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Fishing
The Ouachita National Forest is the oldest and largest National Forest (NF) in the South. It comprises 1.76 million acres in Western Arkansas and Eastern Oklahoma. The Forest contains 4,000 miles of streams and 1,600 acres of lakes and ponds (not counting the adjacent Lake Ouachita and Broken Bow Reservoir, both Army Corps of Engineer facilities and only includes National Forest portions of lakes in multiple ownerships). The Forest's fisheries program is one of State and Federal coordination, fisheries protection and fish habitat improvement. The Forest has been co-sponsoring Kid's Fishing Derbies for over 10 years.
The lake acreages include, 400 acres of the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission's Lake Hinkle, Watershed District flood control lakes on the Forest (approximately 11) and FS recreation/fishing lakes and ponds totalling approximately 700 acres. The remaining acreage is in one acre or smaller wildlife ponds and the ponds and reservoirs on the Red Slough waterfowl area in SW Oklahoma.
Fishing opportunities abound within the Forest and on adjacent Corps of Engineer's reservoirs. While we can't guarantee you'll catch fish, we can tell you they are out there. Good Luck!