Greers Ferry Gatherings
WALLEYE (cont.)
Timmons, regional fisheries supervisor in this corner of the state offered some advice for the shorebound angler looking to cash in on the walleye spawn.
“We have a different strain of walleye here that’s endemic to the Black River,” Timmons said. “It’s a more riverine species that seems to grow better in the delta river systems and is well suited for the habitat here.”
A lot of the walk-in options are dependent on water levels in the rivers, but some of the boat accesses can offer some points to get to the water.
“On the Eleven Point, the boat ramp at Dalton offers some access if the water level is low,” Timmons said. “But this access really shines if someone wanted to do a float trip. They could put in at Dalton and float downstream to the Eleven Point River Access at Highway 62 near Pocahontas.”
On the Strawberry River, Simstown Walk-in Access near Evening Shade is a good spot to check out, as is the Hulett Road Access just north of Poughkeepsie.
Hardy Access on the Spring River also offers a good opportunity to fish some of those spawning shoals walleye prefer this time of year.
Greers Ferry Lake in Heber Springs holds a lofty reputation as one of Arkansas’s top year-round walleye destinations. It was at Greers Ferry that Al Nelson of Higden caught the reigning state-record walleye, a 22-pound, 11-ounce beast that held the world-record spot for the species for some time. But at 31,500 acres, starting the search for walleyes can be a bit daunting. The early spring spawning run is the best time for anglers to find concentrations of these fish and reach them from the bank.
“Stick to the tributaries that feed the lake to capitalize on the spawn,” Matt Schroeder, AGFC fisheries supervisor in Mayflower, said. “There are walk-in opportunities on all of them, depending on the river level. Most of these spots are well known for producing some fish during March.”Walleye2.jpg On the South Fork of the Little Red River above the lake, the Johnson Hole is a well known access just south of Clinton. On the Middle Fork, a location locally known as Stewart Access is on Schroeder’s top prospects.
“Sandiff Road in Cleburne County runs alongside the access there, and you’ll find a few anglers parking there to walk to the shoals,” Schroeder said.
“There’s Ramer Ford off Ramer Ford Road over on the Devil’s Fork of the Little Red that is popular with anglers when the water is at normal pool or slightly lower.”
Schroeder said the peak of the spawn is mostly determined by temperature, and when the water reaches 48 to 50 degrees, you’ll begin to see the fish move into these shallow areas.
“Tom Bly, a long-time fisheries biologist here in Arkansas, always said the length of day also played into the equation, so you would see some of the males begin to show up in late February,” Schroeder said. “The males will show up early and stay late, but the larger females are only there for a short period of time before they leave. But most of the catching occurs before and after the actual peak of the spawn.”
Just like the headwaters of Greers Ferry hold shallow shoals where walleye congregate for the spawn, the reservoirs along the Ouachita River hold excellent opportunities to catch walleye in their far upstream ends. Unlike the shoals at Greers Ferry, the best locations for anglers to concentrate along Ouachita River lakes is on the downstream end of the dams separating Lakes Ouachita, Hamilton and Catherine.
“The fish would move upstream to those same sorts of shoals to spawn, but the dams block their upward movement,” Brett Hobbs, AGFC fisheries supervisor in Hot Springs, said. “The walleye will congregate on rocky areas immediately downstream of the dams beginning in late February. Following mid-March, the congregated Walleyes will tend to scatter back downstream and become more elusive and harder for bank anglers to access.”
Excellent walk-in opportunities exist beneath each dam site, and a quick glance on Google Earth will offer directions to River Access at Remmell Dam, Carpenter Dam Park, and Stephens Park Recreation Area just below Blakely Dam. Traditional wisdom indicates that some of the best fishing occurs within a few hours of sunset, many of the walleye, particularly males, will still hold near spawning areas during the day, especially on overcast days. The larger female fish usually stay a little deeper until they are ready to run up to the shallow water and spawn.
“But only fishing at night is a mistake,” Hobbs said.
“There are going to be some fish nearby around the clock.”
All of the biologists agree that the best lures to catch a fish during the spawn will imitate minnows or shad. Anything that can be cranked slowly along the rocks or bounced off bottom will get the walleye’s attention. Curly-tailed grubs on a lead jighead, minnow-imitations like Sassy Shads or small minnow- imitating crankbaits like the Rapala Original Floating Minnow or Storm Thundersticks will produce well when fished along rocky areas.
“If you want to fish live bait, nightcrawlers or minnows suspended under a float will work,” Stein said. “The trick is to find slackwater areas where the current is broken and fish the lure through that. The fish act similar to trout in these streams, sitting in the slack water and waiting for the current to deliver their food so they can save energy.”
