Hot Springs, AR Fishing: Legendary Resort City with Top Bass Fishing

Hot Springs considers itself America's first resort destination. This historic city, 55 miles outside Little Rock, remains one of Arkansas' most beloved tourist spots, taking its name from the thermal water from Hot Springs Mountain.

Native Americans once called the area “the Valley of the Vapors,” with many different tribes visiting and enjoying the water’s healing properties for years before Europeans came in and claimed the area in the 1500s. It maintained its reputation as a coveted natural spa area for years. In 1832, the central part of the city became a federal reservation, eventually becoming the Hot Springs National Park. 

Following the establishment of the federal reservation, Hot Springs quickly developed into a bonafide spa city. Part of its development included building what is now known as Bathhouse Row, a row of stunning Victorian-style bathhouses completed in 1888. 

Apart from offering healing and relaxation, the waters of Hot Springs provide some of the most productive freshwater fishing in the state. Overall, this resort city sitting on the edge of the Ouachita Mountain is a beautiful destination for travelers seeking a natural escape in more ways than one.

Hot Springs Fishing

The highlight of Hot Springs fishing is bass fishing. Many of its lakes and reservoirs are hotspots for bass and are even considered by many experts as top-tier. Its main fishing spots, Lake Hamilton, Lake Catherine, and Lake Ouachita, are fed by the Ouachita River system.

Lake Hamilton is a favorite among locals and visitors for its year-round fishing. It sits on the city's southern edge and has many boat ramps, marinas, and handicapped-accessible fishing piers open to the public. It is so productive that it holds more fish per acre than all lakes in Arkansas. Its largemouth bass and striped bass fisheries are its most popular catch, but it has plenty of crappie, walleye, spotted bass, white bass, bluegill, channel catfish, blue catfish, and yellow bass. The lake owes its productivity to the Andrew Hulsey Fish Hatchery, a hatchery ground producing native and non-native fish species. Likewise, all other public waters around the state get their supply from this active hatchery.

Head straight for the tailwaters for anglers wishing to target rainbow trout in Lake Hamilton. Trout fishing in these dams will be most fruitful during winter between November and April when they get their annual stocking. Blakely Dam, in particular, offers world-class trout fishing, but be ready with your gear to battle some trophy-striped bass here as well.

If you’re exclusively targeting bass, find them in the lake’s feeder creeks. The s-curve on Big Mama Creek is especially active as it has plenty of cover and tiny pockets with brush piles.

Lake Catherine is just under 2,000 acres but is a thriving fishery. The lake can be accessed within Lake Catherine State Park, a stunning and restful park with a full-service marina open during summer. The lake is known for its largemouth bass, spotted bass, striped bass, crappie, catfish, walleye, and bluegill. Its tailwaters below Remmel Dam are annually stocked with rainbow trout. On the other hand, the park offers beautiful facilities, including picnic sites, playgrounds, campsites, and fully equipped cabins. It has a trail leading to a stunning waterfall. It also has park interpreters offering guided lake tours, hikes, and programs.

Anglers eager to practice fly fishing for rainbow trout will enjoy the shoals near the base of Carpenter Dam, a tailwater between Hamilton and Catherine.

Lake Ouachita is the largest lake in Arkansas at 40,100 acres and the cleanest one in the country; it was developed for flood control and therefore had no development. It is consistently included in many top 10 lists for largemouth bass fishing. Apart from largemouth bass, it is home to striped bass, smallmouth bass, walleye, and crappie. However, don’t expect them to mingle in the same areas in the lake, as they have their niches. Anglers can access the lake from the many uninhabited islands where you can camp or on Lake Ouachita State Park on the lake’s eastern shore. To target striped bass, head to the open areas and along creeks. The main body with ledges and humps are the best places to catch walleye.

Recently named one of Bassmaster Magazine's Top 100 Bass Lakes in the US, DeGray Lake is located less than an hour from Hot Springs. The best way to access the lake is from the state park boat dock, where you can launch a variety of boats, including canoes, kayaks, pontoons, and powerboats. Though popular with its hybrid striped bass and largemouth bass fishery, DeGray Lake holds a great number of other fish species such as walleye, crappie, channel catfish, bluegill, and redear sunfish. Anglers who are eager to catch hybrid striped bass often troll, cast, and jig for great success.

Top 10 Fish Species in Hot Springs, AR

The top 10 fish species in Hot Springs, AR, include largemouth bass, striped bass, spotted bass, walleye, crappie, channel catfish, smallmouth bass, bluegill, rainbow trout, and redear sunfish.

Seasonal Fishing

Hot Springs offers productive year-round fishing for a great variety of species. Summer and spring are the most popular seasons for the area, as it is first and foremost a resort city, so if you don’t want to compete with the crowds, best to fish in the early morning or late at night.

However, if you want to experience some exciting striped bass fishing, you will want to be here at the height of summer. From July to August, there’s always a three-week period when trophy stripers can be found on the water’s surface, feeding actively in the early morning for 30 minutes before escaping back into the coolness of the deeper parts of the lake.

For the angler looking for a more peaceful fishing experience, you can still enjoy a fruitful time fishing here around fall and winter. Rainbow trout, in particular, are best targeted here from November to April, when the public waters receive their annual stocking.

Discover and Enjoy the Sights of Hot Springs

Hot Springs is historically one of the country's foremost tourist destinations. Today, it has lost none of its sheens. It remains a beautiful and peaceful destination just outside of Little Rock, with plenty of incredible sights and activities for visitors of all interests and ages.

1. Book a Fishing Guide

Explore the productive waters of Hot Springs with the guidance of a local expert. It’s the safest way to fish, especially if it’s your first time fishing in the area. Fishing with a local is the best way to guarantee that you’ll be fishing in keeping with the state regulations, which can confuse visitors. 

2. Walk Through Hot Springs’ Rich History

See a slice of Hot Springs’ golden age as a premier spa town by visiting Bathhouse Row inside Hot Springs National Park. The row consists of eight well-preserved buildings in Victorian-style architecture. One of the fascinating structures in the historic row is Buckstaff Bathhouse, which has been in operation uninterrupted since 1912.

To continue your history trip, walk further along Central Avenue, just past Bathhouse Row. This avenue has many preserved historic buildings, including the Arlington Hotel, the Medical Arts Building, and the Wade Building, dating back to the 1920s.

Another historic district worth visiting is the Pleasant Street Historic District along what is often referred to as Black Broadway or Malvern Avenue. It has 93 buildings with varying architecture and is important to the city’s African American community.

3. Enjoy Different Cultural Events All Year Round

There’s always a festival happening somewhere in Hot Springs. Some of the most popular include the Valley of the Vapors Music Festival, the World’s Shortest St. Patrick’s Day Parade, the Ouachita Jeep Jamboree, and the Big Barbecue Cookoff. Visiting Low Key Arts, The Ohio Club, and the Big Chill is a must for live music lovers. 

One of the unique events in the state is hosted by the Hot Springs Technology Institute. It is the annual alternate reality game called Midnight Madness. It attracts over a thousand participants in June and lasts over 12 hours, with players racing all over the city, searching for clues, solving puzzles, and partaking in different physical challenges.