September 24, 2010
In the summer, few places in Arkansas offer more picturesque surroundings or more productive bass fishing.
By Jim Spencer
Eastern Arkansas' White River is a big river, certainly, but size isn't all that distinguishes it. It's also one of the most fertile rivers in the nation, offering everything from the limestone substrate in its Ozarks headwaters to the rich delta soils at its mouth in the southeast Arkansas flatlands. Home to trout, smallmouth bass and walleyes in its upper reaches, and harboring largemouth bass, spotted bass and a host of panfish and catfish species in the warmer waters farther downstream, the White supports a phenomenal fish population all along its length.
Hot-weather angling is excellent all along the river, but in the delta portion, from Batesville downstream, this solid fishing goes largely unappreciated, as many avoid the dog days of summer by staying indoors. For the benefit of those willing to brave that heat, then, here's a run-down of some of the best options in the lower half of this great stream for high-summer bass action with largemouths and Kentuckys (or "spotted bass").
Advertisem*nt
GEARING UP
While bass boats can be used for fishing the lower White, you'll usually be better served by a 14-foot johnboat - particularly one fitted out with swivel seats and a good bow-mounted trolling motor. Fishing the banks of the river (which are where the fish are) often requires threading your boat through narrow gaps between the limbs of treetops that have fallen in or washed against the bank, and a smaller boat with a shallower draft is more maneuverable. You'll find yourself having to steer wide and miss some worthwhile fishing if you use a big fiberglass bass boat. Most river anglers position their boats bow downstream, but I've found it's often more effective to keep the boat turned against the current, using the trolling motor both to slow the rate of drift and to hold a position at the right distance from the bank. Try both methods; use the one you like best.
The best all-around tackle is a light 5-1/2- or 6-foot casting rod with some strength in the butt section and a fast tip. Most of these river bass don't run terribly large - a 3-pounder is a very respectable fish here - and you don't need a brute of a rod to handle them. A short, light rod makes for accurate short-range tosses, and it doesn't wear you out with the effort of casting.
Video That May Interest You
Since most of the fish are going to be right against the bank, keeping your boat close in and making a lot of short casts, rather than staying farther out and making fewer long ones, is the trick to catching them. However, your line should be a little heavier than what you'd normally use on a light rig like this, because you're going to get hung up a lot, and, with the current sweeping you along the bank, your window of opportunity to get a snagged bait loose is brief. I prefer 17-pound or 20-pound-test: With that I can point the rod at the hangup, crank everything down tight and muscle the lure loose with brute force. It saves a lot of valuable fishing time and lures - and you can't do it with light line.
Recommended
Advertisem*nt
![White River Basin Bassin' - Game & Fish (1) White River Basin Bassin' - Game & Fish (1)](https://i0.wp.com/files.osgnetworks.tv/14/files/2010/09/aa054202a.jpg)
Photo by Ron Sinfelt
Cast as tight to every piece of cover - logs, brushtops, irregularities in the line of the bank, whatever - and if you don't get a strike immediately or in the first 5 or 6 feet of the retrieve, rip the lure back to the boat as quickly as possible and make another cast. Because of the current, most of the fish will have a favorite lie, usually behind or beside one of these shoreline irregularities. They'll flash out from the cover, grab the lure - or miss it - and quickly return to the hideyhole.
If you miss a strike, cast back to the same spot, or make sure your buddy in the back of the boat does. Frequently these river fish will make repeated short strikes; whether this is because they can't get a good shot at it in the current, or because they're just trying to run it off, I couldn't say. But it's not unusual for a river bass (especially a spotted bass) to strike the same lure a half-dozen or more times before getting hooked.
Because of this characteristic, the antique technique known as "doodlesocking" is very effective on the White and its tributaries. A doodlesocking rig consists of a 10- or 12-foot jigging pole rigged with about 3 feet of 20-pound-test line and a lure tied on the end. You simply drift along with the current, using a trolling motor to keep the boat a pole's length away from the bank, and run the lure back and forth along the shore, keeping the lure as close as possible and working it in and around the cover.
Doodlesocking has several advantages over conventional casting in a situation like this. First and foremost, it allows you to cover every foot of the shoreline as you drift along, whereas you have to pick and choose spots when casting. Second, doodlesocking allows you to get right back in the face of a bass that just slashed at but missed your lure. Third, the shorter line lets you hook more fish, since there's very little chance for you to have any slack in the line. Fourth, you can get away with line that's a little heavier (I sometimes go with 25-pound-test when doodlesocking), and so can snatch your lure free of hangups more easily and effectively. And fifth, doodlesocking more often than not elicits violent strikes and - since you're right there on top of them when they occur - makes the fishing more exciting.
Advertisem*nt
Now, a discussion of the various sections of the river and its tributaries:
BATESVILLE TO NEWPORT
Crawfish-imitating crankbaits with chartreuse or orange bellies are effective lures here, as are spinnerbaits and, early and late in the day, topwaters. Because of the cooler water, this stretch of river often provides active fishing even in the heat of the day.
Advertisem*nt
About eight miles downstream from Batesville, Salado Creek joins the river on the west bank. Fishable in a small boat for a considerable distance upstream, this stream's a good one for both bass and panfish action. The doodlesocking technique isn't usually very effective here, but by switching over to an ultralight outf
it, you can have a busy time of it with largemouths, Kentuckys, smallmouths and a wide variety of panfish along the shady banks and deeper holes. There's usually much less current in the creek than there is in the river, so smaller lures and lighter equipment are more effective. Salado is a great place to escape the worst of the blazing midday heat, since the creek is narrower than the river and there's more overhanging shade.
Three public boat ramps provide access to this stretch of the river - at Batesville, Oil Trough and Jacksonport State Park.
Advertisem*nt
BLACK RIVER
The only two public ramps giving anglers access to the Black are the ramp at Jacksonport State Park on the White (less than a mile downstream from the Black's mouth) and at Elgin Ferry, about 20 miles upstream on Highway 932.
Advertisem*nt
NEWPORT TO AUGUSTA
The fishing's fine on both banks, although, owing to a complex mix of factors it's often better on one or the other side. Try both to see what's working best on the day you go out. In any case, the mixing of the two rivers is complete by the time you get five or so miles downstream from the mouth of the Black, and at that point there's no difference in conditions on either side, so just fish the structure of the bluff banks as was previously discussed.
Along toward Augusta, the river widens and deepens, so both the current and your rate of drift will begin to slow noticeably. This makes the fishing a little easier, and you can hit more of the good spots as you drift past. The slower current also gives you more lure options. Crankbaits, spinnerbaits and topwaters remain effective; jig-and-pig combos, plastic worms, lizards and grubs also have their moments.
Advertisem*nt
All the streams that enter the river during this long stretch are small, and often their mouths are dry during low summer flows. But when you find one with water in it, it's worth exploring. Taylor Bay, a few miles upstream from Augusta, has silted in a lot and isn't what it once was, but its lower reaches near the river can still be worthwhile at times. Fishing here is more like fishing in an oxbow lake than in a river - because, essentially, that's what Taylor Bay is.
Public boat ramps on this long section of the White are located at Jacksonport State Park, Newport and Augusta, and there are two fee-access private ramps on Taylor Bay.
Advertisem*nt
AUGUSTA TO DES ARC
Generally speaking, the Little Red itself isn't worthy of much attention as a bass river, but Glaise Creek, only a mile upstream from the Little Red's mouth, can be of some interest when there's enough water in it. Farther downstream, Bayou Des Arc just upstream from the town of Des Arc can be fabulous if conditions are right.
Public boat ramps on this stretch of river are at Augusta, Georgetown and Des Arc.
Advertisem*nt
DES ARC TO CLARENDON
Major streams entering the river here are Wattensaw Bayou (often dry in summer) and the Cache River itself. The lower seven miles of the Cache were channelized in the 1970s, but have somewhat recovered their original character. Except during periods of extremely low water, the fishing is usually active early and late in the day above the channelized portion. If the river is high enough, the fishing for Kentucky bass on the run through Seven-Mile Chute from the White to the Cache is fast, fun and fairly intense.
Advertisem*nt
Public ramps are located at Des Arc, Wattensaw Bayou, Interstate Highway 40, DeValls Bluff and Clarendon.
CLARENDON TO ST. CHARLES
Public ramps are located at Clarendon, Preston's Ferry and St. Charles.
Advertisem*nt
ST. CHARLES TO THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER
Indian Bay enters the river several miles below St. Charles to offer promising fishing around its buckbrush banks. Farther downstream, Big Island Chute, which splits from and then re-joins the river, hosts solid fishing for Kentuckys when the water's at the proper level - which, unfortunately, it rarely is in late summer. Scrubgrass Bayou enters the river on the east bank at about Mile 20, and if there's enough water in the river for you to get into it, you'll find some worthwhile, if difficult, fishing. LaGrue Bayou enters the river about 15 miles from its mouth, offering good fishing in the lower reaches, and at about Mile 10 the Arkansas River barge canal enters, providing access to Merrisach Lake, Post Lake and the Arkansas River itself.
The fishing below the mouth of the barge canal
isn't usually as good as that above it, and for the next few years it's going to be further hampered by the construction of the Montgomery Point Lock and Dam - a federal boondoggle that will likely damage the fishing on the lower 20 miles or so of the White. But for now, anyway, it's still pretty good in the lower section above the barge canal, and whether you're fishing the upper end of the lower river at Batesville or way down below LaGrue, on the lower end, other fishermen won't make much of a contribution to traffic on the river at this time of year. All in all, this is a good time for getting to know this part of the state.
Discover even more in our monthly magazine,
and have it delivered to your door!
Subscribe to Arkansas Sportsman
GET THE NEWSLETTER Join the List and Never Miss a Thing.
Sign Me Up
As an experienced angler and enthusiast familiar with various fishing techniques and river ecosystems, I'm well-versed in the nuances of pursuing bass fishing across different river terrains. The article from September 24, 2010, highlighting the bass fishing opportunities along Arkansas' White River, provides an in-depth guide for anglers exploring the various sections of the river for a rewarding fishing experience.
The key concepts covered in the article include:
-
White River's Ecosystem: The White River in Arkansas stands out not only for its size but also for its rich diversity of fish species, ranging from trout and smallmouth bass in its upper reaches to largemouth bass, spotted bass, panfish, and catfish in the lower sections.
-
Fishing Gear and Techniques: Specific gear recommendations are provided, emphasizing the use of a 14-foot johnboat with swivel seats and a bow-mounted trolling motor for maneuverability along the narrow banks. Fishing techniques focus on using lighter rods for accurate short-range casting and slightly heavier lines (17-20 pound-test) to handle potential snags in the river's current.
-
Bass Fishing Strategies: Angling strategies include casting tight to cover, making short casts along the shoreline irregularities, and utilizing techniques like "doodlesocking" – a method involving a jigging pole rigged with a lure to cover shoreline areas efficiently.
-
River Sections and Fishing Opportunities: The article comprehensively breaks down the various stretches of the White River, highlighting specific locations, conditions, and fish species found in each section, from Batesville to the Mississippi River.
-
Diverse River Tributaries: It touches on tributaries like Salado Creek, Black River, Little Red River, Cache River, among others, showcasing their unique characteristics, fishing potential, and access points.
-
Public Boat Ramps and Access Points: Detailed information is provided on the locations of public boat ramps and access points along different stretches of the river, facilitating ease of exploration for anglers.
-
Seasonal Considerations: The article underscores how different sections of the river are affected by factors like water temperature, current speed, and influences from tributaries, affecting fish behavior and angling conditions throughout the summer.
Overall, the article serves as a comprehensive guide for anglers seeking a fulfilling bass fishing experience along the diverse sections of the White River, offering insights into gear, techniques, locations, and the dynamic nature of the river's ecosystem.