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A good friend of Baxter County has been remembered.
Yesterday evening, members of the North Arkansas Fly Fishers and Trout Unlimited came together to honor their good friend and fly-fishing mentor Dave Whitlock with a bench dedication at Dry Run Creek.
The Friends of the Norfork and White River, Friends of the Norfork National Fish Hatchery, and the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission also helped in creating the memorial.
Whitlock, who is known throughout the United States as one of the greatest fly fishermen to ever live, passed away in November 2022 after a life of service to the fishing community and Arkansas’s pristine wilderness.
“I can’t think of a better way to honor him than this,” said Emily Whitlock. “This was one of the biggest things that held his heart. He would be so happy, knowing that this was here. And I’m so happy. So, thank you, we loved you all for so many years and you’ve been good friends.”
During the bench dedication ceremony yesterday evening, members of both groups came together alongside Whitlock’s wife, Emily Whitlock, to honor the former fisherman’s legacy to Dry Run Creek.
Throughout his life, Whitlock helped Baxter County develop Dry Run Creek into one of America’s top fishing streams. The stream, which rests next to the Norfork Hatchery, was designed over the years to accommodate stocking trout while providing easy access for the mobility impaired and youth under the age of 16.
“The things that really move people, I believe, is when you see kids that have come out of treatment for cancer and their parents or grandparents bring them up here to fish,” said Steve Blumreich of the Friends of the Norfork and White River. “I think that’s one of the things we are so fortunate to have and I’m personally grateful to [Emily Whitlock] and Dave for that. Because I’ve seen what that does for kids.”
Originally created in 1990, Dry Run Creek saw a major overhaul in 2009 under the guidance of Whitlock, who focused on improving and preserving the creek’s habitat and streambank for a better fishing experience.
“We always had a phenomenal fishery in here and the areas that were being accessed were being loved to death,” said Tim Burnley, State Stream Habitat Coordinator for AGFC. “They were eroded. We kicked it around in ’08 and then they brought Dave in and he drew a set of plans up for us to do the work. Before that, I got to meet up out here, new to the trout world, and there’s Dave Whitlock, TL Lauerman and my boss Larry Rider. I just sat back and soaked it all in. I was in the presence of greatness.”
“We got the plans from Dave and we went to work,” Burnley said. “I learned a lot of what I know about how to operate on this creek. I don’t know if I’ve ever been more honored than when Dave came back from the dedication. He walked up and down, and he looked around and said, ‘Thanks for bringing my dream to fruition.'”
In 2022, the NAFF established an endowment in honor of Whitlock to provide funding for future improvements and maintenance of Dry Creek Run.
“This is always going to be an ongoing project with things that need to be done,” said Davy Wooton on the importance of supporting organizations like Friends on Norfork Hatchery, the NAFF, and Friends of the Norfork and White Rivers. “Either way, one way or the other, we’ll have funding, when necessary, to do what we need to do to maintain everything that Dave wanted to have.”
Whitlock’s fishing career began in Muskogee, Oklahoma at a young age and quickly turned into a full-time career after the fishing legend began working in the oil industry as a young man, prompting him to change careers and move to Mountain Home to become a fisherman full time.
Along the way, Whitlock would meet his wife, Emily, and the two would go on to become an unstoppable duo in the world of fly fishing.
With the help of his wife, Whitlock built a career that allowed him to regularly appear in many fly-fishing and sports publications such as Fly Fisherman Magazine, Flyfishing and Tying Journal, and Trout Magazine.
During his life, Whitlock co-authored or contributed to many other books throughout his career, including The Flytyer’s Almanac, Second Flytyer’s Almanac, Art Flick’s Master Fly Tying Guide, McClane’s Fishing Encyclopedia, Migel’s Stream Conservation Book, and Masters on the Nymph.
He was also the recipient of many awards for his fly-fishing and fly-tying contributions, including induction into the National Fresh Water Hall of Fame, the Trout Hall of Fame, Max Ander’s Wild Trout Award for his work on the propagation of wild trout, and the Federation of Fly Fishers’ Conservation Man of the Year Award. Whitlock was also inducted into the Arkansas Game & Fish Hall of Fame and was given the Lifetime Contribution Award from the National American Fly Tackle Trade Association.
Following his 40-year career in Mountain Home, the Whitlocks would return to Oklahoma. The fishing legends would pass after visiting Mountain Home to attend his last Sowbug Roundup in 2022.
In addition to his professional accomplishments, Whitlock dedicated a large portion of his life to keeping Arkansas’s riverways and creeks clean and pristine. Both he and his wife took part in preventing the destruction of Crooked Creek, which is considered one of the best smallmouth bass fishing streams in the nation.
In the early 2000s, several mining companies mined the popular fishing creek and removed trees and vegetation from the area while also building new embankments in the creek.
The creek was eventually considered impaired by the Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality because of excessive water temperature. The removal of trees reduced the shade along the creek, and in-stream mining made the stream bed more shallow, heating the water up faster.
After witnessing the damage themselves, the Whitlocks and the Friends of the North Fork and White Rivers Inc. took political action and were able to stop the mining of Crooked Creek.
Crooked Creek still holds its title as one of the best smallmouth bass fishing streams in the country today.
Whitlock is survived by his wife Emily; his son Allen; his stepdaughter, Jessica Capps; his stepson, Nicholas Langevin; and a granddaughter.
His fishing techniques live on through thousands of fly fishermen nationwide. The bench dedicated to his honor will continue to overlook Dry Run Creek for generations to come.
