Locks and dams along the Arkansas River allow access to some of the best fishing in the country. Pools formed by these are stocked by the Arkansas Game & Fish Commission with sport fish such as bass, crappie, catfish and bream, making the river a popular location for major fishing tournaments such as the Arkansas Ford Dealers Big Bass Classic. Thirty-seven public access points from the western border to central Arkansas provide easy river entrance for the recreation boater or fisherman and are managed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
In addition to making the wide tree-lined river more enjoyable, the navigation system also created two lakes, which are recreation havens for outdoors enthusiasts. Ozark Lake covers 10,600 acres and extends 36 miles along the Arkansas River. The shoreline of the lake varies from steep bluffs and tree lined banks to open farm lands and level fields. Ten parks, three of which are day-use-only, offer a total of 157 campsites along the lakeshore. Lake Dardanelle, home to Lake Dardanelle State Park, is one of the most popular lakes in Arkansas for fishing tournaments because of large populations of catfish, white and largemouth bass, bream and crappie. Dardanelle stretches some 50 miles through the Arkansas River Valley and has over 34,000 acres of boating and fishing waters.
