Dardanelle
- Area Specific Regulations
- Legal to take game fish with spear guns during season.
- Handicapped-accessible fishing piers are available.
Largemouth Bass Regulations
- Largemouth bass must be at least 14 inches long to keep.
Crappie Regulations
- Crappie must be 10 inches or longer to keep.
- Combined daily limit for black and white crappie is 30.
Note: It is unlawful to possess filleted fish or fish with head and tail removed while fishing from shore, boat or transporting fish by boat on these waters.
Measure all fish from the tip of the lower jaw to the tip of the tail with the fish laid flat on ruler, mouth closed and tail lobes pressed together.
- Area Type
Corps of Engineer
- Description
Constructed under the supervision of the Corps of Engineers Little Rock District, Lake Dardanelle and Winthrop Rockefeller Lake comprise one of the most accessible and attractive recreation areas in Arkansas. With nearly 40,000 acres of boating and fishing waters rimmed by choice picnic and camping areas, it is the ideal leisure-time destination. Lake Dardanelle spreads westward behind Dardanelle Dam into Pope, Yell, Logan, Johnson, and Franklin counties. Two miles wide in places, it reaches 50 miles upstream to the Ozark-Jeta Taylor Lock and Dam and has 315 miles of shoreline.
Parks on Lake Dardanelle offer many recreational opportunities. Each has drinking water, toilet facilities and picnic tables. Several have boat launch ramps, trailer dump stations, camping sites with electricity and water, and group picnic shelters. Public boat docks offer boat and motor rental services, fuel, food and other supplies and services.
The Arkansas River has for many years been popular with anglers for its large catfish and largemouth bass. White bass are native to the river, with adults traveling in schools and feeding near the surface. Bream and crappie also provide excellent sport fishing. The area has an abundance of wildlife. There is in-season hunting for deer, turkey, waterfowl and other small game. This game and the picturesque shoreline provide ideal conditions for nature enthusiasts and camera bugs. The River Valley is a favorite wintering area for the American bald eagle. From late fall through early spring, eagles are often seen perched in large trees and on snags along the river as they hunt for fish. Popular viewing areas include Old Post Road Park in Russellville and Holla Bend National Wildlife Refuge, southeast of Dardanelle.
- District Information
Russellville Project Office
1598 Lock and Dam Road Russellville, AR 72801
479-968-5008
- Location
The lake is actually a section of the Arkansas River that spans from Ozark to Russellville.
- Management Plan
- Ownership
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
- WMA