When and Where to fish in Arkansas

January

While most fish slow down in the cold, sauger start staging to spawn. One of the best bets is below the dams on the Arkansas River at Dardanelle and Ozark. Keith “Catfish” Sutton, an outdoor writer and author of the book "Fishing Arkansas.” suggests live minnows and jigs, something crappie size not bass size. 

He also sees opportunity in the cold to catch blue and channel catfish.

“You might catch a 100-pounder that time of year,” Sutton says. “The Mississippi River is probably the number one honey hole in the world and then any of the big rivers in Arkansas would be worth targeting.” 

That includes the White and St. Francis rivers, as well as any of the big Corps of Engineers reservoirs statewide.

February

Crappie are plentiful in Beaver Lake and can be caught all year long, especially in winter if you’re willing to bundle up and brave the elements. Rance Carter of Huck Fin’s Guide Service recommends fishing deep and targeting structure.

Spider rig over open water to locate a school, drop a marker buoy, then slow down and vertical jig to stay on them.

All of Arkansas’s big lakes are good crappie lakes. “All of the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission lakes are worth checking out,” Sutton adds. “Lake Conway is probably one of the best in the county for crappie.” He also likes the oxbow lakes along the Mississippi—places like Lake Chicot and Horseshoe Lake.

March

Spring triggers movement. From mid-March into April, walleye begin their spawning runs, pushing from big lakes into tributaries. Anglers target them from boats or banks on waters like Greers Ferry, Bull Shoals, Lake Greeson and Lake Ouachita.

White bass do the same. Anticipation of the white bass run is always a hot topic of conversation among anglers as spring approaches. All four diamond lakes near Hot Springs have good white bass runs, as does Lake Maumelle in Central Arkansas. “Probably the best of the best is Beaver Lake,” Sutton says. The run up the west fork of the White River is prime for big three pounders that time of year. War Eagle Creek is also popular. 

People tend to jump the gun and get out there with the first few warm days, but the run will take place when the water temperature stays in the low 50s for a few days, says Randy Zellers with AGFC. In the southern part of the state, that can be early March, but it may be almost April before Beaver Lake sees those conditions.

April

Spring fishing has a lot more appeal as temperatures warm up and anglers are antsy to get outside. Consider taking advantage of the crappie spawn and largemouth bass spawn in Cane Creek Lake, Lake Chicot, Bear Creek Lake and Storm Creek Lake.

May

Bream are bedding now and anglers want to focus on the days before and after the full moon from now through the end of summer, says Zellers. Lake Conway, White River oxbows, and Delta reservoirs like Peckerwood Lake should be hot.

June 

Catfish thrive in warm water, and June’s heat draws them shallow. “Baits carry scent and smell further in summertime too because water is warmer, so that makes it easier to catch whisker fish,” Sutton adds. The Mississippi River along the state’s eastern border is often touted as the country’s top trophy catfish producer.

July

In the summer, beat the heat in a cold tailwater such as the Little Red River below Greers Ferry Dam. This world-class trout stream has 29 miles of suitable trout habitat, created after the completion of the Greers Ferry Dam in the early 1960s.

Hatchery-raised rainbows provide the bulk of the Little Red River’s fish population, but there are wild browns too. The world record for a brown trout (40 pounds, 4 ounces) was caught here in 1992 by Howard “Rip” Collins and stood until it was surpassed in 2009. Other prime tailwaters can be found below Beaver, Norfork and Bull Shoals dams. The Spring River is another hot spot for trout but note in summer it’s also crowded with people canoeing and rafting.

August

What’s biting during the dog days of summer? Drum. Hot spots include the White River at Hurricane Lake Wildlife Management Area in Bald Knob and directly below dams of the Arkansas River. Night crawlers fished on the bottom might be your best bet. While drum aren’t necessarily a popular fish to catch, when nothing else is biting on a hot day, they put up a fun, feisty fight, are often large, and good to eat.

September

You can catch just about anything in Arkansas lakes in September. “Fishing under lights at night is always going to improve your odds,” Carter says. “Light stimulates plankton that draw shad that draw predator fish.”

Green lights are best. Once you see the water cloud with baitfish, vertical jig with small, heavy spoons to get down to the strike zone. What hits next is anybody’s guess—crappie, catfish, largemouth, even striped bass.  “You really just don’t know what you might catch,” says Sutton. “It could be almost anything.”

October

Seasonal rains recharge creeks and rivers, setting up excellent conditions for smallmouth bass. Top Arkansas waters include Crooked Creek, Big Piney Creek, Kings River, the Little Missouri and the Buffalo National River. Fish crank and spinner baits across riffles or work live bait in deep holes with structure such as large rocks and fallen trees.
Zellers says the other bonus to this month is great fall temperatures and awesome fall colors.

November

Brown trout begin their spawning run this month. In northern Arkansas, browns move upstream from the Norfork tailwaters into Dry Run Creek, where they stack up densely in deep pools easily accessed by wading or bank fishing. 

Located just below the Norfork National Fish Hatchery, the creek carries 32 million gallons a day of cold hatchery effluent roughly 3/4 mile to its confluence with the North Fork River below Norfork Dam.The creek is limited to anglers under the age of 16, accompanied by an adult, and to mobility impaired anglers, who may fish from the pier or boardwalk. It’s catch and release only, and only artificial lures with single barbless hooks are allowed.

Adults looking for a shot at big browns can fish the White and North Fork rivers, but avoid stepping on spawning beds. 

December

Bundle up and break out the electronics. Striper fishing peaks in December on Lake Norfork and other big reservoirs. Look for large schools of shad, then drop a swimbait, jig or spoon just below.

“You’re likely to get a mixed bag of white bass, stripers, walleye and bass,” Zellers says.

If you’re using live bait, make sure it’s from a certified bait shop or caught in the same water where you fish. Transporting live bait you caught from the wild yourself is illegal because of the risk of moving invasive species like silver carp. “If it’s being used as dead shad like some trout anglers and catfish anglers use, it’s fine,” explains Zellers.

NOTE: Many lakes, rivers and streams have unique length limits and daily creel limits for certain species. Check AGFC.com for fishing regulations; plus, you can buy a fishing license there too.