Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
The oxbow experience
Lake Chicot State Park begs to be fished
LAKE VILLAGE — I wish I had brought a couple of kayaks to Lake Chicot State Park.
My adventuring partner and I visited this remarkable spot Sunday as part of our quest to visit all 52 Arkansas state parks in one year. Having our Arkansas State Park Passports stamped at Lake Chicot State Park completed the Southeast Arkansas leg of the tour, which on Sunday included Cane Creek Lake State Park at Star City and Arkansas Post Museum at Gillette. We celebrated with bottles of cold IBC cherry soda, containing real cane sugar, from the park’s visitor center. It was about 4:15 p.m., and the attendant said it had been a very busy day.
It is easy to see why. The park sits against the west bank of the north unit of Lake Chicot, the largest river oxbow lake in North America. The visitor center contains thorough explanations about oxbow lakes, their ecology and their life cycles. Others in the region include Grand Lake and Lake Enterprise. There are also detailed informational panels about Civil War activity in this area, especially Confederate ambushes and predations of Union Shipping on the Mississippi River. This alone makes Lake Chicot State Park a worthy destination for Civil War history enthusiasts.
Near Lake Village is Eudora, immortalized in Tony Joe White’s classic, “They Caught the Devil and Put Him in Jail in Eudora, Arkansas.” In 2011, I got a call late at night from Bernadette Young, who hosted a program on ABC News-Australia called, “Around the World in 80 Songs.” That song led her to Eudora, and she called us for a description of a mystical place in the Delta. The presence of alligators captivated Young, probably because Australia has so many crocodiles.
I told her about wade fishing for crappie at Grand Lake, dunking minnows with long poles among the cypress knees. I asked her to picture herself at my side fishing together amid the chirping of tree frogs and the raspy trill of redwing blackbirds.
Young asked if wade fishing wouldn’t make us vulnerable to an alligator attack.”
“You’re fishing with me, right?” I asked. “Side by side, right?”
“Yes,” she said. “Well, I’m not in danger as long as I outrun you!” I said.
Young thought that was hilarious.
To get in the spirit, my adventuring partner punched up, “They Caught the Devil and Put Him in Jail in Eudora, Arkansas,” and we listened to it at arena volume.
Shortly after, we turned off U. S. Highway 65 onto a road that follows Lake Chicot. There was a lazy, mellow atmosphere in the air of a country at ease. The lake was calm and blue. Few boats were present, and the trees along the bank glowed in the soft sunlight of late afternoon.
All of the lakeside communities in this part of the country have the same vibe. It is peaceful. Contented.
Lake Chicot State Park rests amid a grove of giant pecan trees. Birds are everywhere, as are massive fox squirrels with the most extraordinary copper colored coats.
Beyond the visitor center is a spacious campground containing 78 RV-ready sites with full utilities, picnic tables and grills. Bathhouses are also available. The campground is popular and takes reservations up to one year in advance. Only a few campers were present on Sunday. I found this odd because right now is the best time to visit. Temperatures are pleasant and mosquitoes are few.
There is also a nature trail that is currently closed and under renovation.
Also, Southeast Arkansas is in bloom right now. The pecan trees are budding, and some trees are already leafed. Redbuds and dogwoods are abloom. It is beautiful and will really come into its own over the next few weeks.
Lakeside is a gift shop where you can buy basic camping staples and fishing supplies. A large bank of big windows offers a grand view of the lake. There is a large veranda on the outside. It would be a fabulous place for a restaurant.
Outside the gift shop is a boat ramp. A few anglers were taking out during our visit.
A causeway divides Lake Chicot into two units. The South Unit is more heavily developed. The attendant at the gift shop said the fishing is also better in the South Unit. I had a great day fishing it for bass several years ago with Kevin Short, a professional angler from Mayflower. The North Unit retains a wilder feel, and it looks really “fishy.”
During our visit, the lake was as smooth as glass. It was perfect for a Hobie kayak tour, especially if you had a long cane pole and a tube of crickets or a bucket of minnows. Crappie fishing will start peaking over the next couple of weeks. Bluegills will start spawning about this time in April. With a kayak, you could slowly work along the insides of the trees and around the cypress knees and have a grand time with a long rod and a light jig.
The sight of it, with that tall bank of trees beckoning on the far shore, made us long to be on the water.
We will return with appropriate gear to experience it properly.