You may call them Ol’ Marble-eye, yellow pike, Susquehanna salmon even pickerel depending on where you live. They rule the northern states. Up there they have walleye tournaments year round even after the ice forms on the lakes.  Northern anglers are obsessed with catching them, but they aren’t the only anglers infatuated by Ol’ Marble-eyes. Southern anglers are finding that catching walleyes just as exciting plus the fillets are truly a delicacy any time of year. Lake Ouachita fishing guide Chris Darby has seen the popularity of walleye fishing increase over the year. Although Lake Ouachita is regarded as one of the South’s best lakes for catching stripers; the walleye fishing is just as good. The Arkansas state record is 22-pounds, 11-ounces.

You may call them Ol’ Marble-eye, yellow pike, Susquehanna salmon even pickerel depending on where you live. They rule the northern states. Up there they have walleye tournaments year round even after the ice forms on the lakes.  Northern anglers are obsessed with catching them, but they aren’t the only anglers infatuated by Ol’ Marble-eyes. Southern anglers are finding that catching walleyes just as exciting plus the fillets are truly a delicacy any time of year. Lake Ouachita fishing guide Chris Darby has seen the popularity of walleye fishing increase over the year. Although Lake Ouachita is regarded as one of the South’s best lakes for catching stripers; the walleye fishing is just as good. The Arkansas state record is 22-pounds, 11-ounces.

Are you a rigger, jigger, cranker, or blader? Do you even know what that means? How about a bottom bouncer? If you do then its official, you are a walleye fanatic. Darby (Phone# (870)867-7822) guides out of Mountain Harbor Resort and Spa (www.mountainharborresort.com). “I use a 6’6” baitcasting rod rigged with 20-pound Seaguar fluorocarbon line and a Cotton Cordell ¾-ounce spoon when fishing for walleye. You need the heavy line and stiffer rod for getting big walleye out of brush piles,” said Darby. Darby relies on his electronics to tell him where the walleye are hanging out. “The real key to finding walleyes is the thermocline. In the summer, the walleyes will never be located under the thermocline so we will fish above it to catch them. Normally in the summer walleyes on Lake Ouachita will be located around or on top of the brush piles, but they move right into the brush during the day,” said Darby. Darby also watches his graph looking for single, flat arches that indicate a walleye under the boat. A good walleye will be right on the bottom and have yellow in the center indicating a larger fish.

Except for during the spring, walleyes on Lake Ouachita can be found anywhere in the reservoir. During the summer months the North Fork, South Fork, and Ouachita River arms will have schools of walleye. Darby recommended anglers look for walleyes on the main lake ledges during the warmer months; in addition to watching for bait fish. “The walleyes will also be close to schools of bait fish and largemouth bass won’t be around them. If they are around a hard bottom that’s a real plus,” explained Darby.   

The walleye will migrate as far as possible up stream around January and February to spawn. This migration usually happens around the full moon.  “The walleyes will get on the first shoals and can be caught on grubs, hair jigs, Road Runners, Smithwick Rogues, and Shad Raps,” said Darby. Darby prefers using the 3- or 3½-inch Smithwick Rattlin’ Rogue when fishing in the shallow shoals.

Lake Ouachita presents anglers with a number of navigational hazards including standing timber, submerged humps, and rocky islands. Any boater venturing out should have a good quality map and GPS/sonar unit that marks hazards, underwater features, parks, and marinas. Most of the submerged rocky humps are marked with buoy markers.  In general, anglers should stay in the main lake area or follow the old river channel when up on plane especially when up the North Fork, South Fork, or Ouachita River arms.  

Anglers will find cover and structure abundant in Lake Ouachita. Aquatic vegetation which was once plentiful on the reservoir has been depleting due to high water levels can still be found in some areas of the lake. Brush piles put in by the Army Corp of Engineers and by anglers can be found sunken around points, humps, or break lines. The Army Corp of Engineers brush piles are marked with blue signs that indicate a brush pile is located out in front of it. Anglers will find most banks consist of lime stone, slate rock, and clay. A limited number of pea gravel banks are located throughout the reservoir.      

Lake Ouachita is Arkansas’s largest lake with over 66,000 total numbers of acres. The lake doesn’t have a closed season on stripers which bite all year round. It’s a unique Corp of Engineer lake with no homes allowed close to the shoreline. The 600 plus miles of shoreline and over 200 islands offers lots of places to fish.  That equals 40,000 acres of surface water with an average depth of 40 feet. The lake is deep with some of the depths around 200 feet deep, but most of Lake Ouachita averages around 50 feet. Lake Ouachita is located in the Ouachita National Forest with over 1.6 million acres and located near the resort town of Hot Springs, Arkansas.