Lake Ouachita Black Bass

Lake Ouachita Black Bass fishing was picked by Field & Stream magazine in the May 2006 issue as one of the best lakes in the country to catch Large Mouth Bass. The article lists Lake Ouachita as #28 among the top 35 places in the country for "unbelievable Black bass fishing."

AG&FC BLACK BASS BIOLOGIST
 Colton Dennis
 cdennis@agfc.state.ar.us

A live-release boat was completed by the AG&FC for Lake Ouachita
to assist Black Bass tournaments in live-release re-distribution.

To find bass in the fall, you will want to stay close to deep water In the Fall shad start moving up in the creeks and bass will bunch in one place.

Autumn bass typically hang on the sheer dropoffs, where a crankbait or Carolina-rigged worm is often productive.

When looking for schools of fish in the fall on any reservoir check out submerged creek channels first. If you have never fished the lake before get a contour map and locate the creek channels.  Thoroughly fish the entire area with a deep-running crankbait.

Once you have located a bend in the creek channel, find a ledge. It may take you half the day to find 2 or 3 schools, but it will be worth it because the bass normally are concentrated on those spots for a month or two in the fall and similarly in the early summer. The fish may move a little shallower or come out a little deeper due to fluctuations in water temperature.”

Threadfin shad tend to concentrate tightly in the cooler water, and that is where the bass will be.

November as the water cools down further, Lake Ouachita bass will normally move from the mid-depth creek channels and suspend. They will be in deeper water  20 to 25 feet is the magic depth then and a spoon will catch a larger-size bass. The deeper fish will still be around creek channel swings, but the concentrations will be bigger. Vertical jig a 3/4 ounce jig or a small spoon.

Fish in Lake Ouachita typically move shallower in the springtime and at times in December or January if the sun comes out. A rain in December and January causing any water flow or color change will allow the fish to move against the rocks. When in they are in the dirtier water, they are right up against the rocks Try a red crankbait parallel to the rocks on the shoreline.  You can catch fish on a spinnerbait, but the little red crankbait seems to work the best.

Some Areas of Lake Ouachita are full of moss a lot of Bass live in the moss, spawn in the moss, and feed in the moss. The remaining bass, which are usually larger, live in the creek channels where there is no moss at all. They have enough cover there for the baitfish.

When fishing the moss look for little points, indentions, or cutouts. The Bass will usually be laying right on the moss edge primarily in 12 to 18 feet of water. Try to key on the little indentions in the moss and use a big worm or spinnerbait. Rig the worm Texas-style with a 1/4 ounce weight on 20-pound test line.

On a bright, sunny day, a worm will probably be the best bait, but if there is any discernible wind, it is best to use a jerkbait. A crankbait in the wintertime is effective if there is water over the moss. In October, the moss is exposed and you have to go deep. In the springtime throw a Fat Free Shad crankbait and a small Carolina-rigged Riverside worm.

In the springtime, bass will move in on the mossy and stump-laden points. Anglers should throw the Carolina rigged worm on the points and work it out to 12 feet depths. Start at four feet using a jig head and small four-inch long worm or the Carolina rig. They will spawn in and behind the moss in an open water cut. Dirty water coming in from a rain affects springtime fishing. When the water is 50 degrees in the creek and warm rainwater is coming in try a spinnerbait or a jerkbait.

Housley Point, a campground with two islands surrounded by moss and the Southfork of the Ouachita River, particularly the Shangri La area. Surrounded by the Ouachita Mountains, the deeper main body of the lake including the Three Fingers Bend area, the Highway 27 bridge area and Muddy Creek are all good places to fish.

In Muddy Creek, fishing the little channel bends that have a point where the current hits, the current deposits a bunch of leaves in what is call leaf beds, and that's where the fish hang out. That is a fall pattern. Then in the spring, you would fish the points that have the jagged rock exposed with dead worm, crankbait or a Carolina rig.”

 

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