Americana Outdoors E-Magazine - September 2018

LAKE PREVIEW Lake Dardanelle, AR - Oct. 11-13

BY KYLE CURRY

Across the country, have settled into the fall se- mester. With fall around the corner, it’s time to take a look at the first event of the 2018-19 sea- son of the Cabela’s Collegiate Bass Fishing Series. The first event on the ACA calendar this fall is the AFTCO Collegiate Bass Open on Lake Dardanelle. Sporting a new format compared to years past, this event is set to draw an elite field of college an- glers and will have a drastic impact on the chase for Cabela’s School of the Year Presented by Abu Garcia. Lake Dardanelle is a 34,300-acre reservoir on the Arkansas River that is loaded with bass. Situat- ed near Russellville, AR, Lake Dardanelle is wide- ly considered to be one of the top fisheries in The Natural State. River systems typically provide very diverse fisheries with plenty of visible cover for anglers to target. Lake Dardanelle is no different. Many of the tributaries and creek arms that com- prise this central Arkansas fishery are filled with flooded timer, vegetation, and rip-rap rock banks.

One of the key factors that contributes to the qual- ity of the fishing on Lake Dardanelle is the lake lev- el. The Arkansas River fluctuates throughout the year as surrounding areas receive rainfall, and that water begins to make its way through the system. When all of this new water makes its way on down the river, the water clarity turns extremely mud- dy and most of the quality fishing areas become washed out. For all intensive purposes, we will preview the event with the hopes that weather will not significantly impact lake levels.

The AFTCO Colegiate Bass Open will be held at Lake Dar- danelle State Park.