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Fishing Lake Dardanelle: what the data says
34,300-acre lake near Russellville. a sprawling Arkansas River navigation pool. flooded timber, backwaters and a nationally ranked tournament largemouth fishery. The lake tops out around 60 ft. The contours are modeled from the water's real shoreline and maximum depth. Treat them as a rough guide, and never use them for navigation. Here is how the season plays out for each species, straight from the data behind the map.
Largemouth Bass fishing at Lake Dardanelle
Spring largemouth bass on Lake Dardanelle hold shallow, usually 2 to 10 ft. They move out to 8 to 20 ft in summer and finish the year down in 15 to 35 ft. Shallow bay flat is the standout, a weed flat at roughly 6 ft, rated prime for spring largemouth bass. Best bite is early morning and the evening. Tie on a texas-rigged 10" worm or a deep-diving crankbait and you're in the game.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 10 ft | dawn & dusk | Spinnerbait, Chatterbait |
| Summer | 8 to 20 ft | dawn & dusk | Texas-rigged 10" worm, Deep-diving crankbait |
| Fall | 4 to 15 ft | midday & dawn | Squarebill crankbait (shad), Spinnerbait |
| Winter | 15 to 35 ft | midday | Blade bait, Jigging spoon |
Spotted Bass fishing at Lake Dardanelle
In spring, spotted bass run shallow here, mostly 5 to 20 ft. Summer pushes them deeper, 15 to 40 ft, and winter fish settle into 25 to 50 ft. Main-lake point is the standout, a point at roughly 15 ft, rated prime for spring spotted bass. Best bite is early morning and the evening. Tie on a drop shot over brush or a underspin + fluke (schoolers) and you're in the game.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 5 to 20 ft | dawn & dusk | Ned rig on gravel points, Shaky head |
| Summer | 15 to 40 ft | dawn & dusk | Drop shot over brush, Underspin + fluke (schoolers) |
| Fall | 10 to 30 ft | dawn & dusk | Walking topwater, Underspin |
| Winter | 25 to 50 ft | midday | Damiki/hover rig, Jigging spoon |
Crappie fishing at Lake Dardanelle
In spring, crappie run shallow here, mostly 2 to 8 ft. They move out to 10 to 25 ft in summer and finish the year down in 15 to 35 ft. If you only fish one area, make it Old creek channel: a creek channel around 30 ft that scores prime in winter. Best bite is early morning and the evening. Summer baits: a jig trolled/spider-rigged or a small crankbait (trolled) gets it done.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 8 ft | midday & dawn | 1/16 oz jig + tube, Curly-tail grub |
| Summer | 10 to 25 ft | dawn & dusk | Jig trolled/spider-rigged, Small crankbait (trolled) |
| Fall | 8 to 20 ft | dawn | Jig + minnow combo, Small swimbait (1.5-2") |
| Winter | 15 to 35 ft | midday | Tungsten jig + soft plastic, Tiny jigging spoon |
White Bass fishing at Lake Dardanelle
In spring, white bass run shallow here, mostly 2 to 12 ft. By summer they slide out to 8 to 25 ft, and by winter most fish are in 15 to 40 ft. The spot to know is Big Piney Creek inflow, a inflow / creek mouth in about 6 ft of water that rates prime for white bass in spring. Best bite is early morning and the evening. A slab spoon or a small topwater (schooling fish) covers the summer program.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 12 ft | dawn & dusk | Curly-tail jig (white), Small lipless crank |
| Summer | 8 to 25 ft | dawn & dusk | Slab spoon, Small topwater (schooling fish) |
| Fall | 6 to 25 ft | dawn & dusk | Jigging spoon, Blade bait |
| Winter | 15 to 40 ft | midday | Jigging spoon (deep), Blade bait |
Channel Catfish fishing at Lake Dardanelle
Spring channel catfish on Lake Dardanelle hold shallow, usually 3 to 12 ft. They move out to 8 to 25 ft in summer and finish the year down in 20 to 40 ft. The spot to know is Big Piney Creek inflow, a inflow / creek mouth in about 6 ft of water that rates prime for channel catfish in spring. Best bite is after dark and the evening.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 12 ft | dusk | |
| Summer | 8 to 25 ft | night & dusk | |
| Fall | 10 to 30 ft | dusk | |
| Winter | 20 to 40 ft | midday |
Blue Catfish fishing at Lake Dardanelle
Start shallow in spring: blue catfish sit in 5 to 25 ft that time of year. By summer they slide out to 10 to 40 ft, and by winter most fish are in 20 to 50 ft. The spot to know is Old creek channel, a creek channel in about 30 ft of water that rates prime for blue catfish in summer. Plan around early morning and the evening in the warm months.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 5 to 25 ft | dusk | |
| Summer | 10 to 40 ft | dawn & dusk | |
| Fall | 15 to 45 ft | dusk | |
| Winter | 20 to 50 ft | midday |
Lake Dardanelle also holds flathead catfish (8 to 30 ft in summer), bluegill (4 to 15 ft in summer). Pick any of them on the map above for rated spots and bait picks.
Notable structure
- Deep basin: deep basin, around 51 ft
- Old creek channel: creek channel, around 30 ft
- Main-lake point: point, around 15 ft
- Secondary point: point, around 15 ft
- Sharp break: drop-off, around 13.732993466709742 ft
- Marina / dock area: dock line, around 10 ft
- Sharp break: drop-off, around 6.4042113910578555 ft
- Shallow bay flat: weed flat, around 6 ft
- Back-bay flat: weed flat, around 6 ft
- Big Piney Creek inflow: inflow / creek mouth, around 6 ft
- Rock reef: rock pile, around 2.8070217607272596 ft
- Rock reef: rock pile, around 1.549203562432085 ft
- Dock / pier line: dock line, around 0 ft
- Dock / pier line: dock line, around 0 ft
Common questions
How deep is Lake Dardanelle?
Lake Dardanelle is about 60 ft (18 m) deep at its deepest point. The contours here are modeled from the water's real shape and maximum depth, so treat them as a rough guide.
What fish are in Lake Dardanelle?
Anglers target largemouth bass, white bass, crappie, bluegill, channel catfish, flathead catfish, blue catfish, spotted bass on Lake Dardanelle.
Where is the best fishing spot on Lake Dardanelle?
Shallow bay flat is the top-rated area: a weed flat in about 6 ft of water that rates prime for largemouth bass in spring. Open the map above to see every rated spot for each species and season.
When is the best time to fish Lake Dardanelle?
For largemouth bass, the summer bite is best in early morning and the evening. Each species page section below lists the seasonal windows, and the map shows a live NOW badge when you're inside one.
Nearby waters
Nimrod Lake · Blue Mountain Lake · Lake Ouachita · Buffalo National River · Lake Maumelle · Lake Hamilton
See how Lake Dardanelle stacks up: best largemouth bass lakes in Arkansas · best white bass lakes in Arkansas · best crappie lakes in Arkansas · best bluegill lakes in Arkansas
Browse all Arkansas fishing maps or every water on DepthScout. How we build these maps. For fishing guidance only, never navigation.