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Bass, Largemouth
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The largemouth bass occurs in nearly all Arkansas waters. It has a deep gap between the spiny and soft dorsal fins, and the upper jaw extends far behind the rear margin of the eye. The midside has a dark horizontal stripe. One- to 3-pounders are common, and state waters have produced largemouths over 16 pounds. They'll eat almost anything and are caught on a variety of natural and artificial baits. |
Bass, Rock
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The name "rock bass" actually describes three species of Arkansas sportfish --- the shadow bass, Ozark bass and rock bass. At one time all were considered a single species. These fish are found primarily in clear, cool, gravel-bottomed streams in the Ozark and Ouachita mountains. Like warmouths, they have red eyes and large mouths and usually weigh less than 1/2 pound, but rock bass have six,
rather than three, anal fin spines. Color is typically greenish with brassy reflections and dark brown mottlings or spots. |
Bass, Smallmouth
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The smallmouth, often called "brownie" or "bronzeback", is found in cool Ouachita and Ozark mountain streams and in a few large impoundments like lakes Bull Shoals and Greers Ferry. It has a shallow notch between the dorsal fins, and the upper jaw doesn't extend behind the eye. The bronze-colored sides are either plain or have several separate dark, vertical bars. Arkansas smallmouths rarely exceed 6 pounds. Typical fish weigh a pound or less. Spinnerbaits, small plastic worms, minnow and crayfish imitations, and live baits (crawfish, minnow, salamanders and aquatic insect larvae) are good enticements. |
Bass, Spotted
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The spotted or "Kentucky" bass, a largemouth lookalike, is found primarily in streams and rocky mountain reservoirs. The notch between the dorsal fins is shallow, and the upper jaw doesn't extend much, if any, behind the eye. It has a rough tooth patch on the tongue that's absent on largemouths, and there's a lengthwise row of dark spots below the dark midside stripe. Arkansas has yielded state-record-size "spots" nearing 8 pounds, but typical fish are around a pound. Spinnerbaits, jig and pork frog combinations, live crayfish and crayfish-imitation artificials are among the best baits. |
Bass, Yellow
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Yellow bass are found primarily in the natural lakes and large warm-water rivers of Arkansas' eastern and southern lowlands. They are popular sportfish in some states, but most Arkansas anglers consider them a small-sized nuisance, because they are aggressive bait-stealers and seldom weigh more than a quarter pound. The yellow bass most closely resembles the white bass, but there are not teeth on the tongue, and the golden-yellow sides have dark stripes sharply broken and offset above the front of the anal fin. |
Bluegill
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Bluegills are the most widely distributed, abundant and sought-after fish in this group. They're found in nearly every body of water in Arkansas. Most bluegills weight 1/2 pound or less, with occasional fish up to 1 pound. They have a small mouth, a solid black ear flap, a dark spot at the base of the soft dorsal fin, and long, pointed pectoral fins. Colors vary, running from nearly black or purplish to dark brown, green or gold. Breeding males have a vivid blue head and throat and a bright-orange breast. |
Bowfin
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The bowfin is known to most Arkansas anglers as the "grinnel" or "cypress trout." Common in rivers, oxbows and bayous in eastern and southern Arkansas, this long, stout-bodied fish has a rounded tail, long dorsal fin and a large toothy mouth. There's a thin, bony plate between the lower jaws, and young bowfins and males have a prominent black spot on the upper part of the tail. Bowfins weigh up to 20 pounds and are caught using almost any standard bass bait from shiners to topwater plugs to plastic worms. |
Bream, Hybrid
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The hybrid bream is a hatchery cross between a male bluegill and a female green sunfish. The resulting fish exhibits characteristics of both parents. It's not quite as deep in the body as the bluegill but is deeper bodied than the green sunfish. The mouth is larger than the bluegill but smaller than the green sunfish. The color markings have no distinct patterns as do the parents, and hybrids may appear speckled or mottled. Hybrid bream are only stocked in selected lakes. |
Bullhead - Black, Brown & Yellow
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Bullheads seldom exceed 1-1/2 pounds, but
they are common in many waters and popular with young anglers. They are
short, chubby catfish with a slightly notched tail, and unlike the
flathead cat, the lower jaw doesn't stick out noticeably. The yellow
bullhead, the most widely distributed species, has white or yellow chin
barbels and prefers areas with little current in clear, rock-bottomed
streams. The black bullhead has gray or black chin barbels and is common
in oxbow lakes and quiet, mud-bottomed streams and backwaters. The brown
bullhead, an uncommon Arkansas resident, has dark chin barbels like the
black bullhead but can be distinguished by examining the pectoral fin
spines. On brown bullheads, these spines have well-developed teeth along
the rear edge; teeth are absent or weakly developed on the black
bullhead's pectoral fin spines. Chicken liver and earthworms are the
most popular bullhead baits. |
Carp, Common
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The common or "German" carp is a Eurasian native introduced in the U.S. in 1877. It occurs statewide in Arkansas lakes and streams. This robust fish has large scales, a toothless mouth, thick lips cornered by a pair of barbels, and a long dorsal fin with a stout, saw-toothed spine. Color is typically greenish-gold fading to a yellowish-white belly. The fins are often red, yellow or orange tinted. Two to 10 pounders are fairly common with weights over 50 pounds reported. The Israeli carp (not pictured) is a strain of common carp with small patches of large scales randomly scattered over the leathery-skinned body. At one time it was stocked in Arkansas to help control aquatic plants. |
Carp, Grass
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Although common carp are considered unwanted nuisances in most waters, the grass carp or "white amur" has many good qualities. It is better table fare than the common carp and is valuable in controlling aquatic vegetation in public waters. This long, silvery, torpedo-shaped fish is native to Asia and was introduced to the U.S. in 1963 when the U.S. Bureau of Sport Fisheries brought 70 fish to the Fish Farming Experiment Station in Stuttgart, Arkansas. It has a large tail and blunt head and weighs up to 60pounds. Natural spawning is unknown in the state, so hatchery fish are stocked where needed. |