Fishing at Nixon Lake, Pulaski County, Arkansas

• Overview

  Look for Nixon Lake in Pulaski County, Arkansas. The setting is dry hill. Small at around 8 acres: two anglers spread out cover most of it. Salem lies 8.6 miles from the water. The nearest city of size is Little Rock, 14 miles away. Also worth knowing: Happy Valley Lake 2.9 miles off, Green Bear Lake within 3.1 miles, Lake New Moon 4 miles off, Lake Florence within 4 miles and Kirk Lake 4.5 miles off. A county line runs close by, so local bylaws can differ within a short drive.

• Where to Fish on Nixon Lake

  Depth is not on record here, which means reading the ground instead. A reservoir gives you a hard edge, a shelf, and not much else. Rip-rap along the wall holds fish that the open bank never does. Records held for Pulaski County cover largemouth bass, longear sunfish, green sunfish, bluegill and warmouth. It is the county picture; the agency list is water-specific. Work Nixon Lake in sections rather than trying to cover it.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The year swings from about 39°F in January to roughly 81°F in July. Summer heat is the limit here, not winter cold. The cooler months are the comfortable ones to be out. June to September is hot work, so the first and last hours are what count. Nixon Lake runs to that rhythm year in and year out.

• Tackle & Baits

  No access rule appears in what we hold. No slipway, car park or made path shows up nearby in mapping, so treat access as rough. A small crankbait along the drop and a worm in the thick stuff cover the bass. Read any posted signs at the access point rather than assuming. Barbless rules turn up on managed water more often than not. Happy Valley Lake, 2.9 miles away, makes the obvious fallback. For Nixon Lake, the notice at the access point is the final word.