Arkansas State Striped Bass Record Belongs to Jeff Fletcher 64 Lbs 8 oz.caught in Beaver Lake

Beaver Lake record

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Holt Holyfield of Rogers Arkansas
57 pound striped bass caught in 1999 in Beaver lake Arkansas
Former state record

Arkansas Hybrid striper record

Weather for Beaver lake

Striped Bass fishing Reports

The hows and whats of trolling for stripers

Widely recognized as an outstanding fishing resource. The striper fishery deserves special mention as one of the nations finest with potential to produce record fish in the 50 lb category. 28,220 acres.

Big Stripers are the main attraction at Beaver Lake, which spreads over 28,220 acres in the Ozark Mountains. Beaver Lake is intentionally managed for Big Stripers, not big numbers, according to fisheries biologist over the lake for the AGFC. Stripers average 10 to 15 pounds , and 30- to 40- pound fish show up with pretty good regularity.

Beaver Lake produced a former state-record striper, which weighed 57 pounds caught in 1999 by Holyfield of Rogers Arkansas. In addition, the current state record, a 64-pound, 8-ounce giant that is also a line-class world record for 12-pound test, came from the Beaver Lake tailwater. The section of river where Jeff Fletcher caught the record fish is not stocked with stripers, so biologists believe that it was actually a Beaver Lake fish that went through the dam at some point.

Because of its size and depth, Beaver Lake offers good habitat even through the hottest days of summer. In addition to stripers, which get stocked at a target rate of 200,000 fish per year (though in some years actual numbers are much lower), Beaver gets a dose of hybrids stocked in it every three or four years.

Beaver Lake supports a good shad population, with both threadfin and gizzard shad in the mix. Striped bass growth rates, which biologists keep a close eye on, are very good.

The stripers make a distinct run up the lake's two main arms during March and April in an attempt to spawn and in the summer most fish are within about six miles of the dam, where the best deep-water habitat is found. During May, however they might be just about anywhere.

Fishermen rely on one of three basic methods during late spring. The first is topwater fishing, which is at its best during May, this is probably the most exciting way to catch stripers and the best bet for anglers who haven't done a lot of striper fishing Spooks and Red Fins are prime lures,

In addition to fishing big plugs on the surface,live-bait fishing and trolling are the two most popular and effective ways to target Beaver Lake stripers. Most live-bait fishermen use small to medium-sized gizzard shad, which they may fish on free-lines, suspend under balloons or fish straight down on down-lines. Tactics vary according to whether stripers are schooling and how deep most shad and stripers show up on the graph.

Trollers typically use downriggers to put their offering right at the depths where they see the most baitfish or stripers. Downriggers allow for very precise depth control, which sometimes is critical for striper fishing. Most trolling striper fishermen pull crankbaits or elongated minnow-shaped plugs. A few also troll umbrella rigs with bucktails on them.

Arkansas regulations

Striped and hybrid bass combined daily limit is three. Keep in mind tailwaters have different limits check out current regulations. Legal to take game fish (except largemouth, smallmouth and spotted bass) with spear guns during season - Handicapped accessible fishing piers are available at Hickory Creek and Prairie Creek.

Three-fourths of Beaver Lake is in Benton County, the remainder in Carroll County. For more information: U.S. Army Corps. of Engineers, 2260 North 2nd Street, Rogers, Ark.; (479) 636-1210;

www.swl.usace.army.mil/parks/beaver

Water Levels Automated

White River/Beaver Dam Generation

417-336-5083

 

 

 

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