Life jackets ticket to sweet rewards

LITTLE ROCK – Wildlife officers throughout Arkansas will be looking to hand out some of the sweetest citations an angler could ask for this summer. Thanks to Sonic Drive In, AGFC wildlife officers will be armed with 10,000 special “ice cream citations” for youths on Arkansas waters when they’re caught wearing their life jackets.

According to AGFC Boating Law Administrator Stephanie Weatherington, these special tickets entitle youth who receive them to a small ice cream cone from their local Sonic restaurant.

“We’ve been able to offer this program for the last six years,” Weatherington said. “Some officers have a few already, and we’ll really ramp things up as we get closer to Independence Day weekend.”

Weatherington says adults with those kids may even get a special citation if the wildlife officer sees them leading by example.

“It’s important that everyone wears a life jacket,” Weatherington says. “Even people who think they can swim well can fall victim to drowning if they are tossed overboard far from shore or fall into the water unconscious.”

Many people drown because they fall out of a boat and are not wearing a fitted life jacket, Weatherington says.

“Some don’t believe they need one because they can swim. Others may wear one that has dry rot or is not the right size. The most important thing about riding in a boat is to wear a life jacket,” she said. “By law, anyone 12 or younger must wear a life jacket while in a boat. Also, all vessels must have at least one approved, wearable life jacket for every person on board. There must also be a throwable device on any vessel 16 feet or longer,” she explained. “We hope this will also encourage the parents to also wear their life jacket, so everyone can have great memories of a day on the water,” Weatherington added.

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Free Fishing Weekend, derbies June 8-10

Free fishing derbies will be available at all AGFC hatcheries on Saturday, June 9 for all youth 15 and younger.

LITTLE ROCK – From noon Friday, June 8, through midnight Sunday night, June 10, no angler will need a fishing license or trout permit to fish anywhere in Arkansas. 

An annual tradition sponsored by the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission and approved by Gov. Asa Hutchinson, Free Fishing Days furnishes many people the opportunity to enjoy the amazing angling The Natural State has to offer.

“Recruiting the next generation of anglers is always at the front of our list,” said AGFC Director Pat Fitts. “Free Fishing Weekend is a great way for every Arkansan to help us in this effort by bringing along a friend of family member to give fishing a try.” 

Fitts says an annual fishing license is only $10.50, but the additional act of needing the license can be a barrier to trying out angling for the first time or for people who only want to go once or twice a year. 

“Sometimes just making the extra stop to a sporting goods store or purchasing a license (at http://www.agfc.com) may intimidate people from giving this great thing we call the outdoors a chance,” Fitts said. “Free Fishing Weekend is a great time to get everyone out and enjoy all the work we do for them throughout the state.”

Fitts says the weekend also is great for parents with kids who want to learn how to fish.

“People under 16 don’t need a license any time, but parents don’t want to pay the extra money for a license to find out if their kids will enjoy fishing,” Fitts said. “Make it a fun family outing and you may just find out that it will be the best $10.50 you’ve ever spent to increase family time.”

If you’re looking to get the kids on a near sure-thing fishing experience, Batten also suggests visiting one of the AGFC’s five fish hatcheries from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., June 9.

“Each hatchery puts on a fishing derby the Saturday during Free Fishing Weekend,” Fitts said. “What better place to try and catch some fish than where we grow them?”

This year, all hatchery derbies will be held for anglers 15 and under. Each child must be supervised by an adult. Kids may catch and keep up to three catfish (or three trout at the Jim Hinkle Spring River State Fish Hatchery). In addition to fishing fun, participants also will be able to compete in casting contests and win prizes for fish caught.

Contact the hatchery nearest you for details on its derby:

• Andrew Hulsey State Fish Hatchery, Hot Springs, 877-525-8606
• Charlie Craig State Fish Hatchery, Centerton, 877-795-2470
• William Donham State Fish Hatchery, Corning, 877-857-3876
• Joe Hogan State Fish Hatchery, Lonoke, 877-676-6963
• Jim Hinkle Spring River State Fish Hatchery, Mammoth Spring, 877-625-7521.

Visit https://drive.google.com/file/d/1EyRRaJ9VnUTkXsCAzPdacR1F1WaE7NUo/view for information on other fishing derbies around the state.

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Spring salad bar finally open for bass anglers

RUSSELLVILLE – Something’s finally peeking its head from beneath the surface of the water, and it has bass anglers beaming. While slow to grow this year, the water willow and many other aquatic grasses are starting to grow rapidly, forming a treasure trove of fishing opportunity throughout the state.One perennial favorite among Arkansas’s anglers is a hotbed for water willow – Lake Dardanelle. During late spring, this shoreline grass covers many of the bays and backwaters of the Arkansas River impoundment, and is always high on the list of targets for people looking for largemouth bass.

Frank Leone, District Fisheries Supervisor for the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission in Russellville, says water willow is one of his favorite targets when it begins to surface.“Plants like water willow normally get their start for the year in late April,” Leone said. “This spring was very cool, and we were a week or two behind from where it normally should have been, but it probably had a big week this last week with warm weather finally breaking through and staying.”

Leone, a transplant from Michigan who has been chasing bass since he was 11 years old and still spends at least one day a week with a rod in his hand.

“I fished for bullheads and drum on a canal that flowed into the Detroit River when I was 5 or 6 years old, but followed bass fishing on television shows until I finally talked my dad into getting a boat,” Leone said. “I probably didn’t fish my first tournament until about 22 or 23 years old, but have had a lot of time in the front seat since then.”

Coontail is another native species of aquatic grass Leone searches for in spring, but he says water willow is probably the most angler-friendly type of vegetation to fish. Its vertical structure offers plenty of ambush spots and cover for bass, but is still open enough get a lure through without constantly clearing a wad of spinach off your line between casts.

“My go-to baits for fishing water willow are a white swim jig and a black or white buzzbait to get reaction strikes,” Leone said. “If I need to slow down, I’m going to pitch Texas-rigged soft-plastics in along likely targets.”

Leone says a critical component of fishing vegetation of any type is the type of line the angler spools up on their reel. Regular monofilament line stretches, which can cause fish and lures to bind up in aquatic vegetation. Braid and fluorocarbon lines, while more expensive, are invaluable in getting a fish out of the salad.

“Braid has zero stretch,” Leone said. “You’re going to be able to rip it through the grass to get a better hookset and turn the fish toward you to get it out. If it’s very dense vegetation, I’m going to use straight braid. If it’s a little more open, I may opt for 17-lb. test fluorocarbon, which has a little stretch, but is less visible to the fish.”

Leone will tell you he’s not the only angler who gets fired up about fishing emerging vegetation in spring. During his personal time, he also owns and manages www.Get5Bass.com, a website dedicated to promoting bass tournaments throughout the state since 2006. In addition to fishing in tournaments, covering tournaments and organizing tournaments during his spare time, Leone keeps a close eye on trends and techniques. He says the grass bite usually begins to fade by July with the heat of summer bearing down, but a quick change in the weather can fire things right back up.

“In summer, if you’ve got a sunny day with no wind, you’re better off finding some current or rocks in the river at Dardanelle,” Leone said. “But there are always a few fish around the grass, and if you’ve got some rain or storms coming in and it gets windy, those fish will get really aggressive. On days like that, if you’re not around the water willow, you’re going to get whipped.”

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ASU Pond Joins Family and Community Fishing Program

JONESBORO – The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission’s Family and Community Fishing Program has added more access to fishing for northeast Arkansas residents. ASU Pond, south of Centennial Bank Stadium on the campus of Arkansas State University, will be stocked monthly a minimum of eight times a year as part of the program, according to FCFP director Maurice Jackson.

“It was three years in the making to get that location,” Jackson said. “It’s the only Family and Community pond without restrictions in this area, which means that anyone can fish it regardless of age.”

The AGFC also stocks a pond at the Forrest L. Wood Crowley’s Ridge Nature Center, but the fishing is restricted to children under 16, seniors and the disabled. “Once a teenager turns 16, he or she can’t fish there anymore. Arkansas State University has over 14,000 students, so it will be a great opportunity for the students as well as the city.”

The pond is about 3-5 acres in size and the AGFC will stock 1,000 fish a month. Between March and October, the species is catfish that are grown in Corning at the Wm. H. Donham Hatchery. From November to February, the fish stocked will be trout raised at the Jim Hinkle/Spring River Hatchery in Mammoth Spring.

Jackson said a special Family and Community Fishing Program event is being planned for November following the first trout stocking. The first catfish stocking was Thursday, April 19.

The Jonesboro addition to the FCFP pond and lake roster is the second in the past month. In March, the program added White Hall Community Pond in southeast Arkansas to the lineup. Its size is similar to the Jonesboro pond, and Jackson said it replaces the Pine Bluff Regional Park pond stockings, which were halted due to the pond leaking.

“This is a great addition for Jefferson County,” Jackson said of adding the White Hall pond. “It’s right on the city limits with Pine Bluff, it’s that close. It is also a nonrestricted lake where everyone can fish.”

The White Hall pond will be stocked monthly beginning in May with 500 catfish, and trout will be stocked in place of catfish from November to February. Like Jonesboro, the pond will get a minimum of eight stockings a year, Jackson said. White Hall Community Pond “is on the radar” to have a special event marking its inclusion on the Family and Community Fishing Program stockings. Jefferson County is also served by the Martin Luther King Jr. Pond in Pine Bluff, which hosts several events with the AGFC’s help.

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Ramp renovation to temporarily close Bear Creek Lake access

MARIANNA – Much needed repairs to the boat ramp at Bear Creek Lake in Lee County may put a damper on some fishing plans this spring. Contractors working with the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission will be renovating the boat ramp on the east side of the dam, which will require the ramp to be closed for roughly six weeks, beginning Monday.

Justin Homan, AGFC fisheries supervisor out of the Brinkley Regional Office, says the repairs have come at a bad time for anglers this year, but are necessary to continue offering access to this treasure of east Arkansas. The previous ramp had many cracks and seams at the bottom end of the ramp that made launching a boat very difficult and hazardous to trailers, particularly during low water levels.

Owned by the U.S. Forest Service, Bear Creek Lake has a 9.9 maximum horsepower limit. Owners of boats with motors larger than this must disable the motors to be able to fish on the lake. Despite this restriction, Bear Creek is seen by many area anglers as a hot spot for bream and bass.

“We had a local bass tournament that took a 23-pound five-fish limit to win,” Homan said. “I plan on breaking out my jon boat and 3 hp motor myself to make sure I don’t miss out on some great bluegill and redear fishing that’s coming up.”

Homan says anglers willing to launch a smaller boat or kayak will still be able to access the lake, and Mississippi River State Park rents out kayaks and aluminum boats with trolling motors that people could use if they don’t own one.

“The timing of the closure is unfortunate, but with a little creative thinking, some resourceful anglers are likely to cash in on some fantastic fishing,” Homan said. “Hopefully the ramp will reopen in time to cash in on the bream spawn in early summer.”

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