Largemouth Bass

Central Arkansas, including the Carlisle area, offers some solid largemouth bass fishing. The smaller lakes and oxbows connected to the White River provide a unique and fertile habitat for bass. These waters are often teeming with vegetation and submerged timber, creating excellent ambush points for largemouth. Spring is a phenomenal time to target spawning bass in the shallows, using lures like spinnerbaits, Texas-rigged worms, and topwater frogs. Summer sees the bass moving deeper, seeking cooler water and shade, where you can target them with Carolina rigs, deep-diving crankbaits, or by flipping jigs around structure. A local tip to keep in mind: water levels in the oxbows can fluctuate significantly depending on rainfall and river levels, so check conditions before heading out. Also, be prepared for heavy vegetation; weedless presentations are a must. The bass here tend to be opportunistic feeders, so experiment with different lure colors and retrieves to find what works best on a given day.