Slowing out of the Ozark foothills in north central Arkansas is the Strawberry River, a friendly stream good for family excursions. It begins just a few miles west of Salem in Fulton County, and meanders in a southeasterly direction for slightly over 100 miles before merging with the Black River.
While it does not offer the whitewater of the Mulberry or the bluffs of the Buffalo, the Strawberry has a lot going for it: convenient access, interesting scenery, and a smallmouth bass fishery. In fact, because of its fine qualities the stream's upper section has been placed in Arkansas's Natural and Scenic Rivers System.
Entire length. a distance of approximately 109 miles.
The upper one-third of the Strawberry River is generally too low for good floating, although wade fishing is a possibility for the die-hard. The best bet for a good outing is in the river's middle third_the section between the U.S. 167 crossing north of Evening Shade and the Arkansas 115 bridge northeast of Jesup.
The first float, a nine to 10 mile journey, begins at Highway 167 and concludes at a low-water bridge which is about two miles north off Arkansas 56 and roughly halfway between Evening Shade and Poughkeepsie.
A second float, also nine to 10 miles in length_begins at this same crossing and ends at the next low-water bridge about two miles north of Poughkeepsie, just west of Arkansas 58.
The third float is from this second low-water bridge to the Arkansas 58 crossing, a distance of about two and a half miles.
These three floats offer certain similarities. They all possess fine gravel bars, and something else not too common to Arkansas streams, sandy beaches. In addition, these sections all include some very fishable waters, with bass (smallmouth, largemouth, rock, and spotted) and sunfish receiving the most attention.
The Strawberry can also be floated from the Arkansas 58 crossing on down to the 115 bridge near Jesup, but it's a lengthy trip (around 20 miles). Rather than floating the entire distance, some fishermen prefer to paddle (or motor) upstream from either of these access points, and then leisurely fish their way back down to the vehicles.
For floating, the time to visit the Strawberry is in the spring of the year. The river is also a prime candidate for wade fishing when water levels are too low for a successful boat trip.
Primary points of access include U.S. 167 near Evening Shade:a low-water bridge north of Arkansas 56 and about halfway between Evening Shade and Poughkeepsie; the Arkansas 58 crossing; and the Arkansas 115 crossing near Jesup. The Sharp County General Highway Map helps in locating these and other put-in/ take-out points.
The scenery, in a word, is attractive. The river itself has easy rapids, deep pools, and good-looking water. In many places canoeists are sheltered by over-hanging trees. And the surrounding country, while not wild, is very quiet and peaceful.
The gravel-bottomed Strawberry offers ideal habitat for channel catfish, one of the primary sportfishes found here. These sleek underwater bulldogs usually lurk near rocks and downed timber out of strong current. Crayfish are their primary forage and consequently the best bait, but channel cats will take a variety of other offerings including worms, minnows, catalpa worms, liver and stinkbaits. Huge flathead catfish also haunt the Strawberry offering heart-pounding thrills to catfisher- men in-the-know.
While catfish abound in the Strawberry, they are often overlooked by anglers who usually come here to try their luck for spotted and smallmouth bass. Wade fishing for bass is popular in the upper reaches where a fly rod and popping bug can produce non-stop fishing entertainment. However, most bass are taken in the lower two-thirds of the river using ultralight rods and reels equipped with small spinner-baits, jigs, plastic worms or salamanders or crayfish-look alike crank-baits. Other less important, but often caught, fishes include crappie, bluegills, saugers and warmouths.
Supplies can be obtained in the nearby communities of Ash Flat, Evening Shade, or Cave City, but bring your own boat since rentals are not available locally. The nearest camping facilities are at Lake Charles State Park, located about 15 miles east of Jesup.
The Strawberry is another one of those streams receiving a good deal of public recreational use, despite the fact that there is little if any public land along the river. Tradi- tional access points may, in fact, be on private property. Therefore visitors are encouraged to check with local residents concerning recommended put-in and take-out locations.
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ARKANSAS RIVERS & CREEKS
Big Piney Creek
Buffalo River
Caddo River
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Cossatot River
Crooked Creek
Eleven Point River
Illinois Bayou
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Strawberry River
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