Lake Chicot rebirth nears 25th anniversary

The turnaround, the rebirth of Lake Chicot and its surrounding area is approaching its 25th anniversary.

To be correct, pronounce it Shee-koe rather than Chee-koe.

Long troubled by floods and other capricious acts of the nearby Mississippi River, the popular and long-fishable C-shaped lake was also assaulted by heavy agricultural runoffs, waters that were laden with fertilizers, herbicides and other chemicals. Lake Chicot was dying for practical purposes. Fishing had declined sharply.

Lake Chicot State Park, well established and once crowded, was used by a mere fraction of the people who once flocked to it. 

The solution came after years of study and planning. The answer today is something of a monument to what the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers can do. The flood waters and the farmland runoffs were diverted when a massive pumping plant eight stories tall was finished. When the $85 million project that included a pumping plant was completed in 1985, the lake was reborn. Excess water now goes over the levee into the river, not into the lake.

Anglers again can go after catfish, crappie, bream and bass as they have done back through time. Which is the best fishing? That depends on who you ask.

One anecdote concerns largemouth bass fishing, and it covers a competition not long after the pumping plant got into operation. A regional circuit, Mr. Bass of Arkansas, picked Lake Chicot for its season-ending Mr. Bass Classic. The 27 contestants brought in limit after limit of 3-pound, 4-pound, 5-pound fish. The tournament was an exclamation mark for the rejuvenated lake.

Fishing and wildlife are the staples of Lake Chicot, Arkansas’ largest natural lake and the nation’s largest oxbow lake.

A number of bird enthusiasts use Lake Chicot State Park as a base, and late summer is a time for seeing both common and uncommon water birds like the roseate spoonbill, the wood stork, the black-legged stilt. Tours of the park by barge are sundown options in warmer parts of the year.

Overnight visitors to the park, which sits in a large grove of stately pecan trees, can camp at one of 127 sites with hookups or they can stay in one of 14 comfortable cabins with full kitchens and patios for relaxing and sunset watching. Make cabin reservations well in advance. Many other people find them favorites also. A parks tore offers most necessities for visitors, and boats can be rented.

The park is a strolling area for many visitors, with the big trees providing abundant shade

There is not really a prime season for Lake Chicot State Park. It’s an enjoyable destination any time for a day, two days, a week.

You don’t pass by the park. You go to it. But it can be a handy base for rambles around the extreme southeast corner of Arkansas and even a venture across the Mississippi River to Greenville.

Lake Chicot State Park is on Arkansas Highway 144, eight miles from Lake Village. The big lake is the prominent feature, and the park is near the top of the C, not far from the river, not far from Mississippi — as the crow flies.

Several centuries ago the lake was the main channel of the river, but assorted factors caused a shift as was the case at many other places above and below Chicot. That occurred before the arrival of white man, but one of the earlier wanderers put the name to the lake. Chicot is a French word for stump. The lakes then and now has its full share of cypress trees and stumps of all sorts.

Using the park as a base, a visitor can find activities to suit a variety of interests. There is rich history and a relatively recent asset in this field in the form of Lakeport, a restored antebellum plantation house. Lakeport is a work in progress of Arkansas State University. A little time spent there can give a glimpse of life long ago, the days when cotton was king, and the king was attended by slaves.

(Log Cabin outdoor writer Joe Mosby can be contacted by e-mail at jhmosby@cyberback.com.)