Sugarloaf Lake

Sugarloaf Lake in Western Arkansas has been a part of my fishing life for 37 years. I started fishing on the lake at the ripe old age of 17 when my family first moved to Fort Smith in 1972. At that time Sugarloaf had an operating "resort" which consisted of a bait house, hamburger stand, launch ramp, and picnic tables.  Granted, not much of a resort, but the lake is a small, 330 acre Arkansas Game and Fish Commission lake.  The lake's claim to fame at that time was it's monster bluegill and abundant catfish that were caught in large numbers both from small boats and the bank (particularly the dam which had direct foot path access).  At that time, standing timber populated the majority of the lake with the only clear area being the deep lower end of the lake which is over fifty feet deep.

 Now, over 37 years later, Sugarloaf is still a regular fishing stop of mine. Like all bodies of water it has changed over the years but with smart Game and Fish management, it has retained it's popularity as a very good bluegill and bass lake, with avid crappie fisherment and women swarming the lake in springtime. Heart stopping encounters with catfish are still a regular occurrence, and trotlines dotting shallow areas of the lake are indicators that locals still depend on the lake for their fish fries.  Most of the standing timber on Sugarloaf Lake has fallen, but still remains treacherously just under the surface waiting for any careless boater to spear their hull on a sharp stump. 

                             A current kayak's-eye view of Sugarloaf

                      
While on anything larger than my kayak, I generally have fish finders hooked up, they are largely incidental to me on Sugarloaf Lake. After fishing the lake for nearly four decades, I know every stump, bump, laydown, pond, brush pile and hotspot on the lake. I know what the approximate depth is at any spot on the lake as well as the bottom contour. Consequently, I still catch lots of fish on Sugarloaf and it's a rare day I leave the lake without a few fish having been landed even on blazing hot summer days. This article is being written in August when the water on Sugarloaf runs 86-90 degrees. But below are examples of a couple of Sugarloaf bass that fell to a plastic worm a week before I wrote the review. They were caught in the upper one third of the lake, on a flat mud bottom in just about three feet of water. Not the place most people would guess would be best, but I knew they were there from fishing the lake so long.

While Sugarloaf is a popular lake with both locals and people from Fort Smith, on this morning there was just a couple of other fishermen on the lake as hot summer days are not as popular for fishing as summer and fall.

Nestled at the foot of Sugarloaf Mountain, near Midland Arkansas, the scenery around the lake, like so much of Arkansas is beautiful and a bonus to the great fishing the lake offers. Just a short 25 minute drive from my home town of Fort Smith, the lake remains one of my favorite playgrounds. Boats can only be launched from the Game and Fish Commission ramps located on the South side of the lake. When I first began fishing the lake, the AGFC ramp was a shoddy, broken ramp with a dirt parking area only. Today there are two nice ramps on the property, with paved drives and parking areas. Primitive camping is located by the launch ramps, but for some unknown reason the AGFC does not even put up a portable bathroom (otherwise known as "Job Johnnies in this part of the country). The reason which is unknown to me considering the popularity of the lake and the allowance of camping.

Boats and motors of any size are allowed on the lake, but they won't run too far or too fast considering the hidden underwater stumps. Sugarloaf Lake is the poster child of a lake made for fishing from small boats. Everything from homemade rafts to 20 ft bass boats can be found fishing side by side on the lake any day of the week.

These guys in a purple canoe were too good a photo opportunity to pass up.

My favorite thing to do on Sugarloaf Lake, hands down, is bluegill fish in the Spring. Filling my freezer with bags of bluegill fillets year after year is as dependable as going to the frozen fish section at Wal Mart and buying fish. From mid April through early June, using a light spinning or spin casting rod and reel rigged with a small slip bobber rig and cricket is my key for locating the multitude of shallow bluegill "beds" that dot the areas near the grasslines around all of the lake. Using my trolling motor to move slowly down the bank, I flip the rig into nothing looking areas anywhere there is a dip or point in the grass line, particularly if there is a stump present.

Typical cover and possible bluegill location on Sugarloaf

Once you find a good sized adult bluegill, you've likely found dozens. The bluegill bed up in the same areas year after year and I now can go straight to over a dozen beds to fill my stringer. No great secret to finding the beds though. Just do what is suggested above and you'll find them.  The stringer below is common for a few hours fishing on Sugarloaf Lake in the spring. Another note here is to be prepared for a heart stopping encounter with some catfish while bluegill fishing. Channel cats move into the coves in the spring and are commonly found right in the middle of bluegill beds. The fish will readily bite a cricket and give you a thrill on your ultralight rod and reel.

 

People fishing from small boats will find Sugarloaf easy to access, pleasant to fish and productive with a little work to learn the lake. As with all Arkansas Lakes, checking AGFC regulations is wise before dropping your boat on the water. At this writing, Sugarloaf Lake has a 13-16 inch slot limit on largemouth bass.

If you decide to take a trip to Western Arkansas and want to get in some convenient and possibly productive fishing (with fishing it's always "possibly"), contact me if you want a report on the lake. I'll do anything I can to help you put some fish in your boat at Sugarloaf.

Here's to your good fishing ~ Mark Rogers