Floating and Fishing on the Upper Ouachita

For the past two summers, I have joined up with my paddling friends in Hot Springs to go floating and fishing on the Upper Ouachita River. I have written about floating the Lower Ouachita before. Even though this is the same river, it’s an entirely different float. What I call the Lower Ouachita runs from out of Lake Catherine down to Malvern and beyond. But what I call the Upper Ouachita is the western portion of that same river, running into Lake Ouachita.

The Upper Ouachita is very different from the Lower because it is not fed by a lake. So the water level gets pretty low. I really don’t recommend this river in mid-summer for anyone looking for a fun float with good flow. But I DO recommend it for anyone looking for a place to float and fish. It is great river to catch some nice small mouth bass. It was here that I learned my buddy Jasen just may be the greatest smallmouth fisherman I’ve ever been on the river with.*  He definitely caught the biggest smallmouth I’ve seen anyone catch in person.

* Note: This is a sponsored statement made by a friend and paid for with countless visits to his lake house. lol.*

Directions

We used the shuttling service of Two Spirits Canoe Adventures** off Hwy 270, about halfway between Mt. Ida and Pencil Bluff. From Hwy 270, head north on 298. After about a 1/2 mile, you’ll see a gravel road on the right with parking lot. This is where the Womble Mountain Bike trail passes through. From here there are a lot of turns on a few gravel roads, so follow the Google map below. Once you reach Pucket Bend Rd, you’ll find Two Spirits on the left. You’ll see their building by the road and some canoes out front. They are located directly on the river. This is the takeout point. If you want to self-shuttle, you can find the put-in point they took us to on the map below as well (Barbie Ln, off Hwy 270).

** Note: This is NOT a sponsored post by Two Spirits Canoe Adventures.**

What to Expect

Paddling, paddling, and more paddling. And after that, you’ll paddle some more. That is when the river is low. Maybe when the water is higher, there’s a better flow and less paddling. I would like go back sometime in the Spring and find out. But as far as mid-summer goes, it’s a paddle fest. There are some spots with fast water and a semblance of rapids. In between those spots are loooooong, deep pools of flat water. Like, really long. Your shoulders will burn before you get off the river. I try to focus on the positives in my articles, but I want readers to know exactly what to expect. This float was about 9.5 miles. Because we were fishing and underestimated the amount of paddling, it took us around eight hours.

All that said, there is some really beautiful scenery on this float. It feels like a very remote area. But there is some private property on the river as well as a few signs of civilization, such as Camp Ozark and a few recreation areas. You can definitely tell you’re in the Ouachita Mountain region. The rocks and bluffs just look a little different than what you see along the rivers of the Ozarks. Still, I was pleasantly surprised with the scenery. I’ll be looking into floating other sections of this river when the water is higher.

Fishing

As I mentioned, if you are floating this river in mid-summer, it really should be for the fishing. Along this section there is a lot of different terrain and different fish habitats. There are gravel bars, sections of boulders, grassy banks, and some muddy banks with brush and tree cover. The brushy spots and around the large boulders are where we had the most luck. I caught a few smallmouth and some bream using a jighead and plastic grub. Jasen caught that monster smallmouth you can see in the pictures on a hoola-popper. Regardless of what your go-to smallmouth bait is, I’m sure it will work just fine.

Plan Your Trip

Unless you are familiar with the Ouachita River west of Lake Ouachita, I recommend using an outfitter at least for shuttling. We used Two Spirits Canoe Adventures located directly on the river. I also recommend calling ahead of time to check the river level and let them know you’re coming. There is no cell signal out there, so you’ll need to make any necessary calls and download the map in advance. Since there is little flow and a lot of paddling, I recommend starting before 11 am, especially if you stop a lot while fishing.

If you want to spend the night, there are vacation rentals in the area. There is also camping and tiny cabins at Two Spirits as well as Ouachita River Haven Resort nearby. There are a few dining options in nearby Mt. Ida

If you are new to floating and not sure what to bring, check our gear list from our Paddling page, along with fishing gear suitable for smallmouth bass fishing. Don’t forget to pack some snacks and drinks for the river. Also be ready to pack out your own trash and leave no trace. Got any tips on fishing this section or floating other parts of the Ouachita? Let us know in the comments below. Good luck with the fishing, and enjoy floating and fishing the Upper Ouachita!