Lake Dardanelle Fishing

Stretching through five counties in west/central Arkansas, Lake Dardanelle is a fisherman's dream. This nearly 40,000 acre lake is formed by two dams on the McClellan Kerr Arkansas River Navigation system. The system which consists of a series of "lakes" made up of the stretches of water between dams, doesn't actually consist of many of these stretches of water that actually resemble lakes. But Lake Dardanelle is one of the exceptions. One of my favorite fishing locations for three decades, the lake is lined by well over 300 miles of shoreline.

The lake starts at the headwaters created by the Ozark Jetta Taylor dam at the town of Ozark in Franklin County. Starting right here, the fishing below the dam can be nothing short of spectacular in spite of heavy fishing pressure year after year.

Ozark Jetta Taylor on a day with no water flow

The swirling waters below the dam created by the generating plant and water flow through the flood gates during high water periods chops up bait fish and provides a smorgasboard of food for all species of game fish. Especially abundant below the dam are white bass and catfish. Some of the best days (and nights) of catfishing in my life have been spent below this lock and dam.

At right are a few fish caught from my favorite spot on Delaware Bay at Lake Dardanelle. The Highway 22 bridge that crosses the Lake at the little town of Delaware is a fish warehouse. The narrow channel at the bridge drops from a foot down to 23 feet deep and is loaded with all kinds of underwater brush piles, bridge pilings, rocks and other cover. Directly across the lake is the nuclear power plant that has a cooling system that generates water through it continuously when power is being produced. The combination of the current being produced by that and the regular river current created at the dam produces a unique environment in Delaware Bay where water continuously circulates in and out of the bay stimulating fish to feed. I've been fishing in this spot for 30 years and stringers like this one are not uncommon.

Driving east on I-40 through five counties, Lake Dardanelle can be accessed all along the way. Many backwater bays as large as significant lakes themselves, all have parks, camping, fishing and other recreational opportunities. Some of the best known are Shoal Bay, Spadra Creek, Big Piney Bay, Delaware Bay and Illinois Bayou. This basic map shows the area that Lake Dardanelle covers.

Fishing from small boats on Dardanelle is possible all over the lake. You wouldn't want to take a long run in a boat the size of my fifteen foot Alumacraft, but you can launch a small boat in any of the bays and fish all over them safely in a small boat. I've caught a lot of huge stringers of fish from Dardanelle out of water scamps and flat bottom boats.

One of the areas of Dardanelle that offers everything a stand alone lake would offer is Illinois Bayou just off I-40 at Russelville. You can launch at Dardanelle State Park or better yet at the road side launch ramp on the Bona Dea Trail Road that runs through Russelville. From there going left from the ramp takes you to the open area of the bay to bridges and rip rap banks that are popular bass fishing spots.

Go to the left and it will take you under the I-40 bridge. Once past the bridge just to the right are the "strip pits" a clear water area that during the spring can hold some very large bass. To the right will take you up to the end of the Bayou to a low head dam that produces a beautiful waterfall during spring and early summer. The light current from the waterfall can produce some good fishing in the deep water just in fron of it, but the shallower area to the right of it, filled with stumps and rocks can produce some impressive stringers of catfish. Some photos of the Bayou below.

Click on the pictures for a larger view.

From the launch ramp	Bayou Catfish Hole	Bayou waterfall
Illinois Bayou catfish	Bayou Catfish Hot Spot	Bayou Open Water

As you can see from the pictures, just one backwater bay on Lake Dardanelle offers hundreds of acres of various fishing opportunities for all seasons. If I had to pick one lake as my favorite among all the ones that I love to fish, it would have to be Dardanelle. The lake offers endless opportunities for any season, for bass, catfish, white bass, stripers, crappie and on and on it goes. And those opportunities include fishing from small boats.

If you get a chance, take a trip to Lake Dardanelle. Don't try to learn the whole lake. Just pick one bay and go to work. I'm betting that you'll find some place and some species of fish to fill your fishing wishes.

Here's to your good fishing ~ Mark Rogers

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