Beautiful Mountain Harbor at Lake Ouachita in Arkansas
My bag is nearly packed, and I'm ready to fly to The Natural State tomorrow. The plane lands in Little Rock, but my final destination is Lake Ouatchita, a splendid playplace in the Ouachita Mountains. The fall color should be past peak, but I suspect the high hills will still show plenty of gold and bronze. The weather looks like it will be mild.
I get to Arkansas as often as possible, but usually I find myself in the Ozarks -- whether enjoying folk music in Mountain View, trout fishing out of Gaston's Resort or floating Buffalo National Scenic River. The Ouachitas rival the Ozarks in beauty and get less attention overall, and I've enjoyed some really fun days of fishing on Lake Ouachita. Probably my favorite was a day I spent with Gary Roach (Mr. Walleye) about 10 years ago. We were officially walleye fishing, but the fish that kept grabbing our minnow-tipped jigs were 10- to 20-pound striped bass. We were fishing with fairly light spinning gear and 8-pound-test line, so every striper was seriously exciting!
One cool element of this trip is that it is co-sponsored by the folks who make Rebel Lures and set at Mountain Harbor Resort, and Mountain Harbor played an important part in Rebel's history. The first Rebel Minnows were "tank tested" in the pool at Mountain Harbor 50 years ago!
Another extra fun part for me will be fishing from a Hobie Kayak. I've played a little with these boats and their unique Mirage Drive foot-control system, but I've never before spent a full day fishing from one.
Better finish packing!
