Blue Mountain Lake question

[brosborough]

Heard of this lake from a user on this site. Have done quite a few searches on it to see where it was located, any info posted about it. Found lots of stuff, but still have a question or two.

1. Sounds like the lake is not very deep all the way around. I called a phone number for the office of the lake, doesn't sound like they are actually sitting on the lake. Said there were no marina's so to speak, just boat launches. The one they recommended to me has me at the far end of the lake, I believe opposite the river channel that people on this board talk about fishing. I have a Triton TR21 with a 225 on the back. Not the biggest bass boat ever made but definately not small. Can I run all the way up the lake to the river? They said shallow spots are marked with bouys. Have you a better suggestion of where I should launch from for fishing? I'm going to take a drive up there after work today just to look around and see how long it takes to get there. Won't be bringing the boat with me today.

2. When I called the office, they said this was listed as a Federal Lake. I saw posts here about tickets being issued for no flares, no red flags, no 50' rope which is attached to a throwable float device. The lady I spoke with said that was all nasty rumors. She had called Arkansas Game and Fish and they reported no tickets ever issued for this stuff. Not saying one group or not is lying but I looked through the Arkansas regulation book just because I had never heard of these kinds of requirements and could not find anything like that posted. Any locals to that lake that could tell me to be sure X, Y, and Z are packed in my boat so I don't get a ticket.

3. Since I fish by myself, mostly because none of my friends really care much to go, if there is anyone here that loves that lake you are more than welcome to come with me, but I pretty much have to launch the boat solo. For that reason I would much rather have a boat dock at the ramp that I can tie up too. Having never been to this place before, there a better or nicer place to launch than others? Preferrably one with a dock beside it that I can tie up to and then go park my truck/trailer?

Thanks,

Brian

[LMBarnett]

Blue mountain lake is a Gov controlled water. Therefore you must follow fed regs while on this lake.

Federal Requirements

[Roughneck]

I have never been there but I know the upper end of the lake and river can be good fishing. We have had dry weather with no rain so, the lake may be low. BE CAREFUL. Go slow untill you learn where you can and can not go.

[brosborough]

Thank you for that link. I had read through it already, along with Arkansas rules and regulations. Doesn't appear to me that signal flares or flags or a 50' rope attached to your throwable floatation device is required for that lake. It is not a costal type water. Did I just read it wrong? In fact I have yet to see any mention of needing a 50' rope be attached to a throwable floatation device. Just that you have to have one.

[brosborough]

Thanks roughneck. I plan on idling all over the place.

[Basscat1]

I am by no means an expert on this lake, but have fished it several times. If you launch at the state park (east end of the lake) straight across from the park on the south side of the lake is a bluff wall....the river channel runs in fairly close to the bluff wall....fished that last fall a couple of times...found several brush piles on the edge in about 10 to 14 ft of water at the time....caught several crappie there. I drove by the lake two weeks ago and the water level was similar. The Corp Office you talked to was probably on Nimrod. I heard the same rumors last year from relatives living in Booneville..which is 10 miles from the west end of the lake...story was the wildlife officer was new...and working the river end of the lake looking for short fish...around the area known as the 3rd bridge...

to my knowledge a clay bank is the best you are going to do for launching the boat.

[brosborough]

I drove down to the lake last night. On the way to where the office told me to go, I ran across a launch for Ashley Creek. I sidetracked and drove down to it. Not sure if I could launch here or not. The ramp didn't go vertical, almost looked like I would be backing my truck down to the water being right outside my door to get deep enough to float my boat off the trailer. I left there and went down to Waveland Park, where the office told me to go. At this location I saw 3 boat ramps. All of which look like I could use with ease. Would be a drive up to where I guess everyone fishes on this lake, least by the posts here. I stopped by the campsite registration office. They have maps there of the lake. They don't have things like depths of the water, kind of a two tone map if that makes sense. One section is dark blue, and is what they call the "Lake at Conservation Pool". Then there is a light blue around all the dark called the "Lake at Full Flood Control". Now I don't know how deep Full Flood Control is, but looks like you could drive all the way up to where it says Middle Bridge and The Narrows. Course if it is 2 feet all the way up that far I wouldn't make it. The deep blue areas stop at around Hog Island. Something I don't get is that this map I am looking at looks like there are several lakes that are just all connected. I see Hopper Lake, Scott Lake, then you get to Third area.

Don't think this is a very good map then again maybe after I get out on the water Saturday it might make more sense to me. Like a dummy I didn't think to ask if I could launch at Waveland Park without camping there. I'm going to go out there tomorrow, June 2nd, and just see what the lake is like from a boat. This lake map doesn't show anything on it called Clay Bank. I'll check out google maps and see if it might be listed there.

Thanks for the help guys.

[brosborough]

Went to the lake tonight. Didn't catch many fish but also didn't fish a lot. I took off from waveland park and hugged that bluff. Channel really is right beside it. I headed up the lake and it doesn't take long to lose that channel. I blink and am in 7' of water. Spent several hours idling up the lake, probably 5' of water average. Hit 3' in some places. Don't have a fingernail left. I don't even think I made it to third bridge. Just so shallow all over the place. Fallen trees sticking up all over the place. Maybe I did make it to third bridge. Was one section I didn't go far past. Little bunch of trees growing in the water and in front of it was what looked like a big chunk of concrete just barely sticking out of the water.

I decided not to press my luck and went back for the deeper water. I caught crappie on spinnerbaits as I was just fishing the bank looking for submerged brush. When I'd stop and drop some jigs I didn't catch anything. Back to the spinnerbaits and further down the shore, another crappie. Go figure. Then switched to a jig and pig and caught a few bass. Nothing super big but all keepers if I had felt like it. Not a bad run but I sure didn't expect that much shallow water.

[chazrull]

I haven't fished there as much as I would like (one of the prettiest lakes in the state) but I will tell you what I (think) know;
You can launch from anywhere without camping, if you do decide to camp Waveland is the best but it fills up early on Holidays. You can camp at Outlet park also but bring LOTS of bug spray. If you launch from the North ramp at Waveland try fishing among the cypress trees along the North and Northeast banks.
All but the Waveland Park launches are shallow, and none have docks.

Hise Hill gives you access to the Petit Jean River with good water depth (once you get away from the ramp). Head West there is great fishing among the cypress trees there, again bring LOTS of bug spray! Third Bridge is West of this ramp.

Let me know how you do, I would really like to know this lake better also!