America’s National Wildlife Refuge System - Arkansas

Bald Knob National Wildlife Refuge
Part of the Central Arkansas NWR Complex, is located at 1439 Coal Chute Rd., Bald Knob, AR 72010; (501) 724-2458; http://refuges.fws.gov/profiles/index.cfm?id=43522. Office hours, 7:30 am-4:00 pm. Refuge is open sunrise to sunset. Nearest community is Bald Knob. Nearest highway is Hwy. 367. Primary fishing sites include Pole Brake, Overflow Creek and the numerous irrigation ditches and canals. Available species include largemouth bass, crappie, bluegill and catfish. The refuge has a graveled boat ramp on Pole Brake and another to the old creek bed of Overflow Creek. An improved concrete boat ramp off Liberty Valley Road provides access to the Little Red River. No commercial fishing is allowed.

Amenities: Food nearby / Lodging nearby / Boat launching

Big Lake National Wildlife Refuge
Part of the Central Arkansas NWR Complex, P.O. Box 67, 2274 Hwy. 18, Manila, AR 72542; (870) 564-2429; http://refuges.fws.gov/profiles/index.cfm?id=43515. Office hours, 7:00 am-3:30 pm, Monday-Friday. Refuge is open sunrise to sunset. Nearest community is Manila. Nearest highway is Hwy. 18. Available species include largemouth bass, crappie, sunfish and catfish. Refuge waters include 3,500 acres, of which 2,600 acres are open water where depth averages 2 1/2-3 feet. Portions may be closed during bald eagle nesting activities. The refuge’s facilities for anglers include 3 maintained boat launching areas.

Amenities: Food nearby / Lodging nearby / Maps available / Public rest facilities / Boat launching / Hiking and nature trails / Information center / Disabled angler facilities

Cache River National Wildlife Refuge
Part of the Central Arkansas NWR Complex, 26320 Hwy. 33 South, Augusta, AR 72006; (501) 724-2458; http://refuges.fws.gov/profiles/index.cfm?id=43514. Office hours, 7:30 am-4:00 pm. Refuge is open sunrise to sunset. Nearest community is Augusta. Nearest main highway is Hwy. 33. Available species include largemouth bass, crappie, sunfish and catfish. Refuge waters include over 200 acres in scattered small lakes and 220 acres in the Cache and Bayou DeView Rivers. Facilities for anglers include 3 concrete launching areas and approximately 10 gravel/dirt ramps scattered throughout the refuge.

Amenities: Food nearby / Lodging nearby / Maps available / Public rest facilities / Boat launching / Canoeing and kayaking / Information center

Felsenthal National Wildlife Refuge
P.O. Box 1157, Crossett, AR 71635; (870) 364-3167; http://refuges.fws.gov/profiles/index.cfm?id=43579. Office and Visitor Center hours, 7:00 am-3:30 pm. Refuge is open sunrise to sunset. Good access roads and some primitive roads. Nearest main highway is U.S. 82. Nearest community is Crossett. Refuge waters include one 3-acre pond, one 1-acre pond used for special fishing events, a 15,000-acre impoundment that can be enlarged to 36,000 acres seasonally, several oxbow lakes, the Ouachita River, (approximately 30 river miles), the Saline River (10 river miles) and Lapile Creek (about 3 miles). There are numerous smaller creeks and sloughs. Fishing season is year-round. Available species include white bass, crappies, sunfish, catfish, rock bass, largemouth bass and chain pickerel.

Amenities: Food nearby / Lodging nearby / Primitive camping / Bait & tackle nearby / Maps available / Public rest facilities / Boat launching / Hiking and nature trails / Information center / Disabled angler facilities

Holla Bend National Wildlife Refuge
10448 Holla Bend Rd., Dardanelle, AR, 72834-9704; (479) 229-4300; http://refuges.fws.gov/profiles/index.cfm?id=43590. Office hours, 7:00 am-3:30 pm. Public use areas are open 7 days a week during daylight hours only. Nearest community is Dardanelle. Nearest main highways are State Hwy. 7 and Hwy. 155. Available species include largemouth bass, striped bass, white bass, crappie and catfish. Available refuge waters include Lodge Lake (30 acres), Long Lake (20 acres) the Old River Channel (200 acres) and 3 miles of the Arkansas River for bank fishing. Fishing season is March 1-October 31.

Amenities: Food nearby / Lodging nearby / Primitive camping* / Bait & tackle nearby / Maps available / Public rest facilities / Boat launching / Hiking and nature trails / Information center

*Nearby.

Pond Creek National Wildlife Refuge
1958 Central Rd., Locksburg, AR, 71846; (870) 289-2126; http://refuges.fws.gov/profiles/index.cfm?id=43575. Office hours, 7:00 am-3:30 pm, Monday-Friday. Refuge is open sunrise to sunset. Nearest community is Falls Chapel. Nearest highway is U.S. Hwy. 71. Refuge is open year-round to fishing in multiple natural oxbow lakes and in the Little and Cossatot Rivers, which border the refuge to the south and east. Fishing for largemouth bass, crappie, bluegill and catfish are popular activities, and good catches occur throughout the year. The 30,000-acre U.S. Corps of Engineer’s Millwood Reservoir, located just downstream on the Little River, is a destination for many anglers. The refuge’s facilities include gravel roads but no boat ramps. Many of the oxbow lakes are accessible only by using ATVs on designated trails to reach the water.

Amenities: Primitive camping / Bait & tackle nearby / Maps available / Hiking and nature trails / Canoeing and kayaking

Wapanocca National Wildlife Refuge
178 Hammond Ave., Turrell, AR 72384; (870) 343-2595; http://refuges.fws.gov/profiles/index.cfm?id=43650. Office hours, 7:00 am-3:30 pm, Monday- Friday. Refuge is open sunrise to sunset. Good access roads. Nearest highways are Hwys. 42 and 77. Nearest community is Turrell. Refuge waters include Wapanocca Lake (600 acres), with an average depth of 4 feet. Fishing season is March 15-October 31, during daylight hours only. Available species include largemouth bass, bluegill, crappie and catfish.

Amenities: Food nearby / Lodging nearby / Maps available / Public rest facilities / Boat launching / Information center / Disabled angler facilities

White River National Wildlife Refuge
P.O. Box 205, St. Charles, AR 72140; (870) 282-8200. Office hours, 8:00 am-4:00 pm, Monday-Friday; 8:00 am-3:00 pm, Saturday-Sunday. Refuge is open 24 hours a day. Gravel access roads within the refuge. Nearest highway is Hwy. 1. Nearest community is St. Charles. Available species include crappie, bluegill, largemouth bass and catfish. White River NWR contains approximately 300 recognizable bodies of water that total in excess of 10,000 surface acres. Included in this total are over 200 oxbow lakes and permanent beaver ponds. The remaining bodies of water include numerous bayous, creeks, intermittent streams and the White River. Information can also be obtained by visiting http://whiteriver.fws.gov/.

Amenities: Food nearby / Lodging nearby / Primitive camping / Bait & tackle nearby* / Maps available / Public rest facilities / Boat launching / Hiking and nature trails / Canoeing and kayaking / Information center

*Nearby.