Arkansas Tournament Fishing

Mike Iaconelli plans on coming to Arkansas with ATF to Trout fish! Who wants to see this and where should we take him?

Recently we have become aware through some of our friends and fellow anglers that the use of fuel with ethanol added to power your boat could be costly. Gary S. told Arkansas Tournament Fishing Pro Staffer Calvin Ralls that he had been unaware of the problems that it could cause until his boat motor quit while fishing a tournament on Lake Dardanelle a few weeks ago. Gary was completely unaware of what the problem might be until his mechanic handed him a $400.00 plus bill and told him to try to avoid using the ethanol fuel because it damages the fuel lines and the entire fuel system has to be rebuilt and /or replaced. The mechanic went on to say that using mid-grade gasoline can help because it has less ethanol in it, and also adding Stabil to each tank will help prevent the possibility of damage to the fuel system components caused by using ethanol fuel. However, the best prevention is keeping a sharp eye out for gas stations that have NO ETHANOL in the gas that they sell. There are a few still around, and most of the time , they are the “fishing friendly” stations that are going to offer this rare commodity. Be sure if you find a station that offers gas with NO ETHANOL to come back here and add it to this blog to let other anglers kow what stations to fill up at!!

We are on a mission to find every corner and cove of every creek, river, and lake. We need your help! If you think you have a fishing location that will stand up to the test of the ATF Pro Staff, send us an invite and if it qualifies, we will feature you on the video for that specific location… and who knows, we might just add you to our Official Arkansas Tournament Fishing Pro Staff, we are always looking for New Pro Staff Members.

The largest amatuer bass tournament in the nation just partnered with Arkansas Tournament Fishing last week. Great news for the tournament and great news for Arkansas’ amateur anglers. Let’s all get out there and help support Arkansas Fishing by  fishing in the Arkansas Big Bass Bonanza.

Post any fishing tournaments that are not yet listed on our site here or you can use the link on our site to submit directly to the webmaster.

Blade sizes vary along with skirt colors. In the willow leaf blade, I like to fish the small to mid size in the spring when the fish are roaming in the shallow water. A chrome willow leaf and a gold Colorado are a good combination for this time of year. If the water is stained to muddy, I like to throw a solid white blade with a white skirt and a chartreuse trailer. The white blades give off a lot of flash and gold or copper is good for this kind of water. Slow rolling these baits will locate fish over and around logs in the shallow water. I like to run them over logs and let them flutter down then start up the retrieve again. Normally, the fish will hit as the bait is falling. I slow roll them around timber and stumps letting them bump into the brush. This stop and go retrieve will draw more strikes.

Tips & Techniques

Coal Pile Lake, a backwater of the Arkansas River north of Dumas was acquired by AGFC last fall through negotiation with a hunting club. “Coal Pile” has a near-legendary reputation among bass fishermen and attracts ducks during the fall and winter. Some former state record largemouth bass were caught there.
Although it is closed to hunting, the lake will remain open for fishing and other recreational use. Black commented, “We need to work on getting the entrance to Coal Pile dredged out. It is dangerous now. Bass boats get up on plane and go in at 50 miles an hour if they know the exact spot to hit.”

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