Arkansas is one of those places that has a reputation, much of it is negative. Some of the reputation is deserved, some not. In a lot of the "important" arenas, we're ranked 50th, maybe 49th if another state messes up somewhere. We tend to be viewed as being in the dark ages a lot. Jeff Foxworthy's humor fits down here and I've grown to be fond of it. I worked with the Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism for a number of years as a state park naturalist promoting "the natural state" and I've learned that a lot of values have little to do with numbers or ranking.

Being last can put you in first on some of the better things in life. I like it here as a float-fishing guide because the viewpoint, the ranking if you will, tends to swap around in my favor. Smallmouth bass fishing for example is one of those rankings that's in my favor. You won't come to Arkansas and catch the most or the biggest; but you will catch Smallmouth on gorgeous streams and lakes. And, you may very well be fishing alone when you get out there on the water. I've even spent a day or two alone on Buffalo National River. That's a reputation I can live with. The fact that I can fish all day, any day of the year, in complete solitude is an absolute blessing to me. It won't always be that way unfortunately; but, as a guide, I see a lot of folks starving for solitude yet they can't find it. Had any solitude lately?

Some would challenge me for even mentioning Smallmouth fishing and bringing up the availability of solitude, fearing that promotion is a bad thing. I agree with you. But, then again, I disagree with you. First, I've spent a lot of years float-fishing the Ozark and Ouachita Mountain streams in Arkansas and Missouri looking for places to be alone in the outdoors. You'll have to spend a lot of years, too, because I won't be spending my time here making it easier for you to find me. Making it "easy" for you is not a solution. Putting too much detail out here on the WWW is just not me, I'm sorry if you may be disappointed, but some things are not free. It takes effort to find solitude, but that's part of the secret of solitude. I have a feeling that if you wanted something laid in your lap for nothing you wouldn't be looking at this website anyway. If you know what a Smallmouth is, then you know what it is to work at fishing.

On the other hand though, Smallmouth Bass are a tremendously valuable resource and they shouldn't be left alone in their battle for freedom. We all agree on that one, right? I hold little in higher regard then a good tussle with a Smallmouth bass. Communicating their value and the value of the places in which they are found is vital. If I do not communicate about maintaining the Smallmouth bass as our world population grows, who will?