Little creek arm fishes big at Beaver Lake
Sometimes a paddle is more practical than an outboard when a fisherman’s sights are set on crappie at Beaver Lake.
Word from the fishing grapevine was that crappie were going gangbusters in the Pine Creek arm of Beaver Lake, south of Hickory Creek park. Launching a power boat to reach the fishing hot spot would require a substantial drive to reach the ramp at Hickory Creek. But a dirt road that dead-ended at the lake near Pine Creek was close and perfect for slipping a canoe into the water.
Jon Stein of Pea Ridge was fishing in short order. He cast a gray crappie jig and occasionally dipped a canoe paddle April 15 on safari for crappie in the Pine Creek arm.
The overcast Friday happened to be the second day of the Walmart FLW Tour pro bass tournament at Beaver Lake. The fishermen in the canoe were within sight of two glittering bass boats, each powered by 250 horsepower from the stables of Mercury and Evinrude.
The fishing rods of those pros, and the guys in the canoe, stayed arrow straight with nary a bend from a Beaver Lake bass or crappie. Fishing was off to a slow start.
In the world of Beaver Lake creek arms, Pine Creek is tiny. It doesn’t even stretch a mile before it joins the main lake. But Pine Creek can fish big. It has everything a fish could want. There are gravel and rock banks, plus submerged bushes and trees. Lay-down trees that have fallen in the water are hot spots for crappie. These were Stein’s favorite targets, especially where the shoreline was steep.
Stein is an ardent angler and the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission fisheries biologist for Northwest Arkansas. He keeps tabs on the population of crappie and other game fish at the lake.
One way is by electrofishing. Stein and fisheries biologist Kevin Hopkins use electricity to stun the fish around their boat. The charge doesn’t harm the fish, but immobilizes them so the two can net them, then measure