Spring to-do list: Experience Arkansas at its best with these adventures

The end of January means a trip to the Arkansas Big Buck Classic at the Arkansas State Fairgrounds. Scott Arnold of Berryville won the 2019 event with this Carroll County whitetail.

The end of January means a trip to the Arkansas Big Buck Classic at the Arkansas State Fairgrounds. Scott Arnold of Berryville won the 2019 event with this Carroll County whitetail.


Starting today, the new year brings exciting things to do in the Natural State. Here are a few suggestions for a year of outdoors adventure.

Arkansas Marine Expo

Spring is approaching, which means boating and fishing seasons will soon be upon us. Scratch that itch by visiting the 38th annual Marine Expo today at the Statehouse Convention Center in Little Rock. Ken Griffey, promoter for the Marine Expo, said that all of the state's top boat dealers are under one roof. The atmosphere is extremely competitive, Griffey said, making it an ideal opportunity to score an outstanding deal on a new boat.

On display is a vast selection of fishing boats, party barges, personal watercraft and pleasure boats.

Today is the last day, and hours are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Admission is $8 for adults, and free for children ages 12 and younger.

Big Buck Classic

The biggest whitetailed deer racks taken in Arkansas during the 2019-20 deer season will be on display Jan. 24-26 at Barton Coliseum at the Arkansas Big Buck Classic.

The Big Buck Classic is the biggest deer hunting expo in Arkansas and one of the biggest in the country. Besides the rack display, dozens of vendors will be in the Hall of Industry selling all manner of hunting products, including turkey calls, all-terrain vehicles, deer stands, knives and apparel. Outfitters will book hunting trips for whitetailed deer, mule deer, elk, turkey and African safaris.

As always, Joe Martin's Snakes of Texas rattlesnake exhibit will be prominent in Barton Coliseum. Live alligators and whitetailed deer also will be on display.

New this year, the Arkansas Game and Fish Foundation will have a free kids zone that occupies the entire Farm and Ranch building. Youngsters can fish for rainbow trout, shoot BB guns and assemble a giant elk puzzle.

Also new, hunters who win awards for the biggest rack from each county will be entered in a drawing to win a lifetime hunting and fishing license.

Show hours will be 1 p.m.-8 p.m. on Friday, 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Saturday, and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sunday. Admission will be $15 for adults and $5 for children ages 5-12, and free for children younger than 5. Parking will be free.

Hunt turkeys

Turkey season will open April 13, giving hunters an opportunity to pursue one of the most exciting, most challenging game animals in Arkansas.

If you don't have a place to hunt, apply for a controlled wildlife management area turkey hunting permit. These are high-quality hunts at places that support healthy turkey populations such as Gulf Mountain WMA, Harold E. Alexander Spring River WMA, Cut Off Creek WMA, Shirey Bay Rainey Brake WMA and Scatter Creek WMA, to name a few.

The application period is from Jan. 15-Feb. 15. Apply online at agfc.com. Permits are awarded through a random drawing, and applicants will be notified of their status by email.

Catch a striper

In February, striped bass will begin moving into the headwaters of lakes Ouachita, Hamilton, Beaver and Norfork to spawn. The easiest time to catch a fish that can weigh 10-50 pounds is when they're bunched up in narrow, shallow water.

You don't need special downriggers, expensive electronic graphs or expensive boats. Stripers will bite stickbaits, crankbaits, flies and jigs while trolling or even wade fishing.

You can also catch walleyes in the same water at the same time, as they spawn about the same time as stripers.

In March, the striper and walleye bite will subside, but hybrid stripers and white bass will move into the same areas for additional excitement.

Load up on crappie

In March, crappie will move into shallow water to spawn in lakes, ponds and rivers all over the state. That's when they are easiest to catch, and they will hit a variety of artificial lures and live minnows.

To find concentrations of crappie in the pre-spawn period, use an electronic graph to find brushpiles near shallow spawning flats. Crappie congregate in brushpiles, and you can catch them by casting a light jig upwind past the brushpile and retrieving it slowly so that it nicks the top.

In the peak of the spawn, look for downed trees on the bank with their tops in the water. Crappie will bite olive, white and yellow marabou jigs under bobbers.

Catch bream

Spring and summer are prime times to catch big bluegills from a boat or from the bank.

Bluegills spawn on the full moon, and you can catch them next to logs, rocks and stumps next to the bank with live crickets or tiny spinnerbaits such as a Roadrunner or a Mepps inline spinner.

Simple tackle is best. Use a cane pole or a long crappie rod to swing a bait into position, or use an ultralight spinning rig for short casts. It's easy fishing, and the action is fast, making it ideal for youngsters and novices.

Float fish a stream

When summer weather gets hot, hop in a canoe or kayak and float fish an Arkansas stream.

You can cast for smallmouth bass in the clear, rocky streams of the Ozark and Ouachita mountains. Top choices in the Ozarks are the Buffalo National River, Crooked Creek, Kings River, Illinois River and Mulberry River. In the Ouachitas, try the Ouachita, Caddo or Little Missouri rivers.

There's also some great float fishing in central and south Arkansas. The Big Maumelle and Little Maumelle rivers are excellent float streams. Wattensaw Bayou, Cutoff Creek and Bayou DeView are great choices. For more and maps of Arkansas water trails, visit agfc.com/en/explore-outdoors/wildlife-viewing/water-trails.

Hunt deer

Spending a cool, crisp day in the Arkansas deer woods is the consummate way to celebrate autumn.

Muzzleloader deer season opens Oct. 17, and modern gun deer season opens Nov. 14. Both are peak times for seeing deer and enjoying the year's best weather.

If you don't have a place to hunt, you can apply for a controlled wildlife management area deer hunting permit. These are high-quality hunts at places that support healthy deer populations. Areas include Harold E. Alexander WMA, Wattensaw WMA, Dagmar WMA and Madison County WMA, to name a few.

The application process is the same as for a controlled WMA turkey hunting permit. The application period will begin June 1. Apply online at agfc.com.

Those are just a few activities for the new year. Let them be your guide to an expanded list of your own.

photo

Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

The author says turkey season is an ideal time to experience an Arkansas spring, especially with a controlled wildlife management area turkey hunting permit.


photo

Arkansas Democrat-Gazette/Bryan Hendricks

Late winter and early spring are the times to catch striped bass in the headwaters of some of our big reservoirs.


Sports on 01/19/2020

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