Lake Dardanelle

[fats95]

anyone fished this area lately, heading out in a couple of weeks to check it out. First time fishing this area and any advice would be welcomed.

[lilmule]

Bit far from the Kanawaha river aint it,always did like the St Albans pool.

[fats95]

it is for a fact, fished the kanawha last week and the smallies were hitting pretty good on the ledge by the interstate bridge

[lilmule]

Ive won at least 4 T off that storm drain just above the ramp,unforunately when the state bass final has it there its off limits as just in the riprap ,just downriver on the right hand side is an old non working plant with barred gates intake and out I guess,have caught many there on a jig.
I was born in Huntington,favorite ohio river pool was Ravenswood,but had to settle for the Galipolis pool generally.
New river is superb smallmouth fishing,and summersville lake aint bad.
Been all over the state fishing for trout then later bass.
One of the few surviving Twelvepole valley bassmasters,out of Kenova,now defunct.
Hopefully someone will post on that lake you requested ,Ive never been there.

[Darth VMAX]

Bunch of Wichita Turd bass in that lake.... LOL

[lilmule]

Lake Dardanelle is a sprawling 34,300-acre reservoir on the Arkansas River
Several members from arkieslaw in here,many fish that river .
Think the post above was in reference to spotted bass,which im sure your used to.
Out this way many look down on 13 or 14 in fish,I have weighed in spots over 2 1/2 pds and over 15 in here on Ky lake.They are to far between and hard to pattern here.
Not at all like back east where a whole school the same size all balled up in one area.
Here they dont get on bridge abuttments other than 12 in stuff once above that its humps,out a mile away from shore.Surprisingly shallow about 4 ft but not ten ft away from 45 ft water,oddly smallies are mixed in at same places.92 deg water and smallies and spots 3 or 4 ft deep,common denominator is deep water a boat length away.
Is there a particular reason you desire to fish a lake about 800 miles away?

[fats95]

Wife wants to visit some friends that moved out that way a few years back. Tried to talk her into flying out by herself, went over like a lead balloon, hinted around about taking the greyhound, no go. So I thought might as well make the best of it.

[lilmule]

Very good logical reason WIFE
For the same reason im now 486 miles west of you,436 from Huntington
Got to admit the fishing here anit bad at all

[fats95]

lilmule, when did you leave West by God? Did you ever get to fish Stonewall in Lewis county or Woodurms in Jackson county?

[lilmule]

Year ago May,yes stonewall is great but catch and release only,still T are held there but paper T,Woodrums only once.
The new mud river lake is good.also catch and release,with few developments like as in road to get in.
Been to every trout stream in w.va,had an old book and followed it some hadnt been stocked in years yet had trout,state record was taken form such a stream.
Hachery had been located nearby and got flooded out ,they shut it down after that,but the trout lived on.
Always loved new river and up around Marlington,almost bought the old motel on the cherry river by the falls.
Love lil towns like Boomer,but like all things in wva above charleston,you have the river,the rr track then the road then you run outa flat space.
Fell outa a cornfield twice on one morning over by yellow sulpher springs.
The old motel was still standing last time I was there,gazebo had a lot of tuirkey vultures around it.A lot of history there going to waste.
Do I miss it yes,but just the way things had to be.
Not everyone can say they drank beer in a bar with John Denver,or been in the same room with Chuck Yeager,he used to stop by my mothers beauty salon when his mom had her hair done,and he was always in uniform,never ever in civies.
Ps im a retired MU maintenance worker dept of resident services.

[fats95]

Use to hunt on parts that are flood now at Stonewall Jackson, still like fishing that lake even that it is a fish and release. Like you I have trout fished all over WV and still like to get to cranberry when I get a chance. Never have float fished the <?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" /><st1:place w:st="on">New River</st1:place>, but have white watered down both the New and Gauley.