Fisher-Davis Guide Service
Mount Ida, AR
Reel It In
Fishing Lake Ouachita
One of Arkansas's premier striper lakes, with world-class bass, crappie, catfish and more in some of the cleanest water in the country.
One of Arkansas's premier striper lakes, with world-class bass, crappie, catfish and more in some of the cleanest water in the country.
Spread across 40,000 acres in the heart of the Ouachita National Forest, Lake Ouachita is one of the country's standout destinations for striped bass, and it fishes just as well for black bass, crappie, white bass and catfish. Cold tailwater below Blakely Mountain Dam even gives the Ouachita River a trout season. The Ouachita River fishes beautifully in its own right, and Riverglen sits right on its banks. From the estate's river access, a deeper hole a short distance away holds fish, but reaching it means wading across, so be sure to pack your waders.
Anyone 16 or older needs a valid fishing license from the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission (AGFC) to fish Lake Ouachita, the Ouachita River or any public water in the state. You can pick a full-season license or a short trip license, and keeping trout from the tailwater calls for a separate trout permit. Licenses are sold online and through agents across Arkansas.
Fees are current as of this writing; see the AGFC for the latest pricing and full license descriptions.
Tap a tab for tactics, baits and hotspots, or book a guide who already knows the water. Seasonal fishing tips help you discover the fish faster no matter the time of year.
New to the lake or just want to skip the guesswork? A local guide brings the boat, the tackle and decades of know-how, and is the single fastest way to get on fish, especially for striped bass. Here are seasoned guides who work Lake Ouachita.
Stock up on live bait, tackle, licenses and local advice before you launch. Here are the area shops, with the drive from Riverglen.
Lake Ouachita has ranked among the best striped bass lakes in the country for years. Stripers are an ocean-origin fish that the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission stocks here, since their spring spawning runs do not reproduce successfully in the lake.
The spring run up the rivers and creeks, when fish pack in and feed aggressively.
Live shad first, then silver and white swimbaits, crankbaits, spoons and topwater.
Main-lake points, humps, islands and creek or river channels.
Understanding the striper's calendar is the key to finding them. In spring, stripers push up the rivers and creeks going through the motions of spawning, and because they crowd into small areas and turn aggressive, it is one of the most productive times of the year to catch them. Once that run ends, they slide back out to the main lake for summer, fall and winter.
Through summer, stripers roam open water, patrolling humps, main-lake points and islands while holding near creek and river channels, then herding shad up onto flats to feed. In fall they chase those shad into the shallows, and as winter arrives they drop back into deeper water.
Since shad are the striper's main forage, live shad is the top bait. When live bait is not an option, lean on lures that mimic shad: silver and white swimbaits, crankbaits, spinners and spoons. When fish are willing, working topwater plugs like a Spook or a Whopper Plopper is about the most exciting way to hook one. Drifting live bait along a channel or across a flat usually draws the most bites, while lures can be trolled or cast. Because the best approach changes day to day, first-time striper anglers are wise to book a guide.
Black bass fishing at Lake Ouachita is among the best in Arkansas, and the lake holds all three species: largemouth, spotted and smallmouth. In water this clear, "shallow" can mean anywhere from 2 to 15 feet deep.
The spring spawn on hard-bottom flats, with a strong fall feed close behind.
Crankbaits, spinnerbaits, jigs, Texas and wacky rigs, drop shots; green pumpkin shines.
Spawning flats near depth changes, then offshore humps, ledges, rock and brush piles.
All three species share a similar rhythm. The spawn begins in spring as bass fan beds on shallow hard-bottom flats, usually near a depth change so they can dart to safety. After spawning, most bass move offshore to humps, ledges, rock piles and brush piles, though a few linger around shallow stumps and rock you can reach from the bank. Come fall and winter they follow the bait back shallow to feed hard, then suspend in deeper water along ledges and channels.
Largemouth stay closest to the bank and grow the biggest of the three. Target them with bigger presentations: crankbaits, spinnerbaits, jigs, Texas rigs and wacky rigs. In clear water, natural colors win, so match the local bluegill with green pumpkin and just a touch of chartreuse.
Spots hold farther offshore around humps, main-lake points and ledges. They feed heavily on shad, so silvery lures work best: spinnerbaits, spoons, hair jigs, swim jigs, swimbaits and drop-shot rigs. Start a size smaller than you would for largemouth and adjust until you find what they want.
Smallmouth favor rocky habitat a bit offshore, around humps, islands and main-lake points, where they hunt baitfish and crawdads. Swimbaits, spinners, jigs, wacky rigs and drop shots all produce. Firecraw colors shine in early spring, with green pumpkin and white as reliable backups. Downsize hooks so they fit a smaller mouth, but do not be timid, smallmouth are aggressive and will crush a big bait.
Many anglers rank crappie among the tastiest fish in the lake, and they are far easier to catch than walleye. Both black and white crappie live throughout Lake Ouachita, and in water this clear you will often pull both species from the same spot.
Spring, when crappie spawn shallow and are easy to reach from the bank.
Live minnows above all, plus crappie jigs, small hair jigs, spinners and small crankbaits.
Rocky and woody cover in spring, then deep brush piles and ledges (often 20 to 30 feet).
Spring is the prime time, when crappie move shallow to spawn around rocky and woody structure and bank anglers can load the cooler. After the spawn they pull out to deep brush piles and ledges, commonly 20 to 30 feet down, to feed on passing baitfish through the summer. Fall pushes them back shallow on an aggressive pre-winter feed, an excellent and often overlooked window. In winter they suspend along ledges and turn lethargic, but they will still take a slow-moving bait, and a warm stretch can nudge them onto the flats.
Minnows are the most dependable bait by far. Crappie jigs are a favorite too, and trolling small crankbaits or working spinners and small hair jigs all catch fish. Stick with natural colors in the clear water, and mix in something bright now and then to trigger a reaction bite.
White bass, also called sand bass, are a native Arkansas cousin of the striper. They are a blast to catch, often school alongside similar-sized stripers, and follow nearly the same seasonal pattern.
The spring run up the rivers and creeks to spawn along shallow stretches.
Spoons, spinners, crankbaits, swimbaits and crappie jigs, all in shad patterns.
River and creek arms in spring, then main channels, the open lake and ledges.
In spring, white bass migrate up the rivers and creeks to spawn along shallow stretches, the same crowded, aggressive window that makes spring striper fishing so good. After spawning they return to the main channels and open lake to patrol for food through summer. In fall they chase bait back into the shallows ahead of winter, then settle into deeper water along the ledges once it turns cold.
White bass fishing rewards a simple approach. If you are trolling, a crankbait or spoon is hard to beat. If you are casting, reach for a spoon, spinner, crankbait, swimbait or crappie jig, and keep everything in shad patterns to match their primary forage.
Catfish are the surest way to fill a cooler for a fish fry, and Lake Ouachita holds all three of the popular species: channel, blue and flathead. Knowing their habits, and their late-spring spawn, keeps you fishing the right water.
Post-spawn summer and fall, especially feeding at night in the shallows.
Cut bait, live bluegill, earthworms, shrimp, chicken liver and prepared stink baits.
Flats near ledges, creek and river channels, creek mouths, log jams and deep holes.
Catfish buck the trend and spawn in late spring or early summer, which is the toughest time to catch them, since they hold tight to their nests and feed less. Once the spawn wraps up they feed heavily on flats near ledges and depth changes. As the heat builds they seek cooler water in the creek and river channels, sliding up to the shallows to feed after dark. Fall brings a heavy pre-winter feed in shallower water, and winter sends them back to the depths.
The smallest of the three and easily mistaken for a young blue cat. Use smaller hooks and baits, though even modest channels handle a 6/0. Earthworms, shrimp, chicken liver, small chunks of cut bait and prepared stink baits all produce. Look for them in the shallows and creek channels, often right alongside similar-sized blues.
Blues can top 100 pounds in ideal conditions, though most here run 10 to 25 pounds. Step up to at least an 8/0 hook and bigger baits, and remember that cut bait is king, with shrimp and live bait having their days too. To target blues over channels, fish main-lake ledges, points, humps and creek mouths rather than running far up the creek arms.
Flatheads do not reach blue-cat size but still grow enormous. They favor woody cover in shallow water and also hold in deep holes alongside blues. Because flatheads are hunters more than scavengers, live bait is the way to go, with live bluegill a top choice (other sunfish and baitfish work too). Hunt them around log jams up the creeks and rivers, in the channels, and in deep main-lake holes.
There is no trout fishing in Lake Ouachita itself, but the cold water released below Blakely Mountain Dam turns the Ouachita River into a seasonal trout fishery, a rare treat for southern Arkansas.
November through April, when catchable rainbows are stocked in the tailwater.
Light line with PowerBait, small inline spinners, tiny jigs and trout flies.
The Ouachita River tailwater immediately below Blakely Mountain Dam.
From November through April, the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission stocks catchable-sized rainbow trout in the Ouachita River just below Blakely Mountain Dam, giving anglers a cold-water fishery in the southern part of the state. The agency once stocked trout in the lake itself, but found it was mostly feeding the stripers rather than the anglers, so trout now go into the tailwater only.
The cold, clear dam releases call for a finesse approach. Fish light line and small offerings: PowerBait and natural baits fished near the bottom, small inline spinners, little marabou or feather jigs, and trout flies all take fish. Keep an eye on the dam's release schedule, since changing flows shift where the trout hold, and remember that a trout permit is required to keep them.
In spring, Bassmaster Classic champion Mark Davis works the lower end of the lake, especially Big and Little Blakely creeks, where the water runs clearer and hydrilla grows thick down to 15 to 20 feet.
Big and Little Blakely creeks on the lower lake; the greenest grass along northern shorelines.
A jerkbait, a red-craw lipless crankbait, then a wacky-rigged straight-tail worm.
Twitch over the grass early, then make long, accurate casts to spooky sunning bass.
Once the water temperature climbs into the low 50s, Davis hunts the healthiest, greenest grass he can find along northern shorelines. He picks the bass apart by twitching a jerkbait over the tops of the vegetation, and clipping the grass with a 3/4-ounce red-crawfish lipless rattling crankbait is another deadly tactic.
As the lake warms, bass rise in the water column to soak up the sun and turn skittish, so long, accurate casts become essential. Davis switches to a 7-inch straight-tail worm rigged wacky style on a light spinning setup, letting it sink on a slack line for five to eight seconds next to grass, windfalls and timber that can stand in water as deep as 25 feet. If there is no bite, he shakes it, lets it sink a little more, then reels in. That wacky worm keeps producing right through the spawn and while bass guard their fry.
Seasonal tactics adapted from Mark Davis's Lake Ouachita playbook. Fish them yourself with Fisher-Davis Guide Service ↗.
From late May until about the third week of June, the topwater bite is hot. Davis concentrates on the midlake area north and south of Buckville, where bass suspend over long points that drop sharply into 100 feet or more.
Midlake near Buckville; points 20 to 30 feet long that fall off into very deep water.
A big walking topwater stickbait, then a 10-inch worm or a heavy jig with a creature trailer.
Walk the dog up top, then flip and pitch the outside edges of the hydrilla.
While the early-summer topwater window is open, Davis goes to work with a big dog-walking stickbait over those suspended fish. When the surface bite dies, he grabs a flipping stick spooled with 50-pound braid and ties on a plum 10-inch worm with a 3/4-ounce tungsten bullet weight, or a heavier green pumpkin jig dressed with a creature bait.
He pitches those baits into the outside edges of the hydrilla. If the bait reaches bottom without a bite, he shakes it a few times and reels in to pitch again. It is a methodical pattern, but it keeps producing through the heat of summer once the fish stop chasing on top.
Seasonal tactics adapted from Mark Davis's Lake Ouachita playbook. Fish them yourself with Fisher-Davis Guide Service ↗.
Fall is Davis's favorite time on Ouachita. He runs to the upper end of the lake and cranks creek-channel ledges, a pattern that kicks off in September and can run all the way into December.
The upper lake; high spots on creek banks, ledges with stumps and where ditches intersect.
A deep-diving crankbait in shad colors, or chartreuse with a blue back in stained water.
Hold in 20-plus feet, grind ledges 8 to 15 feet deep with a brisk retrieve.
Davis holds his boat in at least 20 feet of water and cranks ledges 8 to 15 feet deep with a deep-diving crankbait that digs bottom in 13 feet or more. Shad colors are his mainstays, but he reaches for chartreuse with a blue back when the water is stained. The key places are high spots on the side of a creek bank, ledges studded with stumps, and the intersections where ditches meet.
He grinds the bottom with a brisk retrieve to trigger reaction strikes, and when he locates a school he stops the boat and stays put. That is when, in his words, you can catch 20 to 50 bass without ever moving.
Seasonal tactics adapted from Mark Davis's Lake Ouachita playbook. Fish them yourself with Fisher-Davis Guide Service ↗.
Winter at Ouachita produces both big numbers and the heaviest fish, mostly on the middle and lower sections of the lake, and it all happens deep.
Deep grass points, bluff banks and ends, long-point ends, and timbered lower-end creeks.
A 3/4-ounce green pumpkin football jig with a craw trailer, plus a 3/4-ounce jigging spoon.
Work 25 to 35 feet with the jig; pop the spoon vertically 30 to 45 feet down.
Davis catches the heavyweights in 25 to 35 feet of water with a 3/4-ounce green pumpkin football jig dressed with a matching craw. His key spots are deep grass points, bluff banks, bluff ends, and the ends of long points that drop into deep water.
A 3/4-ounce jigging spoon on 20-pound fluorocarbon does the rest of the heavy lifting. He idles into lower-end creeks that hold standing timber and fishes his way out, following the channel and popping the spoon vertically off the bottom 30 to 45 feet down. It is tricky work, since the creeks are narrow and serpentine, but the payoff is real: the bass hang near a big tree on the lip of a ditch or the outside bend of a creek and school tightly, so once you catch one, stay put for dozens more.
Seasonal tactics adapted from Mark Davis's Lake Ouachita playbook. Fish them yourself with Fisher-Davis Guide Service ↗.
Once you know what you are after, here is how to get on the water. These public boat ramps and access points put you within easy reach of the lake's best fishing.
The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission sinks fish attractors built from cane, brush, trees and PVC throughout Lake Ouachita to concentrate fish and create productive habitat. Load the GPS coordinates below and motor straight to the action.
The files below can be loaded into Lowrance and Humminbird depth finders with GPS capability or into any GPS enabled device that supports .gpx files, using a memory card (typically an SD or micro-SD card) or the device's on-board memory.
Fish the lake from dawn, then come home to the quiet of the forest. Reserve your stay securely on Airbnb.