Around the Boathouse

Summertime fishing heats up over long holiday weekend

By Randy Zellers

AGFC Communications

This past week, we fielded photos from a few folks, but one group of photos was so entertaining, we ran two of them that show Landen Copeland literally wrestling with a catfish nearly as big as he is (top photos) and then with his dad, Larry, hoisting it for him.

Landen caught the cat while fishing about a mile below Lock and Dam 6 (David Terry) and just above the old Wrightsville boat ramp.

This week seems to be the week to talk about renovations outside of the actual lakes and streams we fish.

We've seen some much needed projects either completed or started at popular fisheries in recent days:

Lake Dardanelle

Renovations were recently completed to the Piney/U.S. Highway 64 Access (Johnson County) at Lake Dardanelle. New asphalt was laid, the lot was extended and striping was completed. A total of 33 parking spots (including two handicap spots) are now available. This area includes a courtesy dock for boaters and provides excellent access to the main lake, Piney Narrows and Piney Bay.

Millwood Lake

And at Millwood Lake, the parking area at Yarborough Landing on Millwood Lake will be closed for the next several weeks for the expansion and improvement of this popular fishing and boating access. The Army Corps of Engineers Millwood Lake Project Office, Little River County and Arkansas Game and Fish Commission are working together to improve the access for area anglers.

The first phase of this project, which began Monday, consists of site work, drainage, base preparation and asphalt on a 163,943square-foot parking area, which will provide 138 spaces for vehicles with trailers and 11 single vehicle spaces. Construction is expected to take a minimum of eight weeks. Once the parking lot expansion is complete, the renovation will continue with a new tournament courtesy dock.

Anglers wishing to access Millwood Lake can still use boat ramps at Millwood Lake State Park, Jack’s Isle, Beards Bluff and other accesses throughout the lake. In the photo (bottom right), contractors were removing trees in the middle of the existing parking lot at Yarborough Landing before grading it for proper draining and then paving that area for the additional 138 boat trailer parking spaces.

By Thursday, those trees in the photo were gone, according to our reporter (and favorite Millwood Lake fishing guide) Mike Siefert, who provided the photo.