Fishing America
STATE # 28 - ARKANSAS
JULY 2018 & APRIL 2019 - LAKE OUACHITA & MORE
SPECIES CAUGHT - Striped Bass, Wiper, Largemouth Bass, Spotted Bass, White Bass, Green Sunfish, Bluegill, Black Crappie, White Crappie, Channel Cat, Grentle
Although the focus of my fishing articles has been on the guided trips I have taken, Arkansas is similar to TX and LA with my home near both state lines. I have fished there many times as a kid. Arkansas is sentimental for many more reasons.
I lived the first year of my life in Arkansas near the LA line. I moved to Texas at the ripe old age of 1 and got back to where I was born fast as I could. Actually if I had to move to another state right now Arkansas would be on a short list with MT and FL when choosing.
I have so many friends scattered all over this state, the latest being the ones I met at lakes Ouachita and DeGray. Long before I took those guided trips, I fished off the creek bank on my dad’s land near Ravanna that covered several hundred acres made of pastures and mixed timber, with that big creek running through it.
That farm being so much bigger than the one I was raised on near Bloomburg gave me employment as a kid educating me to ways of life and living that no school could ever do. A few years before I had a license to drive there, I done it anyway.
Before that my older brother Ralph drove us to the AR farm to work most of a Saturday or feed the many cows in the evenings. That first summer I started driving myself there (about 5 miles) I worked most every day by myself bush-hogging the fields.
When work was done in the evening I went to that creek bank with my cane pole and worms. I caught a lot of green sunfish AKA goggle eye AKA creek bass there. Those things are really good to eat. I ate the big ones and kept the little ones for bait to use catching catfish in the pond we had at Bloomburg.
I also fished in the Red River just below where the Sulpher River feeds into it. Daddy took us camping for two nights during the summer where he had bought a huge tract of timber that the river ran through. I caught my first and only grentle there and cooked it over the campfire.
The first few bites were good and it quickly turned so dry that each bite gave me the cotton mouth. The channel cat we caught trot-lining is what we feasted on for the camp out. We done the Red River camping, but the Red River almost done me that next winter near the same spot. But that’s another story I lived to tell about, thank God.
I also fished Millwood Lake when I was a boy scout in Bloomburg’s Troup 48 led by Scoutmaster Tommy Cash and Senior Patrol Leader and Eagle Scout Staley Cash. This was one of the most fun weekends I had as a kid.
I caught some catfish with the boys from Troup 49 of Bright Star, AR and fished in the dark catching crappie with another kid. I don’t remember his name but he invited me to share his spot with him. He said, lemme tell ya something - if you wanna catch a fish, here they are.
We pulled one out it seemed as fast as we could throw the line in. I gave my new friend all my catch. After all it was his spot. Didn’t get his name and still don’t know where he was from, but we sure had fun catching them “white perch.”
My best friend and classmate from that era of my life Keith Launius was along on this weekend trip where fishing was only part of the fun. Us kids didn’t always do the right thing but one of those days on that weekend Keith and I remembered the Boy Scout Slogan which was “Do A Good Turn Daily.”
We overheard a kid’s plans of using a knife on another. We thwarted this plan by getting his knife when he wasn’t looking and simply hiding it in the leaves and pine straw at the edge of the woods. Fighting was one thing, but knives are another.
Our plan was to tell him when we left so he could get it. But we forgot to tell him. Oh well Keith, somebody might find an artifact there someday. We considered telling on him, but that’s not who we were.
On at least one day, we done what Tommy taught us in one of the BHS classrooms - Do A Good Turn Daily. Keith now lives in AR. We have both agreed not to tell about all days.
Also from my boy scout days were the Mountain Fork of the Little River and Two Mile Creek at Camp Pioneer near Mena. I had to ask Staley for some of this information - title’s, names of places, and technical terms. But I didn’t remember Staley for technical terms when we were kids.
He was somewhat responsible for us, being the Senior Patrol Leader but he knew how to have fun with the rest of us. Tommy overlooked certain things with kids having fun but knew where to draw those lines. It was all good.
Tommy and Staley were the best people for this that God could have blessed us with. Them accepting me in the Boy Scouts Of America in Troup 48 made for an exciting and fun chapter of my life in Bloomburg. Thanks to both of you for being the leaders we needed.
I loved to swim and I swam the river a mile one year for the merit badge but the next year the river was banned and so the pool served the purpose. Although I remember a little of fishing in the river, but I simply cannot remember what was caught. Too much fun I guess.
Staley, you are in elite company as an eagle scout. Founder of Arkansas company Walmart and weathiest man in the world for years, Sam Walton was an Eagle Scout. Staley also pointed out to me that long before 1979 when he became the second Eagle in Troup 48, Gus Schumann was the first.
After logging for 35 years I returned to AR to fish in July 2018 and fished Lake DeGray with guide Johnny Whatley where we caught large-mouth bass, white bass, and wiper (hybrid striper). From there I went to the gorgeous Lake Ouachita and fished with George Cochran.
George and I had an awesome morning drop fishing with live bait near the bottom in this deep lake for stripers. I got them early and limited with all big ones. I love these fish. For those that want sport and good eating both, this is the fish. This is one of my favorites overall to both catch and eat anyway you want to cook them, and my very favorite on the grill.
I went back to Ouachita in 2019 and stayed 3 nights at the Mt Harbor Resort and fished with guide Mike Wurm with totally different style using all artificial topwater hard baits catching 2 awesome stripers and more. With a last name like that, the fish are drawn to him.
In the evening I fished with Hugh Albright who fishes for multiple species proving it as we caught many of multiple species including a load of crappie. One of the nicest people I ever met. I met Cochran again the next morning and it was slow on this day but I got one really big striper. That was my last fish to catch in AR.
I recommend every guide I mentioned. Some of them are on Facebook and all of them are on the internet. Not all have websites but information will pop up with a google search. All of them are excellent at their profession.
Lake Ouachita is now one of my favorites in the nation and I ain’t even went walleye fishing there yet. But I sure have plans of it Janie Brown. Tell Bobby to get well, let’s go pick up Debbie Hale and go.
Ouachita may be spelled funny along with Arkansas, but they rhyme. When I go back there I think I can write a song about this while Fishing America.