Lake Ouachita (pronounced wash-ah-taw) is Arkansas’ largest lake completely in the state. It has 690 miles of shoreline, all of which are surrounded by the Ouachita National Forest. It is supposed to be one of the cleanest lakes in the nation. Fishing, boating, skiing, swimming, kayaking, camping on some of the 200 lake islands aren’t the only popular recreational activities here. People also scuba dive, hoping to catch a glimpse of the rare non-stinging jellyfish. Going to Lake Ouachita wasn’t on the original agenda, but taking A1 fishing for the first time, in Arkansas, surrounded by nature, was an opportunity that couldn’t be passed up.
We rented a boat from the Ouachita State Park Marina. We really lucked out since boats in July are reservation only. At first we were told there were no boats to rent. But with some sweet talking and some patience, they reluctantly rented us a boat. $65 for four hours. We used the entire time exploring the lake, stopping twice to swim and fish, not having to share either spot with a soul.
Beautiful! You got a lot for that $65.
Agreed! It was such a deal, even in the south a pontoon costs $100s of dollars. We were perfectly happy with our little jon boat. It got the job done!