Danny Sheeks of Stuttgart caught this 7.16 pound largemouth bass in the Coal Pile area of the Arkansas River during the 2009 Big Bass Bonazna. He used a chartreuse Rat-L-Trap lure. (Joe Mosby Photo)
By Joe Mosby
Bass fishing is on the upswing in the lower Arkansas River, if you use the recent Big Bass Bonanza as a measuring stick.
Of the 20 largest fish weighed in during the three-day event, 17 of them came from the tournament’s Pool 5, the Dumas Pool or Pendleton Pool – take your choice of terminology.
This is the section of the river that includes such familiar bassing names as Coal Pile, Merrisach Lake, Post Lake and Moore’s Bayou. Toss these names out in a bass fishing conversation most anywhere in Arkansas, and the listeners will know what you mean. Quite a few non-residents know the names as well, especially Coal Pile.
The Arkansas River as a bass fishery had its zenith in 1984 when professional fisherman Rick Clunn ran away with the Bassmaster Classic title by catching 75 pounds-plus in three days. Anglers from all over flocked to fish the Arkansas River, and many were rewarded with good catches.
Then bass fishing declined all along the Arkansas River, Coal Pile, Merrisach, Post Lake and Moore’s Bayou included. Extensive habitat work was done by the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and private organizations and individuals. Structures on the river were altered. Extensive stockings of bass fingerlings were made.
A component of the work was “notching” of dikes. The rock dikes help direct the flow of water and aid in keeping the main navigation channel of the river open. But in many places the dikes block off backwaters, fish spawning areas. Cutting notches in the dikes allows some water flow into the backwaters, aiding the spawning for several varieties of fish, bass included.
Fishing these lower Arkansas River spots is not for the foolhardy. Someone unfamiliar with them would be wise to go with a local angler or one who knows the territory. Coal Pile and Merrisach can be challenging just to get into, depending on the level of the river.
Heading downstream on the main river, Coal Pile is to the south just before the Pendleton bridge that carries U.S. 165 and Arkansas 1 across the river. Moore’s Bayou is to the north past the bridge, as is Post Lake.
Merrisach opens off the navigation canal connecting the Arkansas River and the White River.
Fishing for bass in these four areas is varied but is usually associated with some sort of structure – underwater ledges, laydowns (fallen trees), bends in the channel, cypress trees or stumps. A quick look at the four largest bass from the area weighed in at this year’s Big Bass Bonanza shows a variety of lures used.
A Coal Pile bass weighing 7.16 pounds led the first two days and was caught by Danny Sheeks of Stuttgart on a chartreuse Rat-L-Trap lure.
On the first morning of the Bonanza, contestant Mitch Miller of Dumas made nine quick casts, and seven minutes after the fishing started, he brought in 6.86-pound fish on Coal Pile. He used a Zara Spook, a topwater lure.
Brian Hogue of Star City landed a 6.81-pound bass in Post Lake, and he used a red metal flake plastic worm.
Near the end of the tournament, Brandon Rhoden of Grapevine landed a 6.98-pound bass, not on Coal Pile but on the Annex, an adjacent area. Rhoden caught his fish on a chrome Rat-L-Trap.
Several dozen smaller bass, many in the 4-pound and 5-pound range, came out of Coal Pile, Merrisach, Post Lake and Moore’s Bayou in the Big Bass Bonanza.
There is a public boat access at the Pendleton bridge, and a small restaurant is nearby. A short distance to the east is a Corps of Engineers campground. Boat access areas are also on Moore’s Bayou and Merrisach, and Merrisach has a campground. Check a state highway map on how to get to them.
——-
Joe Mosby is the retired news editor of the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission and Arkansas’ best known outdoor writer. His work is distributed by the Arkansas News Bureau in Little Rock. He can be reached by e-mail at jhmosby@cyberback.com.
