How far up Ouachita can you find Small Mouth?

[paddle2fish]

Listers,

Hope you are all well.

I waded out on the Ouachita River at the Cherry Hill access and caught some largemouth. How far up the Ouachita can you find smallies?

Cheers.

[Jim Krueger]

Paddle,

I'd say all of the Upper Ouachita, from it's headwaters near Mena to Lake Ouachita is good territory. We commonly fish the Dragover section (Downstream of Sims) with good luck for the Smallies. It should be a good time weather-wise right now. Be sure to work the eddys adjacent to boulders in the faster current.

Best Regards
Jim Moose

[paddle2fish]

thanks for the tip.

if i were just to try to wade w/o a canoe is there any particularly good places?

[Jim Krueger]

The Upper Ouachita generally tends to be wide and shallow in many places as the valleys it flows through are wide and the watershed is large.
I'd say most any of the accesses you can get to all have some wade-able territory, again, I'd concentrate on those you find with moving water and boulders, logs, riffles, etc. to try.
One suggested place would be along the Dragover section. Parking at the Dragover take-out, you can walk back up the road a couple hundred feet then turn left and follow the woods trails to house rapid and a few more in that area above and below. Looks like it could be a mile or so walk in.
The Dragover take-out is also a good place for wading, when the river is down as it is now, you can go far in both directions.
The Dragover put-in is also a possibility, although it sits on a deep outside bend, it can be waded when the river is really low, below 1.5feet.

Best Regards
Jim Moose