Great Places to Fish - Arkansas Game and Fish Commission

Great Places to FishIN CENTRAL ARKANSAS

Anglers in Central Arkansas:Not only are the Arkansas River and Lake Maumellewithin easy reach, dozens of smaller public lakes andponds can be found near Little Rock. The ArkansasGame and Fish Commission has partnered with several citiesin central Arkansas to provide convenient and exceptionalfi shing opportunities.Try some of this convenient and exciting fi shing action.Take your children or some kids from your neighborhood andenjoy a relaxing day of catching fi sh. The fi sh you catch canbe prepared several ways to make a healthy, tasty meal.A current Arkansas fi shing license is required for all anglers16 years of age and older. To harvest trout, a trout permit alsois required for anglers 16 or older. Consult a current ArkansasFishing Guidebook for other regulations.

Surrounded by OpportunityNorthwestNortheast ake Maume leSouthwestCentral30SoutheastGreat places to fishin central ArkansasWhen we set out to list all the great fi shing opportunityanglers have in central Arkansas, even we were amazed atthe number of excellentlocations throughout thearea. To make things easy, webroke the region down intofi ve sections. Each sectionhas its own map and detaileddirections to lead you right tothe water’s edge. No matterwhere you live in the LittleRock area, there’s sure to be afi shing hole right around thecorner.

North Little Rock 30 Little Rock Central1 Alltel Access(Arkansas River Access)The ramp is beside the I-30Bridge opposite the ClintonLibrary.2 Boyle ParkFrom I-630 turn south onUniversity Avenue (Exit 5B).Turn west on Boyle Park Rd.and follow it to the park.3 Burns Park(Arkansas River Access)Turn south off I-40 at the BurnsPark Exit (Exit 150). FollowWest Military Dr. to the ramp.4 Cooks Landing(Arkansas River Access)From I-430 turn south onCrystal Hill Rd. (Exit 12). Turnright on North Shore Dr., thenright on Cooks Landing Rd. andfollow it into Cooks LandingPark.5 Gribble Street Access(Arkansas River Access)Traveling east on E. Broadwayin North Little Rock, turn righton E. Washington, then veerleft on E. Lincoln. Turn left ontoS. Cheryl St. and follow it tothe river and the ramp.6 Hindman ParkFrom I-630 turn south onUniversity Ave. (Exit 5B). Turnright on 65th St. and follow65th to the park.7 Kiwanis ParkTake Barrow Rd. south and turnwest on 36th St. Turn left ontoFoster – the pond is on theleft.8 Lander’s LakeBehind Lander’s Ford at5909 S. University Ave.9 MacArthur ParkBehind the Arkansas ArtsCenter on the corner of 9thand Commerce.10 Murray ParkFrom I-430 take Cantrell Rd.(Exit 9) east to Rebsamen ParkRd. Turn left on Rebsamen,then left on Riverfront Dr. Turnright past the golf course intoMurray Park.11 North Little RockVeteran’s HospitalFrom I-630 eastbound in LittleRock, take Exit 1B to Broadway.Turn left on U.S. Hwy. 67/70.Turn left on W. Broadway Ave.Turn right on Pike Ave. Turn lefton W. 18th St., then bear righton Fort Roots Dr. Turn right onHill Rd., then right on First St.The pond is on your right.12 Ottenheimer ParkFrom the south end ofS. University Ave., cross overthe railroad tracks going toChicot Rd. Immediately afterthe railroad crossing, make aleft onto Azalea. Make the next

left onto Dahalia. The pond ison the left.13 Remmell Accessat Fourche CreekFrom I-440 in Little Rock, takethe Lindsey Rd. Exit (Exit 4)and turn left onto Lindsey Rd.Turn right into Remmell Park.14 Riverfront ParkFrom I-30 in North Little Rocktake the Cantrell Exit (Exit141A). From Cantrell, turn rightin one of several parking lots inthe River Market.15 Ski LakeFrom I-40 take Exit 150 at BurnsPark and turn right ontoW. Military Dr. Turn right at theT intersection and go about100 yards to the lake on theleft.16 War Memorial Youth andSeniors PondFound in War Memorial Parkacross from the Little RockZoo. From I-630 take the FairPark Exit (Exit 4) and go northto War Memorial Park. Thepond is on the left.ake MaumellePinnacleMountainMaumelleNorthwest1 Environmental EducationPondThis pond is in PinnacleMountain State Park. FromArkansas Hwy. 300, turn easton Pinnacle Valley Rd. Thepond is on the north side ofthe road about half a mile fromthe highway.2 Lake MaumelleThe best access to LakeMaumelle is at Jolly Roger’s Marina about midway up thelake on Arkansas Hwy. 10.3 Maumelle ParkFrom I-430 take the Cantrell Rd.Exit (Exit 9) and go west 2.7miles. Turn right on PinnacleValley Rd. The entrance is in a90-degree turn and is clearlymarked on the right.4 Palarm Creek Use AreaFrom North Little Rock take I-40to Mayfl ower. Turn left and goover the overpass. Turn left onArkansas Hwy. 365 and travelabout 4 miles until you see thePalarm Use Area on both sidesof the highway.5 Pinnacle Mountain State Park(Little Maumelle Access)Take I-430 to Cantrell Rd. west 2.7 miles and turn righton Pinnacle Valley Rd. andcontinue to Pinnacle MountainState Park. Turn right andfollow the signs to the accessand fi shing area.6 Two Rivers Park(Arkansas River Access)From I-430 take Cantrell Rd.(Exit 9) west 2.7 miles andturn north on Pinnacle ValleyRd. Go straight where PinnacleValley makes a sharp, 90-degree turn north and travel1.5 miles to the entrance.30

CabotJacksonvilleNortheast1 Cabot Community PondFrom U.S. Highway 67/16730 take the Arkansas Hwy. 89 Exit(Exit 19) in Cabot, turn right.Continue and turn right onCampground Rd.2 Cherrywood LakeFrom U.S. Hwy. 67 take theKiehl Exit (Exit 5) and go weston E. Kiehl Ave. Turn south onSummit Dr.3 Dupree ParkFrom U.S. Hwy. 67 take Exit 8and turn left onto Redmond Rd.4 Lake PickthornePickthorne lies on the westside of Holland BottomsWildlife Management Area.From the frontage road on theeast side of U.S. Hwy. 67/167between Jacksonville andCabot, turn right on E. CoffeltRd. Turn right on HollandBottoms Rd.5 Paradise LakeFrom U.S. Highway 67/167in Jacksonville take the MainStreet Exit (Exit 9) and turnleft onto W. Main St. Go about1.5 miles and turn right ontoRedmond Rd. Thepark is near the endof the road on theleft.

30Wrightsvilleake MaumelleSoutheast1 David D. Terry Lock and Dam(Arkansas River Access)From Arkansas Hwy. 165 South,turn south on Colonel MaynardRd. Turn west on E. Dam SiteRd. The road dead ends at thedam and the boat launch.2 Willow Beach ParkFrom Arkansas Hwy. 165 South,turn south on Colonel Maynard Rd. Willow Beach Park is on theright about 2 miles from theturn.BryantBentonSouthwestBenton City Lake(Sunset Lake)From I-30 westbound in Benton,take the Sevier St. Exit (Exit 116)and go over the overpass. Takethe loop that curves right to theservice road and take a left. Fromthe service road, take a left onFairfi eld Rd. by the fairgrounds.Make the sharp curve into HenrySt. The dock will be on the right.Otter Creek ParkFound in Little Rock City Park offStagecoach Rd. (Highway 5) pastthe Westwood Apartment Complexsouth of Colonel Glenn Rd.Saline River Access on I-30From Sunset Lake Dock (seeabove), continue on Henry St.one-half mile to the river access.Saline River Access on ArkansasHighway 5From I-30 in Benton, take theHighway 5 Exit (Exit 117). Turnonto Highway 5 north for about 2miles and turn left on Lyledale Rd.at the brown access sign leadingstraight into the park.

Getting started got youtied up in knots?Here are a few pointers to get you on the fish quickly.· The most popular way to tie a hook or lure to your lineis an improved clinch knot. This knot is extremely strongand can be mastered very easily. Here’s how you do it:1. Pass the end of the line through the hookor swivel eye once and pull it back towards the mainline.2. Make five turns or“S” twists with thefree end of the linearound the mainline.3. Pass the end of theline between theeye and the firstloop formed.4. Bring the end through the large loop just formed andslowly pull tight while holding the free end by yourthumb and forefinger.5. After pulling tight, cut off any extra line coming outof the knot.1234

· Knowing when a fish has taken your bait usually is thedifference between catching fish or just feeding them.Here are two ways to rig your line so you know whenthe fish bites:Bobber Fishing – Placea float or bobber onthe line above the hook.This will suspend thelure above the bottom.When the bobber goesunder the surface, a fishhas taken the bait. Pullback on the rod to set thehook. Adjust the distance between the bobber and thehook to change the depth of water you are fishing. Trydifferent depths until you find where the fish are hiding.Bottom Fishing – Themost popular bottomfishingtechnique is a slipsinkerrig. Place a slidingsinker on your line and tieon a swivel to keep theweight in place. Tie a 2- to4-foot piece of line to theother side of the swiveland tie a hook to this leader. After baiting the hook, castthe bait to a deep hole in the lake or pond and let itsettle to the bottom. Reel the slack out of the line andprop the rod on a stick or rock. Keep your eye on the tip;when it moves, set the hook just like you would with abobber.Hook/splitshot rigBobberrigHook/eggsinker rig

The Usual SuspectsWhat can you hope to catch? Here’s a list of the ArkansasGame and Fish Commission’s most wanted in centralArkansas:Rainbow TroutRainbow trout are stocked in some central Arkansas pondsduring winter. Bobber rigs and bottom rigs will work for troutwhen using light line and size 8 or smaller hooks. Try usingcorn, worms, cheese or marshmallows for bait. Trout also canbe caught using small spoons, plugs, jigs or spinners.BluegillBluegill probably are theeasiest fi sh to catch andare found practicallyeverywhere. They usuallyare caught on a bobber rigusing a small hook baitedwith a cricket, worm or grasshopper. They also may be takenusing small spinners, grubs and jigs.Channel CatfishCatfi sh are abundant inArkansas and a goodtarget fi sh during warmermonths. Thousandsof pounds of catfi share stocked annually at several inner-city locations. Theyusually are caught on bottom-fi shing rigs baited with worms,prepared baits, hot dogs or chicken livers.

Largemouth BassLargemouth bass are available in good numbers in communityponds, as well as in the Arkansas River. Bass can be caughton the bobber rig using hooks size 2 to 3/0 baited withminnows, but most bass are caught on artifi cial lures.CrappieCrappie usually arefound in larger lakesand in the ArkansasRiver. They usuallyare caught using thebobber rig and size2 light-wire hooks baited with minnows. Small jigs, spinnersand crankbaits also bring a few crappie home.

AquaticResourcesEducationA R E You Fishingin Arkansas?Arkansas Game and Fish Commission2 Natural Resources DriveLittle Rock, AR 72205(800) 364-4263 • (501) 223-6428www.agfc.com