Nashville and president of the Southeastern Outdoor Press Association, Jimmy Jacobs, of Marietta, Georgia Examiner, Jill Rohrbach, Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism,Steve ‘Wildman’ Wilson, Trey Reid, and Scott Wyatt of the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission TV Crew, Kelly Bostian, Tulsa World, Bill Cooper, St. James, Missouri, Outside Again Adventures TV - Online, Mike Masterson, Harrison , Arkansas, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, Larry Rea, Outdoors with Larry Rea on ESPN, Memphis, Rob Simbeck, Nashville, Duck’s Unlimited, Glenn Wheeler, Harrison, Arkansas, Outdoor Writer and Photographer, Brad Wiegemann, Outdoor Media Expert, Ron Wong, Co-host, Outdoors with Larry Rea on ESPN Memphis, Polly Dean, Market Place and Tackle Talk, Brent Frazee, Kansas City Star, Gary Garth, Louisville Courier-Journal, and Glynn Harris, outdoor radio show host and editor, from Ruston, Louisiana.
After an incredible meal of Duck Confit, and Creme Brule, prepared by Chef Rick Gollinger and a good nights rest, media members teamed up with local expert Gaston guides for their first day of trout fishing on the White River.
Odds of catching trout in the White River rest high in an anglers favor. The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission’s stocking schedule includes the following numbers of fish for the White River in 2016: 966,520 rainbow trout, 13,600 brook trout , 110,000 brown trout and 130,000 cutthroat trout. It’s not a matter of catching trout in the White River, it is a matter of how many you can catch in a day’s time.
I enjoyed the day with heavily experienced trout guide Joe Hicks and first time trout angler Kristine Houtman, of Minnesota. Kristine authors children's outdoor books, including “A Second Chance” and “A Whirlwind Opener.” They can be found on Amazon.
Kristine quickly caught on to trout fishing and caught impressive numbers of rainbows, several of which were guests at our first shore lunch.
Chef Gollinger and crew prepared a memorable shore lunch of fresh caught trout, country fried chicken, baked river beans, Dutch oven cobbler and Dutch oven biscuits. Eyelids waxed heavy during our afternoon of trout fishing, but everyone continued to boat fish.
Chef Gollinger’s evening meal pushed our palettes into overdrive with Tornados of Venison ala Dunkirk, twin petite farm raised New Zealand loin steaks pan seared presented topped with grilled shrimp and sauce bearnaise served with stuffed zucchini twin mousses of carrot and broccoli accompanied by fresh chive duchess potatoes.
After dinner entertainment consisted of grand performances of pickin’ and grinnin’ by members of our media group Larry Rea, Glynn Harris and others.
A grand breakfast buffet spurned energy for a second day of trout fishing. I again shared a boat with Joe Hicks, accompanied by Ron Wong, of Memphis. Ron is an experienced White River trout fisherman and quickly put a 20-inch brown trout in the boat using a stick bait.
I copied Wong’s tactics and soon put a nice brown on the scoreboard myself.
After catching several brown trout, we switched to black jigs and caught my beautiful rainbow trout. Hicks donated several to the shore lunch, while Wong and I froze some to take home.
Our second meal on the banks of the White River gave new meaning to the words: “shore lunch.” Chef Rick and crew prepared Black-n-Blue pork chops, tomato basil salad, and three bean salad, baked squash, and foil wrapped Yukon gold potatoes on the coals, and Dutch oven cobbler and biscuits.
Stuffed to the gills, Wong and I struggled with the idea of more fishing. The weather came to our rescue, however. Heavy rains moved in pushing most of the writers back to their cottages for an afternoon of writing and napping.
Gaston’s White River Resort caters to families and corporate groups. Check them out at www.gastons.com or e-mail them: gastons@gastons.com.
Outdoor Writers Converge on Gaston’s White River Resort
Outdoor Revelations
Bill Cooper 415/16
“Bill, I’d like to invite you to the Gaston’s writers event this year,” said Ron Wong, a Memphis based outdoor writer and radio personality over the phone.
“Count me in,” I responded immediately.
Larry Rea, an outdoor radio show host from Memphis has organized the event for nine years. “Jim Gaston ran the resort for doubt 45 years and welcomed our outdoor writers with welcome arms. His grandson, Clint, is following, graciously, in his grandfather’s footsteps.”
Gaston’s White River Resort is the #1 trout fishing resort in America.
Gaston’s began in 1958, when Al Gaston purchased 20 acres, 6 cottages and 6 boats on the banks of the White River, in Lakeview, Arkansas.
As thy say, the rest is history. Gaston’s is now the #1 trout fishing resort in the nation. The resort now covers over 400 acres with two miles of river frontage, has 79 cottages ranging in size from two double beds and a bath to a two-story cottage with 10 private bedrooms.
The original 6 boats have grown to over 70, with a massive state-of-the art dock to house them all.
Additions over the years have brought a world class restaurant, with a view of the famous White River, a private club, pool, gift shop, tennis court, duck pond, game room, nature trails and a 3,200 foot airstrip. To top it off, Gaston’s offers a Conference Lodge which seats 125 people.
Eighteen outdoor writers, radio ad TV show hosts converged on Gaston’s White River Resort in mid-April to enjoy the grand amenities of the resort and test the world class trout fishery.
Craig Hart, of Pure Fishing, provided lures and baits for the media anglers.
Attendees included: Kristine Houtman, of Crystal Bay, Minnesota and Fish on Marketing, Gil Lackey, of Nashville and president of the Southeastern Outdoor Press Association, Jimmy Jacobs, of Marietta, Georgia Examiner, Jill Rohrbach, Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism,Steve ‘Wildman’ Wilson, Trey Reid, and Scott Wyatt of the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission TV Crew, Kelly Bostian, Tulsa World, Bill Cooper, St. James, Missouri, Outside Again Adventures TV - Online, Mike Masterson, Harrison , Arkansas, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, Larry Rea, Outdoors with Larry Rea on ESPN, Memphis, Rob Simbeck, Nashville, Duck’s Unlimited, Glenn Wheeler, Harrison, Arkansas, Outdoor Writer and Photographer, Brad Wiegemann, Outdoor Media Expert, Ron Wong, Co-host, Outdoors with Larry Rea on ESPN Memphis, Polly Dean, Market Place and Tackle Talk, Brent Frazee, Kansas City Star, Gary Garth, Louisville Courier-Journal, and Glynn Harris, outdoor radio show host and editor, from Ruston, Louisiana.
After an incredible meal of Duck Confit, and Creme Brule, prepared by Chef Rick Gollinger and a good nights rest, media members teamed up with local expert Gaston guides for their first day of trout fishing on the White River.
Odds of catching trout in the White River rest high in an anglers favor. The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission’s stocking schedule includes the following numbers of fish for the White River in 2016: 966,520 rainbow trout, 13,600 brook trout , 110,000 brown trout and 130,000 cutthroat trout. It’s not a matter of catching trout in the White River, it is a matter of how many you can catch in a day’s time.
I enjoyed the day with heavily experienced trout guide Joe Hicks and first time trout angler Kristine Houtman, of Minnesota. Kristine authors children's outdoor books, including “A Second Chance” and “A Whirlwind Opener.” They can be found on Amazon.
Kristine quickly caught on to trout fishing and caught impressive numbers of rainbows, several of which were guests at our first shore lunch.
Chef Gollinger and crew prepared a memorable shore lunch of fresh caught trout, country fried chicken, baked river beans, Dutch oven cobbler and Dutch oven biscuits. Eyelids waxed heavy during our afternoon of trout fishing, but everyone continued to boat fish.
Chef Gollinger’s evening meal pushed our palettes into overdrive with Tornados of Venison ala Dunkirk, twin petite farm raised New Zealand loin steaks pan seared presented topped with grilled shrimp and sauce bearnaise served with stuffed zucchini twin mousses of carrot and broccoli accompanied by fresh chive duchess potatoes.
After dinner entertainment consisted of grand performances of pickin’ and grinnin’ by members of our media group Larry Rea, Glynn Harris and others.
A grand breakfast buffet spurned energy for a second day of trout fishing. I again shared a boat with Joe Hicks, accompanied by Ron Wong, of Memphis. Ron is an experienced White River trout fisherman and quickly put a 20-inch brown trout in the boat using a stick bait.
I copied Wong’s tactics and soon put a nice brown on the scoreboard myself.
After catching several brown trout, we switched to black jigs and caught my beautiful rainbow trout. Hicks donated several to the shore lunch, while Wong and I froze some to take home.
Our second meal on the banks of the White River gave new meaning to the words: “shore lunch.” Chef Rick and crew prepared Black-n-Blue pork chops, tomato basil salad, and three bean salad, baked squash, and foil wrapped Yukon gold potatoes on the coals, and Dutch oven cobbler and biscuits.
Stuffed to the gills, Wong and I struggled with the idea of more fishing. The weather came to our rescue, however. Heavy rains moved in pushing most of the writers back to their cottages for an afternoon of writing and napping.
Gaston’s White River Resort caters to families and corporate groups. Check them out at www.gastons.com or e-mail them: gastons@gastons.com.
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