Gillham Lake Fishing near Dierks, Arkansas

• Overview

  Gillham Lake is one of the Howard County listings for Arkansas. Elevation runs to 525 feet. Surface area runs to roughly 1,157 acres, so plan for one area rather than the whole. There is roughly 21 miles of bank, and each arm behaves like its own water. It is the biggest water on our Howard County list. Dierks is the closest place, 14 miles off. Beyond it, De Queen at 15 miles and Horatio at 21 miles. The boundary is close enough to be worth checking before you fish.

• Where to Fish on Gillham Lake

  No chart reached our records; the first cast is your sounding. Points where the flooded channel swings in are the reliable ones. Standing timber shows when the level drops, and fish sit against it. Species logged nearby in open biodiversity records include orangebelly darter, green sunfish, golden redhorse, harlequin darter and longear sunfish. Local agencies keep the authoritative list for each water. At Gillham Lake light and wind decide more than tackle does.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Averages move between 39°F in January and 80°F in July. Long warm spells define the calendar more than any cold. Late winter and spring fish steadiest here. The hot months push the fishing to dawn and dusk. The season on Gillham Lake rarely departs from it. A cold snap sets things back for several days.

• Tackle & Baits

  Ownership and access are not documented in what we hold. No car park, ramp or path is recorded within easy reach of the shore. Bluegill and other panfish take small jigs or worms under a float near any cover. Where a permit is needed, the nearest town usually sells it. Where parking is tight, arriving early solves most problems. Should this one be busy, Dierks Lake is 9.3 miles off. Nothing here settles the position at Gillham Lake for certain.