NWA outdoor briefs: Beaver Lake gets striped bass; Elmdale tops for catfish

Alexis Shelton, 9, pulls the hook out of a catfish she caught during the Jacksonvilles Park and Recreation Department will Host 24th Annual Youth Fishing Derby on Saturday, June 20, 2020. 
(Arkansas Democrat-Gazette/Thomas Metthe)
Alexis Shelton, 9, pulls the hook out of a catfish she caught during the Jacksonvilles Park and Recreation Department will Host 24th Annual Youth Fishing Derby on Saturday, June 20, 2020. (Arkansas Democrat-Gazette/Thomas Metthe)

Lake gets striped bass

Staff from the Andrew Hulsey state fish hatchery in Hot Springs stocked 35,880 fingerling striped bass at Beaver Lake in late June.

Arkansas Game and Fish Commission canceled its annual striped bass stocking project at Beaver this year because of the covid-19 pandemic, but the agency was able to acquire donated striped bass fry from Keo Fish Farms in England, Arkansas.

The fry were held in ponds at the Game and Fish Hulsey hatchery to grow to an average size of 2 inches. Then they were trucked to Beaver Lake and stocked in the reservoir.

Striped bass at Beaver Lake have very fast growth rates and can grow to 28 inches long in four years, said Jon Stein, Northwest Arkansas fisheries supervisor with Game and Fish.

Alliance sets cleanup

Beaver Watershed Alliance will host a no-contact cleanup at Beaver Lake in the Monte Ne area at 11 a.m. Sunday.

Meet at the Monte Ne boat launch to get get trash bags, gloves and small thank-you gifts provided by the alliance. Volunteers may collect litter for as little or long as they like. Benton County Solid Waste District will dispose of the filled bags.

The alliance asks volunteers to sign up for the cleanup at [email protected].

Month celebrates lakes

July is lakes appreciation month across the nation.

North American Lake Management Society began the observation to raise awareness of reservoirs and lakes for drinking water and recreation, according to the Beaver Watershed Alliance.

Water is drawn from Beaver Lake and treated by the Beaver Water District to provide drinking water to most of Northwest Arkansas.

Team wins benefit tournament

Wes Usrey and Ronnie Eldridge topped a field of 66 boats to win the Young Life benefit bass tournament June 27 at Beaver Lake. Their five bass weighed 15.99 pounds. They also had the big bass at 5.59 pounds.

Kevin Kester placed second with five bass at 14.3 pounds. Kent Rogers was third with five bass at 13.66 pounds. David Louks and Collin Cheatham placed fourth with five bass at 13.51 pounds. James and Jennifer Whittle finished fifth with five bass at 13.04 pounds.

Elmdale tops for catfish

A study by the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission shows Lake Elmdale near Elm Springs is a top destination to catch channel catfish.

Game and Fish biologists placed four series of hoop nets in the lake last spring, 12 nets total, and collected 600 channel catfish. The catch rate was 154 fish per hoop-net series, said Jon Stein, district fisheries supervisor.

The average catfish size was 17 inches long and 2.25 pounds. The upstream end of the lake yielded the most catfish from water 8 feet deep.

All sampled fish were released back into the lake.

Upcoming Events