Fishing The Diamond Lakes Of Arkansas

Arkansas is home to more than 600,000 acres of lakes.

- Zoie Clift

Among these are five in Southwest Arkansas collectively known as the Diamond Lakes. These are Lake Ouachita and Lake Hamilton at Hot Springs, Lake Catherine near Malvern, DeGray Lake at Arkadelphia and Lake Greeson between Glenwood and Murfreesboro.

Arkansas angler and fishing expert Billy Murray has extensive knowledge of these waters. The Hot Springs native, who was recently inducted into the National Bass Fishing Hall of Fame, started his career over 50 years ago as a fishing guide at Lake

Ouachita. He enjoys fishing all of the lakes of the state, including the Diamond Lakes.

“Each body of water has its own personality,” he said. “The characteristics of each are different and the fisheries have different species available and are on different river systems. Within our fivelake area here we have almost any type of water you would like for recreation. Our wealth is in our water. We are so fortunate to have what we have. It’s a boon to Arkansas and gives our people the opportunity to go out and enjoy our state.”

Following, Murray shares his insight on each of the five lakes.

Lake Ouachita

Lake Ouachita is surrounded by the Ouachita National Forest. The 40,100-acre lake is well known for fishing and consistently ranks as one of the top 10 spots in the nation for largemouth bass fishing. The lake has more than 100 uninhabited islands for camping and on the eastern shore is Lake Ouachita State Park.