Visitor center aquariums highlight Lake Dardanelle trip
Outdoor writer and photographer Corbet Deary is featured regularly in The Sentinel-Record. Today, Deary writes about Dardanelle State Park.
Lake Dardanelle touches five Arkansas counties on its 50-mile journey upstream from Dardanelle Lock and Dam near Russellville. In turn, the reservoir is one of the major lakes on the Arkansas River and provides a link to the 450-mile Arkansas River Navigation System.
The lake boasts in the neighborhood of 315 miles of shoreline, and contains about 34,000 acres of surface water, resulting in outdoor opportunities galore.
Fishing is a popular sport throughout the reservoir, and for good reason. According to http://www.arkansas.com, Lake Dardanelle sports “one of the most consistent bass habitats in the Arkansas River System.” It is suggested that from Russellville toward the upper end of the river is considered as a trophy largemouth fishery.
Bass anglers travel from miles around to try their hand at fishing these waters. In fact, many tournaments are held on Lake Dardanelle throughout the seasons. Of course, a portion of the tournaments is local. But the lake also plays host to some large tourneys with huge payoffs.
Bass are not the only species swimming within the perimeters of the lake. The Arkansas River has been known to cough up some mighty impressive catfish, and Lake Dardanelle is no different.
The reservoir has also been known to provide anglers with a bountiful yield of panfish. Crappie are abundant in its murky waters, and bream find ample habitat to thrive.
White bass are plentiful throughout the lake. Of course, they are most easily caught running up tributaries by the droves during the annual spawn. However, spring is not the only time of the year that these voracious fighters can be caught. In fact, those who try their hand on the lake during the winter months stand a chance of finding them in large schools.
The Arkansas River is also capable of producing large stripers. And it just so happens that Lake Dardanelle is touted as one of the best striper pools along the waterway. Striped bass in and above the 20-pound class are commonly caught on the lake. Although unsure of their presence on Lake Dardanelle, hybrids are also plentiful along some sections of the river.
Of course, such a popular outdoor destination will sport its fair share of recreation areas, many of which are impressive. Of all I’ve visited, however, I am most impressed with Lake Dardanelle State Park. In fact, the facility is one of the more accommodating state parks throughout Arkansas.
The facility differs from the other 51 Arkansas state parks in the sense that is located at two different spots on the lake, one of which is nearest the town of Dardanelle and the other at Russellville.
The Dardanelle section of the park offers 18 Class B sites with restrooms and bath houses with hot showers. The facility also sports picnic sites, launching ramps and pavilions.
Although the aforementioned recreation area is worthy of mention, the Russellville park (the main park) is certainly the jewel of the two. The facility is nestled in a beautiful setting and is geared toward camping with 16 Class AAA and 13 Class AA designated spots within sight of the water. There are also 27 Class B camping sites on the premises as well, lending to camping opportunities for all folks, ranging from those who prefer all of the amenities of home to those who are more into a primitive style of camping and getting by on the bare essentials.
The main park features a visitor center that is surpassed by none throughout the state. The 10,527-square-foot building has plenty to keep the inquisitive occupied. The view from the visitor center alone is worthy of mention as it is situated on the lake’s edge, lending to an impressive scene.
However, I would suspect the view is seldom what folks remember most about the building. The interpretive exhibits focus on the areas water resources and its rich history. State-of-the-art touch-screen kiosks share a plethora of interesting information. But I was most impressed with the live exhibits.
A working beehive can be seen through a glass enclosure, lending to an opportunity to see these workers going about their everyday rituals. Of course, there is also ample information posted at the exhibit to give onlookers a good understanding of their habits.
Now for what I considered as the highlight of the entire visit: several large aquariums were located throughout the building. These water spectacles focused on the inhabitants of Lake Dardanelle, the Arkansas River and two of its tributaries — Piney Creek and Illinois Bayou.
To watch the native fish swimming within literally inches of where I was standing was mesmerizing. I watched as a couple of gar swam within the perimeters of one aquarium. Although having caught several of this particular species throughout the years, an opportunity to simply step back and watch them lent to a better understanding of just how primitive these fish appear to be.
Of course, I enjoyed peering at a couple of impressive largemouth bass swimming to and fro. But I might have been most impressed with a couple of huge bream that were on exhibit. In fact, I found myself making a mental note to soak a few crickets in our area reservoirs.
I suppose the reasons catfish are often the most-watched fish in an aquarium is severalfold. Practically everybody with a rod and reel has fished for catfish. And most anglers have experienced at least some success at catching these flavorful critters.
But I would also suspect that folks are intrigued with them, as they, too, appear somewhat primitive. Those visiting the visitor center will also have an opportunity to hone their catfish identification skills as I can recall both channel and flatheads swimming in the tanks. And I wouldn’t be surprised if a blue cat was represented, as well.
There were also several turtles on display. These creatures seem to be very popular with children. However, I, too, find them intriguing.
The park provides fishing enthusiasts ample locations where they can fish from the water’s edge. And judging from stories I have heard, there are plenty of fish to be caught from the bank. Of course, launching ramps are located on site. There is also a 1,861- square-foot weigh-in pavilion near the water’s edge.
Kayak rentals are available at the park as are several interpretive programs throughout the seasons. And let’s not forget a slew of photographic opportunities.
It matters not if one is an angler or of they simply savor the opportunity to take in clean, fresh air. Lake Dardanelle State Park has something to offer just about anybody with a hankering to enjoy the wonderful outdoors.
To get to the Lake Dardanelle State Park (Main Park) take Highway 7 north to Russellville and take a left onto Highway 326 just before crossing Interstate 40. Cross Highway 64 and remain on Highway 326 until reaching the state park entrance on the right.