Jun 10
24
Striped Bass fishing in Arkansas is relatively new compared other species with far fewer anglers pursuing this mammoth saltwater native. Fishing for Stripers requires techniques more comparible to hunting than typical fishing. Striped Bass are a schooling fish, constantly roaming the lake in search of baitfish to gorge themselves with. Striped Bass feed constantly, year round, resulting in fish ranging from 10lbs to 60lbs, with 20-30lb fish being very common. The Striped Bass doesnt reproduce in most of the Arkansas lakes, so fingerlings are introduced by the AGFC, which need 8-10 years to reach this 20-30lb range. The only area they are known to actively reproduce is in the Arkansas River.
Novice anglers should be familiar with the dynamics of the Striper pursuit before taking to the water. Fishing for Stripers is unlike any other game fish in freshwater. These fish are the hardest fighting game fish in Arkansas lakes, in my opinion. Extremely heavy tackle is required to boat one of these beasts, considering the possibility of a 50+lb fish crossing your path. Big game rods and reels are a must as standard bass rods will snap under pressure. 30lb-50lb line is recommended as well. And a gigantic net. Stripers are very prone to spit the hook at you right at the boat, so the net and a fishing partner is a must.
A modern graph with HQ sonar and GPS is a must for all serious striper anglers. Since the schools are constantly on the move, locating them can be difficult if not impossible without a reliable graph. Stripers can be found in waters 100ft-180ft deep suspended in trees or river channels, and finding them can be simply with quality electronics. The GPS allows you to mark spots where you find them which can be helpful in future years.
Despite the youth of Striped Bass fishing in our state, the Striper lakes in Arkansas are well known nationally as some of the best lakes for monster Stripers. No matter where you reside in Arkansas, there is a Striper lake within a few hours drive. Heres a look at Arkansas’ Top Striper Lakes (in our opinion….):
LAKE OUACHITA
My brother-in-law battled this 40lb Striper from the depths of Lake Ouachita near the Blakely Dam last summer.
Lake Ouachita is known as the Trophy striped bass capital of the world offering the best trophy striper fishing anywhere with 30 ponders showing up on a regular basis with plenty of 50 pound rod bending, line stripping, reel straining monumental giants to keep you on your toes. Lake Ouachita is a large, clear water lake with a huge threadfin and gizzard shad population. Because of the clear, unpolluted water, there is a healthy plankton and algae colonization. Since shad are plankton and algae feeders, they multiply extremely well in Ouachita. Striped Bass anglers are among the most mobile, and they will drive from other states to get to trophy fish. In addition, the Internet has spread the word about the quality of fishing on Lake Ouachita, and with it comes out-of-state revenue. Lake Ouachita offers the best freshwater trophy striped bass fishing in the United States. Many anglers dream of catching a state or world record striped bass, and that could become a reality on Lake Ouachita. So, whether you’re looking for a record fish or just a memorable day fishing in some of the most scenic shore lines in the world, you must fish Lake Ouachita. May / June are two prime top water months on Lake Ouachita and provide some really exciting surface fishing before the fish go deep and anglers turn more to live-bait fishing. The best Striper fishing occurs between first light and about 10 a.m. and during the last three or four hours of the day, which are the two periods during which the stripers typically come up to feed. Dark overcast days, stripers will come up all day. If stripers are actively busting bait on the surface, Two lures can be exclusively used at this time of year a big stickbait and a large jerkbait in rainbow or shad colors. If the fish aren’t breaking, your depth finder and jigs or spoons become your best friends if your not into using live bait. Work main-lake points and lake humps until you find the fish. Cedar Fourche and waters around Brady Mountain and Crystal Springs are good areas to work points for stripers this time of year.
BEAVER LAKE
Beaver Lake is intentionally managed for BIG STRIPERS, not big numbers, according to AGFC biologists.
Beaver Lake produced a former state-record striped bass, which weighed 57 pounds. In addition, the current Arkansas state record Striped Bass, a 64-pound, 8-ounce giant that is also a line-class world record for 12-pound test, came from the Beaver Lake tailwater. Striped Bass don’t reproduce naturally in Beaver Lake, but the lake has been stocked with about 200,000 stripers a year since 1967 Farkas said. The average striped bass runs about 15 pounds, but it’s not uncommon to catch 20- to 30-pound fish.The lake record is 57 pounds. Because of its size and depth, Beaver Lake has good habitat even through the hottest days of summer. In addition to stripers, which get stocked at a target rate of 200,000 fish per year (though in some years actual numbers are lower), Beaver gets hybrid striped bass stocked in it every three or four years. Beaver Lake supports a good shad population, with both threadfin and gizzard shad in the mix. Striped bass growth rates, which biologists keep a close eye on, are very good. The stripers make a distinct run up the lake’s two main arms during March and April in an attempt to spawn and in the summer most fish are within about six miles of the dam, where the best deep-water habitat is found. During May, however they might be just about anywhere. Fishermen rely on one of three basic methods during late spring. The first is topwater fishing, which is at its best during May, this is probably the most exciting way to catch striped bass and the best bet for anglers who haven’t done a lot of striper fishing. In addition to fishing big plugs on the surface, live-bait fishing and trolling are the two most popular and effective ways to target Beaver Lake stripers. Most live-bait fishermen use small to medium-sized gizzard shad, which they may fish on free-lines, suspend under balloons or fish straight down on down-lines. Tactics vary according to whether stripers are schooling and how deep most shad and stripers show up on your graph. Stripers move a lot, following schools of shad. Often suspending 20 to 30 feet deep over 40 to 60 feet of water when they are not busting shad on the surface.
LAKE HAMILTON
61.10lb Lake Hamilton Striped Bass caught in March of this year.
Striped Bass in the 40, 50 and even 60 pound class are no strangers to Lake Hamilton. Two of the last four Arkansas State Record Striped Bass were caught out of Hamilton. In March 1997 a 53-lb., 9-oz. striper was caught, four days later, a striper weighing 53 pounds,13 ounces was caught. Both record fish at the time. Lake Hamilton’s record striped bass caught March 2010 weighed 61.10 pounds. You need to get on the water and start fishing before first light and fish until 9 or 10 in the morning on Lake Hamilton. The first-light bite on Lake Hamilton mirrors what occurs on Lake Ouachita. The stripers school pretty regularly for the first hour or two of the morning, before the boat traffic, usually over points or humps. During the summer, you should focus on the shallow frigid waters of the Ouachita River on the North end of the lake near Blakely Dam. This stretch is home to most exciting striper action of the summer. This area serves as a staging area for hundreds of monster stripers in June-August. Last summer, the fish could be found here EVERY morning between 8am and 10am. For a period of about 3 weeks in late July, early August, you could set your watch by the striper schools, arriving at 9:30am every day. The water through this area fluctuates from 8ft to 20ft, and at its widest point might be 100 yards across. Spectactular surface feeding takes place here, with hundreds of the fish swarming the surface eating everything in sight. You can look down and see the fish flying in all directions in a frenzy. You can throw anything you want and land a good fish. My suggestion would be a large C-10 Redfin or trout colored Pop-R. Trolling shad will produce as well. If you are priveleged enough to witness this, be prepared with multiple rigs, the frenzy lasts only 30min, then they disappear back to the main lake. 50lb+ fish were pulled from this area last summer. Another option for landing monster fish in the summer is fishing at night.
LAKE NORFORK
Stripers in Lake Norfork prefer water temperatures between 65 and 70° F. During winter and spring, they can be found anywhere in the lake where there are shad concentrations.
Lake Norfork Striped Bass have been stocked annually since the mid 1960′s. Stripers over 40 pounds are commonly taken. Many in the 30 pound class are caught every year. There is an abundant population of young Stripers that will keep Lake Norfork dynamic and productive for years to come. Shad are plentiful in Lake Norfork so Stripers average 2.5 to 3 pounds of growth per year. A 10 year old Striper in Lake Norfork weighs about 25 pounds. Stripers in Lake Norfork prefer water temperatures between 65 and 70° F. During winter and spring, they can be found anywhere in the lake where there are shad concentrations. After the thermocline forms in May, they are gradually pushed down lake where they eventually concentrate along the dam. The reason for this is that the oxygen below the thermocline gets used up by biological activity and is not replaced until winter. This process begins in the upper lake and in the upper ends of the creek arms and progresses down lake. In order to stay in the preferred temperature that also has high enough oxygen levels the Stripers must also move. By September most of the Striped bass in the lake will be within five miles of the dam.
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