Horseshoe Lake - Mississippi river oxbow cut off from river
This lake is just a little east of Hughes, Ark is my personal favorite. This is my home lake where I caught my first bass and my first bass over 5# and my first 5 fish 30# stringer so on so forth. It is where I learned most of what I know about fishing. This river oxbow has been cut off from the Ms river since the levees were built and has gone through lots of changes over the years but it can yield some great fishing. It has cypress trees and lily pads and boatdocks. These are the three main types of cover on the lake and fish can be found on these all year long. Even in the cold of winter I have caught bass pulling a spinner bait through the pad stems that have long been dead and haven’t yet began to come alive again.
Spring at Horseshoe means one thing. Drag a black and blue jig at the base of every Cypress tree you think a fish would be on. Eventually you will catch a good’un. The key here is to usually find the deepest trees early in the year and then look for trees with pads around them as it gets warmer. Single isolated trees tend to hold the largest fish and a shallow runnng crankbait fished out away from he tree around the knees and roots can provide a great thrill as well. A rattle trap or a spinner bait can be great when a front is moving in fished around the trees or the pad fields wherever the wind gets the water moving. Early in the spring the old pad stems that are still dead can really hold some good schools of fish. They don't look like much but they still provide cover for the bait and thus the bass will follow. This is a good time to find old stumps and laydowns that will hold fish in the summer.
Summer I like to concentrate on two types of cover. The poles on the boat docks in deeper water with a crank bait or worm. But my absolute favorite is to throw a frog in the lily pads and wait for a hungry old Largemouth to explode on that thing. The main key in the summer is to look for deeper water with cover for the fish. 5-6' seems to be the magic depth once it gets hotter. The fish will be on whatever cover they find with bait nearby. Fishing pads closest to deeper water or around trees is a good place to start but you can find them shallow as well so fish a few different depths til you figure out where the fish are concentrating that day. Docks can be great as well though although a little more tedious to fish. I like for throw a crankbait around them looking for old pilings and brushpiles. Once I find those pieces of cover if I don't get bit, I will follow up with a plastic or jig. Just take your time and work those areas well.
Fall is really good fishing there as well but it can be really tough even more so than in the spring. When the pads start to die off the fish seem to scatter and are harder to pinpoint. So be patient and cover a lot of water til you find them. Also, slow down a bit just like you would in early spring.
Good luck and great fishing!!!
This lake is just a little east of Hughes, Ark is my personal favorite. This is my home lake where I caught my first bass and my first bass over 5# and my first 5 fish 30# stringer so on so forth. It is where I learned most of what I know about fishing. This river oxbow has been cut off from the Ms river since the levees were built and has gone through lots of changes over the years but it can yield some great fishing. It has cypress trees and lily pads and boatdocks. These are the three main types of cover on the lake and fish can be found on these all year long. Even in the cold of winter I have caught bass pulling a spinner bait through the pad stems that have long been dead and haven’t yet began to come alive again.
Spring at Horseshoe means one thing. Drag a black and blue jig at the base of every Cypress tree you think a fish would be on. Eventually you will catch a good’un. The key here is to usually find the deepest trees early in the year and then look for trees with pads around them as it gets warmer. Single isolated trees tend to hold the largest fish and a shallow runnng crankbait fished out away from he tree around the knees and roots can provide a great thrill as well. A rattle trap or a spinner bait can be great when a front is moving in fished around the trees or the pad fields wherever the wind gets the water moving. Early in the spring the old pad stems that are still dead can really hold some good schools of fish. They don't look like much but they still provide cover for the bait and thus the bass will follow. This is a good time to find old stumps and laydowns that will hold fish in the summer.
Summer I like to concentrate on two types of cover. The poles on the boat docks in deeper water with a crank bait or worm. But my absolute favorite is to throw a frog in the lily pads and wait for a hungry old Largemouth to explode on that thing. The main key in the summer is to look for deeper water with cover for the fish. 5-6' seems to be the magic depth once it gets hotter. The fish will be on whatever cover they find with bait nearby. Fishing pads closest to deeper water or around trees is a good place to start but you can find them shallow as well so fish a few different depths til you figure out where the fish are concentrating that day. Docks can be great as well though although a little more tedious to fish. I like for throw a crankbait around them looking for old pilings and brushpiles. Once I find those pieces of cover if I don't get bit, I will follow up with a plastic or jig. Just take your time and work those areas well.
Fall is really good fishing there as well but it can be really tough even more so than in the spring. When the pads start to die off the fish seem to scatter and are harder to pinpoint. So be patient and cover a lot of water til you find them. Also, slow down a bit just like you would in early spring.
Good luck and great fishing!!!
