TALE WATERS & TIDES · POCKET FISHING GUIDE
ARKANSAS SPORTFISH
Paddlefish
GO70SCORE
BEAVER TAILWATER
Conditions favor todaySpoonbill. Living fossil. Filter-feeding ghost of the river.
SIZE
36–54 in
MAX
72 in
WEIGHT
Up to 100+ lbs
HABITAT
RiversReservoirs
Beaver tailwater, Arkansas River, big-river main channels.
DIET
Zooplankton — filter-feeds with comb-like gill rakers. Eats no bait.
BEST BAITS
No bait — snagging only (regulated season)
SEASONAL PATTERN
BESTSPRING
SUMMER
FALL
WINTER
Summer: Suspend on plankton blooms.
ANGLER INTEL · RIGHT NOWWORTH THE TRIP
DEPTH
10–18 ft
shade lines & points
TIMING
First & last light
TOP LURE · LURE
No bait — snagging only (regulated season)
moderate conditions — work the cover
TACKLE
Heavy 8'+ rod, 80–100 lb braid, weighted treble snag rig
TECHNIQUE · Moving bait on main-lake points — match forage size
ANGLER STATS
SPAWN 50–62°F BITE
30
FIGHT
96
STEALTH
85
FUN FACT
Paddlefish use the electroreceptors in their rostrum to find clouds of zooplankton — the same sensory trick sharks use to find prey. They've been doing it unchanged for 75 million years.
STATUS
Vulnerable
Native · Polyodontidae
LIVE PFG SIGNAL69°F · Beaver Lake● GO 70