Ouachita River
The rule for this water, with the receipt.
Special regulations for Ouachita River from the mouth of the Little Missouri River to Remmel Dam, as the state words them
Hot Spring County · River · AR
Today's rule hereParsed
- Season
- Not captured yet - consult the statewide regulations
- 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 Except where noted below. Largemouth bass, flathead catfish, pickerel, gar or bowfin should not be eaten because of mercury contamination. | 2 | min. 12 inches | This water |
Bream Varies by water: limit No limit on bream shorter than 4 inches (Statewide) | 50 combined | - | Statewide |
Catfish Varies by water: limit half the daily statewide limit or half the limit of the waters being fished (pages 57-81), whichever is smaller (Bowfishing statewide) | 10 combined | - | Statewide |
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 |
Striped Bass and Hybrid Striped Bass | 6 combined | - | Statewide |
White Bass | 25 | - | Statewide |
trout A trout permit is required to keep trout. | 5 | - | This water |
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 |
Flathead catfish | See size rule | min. 20 inches | This water |
Largemouth bass Mercury contamination advisory: pregnant women, women who may become pregnant, breast-feeding women and children under 7 should not eat flathead or blue catfish, pickerel, gar, bowfin, drum, largemouth bass (13 inches or longer) or other species of bass. Others should not eat flathead catfish, gar, bowfin, drum, pickerel or largemouth bass (over 16 inches long) or other species of bass and should not eat more than two meals per month of largemouth bass (13 inches to 16 inches long) or blue catfish. | See size rule | min. 13 inches | 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 hogging and noodlingHogging and noodling are prohibited on this stretch.
- troutDaily limit 5A trout permit is required to keep trout.
- smallmouth bassDaily limit 2Size 12 inchesExcept where noted below. Largemouth bass, flathead catfish, pickerel, gar or bowfin should not be eaten because of mercury contamination.
- Smallmouth bassDaily limit 2Size 12 inches
- All fishGear Hogging and noodling are not allowed.
- Flathead catfishSize 20 inches
- All fishPersonal flotation devices must be worn by every boater in this reach. Boaters must exit this area immediately when the siren sounds before hydropower generation.
- All fishMercury contamination advisory: the general public, including pregnant women, women who may become pregnant, breast-feeding women and children under 7 should not eat largemouth bass, flathead catfish, pickerel, gar or bowfin.
- Largemouth bassSize 13 inchesMercury contamination advisory: pregnant women, women who may become pregnant, breast-feeding women and children under 7 should not eat flathead or blue catfish, pickerel, gar, bowfin, drum, largemouth bass (13 inches or longer) or other species of bass. Others should not eat flathead catfish, gar, bowfin, drum, pickerel or largemouth bass (over 16 inches long) or other species of bass and should not eat more than two meals per month of largemouth bass (13 inches to 16 inches long) or blue catfish.
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.
At the water nowContext
Streamflow: 13.3 cfs at ouachita river near mount ida, ar (2026-10-13 07:30)
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 Ouachita 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 Ouachita 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 Ouachita River? Get listed.