Wells Lake is part of Arkansas’ Family and Community Fishing Program, and benefits from regular stockings of channel catfish, redear sunfish, rainbow trout, largemouth bass, and bluegill. This location is great for anglers of all ages and skill levels, but those 16 and older need a fishing license to fish in Arkansas’ water, which can be purchased at Wells Lake at the River Valley Nature Center. Visitors can also rent poles and tackle boxes at the Nature Center, and only need bring their own bait.
Wells Lake is a 12-acre manmade lake originally designed to capture water during the construction of Fort Chaffee. It’s a great place to bring the whole family for a fishing expedition. There is a covered fishing dock and shoreline fishing, or you can bring a canoe or kayak and paddle to fish on the lake.
Wells Lake provides a variety of stocked fish that can be caught using various baits. There are plenty of largemouth bass, the most prevalent fish in Arkansas waters. Use natural or artificial baits to mimic their natural food source of fish, crayfish, and insects. Channel catfish up to 30 pounds can be caught with chicken livers, earthworms, or minnows. Redear sunfish prefer worms or tiny artificial baits. Bluegill can be caught with worms, crickets, or tiny artificial baits. Rainbow trout are stocked in February and are caught with canned corn, nightcrawlers, crayfish, and cheese balls. While rainbow trout can reach up to 15 pounds, the most common size caught is 1 pound.
