Fishing around cypress trees in Horseshoe Lake often produces dandy largemouths like these. Photo by Keith Sutton.

For decades, anglers in northeast Arkansas didn’t have a lake they could call their own. Central Arkansas fishermen had Lake Conway, Harris Brake and Greers Ferry. South Arkansans had Chicot, White Oak and Millwood. Anglers near western boundaries could fish on DeGray, Ouachita and Dardanelle. And in the northwest and north-central parts of Razorbackland were lakes Beaver, Bull Shoals and Norfork.

It wasn’t until 1961 that fishermen from Jonesboro, Wynne and nearby areas had their dreams answered and the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission constructed 640-acre Lake Poinsett. At the time, Poinsett was northeast Arkansas’ only public fishing lake. Fortunately, that’s no longer the case, and today anglers have dozens of public lakes to fish, including many that serve up topnotch angling for the Natural State’s most popular sportfish, the largemouth bass.

Here are several you should plan to visit this season if it’s a trophy bucketmouth you want to catch.

LAKE POINSETT
Lake Poinsett is a super little bass lake tucked away in wilderness quietude on Crowley’s Ridge. Owned by the AGFC, it’s two miles south of Harrisburg in Poinsett County, just off state Highway 163.

Most of Lake Poinsett’s 640 acres are open, with little visible cover. But there’s more here than meets the eye. Underwater timber, creek channels and brush piles provide alluring haunts for jumbo largemouth bass.

Near dawn and dusk, summer bass are usually found near cover in shoreline shallows. Good lures to entice them include big-bladed spinnerbaits, big shad-imitation crankbaits and the jig-and-eel. Another effective bassing method here is slow-trolling big shiner minnows along the creek channels. The bait is hooked through both lips and “free-lined” behind the boat as it drifts with the wind.

During midday hours, bass anglers should concentrate their efforts in deeper water, fishing timber and channels at 6 to 10 feet. Poinsett’s water often is dingy or muddy, so most anglers stick to dark-colored lures. For example, a Carolina-rigged black plastic lizard worked around timber is a top bait this time of year. Another favorite is a brown crawfish-imitation crankbait. Big Poinsett bass feed heavily on crawfish, which are usually are an umber or reddish-brown color. During the rare times when the waters of Poinsett have cleared, switch to bluegill or shad-colored lures to match the prominent forage.

Summer is also plastic-worm time on Poinsett. The old Distress Creek channel and deeper water near the dam are extra-productive. Try a purple or black worm, or in early morning hours or around dusk, run a buzzbait or pop a chugger near middepth cover to come up with a lunker.

Poinsett anglers take home a lot of “wall-hanging” trophy bass. Most will average a pound or so, but chunky fish between 4 and 6 pounds aren’t unusual. A really big Poinsett hawg can hit 9 to 10 pounds.

Lake Poinsett State Park on the lake’s west side has picnic areas, a concrete boat ramp and 27 campsites with water and electric hookups, picnic tables and grills. The Game & Fish Commission provides two concrete boat ramps: one just north of the park and one at the west end of the dam. Primitive camping areas are available by each ramp, and the dam-site ramp has an adjacent courtesy dock and wheelchair-accessible fishing pier. Fishing supplies are available near the lake, with motels and restaurants in Harrisburg. For additional information, contact Lake Poinsett State Park at (870) 578-2064.