Ozark Lake fishing: Striped Bass
Target species: Striped Bass
Best months: Apr, May for Striped Bass
Boat: 2 ramps and launches on file for this water.
Start here: Launch at Aux Arc Boat Ramp.
The reservoir
Ozark Lake covers 9,234 acres in Arkansas, across 3 counties: Franklin, Sebastian and Crawford. It is a reservoir: the deepest figure on record is 53 feet (16.2 m), as published by USGS RESSED, a figure without a map of the bottom. Our records hold 4 species for this water.
The target fish: Striped Bass
- Striped Bass — Best months: Apr, May.
Also recorded here: Bighead Carp, Common Carp, Inland Silverside.
Water and conditions
Water temperature averages 66°F across the year. The coldest single reading we hold is 42°F and the warmest is 91°F; the warmest monthly average is 86°F. pH averages 7.7. These readings span 2016–2026.
Depth and bottom
Deepest figure on record: 53 ft (16.2 m), as published by USGS RESSED. We hold no survey map of this bottom, so we show no depth bands. We hold 41 depth contours for this water, drawn from 329 soundings.
2 ramps and launches on this water
On this water we hold 2 boat ramps.
- Aux Arc Boat Ramp — Ozark.
- Gar Creek Boat Ramp — Ozark.
Fee and opening hours are blank for all 2 places in this list: a blank means we hold no such field, not that it is free or always open, and this list may not be complete.
What is hard here
Wind is the limit, not the fish: 9,234 acres of open water build a short steep chop, and there is no shelter in the middle. Only 2 public ramps are on file, so the launch decides where you fish. Winter water drops to 46°F, and the warm-water species stop feeding well before you do. Summer water sits at 86°F: heat and afternoon lightning are the real risks, not the fishing.
Where this data comes from
- USACE eHydro — USACE eHydro channel surveys: class A, a survey of the bottom.
- USGS RESSED — USGS RESSED reservoir sedimentation database: class B, a depth figure measured and published by an agency, without a bottom map.
