Arkansas fish 2016

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A SPECIAL PUBLICATION OF

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THE

GREAT LAKES MAJESTIC RIVERS OF ARKANSAS

+L OCAL LUR ES BA IT SHOP N OSTALGIA GASTON’S SHO RE LUNCH THE BASS CAPITAL OF ARKANSAS GUID E S TO BOATS , MARINAS & RESO RTS

IS S U E NO . 1 | 20 1 6 A R KANSASWIL D .C OM #FISHA R M AG

A F i r s t -C l A s s t i m e ... e v e ry t i m e .

America’s #1 Trout Fishing Resort is Gaston’s. Our White River float trips for lunker trout are legendary from coast to coast. We do the work. All you do is fish – in style and comfort. Then there are the extras that make “resort” our last name. First-class lodging. One of the South’s finest restaurants featuring a spectacular view. A private club. Tennis and a pool. Nature trails for mountain biking and hiking. A conference lodge for your group meetings or parties. Even a private landing strip for fly-in guests.

1777 River Road, Lakeview, AR 72642 870-431-5202 • Email gastons@gastons.com Lat 36 20’ 55” N Long 92 33’ 25” W 2 | FISH ARKANSAs

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Follow us on

www.gastons.com

WHY GET A CAR WHEN YOU CAN GET A SUBARU?

Outback. Built to take you to the places you've never been. Well equipped at $29,995** **Purchase or lease any new (previously untitled) Subaru and receive a complimentary factory scheduled maintenance plan for 2 years or 24,000 miles (whichever comes first) See Subaru Added Security Maintenance Plan for intervals, coverages, and limitations. Customer must take delivery 12-31-16 and reside within the promotional area. At participating dealers only.

See dealer for program details and eligibility. Outback well equipped at $28,639.00 Subaru and Outback are registered trademarks. *EPA- estimated hwy fuel economy for the 2016 Subaru Outback 2.5i models. Actual mileage may vary. Based on EPA-estimated hwy fuel economy for the 2016 Model vehicles within the HIS automotive. Polk NON- luxury Midsize CUV segment. Actual mileage may vary. ** MSRP excludes destination and delivery charges, tax, title, and registration fees. Retailer sets actual price. 2016 Subaru Outback’s 2.5i Limited pictured has and MSRP of $29,995. Vehicle shown with available accessories.

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IN THIS ISSUE WWW.ARKANSASWILD.COM ¸ FAcebook.com/FISHARmag

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FISHING FOR SUPPER 16

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LOCAL LURES

COMFORT FOOD FOR AN ANGLER’S SOUL

HEALTHY HABITATS

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ADAPTING TO CHANGE

BASS CAPITAL OF ARKANSAS

SCHOOL OF FISHING

INCLUDED INSIDE

56 ARKANSAS STATE PARKS MARINA GUIDE 58 FISH ARKANSAS RESORT GUIDE

6 GUEST EDITOR’S NOTE 12 GEAR ESSENTIALS 54 TOP GUIDES 30 WILD THINGS 57 EVENTS 4 | FISH ARKANSAs

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Docked at Gaston’s on the White River.

PHOTO BY NOVO STUDIO

IN EVERY ISSUE

Lindsey’s Resort 350 Rainbow Loop Heber Springs, AR 72543

Book Now! Phone: 501-362-3139 Fax: 501-362-3824

Newly Renovated Lindsey’s Resort in the Ozarks on the Little Red River has been serving families and groups for more than 50 years.

You’ll come for the fishing and stay for the fun–with rustic log cabins and camping, the Pot O’ Gold restaurant and nearby attractions like Greers Ferry Lake, several great golf courses, the Ozark Folk Center and more.

Lindsey’s Resort maintains a unique charm: Ozarks solitude combined with tremendous activities. Here you will experience a tranquil Arkansas vacation where the only sounds you’ll hear are the ones coming from the birds and fishing lines being cast into the Little Red River. Surrounded by nature and all that it offers you, such as hiking nature trails and SCUBA diving in Greers Ferry Lake, this is an Ozarks getaway that you’ll remember for years.

At Lindsey’s Resort, you will find cozy newly renovated log cabins, updated RV and campground areas, all new boats and motors, as well as our River Retreat Lodge which can seat up to 200 guests. Don’t forget to enjoy a ribeye and wine dinner at the famous Pot O’ Gold restaurant or have your event catered. Combine the best of the Ozarks nature with comfortable, charming lodging and you’ll find yourself at Lindsey’s Rainbow Resort–Home of the World-Record German Brown Trout!

• Cabin Rentals with Full Kitchens, River Views and Hot Tubs Available • Guided Fishing Services • Boat Rental • Bait Shop • RV Park w/Full Hookups (Water, Sewer, Cable, Electricity 30 & 50 Amp) • Tent Camping • Pot O’Gold Restaurant • Conference Facility • Seasonal Swimming Pool • Pet Friendly

www.lindseysresort.com

GUEST EDITOR‘S NOTE

F

ishing has played a part in my life for as long as I can remember. Although I’m often asked about the first fish I caught, I don’t have an answer. I suspect my first encounter with a denizen of the underwater realm happened at such a young age that I don’t remember the occasion. But I’ve squared the mental ledger over the years, making more on-the-water memories than a gainfully employed person is rightfully entitled to collect.

I was born and raised in Pine Bluff, so my earliest fishing memories come from places like the Arkansas River, small farm ponds and the countless oxbow lakes that dot the lower White River basin. My piscatorial horizons expanded with age, stretching across The Natural State and eventually touching points all over the U.S. and even reaching foreign shores.

I mention the stamps on my figurative fishing passport not as a boast, but as a reminder that, despite the many miles and fish, some of the best fishing I’ve ever experienced has been right here at home.

Blessed by geography, Arkansas is a land of contrast. The clear, fast-moving mountain streams of the Ozarks and Ouachitas give way to the languid pace of sluggish Delta bayous and Coastal Plain creeks. An hour’s drive east of Little Rock is Peckerwood Lake, a stump-filled lowland reservoir known for its bream and crappie. Drive west from the state capital and you’ll eventually run across Lake Ouachita, a clear upland impoundment

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with a national reputation for excellent largemouth bass and striped bass fishing.

Arkansas is a place where you can fish the Mississippi River for a 100-pound blue catfish in the morning and the Little Red River for a 40-pound brown trout on the same day.

It’s my sincere hope that the following pages will shed light on the many fishing opportunities available in our unique and wonderful state, that the stories here will open doors for the beginner and expand the understanding of the experienced angler.

Perhaps you’ll learn about a great place to fish or discover what the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission is doing to improve fishing and make the pursuit accessible to even more Arkansans. If you’ve never wet a line in The Natural State, there’s even a primer on how to get started. You might even find that one of the state’s many small bait shops can not only sell you a tube of crickets and a bucket of minnows, but also provide a living connection to our angling past.

I’ve been writing about Arkansas’ great outdoors for nearly two decades, and if anything surprises me more than the speed with which the time has passed, it’s that there are still so many fishing holes I haven’t experienced yet.

There’s a world of wonder and excitement out there under Arkansas’ bountiful waters—fish to stretch your line, transcendent scenery to capture your imagination, memories to be made.

It’s as simple as the title of this publication: Fish Arkansas.

Tight lines,

Trey Reid

Trey Reid has served as field editor for the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission since 2006.

He also has written about hunting, fishing and conservation for numerous state and national publications for almost two decades. Trey will fish for just about anything that swims but says smallmouth bass fishing on northern Arkansas’ Kings River probably ranks highest on his list.

479-967-1762 • www.discoverrussellville.org

Russellville Tourism & Visitors Center

Paid for with a combination of state funds and private regional association funds.

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WWW.ARKANSASWILD.COM | FACEBOOK.COM/ARKANSASWILD REBEKAH HARDIN Publisher rebekah@arktimes.com MANDY KEENER Creative Director mandy@arktimes.com MEL JONES Editorial Director melanie@arktimes.com

k c o R Little

KEVIN WALTERMIRE Art Director kevin@arktimes.com ADVERTISING ELIZABETH HAMAN Advertising Sales Director elizabeth@arktimes.com BLAKE HANNAHS New Business Development blake@arktimes.com LESA THOMAS senior Account Executive lesa@arktimes.com RHONDA CRONE Account Executive rhonda@arktimes.com PRODUCTION WELDON WILSON Production Manager/Controller ROLAND R. GLADDEN Advertising Traffic Manager JIM HUNNICUTT Advertising Coordinator GRAPHIC DESIGNERS BRYAN MOATS MIKE SPAIN SOCIAL MEDIA LAUREN BUCHER lauren@arktimes.com OFFICE STAFF ROBERT CURFMAN IT Director LINDA PHILLIPS Billing/Collections KELLY LYLES Office Manager

landerscountry.com 8 | FISH ARKANSAs

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ANITRA HICKMAN Circulation Director 201 E. MARKHAM ST., SUITE 200 LITTLE ROCK, AR 72201 501-375-2985 All Contents © 2016 Arkansas Wild

FIND YOUR

HONEY HOLE HERE. DeGray Lake Resort State Park

Bull Shoals-White River State Park

Mississippi River State Park

Lake Ouachita State Park

Cast a line into a crystal-clear lake. Watch the start of a new day. Revel in the natural beauty surrounding your lakeside campsite, cabin or resort lodge. Arkansas’s state parks are here for you.

My park, your park, our parks

ArkansasStateParks.com

#ARStateParks ARKANSASWILD.COM | 9

CONTRIBUTORS PHILIP THOMAS is the owner and operator of Nova Studio, a photography, video and graphic design company located in northwest Arkansas.

JASON OLIVE is assistant chief of fisheries management at the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission. A native of northern Alabama, Jason has called Arkansas home for eight years.

When he’s not spending time with his family, you can likely find him chasing largemouth bass.

BEN BATTEN is assistant chief of fisheries management for the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission. Ben enjoys many types of hunting and fishing, but one of his favorite pursuits is chasing bass and crappie on Lake Maumelle, a lake he helped manage for the AGFC before moving into his current position.

MAURICE JACKSON is the Family and Community Fishing Program coordinator for the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission. He enjoys spending time with his four children and five grandchildren, who keep him in shape almost as much as his frequent trips to the gym. Maurice also loves to fish for any species that’s biting.

CHAD KNEELAND is the owner of The Ozark Angler. He started fishing on his grandfather’s farm at the age of three, using his own method with worms and grasshoppers. He picked up his first fly rod at Montgomery Ward and hasn’t put it down since. Chad bought The Ozark Angler in 2008, which has two locations in Heber Springs and Little Rock.

MATT SCHROEDER is an Arkansas Game and Fish Commission fisheries management biologist out of the Mayflower office on the banks of Lake Conway. Although float and wade fishing are Matt’s first loves, he now finds himself staying closer to home in search of slab crappie around Lake Conway’s cypress trees. He’s currently passing on these addictions to his 6-year-old son Jacob.

KD REEP is a writer and public relations practitioner in Little Rock. She owns Flywrite Communications, Inc., and public relations agency, and is the PR director for Mass Enthusiasm, a fullservice marketing communications firm in Little Rock.

ON THE COVER: Championship angler Shawn Gordon casts a line on Lake Dardanelle at sunset. Read more on page 38. Photography

by Novo Studio.

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GEAR ESSENTIALS

HIGH-TECH & HOT

Innovations in fishing gear continue to change the on-the-water experience

BY MEL JONES GARMIN ECHO

Garmin’s color Echo 551c is a premier fish finder with one of the brightest 5-inch high-resolution VGA color displays on the water. Its built-in advanced HD-ID sonar offers extra sharp resolution and detail on fish, structure and bottom returns with the power to scan to a 2,300-foot maximum depth. With its simple, streamlined interface, the echo 551c has wide viewing cone angles (60/120 degrees) optimized for targeting fish beyond the sides of your boat in deep or shallow water, in addition to Smooth Scaling™ depth-range adjustments and sonar history rewind; garmin.com.

FISHBRAIN

TACKLE TEK NOMAD XP

Quite possibly the most tricked out, high-tech tackle “box,” the Tackle Tek Nomad XP includes an integrated 5000mAh rechargeable USB power supply designed to extend the battery life of small portable electronic devices. A rotating threelevel LED light system, with white and green light options, allows for fishing from dusk ‘til dawn, and the optional clip-on solar panel offers an alternate way to recharge the Nomad XP USB power supply. The Nomad XP also boasts plenty of well-organized storage, from the plier holder to the tray compartment, which can hold up to four medium tackle trays. Dick’s Sporting Goods, Cabela’s and Bass Pro Shops; gowildriver.com.

PELICAN 1040 MICRO CASE

Our gadgets have become daily essentials for all that we do, and being out on the water is no exception. Protect your electronics with Pelican’s 1040 micro case—it’s crushproof, dustproof and watertight when submerged under one meter of water for up to 30 minutes. An automatic pressure equalization valve balances interior pressure and keeps water out, and the rubber liners offers extra protection and doubles as an O-ring seal. Ozark Mountain Trading Company, Garfield and Cotter.

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PHOTOS COURTESY OF VENDORS

Wondering what’s biting in your neck of the woods? FishBrain’s mobile app—available for iPhone and Android—will give you that info, and more, in real time. The robust app allows anglers to easily log fishing trips and catches, share fishing with friends and followers, follow when, where and how other anglers fish in real time, and get intelligent fishing recommendations to catch more and bigger fish. FishBrain allows users to search the network by fishing methods—from jig fishing to surfcasting—or by species, and makes it equally easy to find other friends and anglers to follow.

2.5 miles of trout filled streams at Dogwood Canyon Nature Park

YETI SEADEK

The higher you are off the water, the further you can see down into it. Yeti’s durable, slip-resistant SeaDek is made from 6mm EVA foam, and provides excellent traction and extreme comfort when using your YETI as a standing or casting platform. SeaDek attaches permanently with a pressure–sensitive adhesive backing, and is custom fit for YETI Tundra models up to Tundra 160.

Ozark Outdoor Supply, Little Rock; Greg Orr Marina, Hot Springs; yeti.com.

ST. CROIX MOJO CAT ROD

Targeting catfish is not for the faint of heart—or an under-gunned rookie.

That’s why St. Croix designed an allnew series of extreme-performance catfish rods to excel under some of the most demanding conditions in freshwater angling. Built on blanks rolled from a dynamic blend of premium-quality SC II graphite and super-premium, 100-percent linear S-glass for exceptional strength, lifting power and tip flex, the new Mojo Cat series includes five casting and two spinning models. Hook, Line & Sinker, Bentonville and Rogers; Arkansas Rod & Reel, Little Rock; Ingram Archery Supply, Quitman; Copper John’s Resort, Lakeview; Southtown Sporting Goods, Fayetteville; Sportsman’s Warehouse, Rogers; Cabela’s; Dick’s Sporting Goods.

Located in the Missouri Ozarks Mountains, this 10,000 acre nature lover’s paradise is the perfect place to reel in unforgettable memories. Two and a half miles of trout filled streams flow through the pristine and historic canyon, where you can explore a variety of outdoor adventures.

Fly Fishing | Hiking | Wildlife Tram Tours Biking | Horseback Rides | Segway Tours Enjoy extra savings with our adventure pass! Call or visit our website for a full list of activities and to book your visit today!

417.779.5983 | DOGWOODCANYON.ORG

ARKANSASWILD.COM | 13

ON THE FLY

GEAR ESSENTIALS

Looking to gear up and start fly fishing?

Check out our essentials from Ozark Angler

BY MEL JONES

From Orvis, the Access Mid-Arbor fly fishing reel takes the midarbor concept to a new level of performance, allowing for faster line pick up. The totally sealed carbon and stainless-steel drag surface guarantees durability and longevity, and the reel is available in sizes I through V.

R.L. Winston Rod Co.’s super fast-action Boron III SX rods are capable of generating very high line speeds, and have the strength, reserve power and advanced boron technology needed for demanding angling situations. These rods are remarkably lightweight and easy to cast, delivering flies with incredible accuracy.

Simms’ all-new G3 Guide Jacket is 25-percent lighter, while ratcheting up performance thanks to rugged, rip-stopping three-layer Gore-Tex shell fabric. The guidetested jacket includes two large top-loaded fly box pockets and zippered chest, internal stash, and micro fleece-lined hand-warmer pockets. The stowable three-point Storm Hood adjusts to fight the fiercest downpour, while Simms’ proven Dry Cuffs keep water out of the sleeves when tailing, and releasing, fish.

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Ozark Angler, Little Rock and Heber Springs; ozarkangler.com

PHOTOS BY BRIAN CHILSON

Cold morning? No problem. Simms’ Coldweather pants combat the conditions thanks to micro fleecelined internal and hand-warmer pockets. Angler-appreciated extras include COR3™ fabric technology, an adjustable waist with a corrosionfighting center-front snap, and articulated knees for bolstered durability and massive mobility.

Smith Optics’ ‘Serpico’ sunglasses are a unique spin on the classic aviator. Available in gold (shown), silver, gunmetal and matte desert, these shades feature polarized-brown carbonic TLT lenses that absorb stray blue light and sharpen visual acuity while reducing reflected glare.

Carry your entire fishing kit over the shoulder in comfort with Fishpond’s Buckhorn sling bag. The zippered main storage compartment offers secure fly box storage, and the structured back air-mesh panel helps carry loads and keep you cool. The Buckthorn also includes an exterior Velcro attachment for foam, tools or accessories, seven zippered pockets, an integrated guide net slot and even a water bottle pocket.

Patagonia’s new Foot Tractor wading boots with next-generation aluminum bar technology will keep you sure-footed on every surface.

The new bars are just hard enough to cut through algae and slime, yet soft enough to conform to rock surfaces. They also grip well on muddy trails, won’t accumulate snow and don’t hold moisture. Made with fast-drying synthetic leather and Venergy monofilament mesh panels, Foot Tractors offer industrial-strength support and protection in a light, comfortable boot.

SECLUSION

at its finest

Surrounded by 6 acres of forestland, The Hideaway Cabin is the perfect secluded romantic setting to recharge and reconnect.

• spacious living room and bedroom, full kitchen • front and back decks with hot tub and charcoal grill • gas fireplace, large flat-screen Smart TV and wifi

Hwy. 43 • Ponca, AR • buffaloriver.com • 870-861-5514

MADE IN THE USA

PO Box. 2621 • Rogers AR 72757 479-936-8822

www.wareaglelures.com ARKANSASWILD.COM | 15

LOCAL LURES

From legends like Cotton Cordell to relative newcomers Golden’s Baits, Arkansas has a wealth of bait companies dedicated to the art of the catch

BY MEL JONES

Golden’s Baits in Centerton offers madeto-order, hand-injected soft-plastic baits that are designed to hook nearly any fish on your list. Available in a variety of styles and colors, including the watermelon Dater Shad, shown here, Golden’s Baits have become increasing popular with kayak fishermen and other Arkansas anglers. goldensbaits.com

Hindsville-based Skirmish Baits was founded by Chris Turner, a veteran with more than 12 years of service as a tank commander in Iraq, Germany and Kosovo. Specializing in hard baits custom-painted

by Bait Werks, Skirmish offers a number of designs, including the AIM-7 Suspending Jerkbait, shown here in the “Holographic Clown” custom color pattern. The 4.5-inch long lure is rattling and has a weight transfer system for long casts, and suspends in approximately 55-degree water. skirmishbaits.com

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Cotton Cordell, Inc. was established in 1952 in Fort Smith by the man himself, Cotton Cordell, when he began manufacturing lures for other companies, and two years later he was branding his own designs. The Cotton Cordell C.C. Spoons, shown here in chrome, flutter into the strike zone like incapacitated baitfish before striking back with an iron-clad hook set. The CC Spoon is one of professional bass fishing’s most-successful jigging spoons, and a must for every tackle box. cottoncordelllures.com

Located in Mountain Home, Jewel Bait Company has been in business since 1989.

The Jewel Jolt Spinnerbait, shown here, was originally designed for fishing the ultra-clear waters of the Ozarks on summer nights, but it also excels at fishing muddy water. Perfect when you need a bait to cover a ton of water with a bunch of thump. jewelbait.com

Founded by Bob Carnes in the early 1960s, Arkie Lures began as a quest to make a better bass jig, and today the Springdalebased company continues to develop innovative fish-catching designs that are Arkansas made.

This Salty BC Craw is a 2-inch crawfish imitation, and is great for using as a jig trailer, or as a stand-alone crawfish on a grub head, and will trigger even the most finicky fish into biting. arkiejigs.com

PHOTOS COURTESY OF VENDORS

Located in Paragould, Gideon Hooks (G-Hooks) began as a manufacturer of crappie jig heads, but is now creating custom-designed bass crankbaits as well. All of G-Hooks’ products are assembled and painted in northeast Arkansas, including this Crappie Killer lure with two-toned round head and Southern Pro plastic. gideonhooks.com

War Eagle Lures In 1996, War Eagle spinnerbaits were made in two garages in northwest Arkansas by two serious bass fishermen, and sold locally in five tackle stores. But after pro angler Mike McClelland won two back-to-back BASS events on a War Eagle spinnerbait, and then pro angler Gerald Swindle won a major FLW event on a War Eagle spinnerbait, the company quickly began to spread to other parts of the country. The 3/8-ounce Chart Blue Buzzbait has a prism blade and a flat “keel” head for a quick rise and “instant squeak” that drive fish crazy. wareaglelures.com

HIKING

BIKING

CAMPING

CLIMBING

PADDLING

Your Adventure Starts Here OzarkOutdoor.com

5514 Kavanaugh Blvd. | Little Rock, AR | 501-664-4832

㈀㘀琀栀 䄀渀渀甀愀氀

刀攀氀礀愀渀挀攀 䈀愀渀欀 䄀爀欀愀渀猀愀猀 䈀椀最 䈀甀挀欀 䌀氀愀猀猀椀挀 䨀䄀一唀䄀刀夀 ㈀㈀ⴀ㈀㐀Ⰰ ㈀ ㄀㘀

匀栀漀眀 䠀漀甀爀猀㨀

∠ 䘀爀椀搀愀礀Ⰰ 䨀愀渀甀愀爀礀 ㈀㈀渀搀Ⰰ ㈀ ㄀㘀 ㄀㨀 瀀洀 ⴀ 㤀㨀 瀀洀 ∠ 匀愀琀甀爀搀愀礀Ⰰ 䨀愀渀甀愀爀礀 ㈀㌀爀搀Ⰰ ㈀ ㄀㘀 㤀㨀 愀洀 ⴀ 㤀㨀 瀀洀 ∠ 匀甀渀搀愀礀Ⰰ 䨀愀渀甀愀爀礀 ㈀㐀琀栀Ⰰ ㈀ ㄀㘀 㤀㨀 愀洀 ⴀ 㘀㨀 瀀洀

䄀眀愀爀搀猀 倀爀攀猀攀渀琀愀琀椀漀渀㨀 匀甀渀搀愀礀Ⰰ 䨀愀渀甀愀爀礀 ㈀㐀琀栀Ⰰ ㈀ ㄀㘀 愀琀 㐀㨀 瀀洀

Searcy-based Leland’s Lures began in 1997 with one lure: The Trout Magnet. Today their number of products is in the dozens, all of which are sold across the country, but the Trout Magnet remains a star. This new 3.5-inch Trout Magnet Crank features a larger and stronger bill that allows for deeper fishing. It combine a fish attracting body design, extra-sharp hooks and rattles, and provides for a unique “stop and go” action when fished with a jerk bait-type retrieve. troutmagnet.com

堀䰀 䐀伀唀䈀䰀䔀 愀琀 琀栀攀 䄀爀欀愀渀猀愀猀 匀琀愀琀攀 䘀愀椀爀最爀漀甀渀搀猀 䌀伀䴀䔀 䴀䔀䔀吀

䘀伀刀 䴀伀刀䔀 䤀一䘀伀刀䴀䄀吀䤀伀一 嘀䤀匀䤀吀 伀唀刀 圀䔀䈀匀䤀吀䔀Ⰰ 䌀䄀䰀䰀 伀刀 䰀䤀䬀䔀 唀匀 伀一

圀圀圀⸀䈀䤀䜀䈀唀䌀䬀䌀䰀䄀匀匀䤀䌀⸀䌀伀䴀 伀刀 䌀䄀䰀䰀 㔀 ㄀ⴀ㤀㠀㔀ⴀ㄀㔀㌀㌀

ARKANSASWILD.COM | 17

LICENSED TO CAST How first-time fishermen can get a license in Arkansas

BY KD REEP MON - FRI 9-6 • SATURDAY 9-5 Rock Climbing Backpacking Camping Apparel and Footwear Kayaking Fly Fishing Rapelling Canoeing

F

Hiking

501.767.1373 • 112 Blackhawk Lane Hot Springs, AR • ouachitaoutdoors.com PHOTO BY JEREMY RODGERS

ARKANSAS PREMIER FLY FISHING OUTFITTER AND GUIDE SERVICE. 12305 CHENAL PARKWAY SUITE B. Little Rock, AR 72211 (501) 225-6504 659 WILBURN ROAD Heber Springs, AR 72543 (501) 362-FLYS (3597)

ozarkangler.com

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ishing is one of our greatest assets in this state, but you can’t just wet a hook without getting authorized first. The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission (AGFC), the agency whose mission is to conserve and enhance Arkansas’ fish and wildlife and their habitats while promoting sustainable use, public understanding and support, has streamlined the process of obtaining a fishing license. In fact, you can purchase one online, over the phone or in person. However, it may surprise you who needs a fishing license, when and why.

According to the AGFC, anyone 16– years–old or older must carry a valid Arkansas fishing license to take or attempt to take fish and frogs in Arkansas. This includes Arkansas residents as well as visitors. If trout fishing is your passion, you must have a valid permit to keep trout or fish in certain waters. As a guide or someone who assists another fisherman for hire, you are required to have a valid Arkansas fishing guide license. All of these licenses can be obtained from AGFC’s website at agfc.com/licenses or by calling 501-223-6349 or 800364-GAME (4263) toll free. If you need to pick one up in person, you can do so at most any sporting goods store or at one of 10 regional AGFC offices around the state.

In general, anyone wanting to get a fishing license should have handy a driver’s license, birth certificate or military record and, if applying for a resident’s license, proof of 60 days of Arkansas residency in the form of an Arkansas driver’s license or state I.D. card. Fees range from free to $1,000

so it’s important to understand first what type of license best suits your needs before applying.

Depending on how and what you fish, there are several types of fishing licenses and permits available and required. If you fish regularly and are a resident of Arkansas, these licenses and permits include fisheries conservation, trout, fishing guide, White River Border Lakes, three-year disability and combination, commercial fisherman’s and sportfishing, non-expiring lifetime resident hunting and fishing sportsman’s permit, mobility impairment access, and 65plus lifetime fishing, combination or trout permit.

As a nonresident, you can obtain a trout permit, annual fishing license, three-day or seven-day trip fishing license, and a fishing guide license.

Arkansas residents who don’t have a license but want to fish as part of a trip also have to have a three-day or sevenday trip fishing license or trout permit.

Both residents and nonresidents can apply for an alligator gar fishing permit, which is free and expires on December 31 of each year.

The one law no fisherman can get around is Murphy’s Law, but the AGFC understands. If you lose a license or permit, you may be able to get a replacement at a reduced cost. The first step is to call AGFC for details.

The fees from these licenses and permits contribute to the protection, conservation and preservation of fish and wildlife in Arkansas. The money you spend on fishing also supports educational programs, which raise awareness of ethical wildlife management principles and ensure healthy fish and wildlife.

SMOKELESS DOESN’T MAKE IT ANY BETTER. IT’S JUST HOW THEY HOOK YOU.

It’s no fish tale: Smokeless tobacco like “snuff” or “chew” is just as addictive as cigarettes and other tobacco products. Your risk of certain types of cancer increases – like esophageal cancer and oral cancer of the throat, cheek, gums, lips, and tongue. These cancers are deadly and disfiguring.

Don’t fall for Big Tobacco’s can of lies. Call 1-800-QUIT-NOW or visit stampoutsmoking.com.

STAMP OUT SMOKING 1-800-QUIT-NOW

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ADAPTING TO CHANGES Harry Saul Minnow Farm thrives through innovation

PHOTOS COURTESY HARRY SAUL MINNOW FARM

BY MICHAEL ROBERTS

The sun rises over a minnow pond at Harry Saul Minnow Farm in De Valls Bluff.

I

t all started with a borrowed tent and an enterprising young man named Harry Saul.

William Saul, Harry’s grandson and current manager of Harry Saul Minnow Farm in De Valls Bluff recounts the tale with a laugh. “My grandfather was the epitome of a ‘river rat,’” he says. “It was just after the Great Depression and he and his step-brother Bob Treadway dropped out of school to do whatever hunting and fishing they could to make ends meet.”

The two brothers borrowed that tent to go raccoon hunting on a local wildlife refuge, and while the hunt itself was legal, pitching a tent was not. Returning to their campsite, the brothers found the tent gone, confiscated by the game warden. And to get the borrowed item back to its rightful owner, they saw no choice but to turn themselves in.

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“The judge gave Bob a choice: Go to jail or join the army. It was a pretty easy choice to make,” says William. Harry, who was only about 14 at the time, was released and sent home—and spent Bob’s entire time in the service developing a plan. “As soon as Bob got out of the army, my grandfather met him at the train station with a new idea: commercial fishing.” The two brothers purchased some nets and began making a living from the fish they could catch in the White River.

Harry and Bob, who were joined by a third brother, Darrell Saul, eventually transitioned from commercial fishing into catching and selling bait minnows. Once demand became greater than could be met from trolling the White River, Harry took matters into his own hands, purchasing land that his grandson

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The banks of the White River, where Harry Saul caught the first minnows he sold.

Thousands of crawfish ready to ship.

Saul’s indoor tanks make possible a year-round supply of crawfish bait.

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William describes as “un-farmable.”

Harry turned that land into the namesake minnow farm that now stretches more than 1,200 acres and encompasses over 100 ponds where the Saul family still raises their minnows Rosy Reds and Tuffies.

These days, Saul Minnow Farm is selling more bait than ever across a territory that stretches from Kansas and Texas in the west, north into Wisconsin, and all along the eastern seaboard from New York to Florida.

The Sauls raise and transport their fish with high-tech methods, including tractor-trailer trucks equipped with temperature controls and added oxygen to keep the minnows alive and kicking along the road.

But William Saul says that success hasn’t come without some bumps in the road. “When I was a kid, we sold mostly to distributors who would come load up with minnows and then resell them to mom-and-pop bait shops, the kind of places that also sold groceries and gas. As those shops went out of business, it wasn’t economical for distributors to come to us anymore and we had to expand into transportation,” he says.

Adding their own trucks began in the late 1990s, and the result has been a renewal of Saul’s bait business. But even this transition didn’t come without some trouble: William recounts a time a few years ago when several drivers left the company abruptly for jobs elsewhere, leaving the minnow farm woefully short of help. “My dad, James Saul, looked at me and my mom and said ‘This won’t ever happen again, we’re getting our CDLs,’” he says. True to his word, James and William’s mother Margie both became licensed commercial truckers. “My mom had never even driven a standard before,” says William with a laugh. “Now, even in her mid-60s, she’s driving tractor trailers every week.”

Success in family businesses generally comes from the ability to adapt to changes. At Saul Minnow Farm, the family has adapted to changes in technology and farming techniques to ensure the freshest, best bait possible. They’ve also adapted their wholesale business to accommodate the changing customer base. The result is fresh minnows ready for sportsmen, delivered without a hitch so that all a fisherman need worry about is getting the big ones reeled in.

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FOR

SUPPER

The Shore Lunch at Gaston’s White River Resort is a unique fishing and dining experience

BY MICHAEL ROBERTS PHOTOS BY NOVO STUDIO

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W

hen the day began, the only way I knew the sun was up was that the thick blanket of fog rolling in off the White River turned from a deep charcoal gray to a lighter slate color. I stood on the deck of my cabin at Gaston’s White River Resort in Lakeview and watched the swirling mist apprehensively—manager Clint Gaston, whose great-grandfather purchased the land on which the famed trout-fishing resort sits back in 1958, had warned me the night before that winter mornings could be a bit dense, but this was more than I had expected.

As I made my way down to the resort store, I knew there was no way we were going to be able to get out on the water early, something confirmed almost immediately by our guide, Frank Saska. He must have seen the doubt on my face, because he just laughed and told me to have a little patience because the sun would burn everything off within a couple of hours. It was the first of several predictions Frank made that would come true.

Gaston’s guide Frank Saska prepares for a day of fishing on the White River.

ARKANSASWILD.COM | 25

Around 10 a.m., the bright winter sun had cut through the fog well enough for us to get a boat in the water, and in no time Frank had us motoring out onto the rushing water to find some trout.

Again, Frank must have noticed that I had my doubts about whether I’d have any luck getting some fish, because as we stopped at our first drift spot, he looked me dead in the eye and said, “You will catch fish today.” And again, he proved correct—so correct, in fact, the first time I put my hook in the water I snagged a small rainbow trout.

What followed were several hours of catching fish, losing fish, making a series of sometimes-goodsometimes-not-so-good casts and learning about the layout of the White River from Frank, who after 24 years of guiding fisherman knew exactly where the river went from shallow to deep, and he led us with practiced ease through areas where the trout were just waiting to strike. Even more impressive was Frank’s ability to maintain a calm and humorous demeanor with the novice trout fisherman he had been saddled with—even after the third or fourth time I got my line tangled up.

Within three hours of throwing back that first fish, we had six keepers in live well, enough fish for Frank to transition from guide to cook at the Gaston’s Shore Lunch pavilion, an attractive and secluded riverside area where our feast of fresh trout, fried onions and 26 | FISH ARKANSAs

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potatoes, and a bacon-and-bean dish called River Beans would take place. I watched as Frank gutted and filleted the trout with practiced ease, and once that fresh fish came out of the grease, we all fell on it with glee. I’ve eaten a lot of fried fish over the years, but that trout ranks as some of the best ever.

And those bacon-laden beans were one of the most excellent side dishes I’ve ever had.

Like many dishes cooked outdoors, those River Beans don’t really have a set recipe, and Frank just chuckled when I asked him for one. But having watched him make these, I know enough to give you an idea of how to recreate them for yourself—and don’t hesitate to put your own spin on these, because this is a dish that lends itself to modification.

The Gaston’s Shore Lunch is a tradition that extends back to the founding of this famous resort, and I can’t think of a better way to end a successful fishing trip.

Food eaten outdoors always seems to taste better, but this was above and beyond anything I’d experienced before. For a small taste of this tradition, check out the recipe for Gaston’s River Beans on page 29, just understand that the most important ingredient will be missing: Being there yourself.

From water to net to fillet—the freshest rainbow trout possible.

ARKANSASWILD.COM | 27

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GASTON’S RIVER BEANS Serves 4 to 6

Ingredients

½ pound bacon 1 large onion, coarsely chopped 1 large green bell pepper, coarsely chopped 2 large cans baked beans, or pork and beans 2 tablespoons white sugar, brown sugar, honey or molasses (optional) Salt and pepper to taste

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Instructions

In a large cast-iron skillet, fry the bacon until brown and crisp. At Gaston’s, they fry a full pound, serving half of the crispy pork with white bread as an appetizer while the rest of the meal cooks.

The Gaston’s version of these beans also leaves the bacon strips whole, but feel free to chop it up if you prefer smaller bites.

After the bacon is crisp, add the onions and peppers to the skillet and sauté until the onions become translucent and the peppers get soft.

Once the vegetables are cooked through with the bacon, add the pork and beans and your sugar (if using). Simmer for 20 minutes so that all the flavors can meld. Adjust salt and pepper to taste and serve.

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WILD THINGS

OZARK HELLBENDERS

Protecting this endangered salamander means healthy ecosystems and fishing habitats

BY TREY REID

T

he Ozark hellbender won’t win any beauty contests. It lacks the star power of big Arkansas mammals like black bear and elk.

And since it’s not a species that’s sought by hunters and anglers, it’s largely unknown to most of the state’s sportsmen. But that doesn’t mean we can ignore the large aquatic salamander.

“With all species, whether you hunt or fish for them, every species has evolved to serve a function in our ecosystems,” says Kelly Irwin, Arkansas Game and Fish Commission (AGFC) herpetologist.

With its small beady eyes, flattened head and body, and wrinkled folds of slimy skin, the Ozark hellbender doesn’t usually invoke warm and fuzzy feelings.

It’s speculated that the animal’s common name was coined by early settlers who thought the creature looked like it had emerged from the netherworld and was bent on returning there.

“Because they are different, most folks…don’t know what it is so they don’t understand it,” Irwin says. “So we’re getting the word out to try to let folks know we have this unique species that’s only found in the Ozarks of southern Missouri and Arkansas to try and help us conserve it for future generations.”

Ozark hellbender conservation faces steep challenges. The species exists only in a handful of Ozark streams in southern Missouri and northeastern Arkansas. Populations are in sharp decline, and in 2011 the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service placed the Ozark hellbender on the federal endangered species list. Scientists point to habitat loss and disease as potential causes of the animal’s decline.

The Eleven Point River in Randolph County harbors Arkansas’ only remaining Ozark hellbender population that’s robust enough to support research. The Eleven Point flows out of the Missouri Ozarks before meeting the Spring River southwest of Pocahontas. Irwin began a long-term monitoring program of the river’s population in 2005. During the summer of 2014, Irwin found a total of 29 hellbenders; the average for the biannual survey has been about 40.

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“Every species is important, equally so, whether you hunt or fish for them or not,” Irwin says. “All those other species are indicators of the health of our ecosystems. As we lose more species, the less healthy those ecosystems are.”

If that isn’t enough to persuade anglers to support hellbender conservation, consider that the same habitats preferred by hellbenders are also primary habitats for sport fish such as smallmouth bass and walleye. And it’s a type of habitat that’s disappearing in the Eleven Point River. “As the hellbender goes, so goes the quality of your fisheries resource,” Irwin says.

Sedimentation negatively affects hellbender and other aquatic habitat in the Eleven Point. As land around the river has been cleared of trees, rainwater has begun to run off more rapidly, eroding the riverbank and flushing sediment into the streambed.

“This effectively smothers the large, rocky boulder habitat that the hellbender needs,” Irwin says.

The AGFC Stream Team volunteer program works with landowners and other concerned citizens to prevent sedimentation of the state’s streams. By planting trees along stream banks and building rocky structures to divert flows toward the channel and away from the banks, the program’s work helps ensure healthier stream habitat and conserves fisheries’ resources.

Meanwhile, Irwin and other scientists continue to study the state’s largest salamander. Irwin has installed artificial nest boxes in the Eleven Point, and he’s also helping collect hellbender eggs to be used in a relatively new captive breeding program at the St. Louis Zoo. It’s all a part of the plan to preserve a piece of The Natural State’s natural history.

“They’ve been around a long time,” Irwin says.

“We’ve found fossil evidence of this particular group of salamanders that goes back 25 million years. So this lineage goes back a long way…and the more components we can maintain in our ecosystem, the healthier it is.”

PHOTOS COURTESY OF ARKANSAS GAME AND FISH COMMISSION

The endangered Ozark hellbender is unique to the Eleven Point River in Randolph County.

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COMFORT FOOD FOR AN ANGLER’S SOUL Step into a rural Arkansas bait shop and go back to a simpler time

BY TR EY R E ID P H OTO S BY N OVO STUDIO

R

eflection comes naturally at the end of a fishing trip. When the fishing poles have been stowed and the boat has been slipped back onto the trailer, the mind mints memories, stamping an impression on a collection of perceptions and organizing them into retrievable mental currency for future use. A snapshot of a radiant sunrise reflected on a glassy lake melds with the image of an unruly largemouth bass thrashing the water at the base of a big bald cypress.

Standing in the aisles of a small Arkansas bait shop, this phenomenon strikes with extreme force.

Surrounded by pegboard walls where packages of crappie jigs and fish hooks share space with old photographs and yellowed newspaper clippings, memories surge like floodwaters.

Walking through the door of a rural Arkansas bait shop is like stepping through a portal to the past. Simple objects like sardine tins and Styrofoam

minnow buckets conjure vivid memories. There’s a simple authenticity that reminds us of the way things used to be.

While technology and development no doubt have enhanced modern life in myriad ways, they’ve also come with costs. A fishing report is as close as an app on our smartphones, and giant retailers like Bass Pro Shops and Cabela’s contain thorough inventories that offer just about anything an angler could want or need. But there’s something the megastores can’t provide. Bait shops have it, and it isn’t even for sale.

“It’s history,” says Janet Kelm, associate manager at Harris Brake Lakeside Resort, which sports a small bait shop on the banks of 1,300-acre Harris Brake Lake near Perryville. “You meet people from all walks of life. Rich, poor, it doesn’t matter. They’re all the same. They’re all looking for good conversation, and they all want to know exactly where the fish are.

You get to hear stories from every walk of life. You

Small-town bait shops in Arkansas have plenty of bait, sure, but it’s the history and storytelling that keeps people coming back.

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The walls at Lucky Landing at Lake Atkins are covered in hundreds, if not thousands, of photographs that span the decades.

ARKANSASWILD.COM | 33

A wall of lures is framed by dozens of more-recent images.

The going rate for worms at Lucky Landing is just a quarter, while a foam bobber will run you about 65 cents.

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hear about the biggest catch, the smallest catch, the greatest lies ever told…I don’t think you’ll find that at Bass Pro Shops.”

Something else you won’t find is the scene that unfolds many Friday nights on the wooden dock that wraps around the Harris Brake bait shop. Throughout much of the year, as long as the weather cooperates, locals gather on the dock for burgers, hot dogs, jam sessions and karaoke. You’re likely to hear resort manager Karen Patterson perform her rendition of Jefferson Airplane’s “White Rabbit.” Another standby is the original tune “Hillbilly Heaven” by Marty Simmons, the resort’s maintenance man and resident guitar picker.

Derrell Lipscomb bought Coffee Creek Landing, now called Harris Brake Lakeside Resort, four-and-a-half years ago. An engineer in his previous career, Lipscomb’s job fell victim to the recession several years ago, so he left his native Texas in search of a change. He and his wife Allison sold their house, bought a recreational vehicle, and traveled across the country.

“We started looking at RV parks with an interest in buying one,” Lipscomb says. “We looked from California to Florida, and we found this one.”

Although RV and cabin rentals comprise the bulk of Lipscomb’s bottom line, he says the bait shop represents “a small part” of the business, “but it’s an important part.”

The Lipscombs live in England (the country, not the city in Lonoke County) most of the year but returns to Perry County throughout the year to check in on the business.

Just before Christmas last year, Lipscomb was preparing to fly home to England at the end of a visit that was scheduled for two weeks but ended up being three months.

“We’re not just building a business here,” Lipscomb says. “We’re trying to build an atmosphere, a sense of community.”

Like many small bait shops across The Natural State, the one at Harris Brake offers its customers a little bit of everything. Beneath an extensive collection of 4x6 prints of anglers with big fish, you’ll find racks of cookies, cakes and candy bars, Vienna sausages, sardines and crackers. Across the room, a couple of taxidermy mounts of big crappie guard a glass-top chest freezer full of ice cream and frozen pizzas and burritos. Handmade signs advertise crickets are selling for $1.95 a half-tube and $3.60 a tube; the current rate for shiners is $2.45 a dozen for small minnows and $3.75 for large. But the section of inventory that screams “small town bait shop” is

A classic scene in a small-town bait shop: Minnow buckets and other fishing supplies share space with other necessities, such as on-the-water snacks.

“It’s a great place to fish where they all jump in the boat, and the ducks all laugh like you told ‘em a joke.”

- Marty Simmons

A tradition at Lucky Landing, the Bear Burger is a double-meat burger cooked to order on the grill just behind the counter.

the freestanding half-wall in the middle of the shop. Here, you’ll find prepared catfish bait, landing nets, sunglasses and fish baskets right alongside items such as fabric softener, laundry detergent, toilet paper and paper towels.

Like many small bait shops, however, it’s the things that aren’t for sale that make the Harris Brake bait shop unique. Patterson, the resort manager, has been a regular visitor to Harris Brake Lake since the early 1970s. Her parents lived in Little Rock and built a getaway cabin on the lake when she was in junior high school. The day Patterson graduated from McClellan High School in 1975, her parents put their Little Rock home on the market and moved to the lakeside cabin. Several months ago, she took on the job as manager of Harris Brake Lakeside Resort.

“People just like to come tell us about the way things used to be,” she says. “There are always fish stories. It reminds me a lot of the old downtown cafes, the old country stores where all the old men sat and drank coffee and told stories.”

Many of the stories revolve around fish, and not a single employee at the Harris Brake bait shop will miss an opportunity to tell a visitor about the potential state record crappie that’s alleged to be swimming in Harris Brake Lake.

“You know, Game and Fish does surveys of the fish,” Lipscomb says, “and I’ve heard there’s a state record crappie in this lake.”

Simmons, the maintenance man and guitar picker, tells his version of the story while pointing out a prominently placed photograph of an angler with a 4-pound, 2-ounce crappie that measured 21 ½ inches—not a record, but still an incredible fish.

“You gotta love the legends,” Kelm says. “Without them, none of this would exist.”

At Lake Atkins in southeastern Pope County, Sharon Vinson runs the venerable Lucky Landing bait shop. It’s a small, boxy, concrete-block structure that sits near the point of a peninsula jutting into Lake Atkins, a 750-acre Arkansas Game and Fish Commission lake with a growing reputation for producing giant largemouth bass as well as good stringers of crappie, bream and catfish.

Inside the bait shop, which Vinson and her late husband purchased in 2007, the walls are alive with hundreds if not thousands of photographs of anglers and their fish. The only portions of the store’s vertical surfaces that aren’t covered by pictures are those that contain a sundry and ARKANSASWILD.COM | 35

surprisingly extensive collection of fishing tackle.

Many photos show some of the numerous doubledigit largemouth bass the lake has produced in recent years. Others are old Polaroids that date back decades. There’s also a collection featuring the chunky bluegills and redear sunfish that have been caught during the lake’s annual Memorial Day bream fishing tournament.

“It’s just something that we do,” Vinson says.

“It doesn’t matter if it’s a small child with a tiny fish. We’ll take a picture, have an extra print made for them, and then put the other one on the wall. It’s just fun.”

Each piece of paper with its inky pixels also serves as a lifeline to the past, a fragile representation of a moment in time that can never be duplicated.

“I’ve had great-grandparents come in with their grown children, and they’re usually on the wall somewhere,” Vinson says. “They love to show their kids and grandkids their pictures. It’s just awesome to see the generations that have come through this place. There’s a lot of tradition here.”

Another Lucky Landing tradition is the Bear Burger, a $5.95 double-meat cheeseburger that Vinson cooks on a well-seasoned grill behind the bait shop’s counter.

“They must be really good,” Vinson says without a trace of false modesty, “because we do sell a lot of ‘em.”

Vinson says a love of fishing and the fishing lifestyle are essential to running a small bait shop. Her customers are also her friends, and in addition to looking for a productive lure or a bag of spunky minnows, they’re also looking for conversation and a connection.

“I love being around fishermen,” Vinson says. “Our customers are regulars. There couldn’t be anything better. It’s real laid back and just has its own pace.”

Maybe it’s the deliberate pace of life in a small bait shop that provides the allure that keeps them relevant to contemporary anglers.

A rka nsa s’ sma ll tow n ba it shops a lmost magically transport us to a happy place. Fishing brings happiness, contentment and peace, and bait shops are physical manifestations of the good feelings and memories.

“You don’t hardly ever see people in a bad mood,” says Kelm, the associate manager at the Harris Brake bait shop.

There’s a reason that many of the best fishing stories are about the one that got away. Their popularity likely lies in the representation of the unattainable, a moment in time and a fish that we’ll never grasp, as gone as the past itself. In much the same way, Arkansas’ old-school bait shops satisfy our nostalgia. Perusing the aisles, looking at the photos on the walls and listening to the stories, we connect to a long gone past in a way that’s comforting and reassuring.

William Faulkner famously suggested that the past isn’t dead, it isn’t even past. Visiting one of The Natural State’s small rural bait shops, it’s hard to argue against that claim.

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Small-town shops still carry the best gear for fishermen.

Walking into a small-town tackle shop is like entering a living history exhibition in the museum of fishing tales.

Stop by one of these bait shops next time you’re heading out.

CENTRAL ARKANSAS

Harris Brake Harris Brake Lakeside Resort Mayflower harrisbrakelakeresort.com 501-889-2745 Lake Conway Gold Creek Landing, Mayflower 501-607-0590 Bates Field and Stream Mayflower 501-470-1846

PHOTO BY BRIAN CHILSON

Little Red River The Ozark Angler, Heber Springs ozarkangler.com | 501-362-3597 Arkansas River McSwain Sports Center North Little Rock 501-945-2471 Lake Atkins Lucky Landing, Atkins 479-641-7615

Lake Nimrod Whiskers Sporting Goods Perryville 501-889-2011

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Crown Lake Boxhound Marina Horseshoe Bend boxhoundmarina.com 870-670-4496

Norfork Lake Hummingbird Hideaway Resort Mountain Home hummingbird-hideaway.com 870-492-5113

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Bull Shoals Lake Bull Shoals Boat Dock, Bull Shoals bullshoalsboatdock.com 870-445-4424

Horseshoe Lake Bonds Grocery, Hughes 870-339-2464

Lake Elmdale Duck Camp Fishing Retreat Springdale duckcampfishingretreat.com 479-871-6305 Lake Sequoyah Lake Sequoyah Boat Dock Fayetteville 479-444-3475

Maddox Bay Maddox Bay Landing Holly Grove 870-462-8317

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White River The Bottoms, DeVall’s Bluff thebottoms.us | 870-998-7000 Lake Chicot South Shore Cottages, Lake Village southshorecottages.com 870-265-2700

ARKANSASWILD.COM | 37

BASS CAPITAL OF ARKANSAS Lake Dardanelle is one of the nation’s premier lakes for fishermen

BY MI CH AEL RO B E RTS P H OTO S BY N OVO STUDIO

Covering more than 34,000 acres, Lake Dardanelle is filled with tournament-worthy bass.

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F

or 2015 The Bass Federation (TBF) National Champion angler Shawn Gordon, there’s no body of water he’d rather call home than Lake Dardanelle, just outside his native Russellville. “There’s always something biting,” he says. “You can catch bass in the shallow areas year-round, and there are certain areas 15 to 20 feet deep that are good at different times.” Gordon, a 25-year veteran tournament fisherman, considers the lake to be some of the best bass fishing around, a sentiment echoed by the thousands of people who come to the lake every year to participate in the numerous bass tournaments held there and enjoy the variety of opportunities for family fun.

ARKANSASWILD.COM | 39

“It’s the first of its kind anywhere, and there are a lot of places now copying it.”

- Shawn Gordon

Championship tournament fisherman Shawn Gordon searches for the perfect spot on his hometown lake.

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Gordon selects a bass jig from his bait rack.

For Gordon, though, what sets Lake Dardanelle apart from other parks and lakes is the 1,861-square-foot weigh-in pavilion, a state-of-the-art tournament venue that opened in 2002. “It’s the first of its kind anywhere,” he says. “And there are a lot of places now copying it.” For a lake that hosts dozens of bass tournaments every year, such a facility gets its share of use.

“It’s set up really well,” says Gordon.

“The parking is made for guys with boats, and the boat ramp is four or five lanes wide. There’s a covered boardwalk down to the jetty, and that makes things easier.” Add to that the ability of tournament organizers to set up inside an area that can be locked overnight, and the result is a facility that allows tournaments to run smoothly week in and week out. Non-tournament anglers will find a lot to love about the area as well. Near the weigh-in facility, the park boasts a covered, barrier-free fishing pier with great views of the lake and nearby Mount Nebo.

“The parking is made for guys with boats, and the boat ramp is four or five lanes wide.”

- Shawn Gordon

ARKANSASWILD.COM | 41

Lake Dardanelle was formed in 1965 after the completion of the Dardanelle Dam across the Arkansas River. The project was part of the McClellan-Kerr navigation project to make the Arkansas River navigable by commercial vessels, but com munit y a nd civ ic leaders in Russellville saw tremendous recreational potential in the 34,300-acre lake. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the state of Arkansas agreed, and Lake Dardanelle State Park opened in 1966. The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission stocked the lake with striped bass in the 1970s, and the population has thrived ever since, making the lake a hot spot for great fishing.

These days, the park stretches across two areas, a 163-acre section in Russellville and another 83 acres in Dardanelle.

Visitors to the park can take advantage of camping available in both sections, including power and water hookups and bathroom facilities that include hot showers. And with Mount Nebo State Park only four miles away, folks in the mood to enjoy the lake while retiring to less rustic lodgings are very close to that park’s selection of cabins.

The crown jewel of Lake Dardanelle State Park, however, is the 10,527-squarefoot visitor center overlooking the lake, a facility that boasts numerous educational opportunities for visitors. Six aquariums are located at the center, each stocked with fish that make their home in the lake and Arkansas River, as well as the nearby Piney Creek and Illinois Bayou tributaries. A series of touch-screen kiosks provides an interactive experience that serves to teach visitors about the lake, water quality and the different wildlife that can be found in the area. In addition, the visitor center is also wired with cutting-edge fiber optics to connect with local schools and provide the park with public Internet access.

In addition to providing such excellent opportunities for sport and relaxation, the influx of people that the lake brings in every year are a boon to the economy of Russellville and the surrounding areas. Tournament anglers from all over stay in area hotels, eat in area restaurants—and buy parts from one of the privately owned marinas located in the state park. Tourism is one of the state’s biggest industries, and a place like Lake Dardanelle where massive, ha rd-f ight ing ba ss ca n be caught regularly, is the sort of constant draw that keeps the surrounding areas vibrant while showcasing the beauty of The Natural State.

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The visitors center at Lake Dardanelle State Park encompasses more than 10,000 square feet, and features a number of educational opportunities for visitors.

Lake Dardanelle plays hosts to numerous tournaments, including the Bassmaster Elite 50.

The state-of-the-art tournament venue opened in 2002, and accommodates big events like the Big Bass Bonanza.

PHOTOS COURTESY OF ARKANSAS DEPARTMENT OF PARKS AND TOURISM

ABOUT LAKE DARDANELLE STATE PARK

No matter whether you are a competitive angler who goes hard after the excitement of landing the prize-winning bass, or someone who just enjoys dipping a hook in the water in hopes of catching whatever is nibbling today, the lakes and waterways of the Arkansas Delta will bring you all the fishing pleasure you could possibly hope for. Visit our friendly dealers for boats, tackle, whatever you need to make your Delta fishing trip more fun than ever. After you’ve caught your limit, explore all the interesting places to see and things to do, and stay in our lodges or other overnight accommodations. Visit the Arkansas Delta for the best fish tales of your life!

PHOTO: FISHING ON BEAUTIFUL LAKE CHICOT

This ad is paid for with a combination of state funds, private regional association funds and a National Scenic Byway grant

deltabyways.com ARKANSASWILD.COM | 43

ARKANSAS CRAPPIE Finding the best crappie fishing in Arkansas is a numbers game

BY MATT SCHROEDER

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The clear water at Lake Maumelle makes snagging crappie a little more difficult. They’re most easily caught during the spawn.

years from 2007 to 2009 resulted in numerous limits of slab white crappie in the years to follow, and recent high–water years should produce similar results in the future.

There are several other noteworthy crappie lakes in Arkansas, one of which is Lake Maumelle. Because of the water supply lake’s very clear water, catching Maumelle crappie can be tricky. Maumelle is dominated by black crappie that are most easily

caught during the spawn near the edge of aquatic vegetation.

Sout hwest A rka nsa s a nglers f requent ly catch good limits from the waters of Lake Millwood and nearby Bois d’Arc Lake. Northwest Arkansas isn’t as well known as a crappie destination as other areas of Arkansas, but the upper end of Beaver Lake has been experiencing a recent crappie boom, the result of high several high-water years.

PHOTOS COURTESY OF ARKANSAS GAME AND FISH COMMISSION

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rkansas is known for its diverse waterbodies and abundant fisheries, but when it comes to table fare, most Natural State anglers will cast their votes for the tasty crappie.

A rkansas’ perennial crappie powerhouse is Lake Conway. It not only has a large population of crappie, but many of them are slabs (the crappie fisherman’s nomenclature for a big fish). The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission (AGFC) studies the lake’s crappie each year by setting out nets that trap fish and allow biologists to collect various information about the number of fish they catch, as well their size. Lake Conway sampling data reveal that the 6,700-acre lake averages 49 crappie per net per night, the highest average in the state. And 36 percent of the fish exceed 10 inches in length. One of the most productive tactics is fishing for crappie around live cypress trees in the spring.

Harris Brake in Perry County is locally known for its high density of slabs. AGFC data show that 48 percent of the fish collected during net sampling are greater than 10 inches in length, giving Harris Brake the distinction of having the highest average length for crappie in the state. The large size of the lake’s crappie results from an abundance of forage, which enables extremely fast growth rates. The average length of a 2 ½-year-old crappie on Harris Brake is 11.4 inches.

At Lake Nimrod, angler creels attest to the lake’s sheer number of crappie. Anglers often report catching more than 100 white crappie a day. The lake’s abundant crappie population stems from consistently high water during the spring, which results in good reproductive success for the lake’s crappie and the survival of young fish.

Lake Dardanelle often provides very good crappie fishing, as well.

The crappie population is dependent on Arkansas River flows. High–water

WHERE THE TROUT ARE Arkansas is home to some of the best fly fishing on the planet

BY CHAD KNEELAND

Most of the trout caught in our rivers are the rainbow trout, which are stocked regularly. Our most coveted trout and largest in our rivers are the brown trout. The “browns” caught on the rivers are truly wild trout.

Arkansas is a magnificent trout destination. “Streamer” fishing, “nymphing,” “dry f ly” and “soft hackle” fly fishing all can be very successful depending on time of year and water conditions. More information is always available at no cost from any of the experts at our local fly shops.

PHOTOS COURTESY OF ARKANSAS GAME AND FISH COMMISSION

THE LITTLE RED RIVER

The best walk-in access points on Norfork River are just below the dam.

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iv ing in A rka nsa s, we a re luck y to have some of t he most fa mous f ly f ishing water in the world. The Little Red River, White River, Norfork River and the Spring River are our four rivers that produce amazingly beautiful trout year round. All of these rivers are located in northern Arkansas with The Little Red River in Heber Springs being the closest to central Arkansas. During late fall and winter those living in Little Rock, Maumelle, Hot Springs and Conway are able to fly fish in town due to the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission stocking local creeks, ponds and lakes. Near Hot Springs there are also two tailwaters from the Ouachita River and The Little Missouri in west Arkansas is stocked with trout during cooler months.

Our largest rivers in the state are tailwater rivers, meaning that the water from the rivers are controlled by dams and the Army Corp of Engineers.

When talking about our streams it is always a good idea to know how much water is being released from the dams to determine fishing conditions and most importantly water safety.

Talking to specialists at local f ly shops is the best way to know what’s currently happening on our rivers and the best way to be successful on your fishing trip.

Most of the fishermen and women on our rivers are wading into the river using public or private access.

This is a very brief breakdown of our main trout rivers in the state.

For more in-depth knowledge you can talk to any of the professionals in our local fly shops.

The Little Red River is known for the previous world-record brown trout caught by “Rip” Collins in 1992. This trout weighed 40 pounds and 4 ounces. The record stood for more than seven years. The Little Red River is 35 miles of trout water ranging from deep pools to classic riffles. The Little Red River is located in Heber Springs, just 60 miles north of Little Rock and is the result of the Greers Ferry Dam. You can find rainbow, brown, cutthroat trout and a few brook trout in this river. The most popular walk-in public access points are at the dam at JFK Park, Cow Shoals, Swinging Bridge, Libby Shoals, Pangburn Bridge and a small access at many of the boat ramps located throughout the river.

THE NORFORK RIVER

The Norfork River is only 5 river miles of trout water but it is a gem in our state. The river is a tailwater with Norfork Lake being its source. The Norfork River also held the brown trout record in 1988 with a weight of 39 pounds. The Norfork also offers a chance to catch four species of trout with the rainbow being the most common in the river. Walk–in access points include Quarry Park right below the dam, River Ridge Access (handicap accessible). And Baxter Road runs parallel to the river offering some access to the river.

DRY RUN CREEK

One special stretch of water that cannot be missed when visiting the Norfork River is Dry Run Creek. This is a unique creek and a true gem in our state. This is strictly catch-andrelease water. The only people who can fish in the creek are kids under 16 and people who are disabled.

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Everyone should walk along the creek and see the amazing trout that live in the small stream.

THE WHITE RIVER (BULL SHOALS)

The White River is a very large river compared to all others on this list. The White River boasts more than 100 miles of trout water. There are a tremendous number of access points on the river. The best thing to do before going the first time is to call the local fly shops and pick a small part of the river to fish. The White River differs from the other trout rivers in Arkansas on how much water can go through the river.

The Little Red River and The Norfork River have two generators that can release water but the White River has eight generators. Some of the more famous walk-in points are Wildcat Shoal, Roundhouse Shoal and Rim Shoals. I think the best way to enjoy and cover more water is by boat. The White is a fantastic streamer river and the best hopper river in the state. If big water is what you are after this is the river for you.

The Norfork River is a tailwater, with Norfork Lake as its source. There are four species of trout in the river, including an abundance of rainbows.

THE SPRING RIVER

The Little Red River offers 35 miles of trout water.

The most popular walk-in spots on the Little Red River include Cow Shoals and JFK Park.

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Rainbow trout are among the species in the Little Red River.

PHOTOS COURTESY OF ARKANSAS GAME AND FISH COMMISSION

The Spring River is located on the Missouri border in north Arkansas near Mammoth Springs. It is your best chance to fish when there is flooding at the other major rivers in the state. The top part of the Spring River gives the best opportunity for fly fishermen and women hunting for trout.

The best trout water only lasts around 10 miles. Favorite places to walk-in are from Mammoth Spring to Dam 3. You can rent a canoe, and boat fishing is best after this dam.

HEALTHY HABITATS

Improvements in water quality and physical habitat structures are but two factors needed to sustain healthy fish populations in Arkansas

BY JASON OLIVE AND BEN BATTEN PHOTOS BY MIKE WINTROATH/AGFC

In the popular Coal Pile backwater of the Arkansas River near Pendleton, cypress trees provide cover for fish such as largemouth bass, bream and crappie.

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hat’s the number one factor that affects the health of a fish population?

This isn’t a trick question, but it’s not rhetorical, either. There are a number of legitimate answers because there are many factors that affect the relative health of a fish population.

Genetics? Structure? Harvest? Weather or climate? All are contributing factors, just as they are for many animal populations. Want to grow big deer? Want to establish turkeys or improve their numbers on a piece of property?

Genetics, habitat, harvest and environment, as well as numerous other factors, contribute to the health and well being of animal populations.

Fish are no different.

But in an aquatic environment where fish reside, there’s one factor that trumps all others when it comes to producing more and/or bigger fish. It’s all about habitat.

We mentioned structure, and that’s certainly a big part of the habitat equation, but there’s so much more. Webster’s dictionary defines habitat as “the place or environment where a plant or animal naturally or normally lives and grows.” That encompasses a lot of things.

Let’s use Greers Ferry Lake as an example.

What constitutes the place or environment where the fish in Greers Ferry Lake live? Obviously, there’s the water in which they live, so we’ll start with that. We often think the most important thing about water in our favorite lakes is how free it is of pollution. While water that’s free of chemical pollutants is certainly desirable, there are a number of other water chemistry

issues that affect fish production even more.

The most important factor is what is commonly referred to as “productivity.” Productivity, generally speaking, is the combination of the nutrient content in the water (think nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium, the same elements that make your lawn or garden grow) and the alkalinity of the water.

Without delving too deeply into a chemistry lesson, alkalinity affects the pH of the water as well as the capacity for plants to uptake nutrients. Again, using the lawn and garden example, if you plant grass or crops in soil with low alkalinity, you can add lots of fertilizer and still achieve poor results because the grass or tomato plants can’t utilize the nutrients from the fertilizer. That’s why you must add lime in low-alkalinity situations.

The same is true in a lake. A body of water can have plent y of nutrients, but if the alkalinity is low, it won’t be a very productive lake. Likewise, a lake can have high alkalinity and low levels of nutrients, and it also will be unproductive for growing fish.

By now, you’re probably asking, “What determines if my lake has high or low productivity?” The primary factor is the soil (or rocks) surrounding the lake and its watershed. The reason most of Arkansas’ rowcrop agriculture is in the Delta and Coastal Plain isn’t just because those regions are flat; it’s because the soils are far more fertile than soils in the state’s mountainous areas. While the mountains of Central America are full of ARKANSASWILD.COM | 47

row crops because of the very fertile volcanic soil, this isn’t the case in the Ozarks and Ouachitas. They have very infertile soils and this translates to lakes with low productivity. Thus, Greers Ferry Lake will never produce as many pounds of fish per acre as Lake Millwood or Lake Chicot.

In addition to the productivity of water in a lake or river, another important water-quality factor is sedimentation.

Sedimentation is caused by erosion of soils adjacent to the water. In reservoirs this is usually more of a problem in the tributary streams that feed the reservoir. Sedimentation causes a number of problems, including turning the water muddy, which limits a sportfish’s ability to feed efficiently. It also covers spawning areas with silt, and fills in the upper areas of reservoirs, causing a loss of habitat. Most sedimentation is caused by human activity that exposes soil. Road construction, farming and timber harvest are the most common contributors to sedimentation of Arkansas streams.

When considering fish habitat, most people initially think of physical habitat, often referred to as cover or structure. This is almost as important as the previously mentioned water-quality characteristics, and fish need different types of physical habitat for different stages of life. First, a spawning pair of black bass or crappie need firm substrate free of silt (such as gravel) in relatively shallow water where they can make a bed in which to lay their eggs. It helps if there is some cover for protection from predators.

After the spawn, young fish need what is called “nursery” habitat, a safe place to hide from predators. The optimal nursery habitat is aquatic vegetation that is near spawning areas so that small fish don’t have to swim long distances through open water where they’re susceptible to being eaten. Finally, adult predatory fish such as black bass, when not engaged in spawning activities, need cover that helps them ambush prey such as shad or bluegill.

Aquatic vegetation is good for this purpose as well, but structure such as brush piles, hinge-cut trees and rock piles also provide good habitat. If a lake or reservoir has good coverage of highquality physical structure, especially nursery habitat, it will tend to produce better fish populations.

Again, habitat is the most important factor affecting fish populations in Arkansas lakes and streams. So what’s being done to maintain or improve fish habitat in Arkansas? The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission has a long history of habitat management and improvement in lakes and streams around the state. A number of small, AGFC-owned lakes receive lime applications to increase alkalinity and fertilizer applications to increase nutrients in the lake. Many Arkansas streams that have suffered from severe sedimentation have been improved by AGFC Stream Team shoreline-restoration projects. Many projects have taken place in watersheds that drain into popular reservoirs.

As for physical habitat improvement in lakes, AGFC has been a pioneer in the southern U.S., creating large brush piles in Bull Shoals and Norfork lakes many years ago. At one time, the Bull Shoals Lake habitat project was considered the largest in the nation.

Similar efforts have been conducted at lakes across the state over the years. Partnerships with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Bass Pro Shops, local angler groups and many others have led to the sinking of millions of trees, root wads and structures made from artificial materials such as PVC. These efforts take place every year on most lakes in the state. Recent projects on Lake Maumelle and Lake Greeson have produced measurable improvements in fish populations. The AGFC Black Bass Program also has contributed to fish-habitat improvements by establishing aquatic vegetation in lakes like Greers Ferry and Monticello.

So what lies ahead? The short answer is much more of the same. The AGFC Fisheries Division has committed to 48 | FISH ARKANSAs

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Artificial habitats such as these PVC structures often are used to bolster fish habitat in Arkansas lakes.

Aquatic vegetation like lily pads serve many purposes in a fish’s life cycle, providing nursery habitat where young fish can escape predators as well as ambush points where predatory fish can feed on smaller prey.

Woody debris along shorelines can give fish a hiding place from birds that prey on them.

Good fish habitat leads to good fishing.

Lake Maumelle near Little Rock experienced low water levels several years ago, revealing artificial habitat structures placed by the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission in cooperation with Central Arkansas Water.

“doubling down” on the recent successes in f ish-habitat improvements. T wo employees were recently reassigned to roles as full-time habitat biologists. A large-scale cooperative project recently wa s under ta ken on Beaver La ke, where hundreds of invasive cedar trees were removed from islands to improve wildlife habitat and then sunk in the lake to improve fish habitat. A massive, concentrated effort was undertaken this winter at Greers Ferry Lake, where AGFC staff from across the state converged on the lake for six days to work with the Corps of Engineers to construct numerous large fish habitat structures from cedar trees growing near the lake.

More of these projects are in the works for 2016 and beyond. Arkansas’ reservoirs are aging rapidly, and this means fish habitat is deteriorating faster that it can be rehabilitated. Because of this daunting task and limited staff, AGFC is looking for additional partners who want to improve fish habitat in their local lakes and rivers.

If your group is interested in participating in a joint habitat improvement project, call the AGFC headquarters at 1-800-3644263, and ask for the Fisheries Division; or call your local AGFC Fisheries Biologist.

Contact information can be found on the AGFC website at www.agfc.com.

ARKANSASWILD.COM | 49

Kids get in on the trout fishing fun at Dry Run Creek on the Norfork River, which is strictly catch-and-release.

ANGLING FOR ALL A plethora of AGFC programs, including the Family and Community Fishing Program, are connecting more Arkansans to new fishing opportunities

BY MAURICE JACKSON

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PHOTOS COURTESY OF ARKANSAS GAME AND FISH COMMISSION

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rkansas has an abundance of water and therefore plentiful fishing opportunities. From small farm ponds and big upland lakes to crystal-clear mountain streams and slow-moving bayous and major rivers, The Natural State’s rural landscape affords many opportunities to wet a line.

But not everyone can travel across the state to take advantage of Arkansas’ popular fishing spots. The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission’s Family and Community Fishing Program is attempting to fill a void by creating additional fishing opportunities in the state’s more populated areas.

The AGFC Family and Community Fishing Program’s primary goal is to provide high-quality angling experiences that are within easy reach of population centers. To that end, the program partners with cities of 25,000 or more people to provide angling opportunities to citizens who normally would have to travel to rural locations to fish. AGFC fish hatcheries produce channel catfish and rainbow trout that are trucked to more than three-dozen urban locations around the state, creating a community fishing hole that’s easily accessible for many Arkansans.

Over the past year, the Family and Community Fishing Program has stocked more than 135,000 fish at 39 community fishing ponds.

Research shows that people who are introduced to fishing at a young age and allowed to fish multiple times a year are likely to take on fishing as a lifelong hobby. The program seeks to offer Arkansans a fun family activity that can be enjoyed by people from all ages and all walks of life, while also reversing recent national trends that

show a decline in fishing license sales and fishing participation.

Many of us often talk about the “good old days,” a time before mobile phones and social media and video games and, well, so many other devices of modern technology. There were no X-Boxes and hover boards in those days, so children had to be more creative in finding fun activities.

The most popular “toys” for many children were creepy, crawly bugs and other wonders of nature found in the best playground ever created—the good old outdoors. Children explored nature and very likely got a little dirty in the process, but they rarely ran out of interesting activities. Today, some people refer to these types of activities as “free-range play.”

These days, however, many young Americans rarely encounter the adrenaline-charged feeling of freerange play with peers or the joy of spending quality time outdoors on a family fishing trip. There was a noticeable shift in the 1990s. Fewer

people actively engaged in nature, resulting in a decrease in sales of hunting and fishing licenses across the country. With fewer dollars generated through license sales, many states enacted budget cuts, which meant fewer dollars for management, enhancement and protection projects for state parks and wildlife.

The Natural State has always valued its unique natural resources, and in 1997 the state’s voters displayed their commitment to those resources by approving Amendment 75, the oneeighth of one-percent conservation sales tax dedicated to funding the AGFC, Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism, Department of Arkansas Heritage and Keep Arkansas Beautiful.

Amendment 75 has increased funding for these state agencies and made it possible to better manage and enhance Arkansas’ natural resources.

It also enabled AGFC to create programs designed to introduce more Arkansans to the joys of fishing.

Today, AGFC opens the door to fishing

Family fun trout fishing at Dry Run Creek.

Boyle Park in Little Rock is stocked with rainbow trout.

Bream fishing near Little Rock is a great way to enjoy the day.

Conner Park in west Little Rock is another popular fishing pond in the city.

for many Arkansans through programs such as Aquatic Resources Education, Hooked on Fishing, Not on Drugs and Family and Community Fishing.

Working with researchers from the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff, the AGFC launched its Family and Community Fishing Program in 2002. More than a decade later, the program now stocks 39 sites across the state. Currently, rainbow trout are stocked during the winter months, with the first stocking the week before Thanksgiving and a final stocking in February. Channel catfish are stocked during warmer months, beginning in April and ending in June. Following a hiatus during the hottest part of summer, catfish stockings resume in September and October.

Aquat ic Resou rces Educat ion is another successful AGFC program that has helped connect Arkansas residents with fishing opportunities. The national Aquatic Resources Education Association was incorporated in 1994 with a goal to expand aquatic education across the country. In Arkansas, ARE is known for its large mobile aquariums that often are seen at large festivals, schools and other community events. The program also loans out fishing tackle and hosts fishing clinics and fishing derbies throughout the state. The AGFC’s Aquatic Resources Education program started with only a handful of requests for fishing derbies, but in 2015 the program sponsored 353 derbies, stocking more than 100,000 fish for the one-day events.

Hooked on Fishing, Not on Drugs is another popular AGFC program that is steering young Arkansans toward fishing.

Introduced in 1997, HOFNOD, as it’s commonly known, works with schools to provide students the opportunity to study aquatic life, the value of clean waterways and conservation and stewardship.

HOFNOD curricula are aligned with A rka nsa s Depa r t ment of Educat ion standards, and students in the program also get to go fishing.

In 2015, HOFNOD reported a total of 180 schools using the program. The program has been correlated with preventing kids from using drugs, with a national study showing that youth who participated in HOFNOD were less likely to abuse drugs and alcohol.

Together, these AGFC programs are exposing many Arkansans to the joys of fishing and the outdoor lifestyle. Although The Natural State offers many fishing opportunities, AGFC programs such as Family and Community Fishing, Aquatic Resources Education and Hooked on Fishing, Not on Drugs are making fishing even more accessible to Arkansans.

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WHY A KAYAK? There are plenty of reasons why kayak fishing’s popularity is skyrocketing

BY RH O N DA C RO N E

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Kayak designs are increasingly becoming more fishing friendly and can accommodate plenty of gear, like Ben Morton’s Native Watercraft Slayer 12.

WHAT I LEARNED MOST FROM THESE GUYS IS EXACTLY WHY THEY PREFER KAYAK FISHING TO BASS BOAT FISHING. THEY HAVE PLENTY OF REASONS: • Kayaks cover more ground—you can get to places boats cannot. They can access remote streams with highly coveted “honey holes.” “Kayaks allow us to go places where no fish has seen a lure.”

• Easier storage • Easier loading and unloading • Kayaks cost less than boats (starting at around $300) • Maintenance is less expensive • Tournament fees are significantly less for kayak tournaments • Tagging kayaks is not required in the state of Arkansas • Kayak fishing leaves less of a carbon footprint than motorized boats • Immediate catch, photo, release in tournaments, based on length, not weight.

• Kayaks offer a stable platform—you can easily stand and fish.

• Kayaks are getting lighter but more durable. Companies are constantly re-tooling and making kayaks more fisherman-friendly.

• Kayak fishing is great exercise!

• Camaraderie. The kayak anglers are a tight, solid community of men, women and children—“age 8 to 80” says Calvert.

• Last but not least, kayaks offer many non-traditional uses—like as layout blinds for duck hunting. “You can take one kayak and do many different sports…hunting, camping, hiking, birding and more. They are great for hauling gear for a lot of sports,” says Morton.

PHOTOS COURTESY BEN MORTON AND CLIFTON CALVERT

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sat down with Clifton Calvert and Ben Morton from Arkansas Kayak Anglers at Ozark Mountain Trading Company in Garfield to talk about the growing popularity of kayak fishing. Six or seven years ago, before kayak fishing “came inland” (it was predominantly an ocean sport), as the guys say, Bruce Jenkins of OMTC wasn’t even selling fishing kayaks. In the past five years, they have become the bulk of his business.

Fishing is life for t hese g uys.

Ca lver t is a n A rka n sa s kaya k angler, OMTC pro staff member and volunteer for “Hooked on Fishing not Drugs,” a program in place at public schools sponsored by The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission, among other affiliations. He was wade fishing and realized he could cover a lot more ground (and water) in a kayak. Morton, also an OMTC pro staff member, moved into an apartment building that wouldn’t a l low boat t ra i lers for h is ba ss boat, so he bought a fishing kayak that would store easily. Now he has three.

Thanks to the variety of lakes, rivers and streams, which are all highly accessible for kayaks, and for abundance of fish, “Northwest A rka nsa s is probably one of t he best areas in the country for kayak f i sh i ng , or f i sh i ng i n g ener a l ,” says Morton.

Morton shows off a largemouth bass he caught on a kayak fishing trip on the Kings River.

Not only can kayaks cover more ground, they can also get to places that boats cannot, like this shallow pass on an Ozark stream.

Prepare to launch: A field of kayaks ready to hit the water at the Arkansas Kayak Anglers Tournament SWEPCO Lake.

Another advantage of kayaks is being able to get up close and personal with nature, like this beautiful bluff face on the War Eagle River.

We have one of the largest inventories of canoes, kayaks, and paddling gear in the area. Come See Us!

Kayaks starting at

$299

3 Locations to serve you!

Northwest Arkansas

14644 E. Hwy 62 • Garfield, AR 72732 (479) 451-1837

North Central Arkansas

124 McLean Avenue • Cotter, AR 72626 (870) 778-0070

Southwest Missouri

4381 Selmore Rd. • Ozark, MO 65721 (417) 485-3219

ozarkmtc.com

ARKANSASWILD.COM | 53

TOP GUIDES

Cravens, left, with friend and mentor Jason Piper.

ROGER CRAVENS

Q & A with two Arkansas fishing guides from JT Crappie Guide Services and Lindsey’s Resort

BY MICHAEL ROBERTS

Q: WHAT TARGET SPECIES DO YOU FOCUS ON? A: Crappie is what we target specifically, but we also offer bass, walleye and other things. The only thing we don’t do is the big stripers, although we will occasionally catch them while crappie fishing.

Q: WHAT REGIONS OR BODIES OF WATER DO YOU FISH? A: Mostly Beaver Lake and some of the smaller Game and Fish lakes in the area.

We also take some trout fishing trips below Beaver Dam. Q: WHAT IS UNIQUE ABOUT YOUR GUIDE OFFERING? A: I think one thing is that we can bring up to five guests on our boat, so we can accommodate families and kids. That’s a lot of the comments we get, how well we work with kids and families to give them a good time out there on the water.

Q: HOW LONG HAVE YOU GUIDED PROFESSIONALLY? A: This will be my seventh year doing it.

I started helping the original owner of JT Crappie about seven years ago. The business itself has been here 13 or 14 years.

Q: WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE STYLE OF FISHING? A; We’re typically fishing brush piles and structures around the docks. We do mostly single pole, but I’m working on developing a spider rig setup.

Q: WHO TAUGHT YOU THE MOST TO PREPARE YOU TO BE A PROFESSIONAL GUIDE? A: Jason Piper, who I took over the business from, taught me a lot. I grew up crappie fishing with my dad in Missouri, but fishing Beaver Lake is a different thing than any other lake.

Contact Information: Roger Cravens 254-315-2927

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BUDDY PATE LINDSEY’S RESORT HEBER SPRINGS

Q: WHAT TARGET SPECIES DO YOU FOCUS ON? A: Strictly trout—rainbow and German browns, specifically. I consider the Browns to be a greater challenge therefore a more valued catch.

Q: WHAT REGIONS OR BODIES OF WATER DO YOU FISH? A. Just the Little Red River as a guide.

Q: WHAT IS UNIQUE ABOUT YOUR GUIDE OFFERING? A: I like to teach my clients why we’re doing what we’re doing. Different techniques for different situations—I believe these lessons are important to the overall success of the trip. I want my clients to have a fulfilling experience and I think that understanding the whys are a large part of that.

Q: HOW LONG HAVE YOU GUIDED PROFESSIONALLY? A: 40 years.

Q: WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE STYLE OF FISHING? A; I love all forms of fishing but my favorite is deep-water dead-drifting from a boat.

Contact Information: Buddy Pate 501-362-3139 Enjoy a shore lunch at Lindsey’s Resort

PHOTO COURTESY COURTESY OF JT CRAPPIE GUIDE SERVICES AND LINDSEY’S RESORT

FISHING & FUN

JT CRAPPIE GUIDE SERVICES NORTHWEST ARKANSAS

SCHOOL OF FISHING Billy Murray’s new Bass Fishing Institute class will change the way you cast a line PHOTOS COURTESY OF ARKANSAS PARKS AND TOURISM AND BASS FISHING INSTITUTE

BY MEL JONES

Bass Fishing Institute founder Billy Murray and his twin brother Bobby.

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ountain Harbor Resort will play host to an advanced version of the Bass Fishing Institute this spring, offering four on-the-water sessions from April 18 through May 12. The school, designed and taught by 2016 Bass Fishing Hall of Fame inductee and Arkansas native Billy Murray, will cover advanced bass fishing techniques from A to Z. Billy formed the Bass Fishing Institute in 1975. The first school of

its kind was held on Lake Ouachita at Mountain Harbor Resort near Roya l, a nd g rew to become t he nation’s largest continuing educational program. Institutes were held at 19 major universities, with more than 30,000 students attending the two-day weekend schools from 1979 to 1984.

Billy began his fishing career more than 50 years ago as a fishing guide.

He and his twin brother, Bobby, became two of the most successful competitive fishermen in the United States, winning titles that include both state championships and the Bass Master Classic. Passing his knowledge on to other fishermen has always been a passion of Billy’s, and the Institute will give everyone with a passion for angling the opportunity to learn from the man himself.

The Bass Fishing Institute was founded for the fisherman. It is strictly a noncompetitive educational organization. Its purpose is to bring individuals into close contact with the methods and techniques of the country’s top bass fishermen. This gives individuals access to the knowledge and methods these top fishermen took years to acquire and develop.

For the 2016 sessions, students will arrive on Monday and depart on Friday, with fishing in the morning, classes in the afternoon and evening wrap-up sessions at the pool. Students

will be taught with both a study manual and an award-winning visual presentation, both developed and written by the Bass Fishing Institute.

Topics will include bass behavior, balanced tackle, how to read water, seasonal patterns, advanced lure selection, structure fishing and more.

Registration is open from now until April 1. Classes are limited to a capacity of 20 people per session to afford every student hands-on instruction from Billy. Information packets will be mailed to each student.

2016 session dates are April 18-22; April 25-29; May 2-6; and May 9-13.

Students must arrive by 5 p.m. on Monday for orientation at 6:30 p.m.

Each session is $395 per person, 18-years-old and up. A minimum, non-refundable payment of $200 is due at registration; the balance can be paid on the website or upon arrival at the school.

Each student is responsible for arranging their preferred lodging.

The Institute has partnered with Mountain Harbor, which is offering special rates on lodging and boat-slip rentals for students. Call the resort at 800-832-2276 for this special Institute discount.

For more information, visit bassfishinginstitute.com and mountainharborresort.com.

The 2016 Bass Fishing Institute will be held at Mountain Harbor Resort.

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ARKANSAS

STATE PARKS MARINA

GUIDE

BY MEL JONES

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1. DEGRAY LAKE RESORT STATE PARK GPS: N 34° 14’ 50”, W 93° 8’ 45”

2027 State Park Entrance Rd. | Bismarck Marina: 501-865-5840| degray.com DeGray Lake Resort State Park is Arkansas’ only resort state park. Set in the foothills of the Ouachita Mountains and nestled along the north shore of 13,800-acre DeGray Lake, DeGray Lake Resort State Park is Arkansas’ only resort state park. It also offers a full-service marina complete with dock space, watercraft rentals, fuel station, and a bait and tackle shop. Drinks and snacks are also available. A wide variety of boat rentals are available, including flat-bottom boats with motors, deck boats, party barges, kayaks, pedal boats and canoes. Free launch ramp and parking is available for personal craft at the marina as well as two other locations within the state park: DeRoche Ridge camping area and Caddo Bend.

Other services include fishing licenses, tow service, pump out and battery charge.

2. LAKE CATHERINE STATE PARK GPS: 34.437945, -92.917989

1200 Catherine Park Road | Hot Springs Main: 501-844-4176 | arkansasstateparks.com/lakecatherine Nestled among the natural beauty of the Ouachita Mountains is 1,940-acre Lake Catherine, one of the five Diamond Lakes in west central Arkansas. Lake Catherine State Park features many CCC/rustic-style facilities constructed of native stone and wood by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) in the 1930s. The park’s marina, open in summer only, sells bait and fuel. Rental boats, such as party barges, fishing boats, kayaks and canoes, are available throughout the year. Other services include launch ramp, battery charge and transient slip rental. Groceries, snacks and ice are available for sale daily at the visitor center that overlooks the swimming area and nature center (open during the summer only).

2542 Hwy. 257 | Lake Village Main: 870-265-5480 | arkansasstateparks.com/lakechicot The Mississippi Delta’s captivating beauty and recreational opportunities come together at Arkansas’s largest natural lake, Lake Chicot. Fishing for crappie, bass, and bream is popular on the 20-mile-long oxbow lake, especially on the upper end of Lake Chicot during spring and fall. Fishing for catfish can be enjoyed throughout the year. The store/marina offers food, gifts, fuel and bait for sale. Here you’ll also find party barges, fishing boats and solo kayaks to rent, as well as fuel, bait and a launch ramp.

4. LAKE OUACHITA STATE PARK GPS: 34.61864, -93.177295

5451 Mountain Pine Rd. | Mountain Pine Marina: 501-767-9367 | arkansasstateparks.com/lakeouachita Surrounded by the Ouachita National Forest, Lake Ouachita is the largest manmade lake within Arkansas’ borders.

Angling for bream, crappie, catfish, stripers and largemouth bass can be enjoyed in open waters or quiet coves along the lake’s 975 miles of shoreline. A wide variety of boat rentals are available, including flat-bottom boats with motors, deck boats, party barges, kayaks, pedal boats and canoes. Other services include fuel station, slip rentals, bait and supplies, battery charge and tow service.

5. MILLWOOD LAKE STATE PARK GPS: 33.677265, -93.987378

1564 Hwy. 32 East | Ashdown Marina: 870-898-5334 | arkansasstateparks.com/millwood Famous for bass tournaments, this 29,260-acre lake abounds in largemouth, catfish and crappie. Spring and fall offer anglers great crappie fishing, and catfish and bream fishing in summer. A marina offers gift items, groceries, bait, and gas for sale, and fishing boats, canoes, kayaks, pedal boats, and hydro bikes for rent. Slip rentals are available throughout the year.

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PHOTOS COURTESY OF ARKANSAS DEPARTMENT OF PARKS AND TOURISM

3. LAKE CHICOT STATE PARK GPS: 33.371939, -91.195783

EVENTS 2016 BASSMASTER ELITE bassmaster.com

APRIL 21-24: Bull Shoals & Lake Norfork

ARKANSAS BIG BASS BONANZA arkansasbigbass.com

JUNE 24-26: Five pools along the Arkansas River

MR. BASS OF ARKANSAS mrbassofarkansas.com

PRO-AM SERIES

FEBRUARY 7: Lake Ouachita MARCH 13: Lake Degray APRIL 10: Lake Dardanelle MAY 22: Greers Ferry JULY 17: Arkansas River at Little Rock AUGUST 20-21: Lake Ouachita (double points and wild card)

MR. BASS OF ARKANSAS INDIVIDUAL SERIES FEBRUARY 6: Lake Ouachita MARCH 12: Lake DeGray MAY 21: Greers Ferry

42ND MR. BASS CLASSIC

OCTOBER 7-9: Location TBD

ARKANSAS BASS TEAM TRAIL arkansasbassteamtrail.net

FEBRUARY 20: Lake Ouachita at Mountain Harbor MARCH 19: Lake Hamilton Fish Hatchery APRIL 16: Lake Greeson at Swaha Lodge & Marina APRIL 30: Lake DeGray, Big Bass Tournament MAY 14: Arkansas River at Pine Bluff Regional Park JUNE 18: Lake Dardanelle State Park SEPTEMBER 9-11: Lake DeGray, Championship

FISHING LEAGUE WORLDWIDE flwfishing.com WALMART FLW TOUR

APRIL 14-16: Beaver Lake

WALMART BASS FISHING LEAGUE, ARKIE TOURNAMENT

MARCH 5: Lake Ouachita APRIL 23: DeGray Lake JUNE 4: Lake Ouachita JULY 9: Lake Dardanelle AUGUST 27-28: Lake Dardanelle REGION 6: OCTOBER 27-29: Lake Dardanelle

RAYOVAC FLW SERIES

MARCH 31-APRIL 2: Lake Dardanelle

FORREST WOOD CUP

AUGUST 4-7: Wheeler Lake, Huntsville, AL

PHOTOS COURTESY OF ARKANSAS GAME AND FISH COMMISSION

FUN FOR THE WHOLE FAMILY! FREE FISHING WEEKEND

JUNE 10-12 Residents and nonresidents may fish this weekend without fishing licenses or trout permits. Regulations for Arkansas waters apply: daily limits, slot limits and length limits must be observed. Kids’ Fishing Day at the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission’s five fish hatcheries is Saturday, June 11, from 9 a.m.-2 p.m.

ARKANSASWILD.COM | 57

FISH

ARKANSAS RESORT GUIDE

Our favorite resorts combine fishing and outdoor adventure with pure relaxation

BY MEL JONES

GASTON’S WHITE RIVER RESORT | LAKEVIEW

36 20’ 55” N 92 33’ 25” W | gastons.com Since 1958, Gaston’s has welcomed guests to the White River for unparalleled trout fishing and adventure. Choose from more than 70 cottages, from a cozy spot for two to a two-story cottage with 10 private bedrooms. On the water, trophy size brown and rainbow trout await, and Gaston’s experienced guides—not to mention the fly fishing school—will have you reeling them in in no time. The dining experience at Gaston’s is a can’t-miss event in itself, from the Shore Lunch (see more on page 24) to the amazing Sunday brunch. Adding to the uniqueness of Gaston’s is the 3,200-footlong Bermuda grass airstrip, which allows for anyone to fly in for a visit.

LINDSEY’S RESORT | HEBER SPRINGS

-91.9539365 35.5199875 | lindseysresort.com Lindsey’s Resort in the Ozarks on the Little Red River has been serving families and groups for more than 40 years. With rustic log cabins, riverside vacation home and camping, you’ll find yourself surrounded by nature. Lindsey’s offers boat and kayak rentals, as well as guided bait and fly fishing trips. The recently renovated resort also boasts the Pot O’ Gold Restaurant, as well as a full-service bait shop.

MOUNTAIN HARBOR RESORT & SPA | MOUNT IDA

N34 34. 333 W93 26. 252 | mountainharborresort.com Situated on a wooded point at Lake Ouachita, Mountain Harbor Resort & Spa is just 25 miles west of Hot Springs and an hour-and-a-half from Little Rock.

The lodge area offers lakeside cabins, cottages, cabanas and condos, as well as larger properties perfect for groups. The marina will have you out on the water in no time, with boats and barges for fishing, skiing and relaxing available for rent. Hire a fishing guide for the day and find Lake Ouachita’s sweet spots, then relax in the evening with dinner at Harbor Lodge Restaurant. For even more relaxation, book a massage or other treatment at Turtle Cove Spa.

N36.3449919 W92.5304744 | stetsons-resort.com Combine southern hospitality with great trout fishing and what do you get?

Stetson’s on the White originally opened with a few campsites in the 1950s during the construction of the Bull Shoals Dam, and today’s incarnation offers 22 modern log cabins packed with amenities, including full kitchens, fireplaces and large outdoor decks with grills. Rent a boat and strike out on your own for a day of fishing, or hire a guide to take you and your friends or family on an unforgettable adventure. No rod and reel? No problem. You can also rent all the gear you need for some quality time on the White River.

REGIONAL RESORT RECCOMMENDATION BIG CEDAR LODGE | RIDGEDALE, MO

N 36.6734189, W -93.23825 | bigcedar.com Located on Table Rock Lake, Big Cedar Lodge offers a one-of-a-kind getaway experience. Choose from more than 250 well-appointed accommodations ranging from deluxe lodge rooms to luxury suites, cottages and private cabins, plus several dining options and the new 18,000-square-foot Cedar Creek Spa at Big Cedar. Bent Hook Marina offers boat rentals and all the gear you need for bass and crappie fishing on Table Rock, as well as guide services; you can even try your hand at bowfishing! If it’s trout you seek, head to nearby Dogwood Canyon Nature Park for half-day guided catch and release fishing, fly casting clinics, a two-day Orvis fly fishing school, and catch and keep opportunities.

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PHOTOS COURTESY OF ARKANSAS DEPARTMENT OF PARKS AND TOURISM

STETSON’S ON THE WHITE | FLIPPIN

FISH ARKANSAS GUIDE BOAT BUYERS’ Spending time on the water is a year-round sport in Arkansas, and having the perfect boat is essential.

Whether you’re a daily fisherman or a waterskiing aficionado, entertaining friends or spending the weekend at the lake with the family, our boat buyers’ guide will help get you out on the water in no time.

ARKANSASWILD.COM | 59

Gregg Orr Auto LOGO NEED THIS

754 LDSV WAR EAGLE

QUALITY, DURABILITY, FUNCTIONAL, Built in Arkansas.

As the Official aluminum boat for Ducks Unlimited, the War Eagle is made to last a lifetime!

As low as $194.15 per month MSRP $19,777.00 WAC Based on 10% down

2016 SUPRA SE 550 ROUSH

The 2016 Supra SE 550 ROUSH Edition is no ordinary boat. It takes everything our customers love about their Supra and supercharges it. With the style and power of a ROUSH Stage 3 Mustang and the bold design of the Supra SE, the 2016 Roush is the new bench mark for performance.

As low as $980.00 per month MSRP $165,000.00 Based on 10% down 4.99% interest WAC TTL not included

2016 SYLVAN 8522 MIRAGE TRITOON

Affordable luxury by the nation's oldest boat builder. Built for great days on the water with your family. Discover the comfort and quality that your family will enjoy at a low monthly price. Features like extended swim platform for easy water entry, the performance and ride of a triple pontoon, luxury interiors and much more.

As low as $277.35 per month MSRP $38,995.00 Based on 10% down 4.99% WAC TTL not included

greggorrmarine.com

Come see us at the Boat Shows for a great deal on your new boat!

Marine Expo in Little Rock, AR • Jan 29-31 Hot Springs Boat Tackle and RV show in Hot Springs, AR • Feb 26-28

Hot Springs, Arkansas

4903 CENTRAL AVE

覺

HOT SPRINGS, AR

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501-525-1818

SKEETER LIMITED EDITION FX21

The Limited Edition FX21 and FX20 series boasts a brand new attitude with custom colors unique only to the limited edition line. These limited edition models come fully loaded with HDS 12 Gen 3 electronics on dash and HDS 9 Gen 3 on bow, Two (2) 8’ Blade Power-Poles® color matched to your boat, Minnkota® Fortrex 112 trolling motor and Rigid Industries® deck lighting & storage lighting in all boxes.

SUNCATCHER X322 RF

The SunCatcher X322 RF not only has outstanding fishing features, but also entertainment areas that complete the perfect layout for all on-water activities. Serious angling is accommodated in the stern, with a large livewell and rod storage, while the forward area includes plush furniture and family friendly amenities that enhance your comfort.

YAMAHA 1860 DK COMBO

G3 Boats has teamed with Bust’Em Boat Blinds to create the best in mobile duck blind shooting platforms. Now you can take your blind to your favorite hunting area. This unique package has all of the features that serious hunters demand and a few that are not found on any other blind. An integrated dog ladder is a standard feature, as well as the quick release covers that allow instant action when the ducks arrive. Easy access shell has multiple entry points for convenience in any environment, and dependable Yamaha power adds reliability to this outstanding package.

blackbeardmarine.net

AXIS A22

The A22 isn't just our top-selling Axis model ever—it's also dominating its competition after only six years. In 2015 the A22 was completely revamped with a new hull and running surface, boosting the wakes and waves for which it was already famous.

The 2016 A22 is equipped with an array of all-new upgrades, and sends up wakes and waves that are undeniably mammoth for a 22-footer. Built to turn the water into the ultimate playground for wake-boarders of every skill level, the A22 features an aggressive, performance-first profile and an amazingly versatile, wake- and wave-maximizing hull.

WAKESETTER 25LSV

For the biggest, cleanest wakes and waves, the massive new 25-foot Wakesetter 25 LSV handles like a dream, and can easily haul 19 people. The industry leading dual-touchscreen Command Center controls every aspect of the wave- and wake-maximizing hull, and the new Surf Band allows wave-riders to remotely control speed and engage both the Surf Gate and Power Wedge II to shape a custom wave on either side. Upgrades for 2016 include new helm seats, new upholstery and color options, bigger phone holders, USB outlets, action camera mounts, brighter underwater lights and more

M235

Malibu’s new M235 was designed to be nothing less than the most ultra-premium performance towboat the world has ever seen, built as the first in a new line that gives you the edge on the water anywhere, every time. This extra-deep, 23-foot-5-inch machine is loaded with every single one of Malibu’s unique, revolutionary innovations, including the Integrated Surf Platform and the most luxurious interior and advanced helm in the industry. No other manufacturer can offer anything like Malibu’s exclusive, patent-protected Power Wedge II. This revolutionary hydraulic hydrofoil works with the engineered hull designs, hydraulic Surf Gate, Quad Hard Tank Ballast, Plug ‘n’ Play ballast and Surf Band as part of Malibu’s peerless Integrated Surf Platform for the ultimate watersports experience.

MALIBUBOATS.com | axiswake.com

#1 SELLING INBOARD BOAT IN THE WORLD

STUCKEY & GRIMES XTREME MARINE, INC. 8008 WARDEN RD SHERWOOD, AR (501) 392-0315 xtrememarineinc.com

ARROWHEAD BOAT SALES 14555 AR-12 ROGERS, AR (479) 925-1199 arrowheadboatsales.com

PERFECT CATCH MARINE & SPORTS 1314 CENTRAL BLVD BULL SHOALS, AR (870) 445-2628 perfectcatchmarine.com

COPHER'S BOAT CENTER, INC. 8111 US-271 FORT SMITH, AR (479) 646-5672 cophers.com

malibuboats.com

STUCKEY & GRIMES XTREME MARINE, INC. 3705 ALBERT PIKE HOT SPRINGS, AR (501)767-1591 xtrememarineinc.com

PHOTO COURTESY OF ARKANSAS GAME AND FISH COMMISSION

LAST CATCH

Sometimes the big catch turns out to be the one you aren’t even looking for. On March 2, 2015, Springdale firefighter Jessie Wilkes and his fishing buddy Richard were on Beaver Lake trolling for walleye. Wilkes got hung up, as it happens when trolling, and spooled a good 300 feet of line before getting untangled. As Richard eased the boat toward the line, it took off to the other side of the water—this wasn’t a walleye. Turns out Wilkes had snagged a paddlefish, and a new state record along with it. The 105-pound monster out-weighed the previous record (set in 2007) by 2.5 pounds, and came in at 65 inches long, and around 42 inches in circumference.

— Mel Jones Check out more Arkansas state fishing records at agfc.com/fishing.

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