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TALE WATERS & TIDES · POCKET FISHING GUIDE
ARKANSAS SPORTFISH
RARE

Striped Bass

GO91SCORE
LAKE OUACHITA
Conditions favor today

The saltwater fish that forgot to leave.

SIZE
20–36 in
MAX
50+ in
WEIGHT
Up to 50+ lbs
HABITAT
ReservoirsTailwaters
Large reservoirs — Beaver, Ouachita, Norfork.
DIET
Threadfin & gizzard shad. Almost exclusively.
BEST BAITS
Live shad · Big topwater · Flutter spoons
SEASONAL PATTERN
🌱SPRING
BEST☀️SUMMER
🍂FALL
❄️WINTER
Summer: Deep cool water layers.
ANGLER INTEL · RIGHT NOWHIGH CONFIDENCE
DEPTH
10–20 ft
transition breaks
TIMING
First & last light
TOP LURE · LURE
Umbrella rigs
moderate conditions — work the cover
TACKLE
Heavy 7'+, 30–50 lb braid
TECHNIQUE · Slow-rolled jig or suspending jerkbait — 3 twitches, long pause
ANGLER STATS
SPAWN 55–68°F
BITE
72
FIGHT
98
STEALTH
48
FUN FACT
Stripers need oxygenated cold water to survive July in Arkansas. In bad summers they stack up below dam tailraces — the only place they can breathe.
STATUS
Secure
Introduced · Moronidae
LIVE PFG SIGNAL48°F · Bull Shoals Lake● GO 91
YOUR CARD · ACTIONSNOT YET COLLECTED
🪪 ID marks
  • Unbroken horizontal stripes
  • Silver sides
  • Big shoulders
💡 Tips
  • Find the thermocline
  • Match shad size exactly
  • Dawn topwater

🌙 Lunar profile

MED-HIGH Lunar ImpactBest phases: Full Moon
☀️ Daytime
Follow shad schools on main lake humps and channel edges. Electronics key — mark bait, fish directly below.
🌙 Nighttime
Surface-feeding blitzes on shad under Full Moon. White swimbaits or topwater poppers over open water.
⚠️ Tailwater note: Cannot reproduce in Arkansas — AGFC-stocked. Lunar influence is feeding-only, not spawn-driven.
🔗 Source: AGFC Striped Bass stocking program; feeding behavior correlation studies

Where to catch

Greers Ferry Lakeexcellentstocked
TrollingLive BaitJigging
AGFC stocks striped bass annually. Topwater explosions during shad spawns.

Regulations

Always verify current rules at agfc.com before keeping fish.

Statewide
Statewide Striped Bass Regulations — Arkansas
Daily limit: 2Min size: 18"
Requires: Fishing License
Statewide — all public waters in Arkansas
AGFC source ↗