The bass population in Calion Lake (northern Union County, near El Dorado) also has taken an upward swing in recent years, providing lots of action from small bass.

SOUTHWEST CORNER

Fishermen head to District 7 year after year because Millwood Lake is one of the most reliable lakes in the state. “It’s perennially good,” said biologist Les Claybrook.

The AGFC has maximized Millwood’s potential by stocking Florida-strain bass. “Tissue samples show that 80 percent of the bass have Florida genes — at least one gene —which means we’ve actually altered the gene pool on this lake,” Claybrook said. Unfortunately, siltation threatens spawning environments in the same way that silt clogs portions of Lake Conway and the Arkansas River.

If you’re after fast action from cooperative bass and a good setting for teaching kids to fish, Claybrook would send you to the lakes within the Rick Evans Grandview Prairie WMA. The 4,885-acre WMA offers two small lakes where Claybrook has caught bass up to 7 pounds. Spotted bass are becoming the featured species on DeQueen Lake, where there are a lot of fish, and some nice ones, according to Claybrook.

SOUTHEAST CORNER

Bass in the 12- and 13-pound class were almost common on Drew County’s Lake Monticello during the 1990s. While the 1,500-acre lake is no longer red-hot, it’s still producing occasional bass up to 10 pounds, according to biologist Diana Andrews. “It’s not uncommon for us to get several 5-pounders while we’re electrofishing. The population density and condition of the fish are good.”

As for Lake Chicot in Chicot County, “(It) doesn’t have as many big fish, but 3-pounders are common,” Andrews reported. Shad and bream provide a solid forage base, and Chicot is, she added, “very productive, because it receives a lot of agricultural run-off, which makes it fertile.”

She also recommended the new Morgan Point Bendway Lake near Pendleton, a 7-mile waterway constructed in 1999, which is refreshed by flooding from the nearby Arkansas River each year. “We’ve heard nothing but good reports from there, and we always see plenty of fish,” she said.

FOR YOUR INFORMATION

The AGFC’s Arkansas Outdoor Atlas shows all the public facilities on every fishery mentioned in this article and many more. You can buy one for $18 with a credit card by calling 1-800-364-GAME.

G&F