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Bull Shoals Lake

WaveRunner

WaveRunner

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Bull Shoals Lake, Arkansas
Hey, all.


Anyone else here call Bull Shoals Lake their boating home?  


We've visited the marinas at Lakeview Cove and Bull Shoals and all the way out to Peel, as well as up into Pontiac Cove and Theodosia in Missouri, and have seen more than a few Benningtons out there.  It would be nice to meet new friends if you're interested!  Our closest marina is at Oakland for your reference, and the first 20 river miles on the lake is our cruising area
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Thanks!
 
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OK, to generate some interest, here are some photos of our beautiful lake...


Dinosaur Head:


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Along Tie Chute Bluff:


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Cyclone Bluff:


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Beautiful photos and body of water. How is the fishing?
 
It's said there are something like two dozen species and sub-species here of Bass, Walleye, Crappie and Bluegill (Bream as them call them down south), Catfish, Trout, and many others.  


We host many fishing tournaments here, and many of the biggest names in pro fishing come every year for the big events.


The state records for smallmouth bass, spotted bass, and yellow perch were caught at Bull Shoals, and they expect other record fish will come from here.


A 60+ pound striped bass was caught here, a 5+ pound white bass, numerous Crappie records over the years, a 68 pound blue cat, and a 19+ pound walleye were all caught on Bull Shoals.


In a word, the fishing can be outstanding! 
 
I shouldn't have asked! Even more jealous now. We have largemouth, pike and your typical pan fish in my lake. Here is a little sunfish from the dock and some photo editing.


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Nice pix waverunner
 
Hey Waverunner, looks and sounds like a great place to use that Benni. 
 
Tooner said:
Hey Waverunner, looks and sounds like a great place to use that Benni. 
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You're right, it is an awesome lake.  It's unusually clear, and usually never busy, so it's almost always a private time on the water as well.  In fact, it never seems to get crowded except on the holiday weekends, and even then, it's still very wide open unless you get down near the town of Bull Shoals near the dam.  We have extensively travelled the first 22 river miles, and there's always something new to see.  There are great restaurants less than a dozen miles from us in both directions, and the people are friendly. 


If you can handle the remoteness of this area...being far from the big stores, stoplights, and shopping malls, it's a retirement paradise.
 
WaveRunner said:
You're right, it is an awesome lake.  It's unusually clear, and usually never busy, so it's almost always a private time on the water as well.  In fact, it never seems to get crowded except on the holiday weekends, and even then, it's still very wide open unless you get down near the town of Bull Shoals near the dam.  We have extensively travelled the first 22 river miles, and there's always something new to see.  There are great restaurants less than a dozen miles from us in both directions, and the people are friendly. 


If you can handle the remoteness of this area...being far from the big stores, stoplights, and shopping malls, it's a retirement paradise.
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Waverunner, Is there areas that have waterfront homes and water rights on the lake or connecting rivers? If so,where would you suggest?
 
WaveRunner said:
You're right, it is an awesome lake.  It's unusually clear, and usually never busy, so it's almost always a private time on the water as well.  In fact, it never seems to get crowded except on the holiday weekends, and even then, it's still very wide open unless you get down near the town of Bull Shoals near the dam.  We have extensively travelled the first 22 river miles, and there's always something new to see.  There are great restaurants less than a dozen miles from us in both directions, and the people are friendly. 


If you can handle the remoteness of this area...being far from the big stores, stoplights, and shopping malls, it's a retirement paradise.
Click to expand...

That sounds really good. Enjoy it!
 
1Blderbob said:
Waverunner, Is there areas that have waterfront homes and water rights on the lake or connecting rivers? If so,where would you suggest?
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My answer may be a little long, so bear with me.  Bull Shoals is THE reservoir lake for the upper White River system.  There are 2 other large lakes and a third small one that proceed it in the system, but none are anywhere near as large as Bull Shoals.  This lake has a 36' vertical capacity increase, meaning that the normal lake elevation can go from 659' AMSL to as high as 695' when it reaches the 17 spillways on the dam.  None of the upper lakes on the system even come close to this much water-holding capacity.  


Because of this, the nearest you will see a home to the "normal" waterline is about 50-60' vertically above it, and some are well over 200' higher.  Couple that with the fact that the lake is a Federal waterway, operated by the Army Corps of Engineers.  That means that the government owns a swatch of land around the entire lake, usually 200' or more laterally from normal pool to any private property.  My house is considered lakefront (and I have 670' of it), but the closest approach from my property line to normal pool is 265', and my house is situated 90-95' above the water at normal pool.  I don't need flood insurance as a result, and don't know of anyone in a private residence on the lake who does.  


I've seen the water go over 690' AMSL twice in the last 5 years here, back in 2011 and then again in 2015.  The lake was designed to support that much extra pool and alleviate the strain on the upper lakes, which are much more commercialized and have much less water height (capacity) they can tolerate.  Even at that height, the water is still well over 300' horizontal distance from the house, and even then, I'm still 55' minimum above the waterline, which is comforting.


"Waterfront" homes here means "lakefront", but there will almost always be trees between you and the lake as it is illegal to clear a path to the lake or cut down any trees or vegetation on government property.  This keeps the lake looking very pristine and beautiful.  There are no "water rights", and boat houses/docks are carefully monitored.  In my opinion, if you were looking to buy here, look for a home near the many boat ramps.  With water elevation changes that can be 8' or more overnight, keeping a boat house can become a full time job.  I have no idea what a permit goes for thru the Corps.


There are many beautiful places to live around the lake, but most people don't care for the remoteness of it in relation to shopping, stoplights, and such.  It was for this very reason we fell in love with the area.  Homes near the towns of Lakeview or Bull Shoals are as populated as you'll get, and as close to the water as you can get.  The water is almost always clearer near these towns as they are close to the dam.  I would invite anyone interested in this area to get on Zillow and look at what's available.  Beautiful homes come on the market just about every day, as this is a retirement haven (heaven?). 


That being said, there are homes that are very visible from the lake and thus are very close to the lake, but we prefer the privacy AND the view our home gives us.  We can see across almost 2.5 miles of lake to the distant cliffs, and the lake is between 2,900' and 4,000' wide in our view from the living room or deck (see below).


Hope this helps answer your question.  Anyone should feel free to PM me if you'd like more info on the area!


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An interesting sunset from four days ago, down at a spot we call "the beach".  The dock for the community boat ramp is just visible in the bottom left of the photo....


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No, there's no snow yet here, and they say this winter could be milder than average due to la nina still being a factor.  But it's pictures like this that make us long for the long hot days of summer!


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