The purpose of this website is to provide information for fishermen, vacationers and campers about the Diamond Lakes region of Arkansas in and around Hot Springs, Arkansas.  Information includes area events and attractions, fishing, places to stay including campgrounds, articles about fishing and bass fishing links througout the sites.  This website is the main website of a family of websites and there are links throughout this site to specific websites addressing specific topics relating to the Diamond Lakes.

Your website hosts are Carlton "Doc" Holliday and Darlene "Dee" Holliday who have retired to this area and live at Joplin, Arkansas and reqularly fish Lake Ouachita and are full time RVers.

The Diamond Lakes Area of Arkansas offers five diamond lakes serving up thousands of acres of sparkling recreational waters and countless miles of shoreline fun.  Lots of elbow room to fish, ski, swim, float, sail, rent a houseboat, cruise your party barge, spread a picnic, kick back and catch some rays on some of the cleanest, clearest waters in the country.

The five Diamond Lakes are Lake Ouachita and Lake Hamilton at Hot Springs, Lake Catherine near Malvern, Lake Greeson between Glenwood and Murfreesboro, and DeGray Lake at Arkadelphia. These lake feature top action for largemouth bass, striped bass, hybrid bass, and other gamefish species -- to scuba diving, skiing, sailing, and shore camping and hiking trails to an island resort state park with an 18-hole championship golf course.

                                            

Lake Ouachita is the crown jewel of the five lakes.  Lake Ouachita , the largest lake (40,100 acres) located entirely within Arkansas , is renowned for its scenic beauty and clear waters. Created when Blakely Mountain Dam impounded the waters of the Ouachita River near Hot Springs, the lake is virtually surrounded by the Ouachita National Forest and has one of Arkansas's most pristine shorelines at some 970 miles. The 40-mile-long lake is a favorite of sailors for its vast stretches of open water. Scuba divers enjoy the clear waters. Recreational boating, water skiing and other water sports are also very popular on Lake Ouachita , which boasts more than 100 uninhabited islands for primitive camping. Available rentals include houseboats, sailing crafts, fishing rigs, and more. Contributing to make the lake one of Arkansas 's finest outdoor destinations are several resorts (with cabins), commercial marinas, and more than 1,400 U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' campsites.

Lake Ouachita boasts an unusual feature, the Geo-Float Trail, created by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Boaters follow a marked route guided by a brochure that details prominent geologic features of the lake.

For anglers, Lake Ouachita is well-known for its prolific fishing opportunities, especially for striped bass and largemouth bass fishing. It consistently ranks in the top 10 nationally for largemouth bass fishing.
 
DeGray Lake is the second jewel of the Diamond Lakes, as evidenced by its popularity for fishing, camping, swimming, water-skiing and other water sports. The 13,400-acre DeGray Lake is a prime vacation and weekend getaway in west-central Arkansas. Situated among ridges of the Ouachita Mountains and formed by a dam across the Caddo River, the lake has more than 700 campsites, ranging from full hook-ups to primitive, and some 15 boat-launching ramps on its shores. Anglers enjoy the lake's largemouth bass, hybrid bass and other game fish species. House boating, sailing and scuba diving are also popular, as is observing bald eagles that winter on DeGray Lake.

The lake is home to Arkansas's only resort state park, DeGray Lake Resort State Park, which features a 96-room lodge, modern conference center, 18-hole championship golf course, heated swimming pool, tennis courts and a marina. Camping, trails, a swimming beach and numerous interpretive programs are also offered by the park. Private facilities on DeGray Lake include a resort, marina and cabins.

Lake Greeson is formed by the Narrows Dam impounding the waters of the Little Missouri River to form 7,000-acre Lake Greeson, a prime recreational resource in southwest Arkansas. The 12-mile-long lake features clear waters and steep, rocky ridges that form numerous islands and long peninsulas extending into the lake.  Anglers flock to Lake Greeson for the abundant channel catfish and rainbow trout fishing.

The lake's rich variety of game fish includes such species as largemouth, smallmouth, spotted and white bass, flathead and channel catfish, black and white crappie, and bluegill. In the Little Missouri River tailwaters below the dam, rainbow trout fishing is a popular sport, as these are stocked by the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission.

Camping and picnicking are available at U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' parks and at Daisy State Park located around the lake shore. Two private resorts are also located on the lake.

Just south of Lake Greeson at Murfreesboro, Crater of Diamonds State Park is the only public diamond field in the world where visitors can search for the gems and keep their finds.

Lake Catherine was created in a virtual wilderness between Hot Springs and Malvern when the Arkansas Power and Light Co. (now Entergy Corp.) completed Remmel Dam in 1924 to generate electricity. It was the state's first major hydroelectric facility. Though 11 miles long, the lake covers a mere 1,940 acres, nestled in narrow valleys of the Ouachita Mountains.

Though the lake is popular for water-skiing, swimming and other water sports, anglers come to the lake for its largemouth bass, spotted bass and striped bass, crappie, bream, and catfish and walleye fishing. A rainbow trout fishery, stocked by the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission, exists in the lake's tailwaters below Remmel Dam.

Lake Hamilton is a 7,200-acre lake near Hot Springs, Arkansas. It is located on the Ouachita River, one of Arkansas's most popular rivers. It is formed from Carpenter Dam. Along with Lake Catherine and Lake Ouachita, it is one of the lakes that helps make Hot Springs a boom for tourism. The lake was created in 1932, mainly to generate hydroelectricity, but now it also serves as a recreational getaway. Much of the lake is surrounded with resorts, restaurants, and motels. Parasailing, boating, fishing, and waterskiing are popular on Lake Hamilton, and the rest of the lakes around Hot Springs. A 400 passenger riverboat called the Belle of Hot Springs offers cruises on Lake Hamilton.

 

Anglers find an abundant supply of large mouth bass, crappie, bream, catfish and striped bass during the off season.  This lake can be a bit too much for anglers when the skiing, pleasure boating and jet skis come out in the warmer weather.

We produce a monthly newsletter, Bass Fishing Lake Ouachita Newsletter.  The newsletter contains:

• both personally written articles on bass fishing and camping on Lake Ouachita,
• articles of interest from other sources such as the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission, some of my long time fishing buddies,
• articles requested by our subscribers,
• a section featuring news about Lake Ouachita,
• a summary of the fishing over the last month,
• contains a Upcoming Events section for the Hot Springs and Mount Ida areas,
• and a reader comments / questions / requests section for feedback by the subscribers.
• It is distributed by email on a monthly basis around the 15th of each month.

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