NWA outdoor briefs

Alliance seeks cleanup volunteers

Beaver Watershed Alliance hosts lake cleanups and Secchi disk dip-ins at Lake Atalanta in Rogers and Lake Wilson in Fayetteville in observance of Lakes Appreciation Month in July.

A cleanup and Secchi disk event will be from 6 to 8 p.m. Wednesday at Lake Atalanta one mile east of downtown Rogers on East Walnut Street. The Lake Wilson cleanup and Secchi disk event will be from 9 to 11 a.m. July 31, 4483 S. Lake Wilson Road in Fayetteville.

For details contact the alliance at [email protected] or 479-750-8007.

Learn to fly fish

Rogers American Legion Post 100 auxiliary will host a fly casting class from 9 a.m. to noon July 31 at post headquarters, 711 W. Persimmon St. in Rogers.

A $10 donation is encouraged, but not required. Registration opens at 8:30 a.m., and the class starts at 9 a.m. Instruction will move indoors from 11 a.m. to noon where refreshments will be served. All equipment is furnished.

For more information call post headquarters, 479-631-1298.

Beginner fly tying offered

Bella Vista Fly Tyers will hold a beginner fly tying course Mondays starting Sept. 14 and going through mid-March.

Classes are from noon to 1:30 p.m. at Riordan Hall in Bella Vista. Cost is $15 to become a member of the Bella Vista Fly Tyers and $75 per student. The cost includes tying tools, an instruction manual and materials to tie 25 different fishing flies. The class is open to the public, not just Bella Vista POA members.

To enroll, attend the social hour at a Bella Vista Fly Tyers meeting any Thursday at Riordan Hall from 9 to 10 a.m. Meetings start at 10.

Frakes notches Elite win

Nick Frakes won the Beaver Lake Elite Series bass tournament held July 10. His five-fish tournament limit weighed 18.86 pounds. His catch was anchored by a 5.29-pound largemouth bass, the largest caught in the tournament, which fielded 139 boats.

Kirk McClelland was second with five bass at 16.77 pounds. Mark Mahaffey placed third with five bass at 13.11 pounds.

Fourth through 10th, all with five bass, were: fourth, Jared Taliaferro, 12.83; fifth, Jeremy Bowman, 12.43; sixth, Tony Parsley, 11.87; seventh, Mason Nall, 11.62; eighth, Steven Meador, 11.31; ninth, David Louks, 10.89; 10th Chris Johnson, 10.59.

Fleet of feet flock to park

Travel on foot is the most popular activity on the 54 miles of trail at Hobbs State Park-Conservation Area east of Rogers.

Trail use data from July 2020 through January 2021, provided by the park, shows 62.5 % of trail users were on foot. Mountain biking makes up 36.8 % of trail use and equestrian is at 7%.

Some park trails are for foot traffic only. Hidden Diversity and Monument trails are multiuse. Hidden Diversity was the park's first multiuse trail for foot travel, mountain biking and equestrian. The park has seen a significant reduction of mountain biking on the Hidden Diversity trail and increased mountain biking on the Monument trail, said Mark Clippinger, superintendent.

"This is likely due to the differences in the two trails, but more importantly due to the enormous social publicity of the 18-mile Monument trail system," Clippinger wrote in the report.

'Gone fishing' at Shiloh

A new exhibit, "Gone Fishing!" is open at Shiloh Museum of Ozark History, 118 W. Johnson Ave., in Springdale.

The exhibit includes information panels and 30 photographs that explore the history of fishing in Northwest Arkansas. Fishing on the White River before and after Beaver Lake filled in the mid-1960s is part of the exhibit. Fishing on the region's small lakes and streams is also highlighted. It will be on display through mid-December.

Admission is free. The museum is open Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. For details call the museum at 479-750-8165.

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