White Oak Lake State Park in Arkansas Renovated and Restocked With Fish

Have you ever been to White Oak Lake State Park just south of Prescott, Ark.? It's a perfect outing for the family or just a quiet day on the lake fishing. Back in 2012, the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission drained Lower White Oak Lake to repair a break on the water control structure.  A two-year renovation project followed and the body of water, which is around 1,200 acres and owned by AGFC, officially reopened to the public in January 2014. Near Bluff City, the state park is home to 45 campsites situated on and near the shore of Lower White Oak Lake.

“We’ve got our regulars; they camp here, and they love the park and the setting,” said John Stewart, park superintendent. “But we are known for the fishing lake. So the majority of our campers come to fish. When the lake went dry, they went somewhere else. We are still in the process of spreading the word and letting people know that the lake is back open. The water is here and people can fish. It was a bass catching mecca, and will be again. Game and Fish is restocking the lake so it will be a great sport fishing lake, too.”

Stewart said AGFC is temporarily limiting fishing at the lake because the population needs time to grow. At the moment, fishermen can keep catfish and bream up to a daily limit, while crappie and bass are catch and release only, according to Stewart.

The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission has restocked the lake with catchable-size channel catfish, bluegills, shad, minnows, redear sunfish, black crappie, and largemouth bass.

While the lake was being renovated, White Oak Lake State Park remained open and Stewart said staff worked on various improvements including installing a courtesy dock so people can pull their boat up to the park visitor center to buy bait. A $50,000 bathhouse renovation was also completed.

According to Stewart, along with fishing, the setting of the park makes it stand out. “It’s a quiet, relaxing family oriented location,” he said. “Prescott, Gurdon and Camden are all about 20 miles away from us in different directions.”

“We have kayaks, canoes, flat-bottom fishing boats, and pedal boats to rent,” Stewart said. “We have a tour boat and do interpretive tours of the lake so people can learn the history of the lake. Poison Springs Battlefield State Park is also under our management here. It is about seven miles down the road. It is a Civil War battle site. Last April they had the 150th sesquicentennial battle reenactment and there with hundreds of people. They are in a rotation to do a reenactment every two years, so next April they will have another one.”

The park also has a marina, a fishing pier, interpretive programs, Dutch oven cooking workshops, fishing derbies, guided hikes, kayak tours, and bike tours. Heron and white-tailed deer are among the wildlife visitors can see there.

The park is home to 15 miles of trails, including the 10-mile Fern Hollow Multi-Use Trail for hiking and mountain biking. The route winds through loamy sandhills terrain that features a wide variety of trees, including oak, beech, and Loblolly pine. It is named after the resurrection ferns that can be seen growing on the trunks of trees along the trail.

White Oak Lake is actually made up of upper and lower sections that are separated by a dam. It is the second largest Arkansas Game and Fish Commission owned lake in the state.

White Oak Lake State Park can be reached by driving two miles south of Bluff City on Highway 387. It is one of fifty-two state parks in Arkansas. For more details call 870-685-2748 or visit their website.

(Zoie Clift, Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism)