Arkansas River
The rule for this water, with the receipt.
Special regulations for Arkansas River from 100 yards below a lock and dam to the downstream entrance point of the lock, and from 100 yards below Dam No. 2 to the boat ramps immediately below the dam, as the state words them
Logan County · River · AR
Today's rule hereParsed
- Season
- June 1-Oct. 31This water
- Gear
- Not captured yet - consult the statewide regulations
- Bait
- Not captured yet - consult the statewide regulations
- Poles
- Not captured yet - consult the statewide regulations
| Species | Daily limit | Size | |
|---|---|---|---|
Black Bass | 10 combined | - | Statewide |
Smallmouth Bass Varies by water: 12 inches (Ozark Zone) | 4 | min. 10 inches | Statewide |
Bream Varies by water: limit No limit on bream shorter than 4 inches (Statewide) | 50 combined | - | Statewide |
catfish | No limit | - | This water |
Bullhead catfish | No limit | - | Statewide |
Crappie | 30 combined | - | Statewide |
Alligator Gar Varies by water: Over 36 inches (trophy alligator gar), limit 1 for current calendar year (Statewide); over 36 inches, limit one alligator gar over 36 inches per calendar year (Alligator Gar Trophy Tag) | 1 | min. Under 36 inches | Statewide |
Paddlefish | 2 | - | Statewide |
Rock Bass | 10 | - | Statewide |
Sauger | 6 | - | Statewide |
Saugeye | 6 | - | Statewide |
Shovelnose Sturgeon | No limit | min. 21 inches or longer | Statewide |
White Bass | 25 | - | Statewide |
Trout | 5 | - | Statewide |
Walleye | 6 | - | Statewide |
aquatic turtles | 6, common snapping turtles and spiny softshell turtles combined | - | Statewide |
Bullfrogs | 18 per day (from noon to noon); possession limit 36 | - | Statewide |
game fish; catfish; paddlefish | Half the game fish daily limit may be taken by snagging, or the lesser whole number nearest one-half the limit; a full limit of catfish and paddlefish may be taken | - | Statewide |
Suckers | 20, possession limit 40 | - | Statewide |
Largemouth bass Largemouth bass shorter than 14 inches must be released immediately. Excludes listed upstream tributary reaches. Waters between Dam 2 and Yancopin bridge follow statewide daily limits. | See size rule | min. 14 inches | This water |
Striped and hybrid bass | 10 combined | - | This water |
The official text, verbatimOfficial text
Straight from AR's official regulations. Rules in force today lead; out-of-season rows are dimmed. Nothing is paraphrased. Not legal advice: verify the posted rules at the water.
- All fishGear snagging from a boatException to the bank-only snagging rule.
- Largemouth bassSize 14 inchesLargemouth bass shorter than 14 inches must be released immediately. Excludes listed upstream tributary reaches. Waters between Dam 2 and Yancopin bridge follow statewide daily limits.
- Striped and hybrid bassDaily limit 10 combined
- channel catfishTen channel catfish may be taken in addition to the daily limit.
- All fishJune 1-Oct. 31Hogging and noodling season is June 1-Oct. 31.
- catfishDaily limit No limit
- All fishGear Rod or pole only (scaled rough fish may be taken by bowfishing or gigging during open season).
- All fishGear Snagging game fish is legal while fishing from a boat.
- scaled rough fishGear Limited to a single handheld rod or pole and to taking scaled rough fish with bow and arrow.Poles single handheld rod or poleRefer to Page 30 if taking baitfish.
How this answer was assembled
- StatewideStatewide river rules are the base layer: default season, gear, bait, and limits.
- This waterSpecial rules written for this exact water replace the statewide defaults where they speak.
- Emergency orderEmergency orders in effect today override everything else. They sync quietly when the phone has coverage and never lock you out of the app.
Where this section begins and ends
The drawn shape is the named water, matched from the official list against OpenStreetMap and accepted only because the name resolved to a single feature in this water's county.
Different sections of this water can have different rules. The exact section boundaries are not marked on the map yet; each rule above describes in plain words where it starts and ends, and that written description is the authoritative boundary. Map boundaries come water by water, never as a guess.
Season at a glanceDerived
Next change: closes Nov. 1, 2026.
Sampled mid-month from the dated rows; short windows can slip between samples. The rows above are authoritative.
At the water nowContext
Streamflow: -1,140 cfs at arkansas river at ft. smith, ar. (2026-10-13 07:15)
Forecast: National Weather Service. Flow: nearest active USGS gauge in this water's area, which may sit on a different reach. Conditions are context, not rules.
What are you fishing for here?Advice
Pick from the species named in Arkansas River's rules. Setups are checked against the gear rules in force today, and your picks are remembered on this device only. These are rule-aware suggestions, not a claim about what is biting; advice, not law, and the rules above govern.
You also need (Arkansas)
- Who needs a fishing license. Anyone 16 or older must carry a valid fishing license to take or attempt to take aquatic wildlife in Arkansas. The only exception the page states is fishing in a licensed "put-and-take" pay lake. The requirement is written by age, with no nationality condition, so visiting family members 16 and older need a license; those who are not Arkansas residents buy the nonresident licenses below.
Checked against Arkansas Game and Fish Commission (AGFC) - Fishing License Descriptions and Fees on Aug. 4, 2026.
Receipts
Local services near Arkansas River
Tackle shops, guides, and boat launches that serve this water will appear here - a separate lane below the rules, so a local business can reach you without ever getting between you and the regulation.
Run a shop or guide service on Arkansas River? Get listed.