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Arkansas Water Trails develops public paddling trails throughout the state, creating well-mapped accessible day trips in a variety of settings and for all levels of paddling experience. Click here for more information!

Laws for Canoes, Kayaks and Paddleboards on Arkansas Waterways

Life Jackets

All vessels must have at least one United State Coast Guard-approved wearable PFD (life jacket) for each person on board. All life vests must be in good condition and of proper size.

Children 12 and under must wear a life jacket, which must be securely fastened while on board any vessel.

Glass Containers Are Prohibited

Except for containers for substances prescribed by a licensed physician, no person shall possess or use glass containers on Arkansas waters within a vessel easily susceptible to swamping, tipping or rolling. For purposes of this act, “vessel” shall not include a houseboat, party barge, jon boat, runabout, ski boat, bass boat or similar craft.

However, people engaged in removing glass previously discarded by others and found within the banks of an Arkansas navigable waterway may not be charged with a violation for possessing that glass if it is being transported in a secure trash container.

Fasten Cooler Lids

All coolers, iceboxes or containers for foodstuffs and beverages must be sealed or locked to prevent their contents from spilling into the water while on board a canoe, kayak, inner tube or other vessel easily susceptible to swamping, tipping or rolling while on Arkansas waters.

Attach and Use a Litter Container

Canoes, kayaks, inner tubes and other vessels easily susceptible to swamping, tipping or rolling that are transporting foodstuffs or beverages on Arkansas waters must have a litter container that is capable of being securely closed. All litter must be contained in this container until the litter may be safely and lawfully disposed.

Use a Floating Holder for Beverages

When onboard a canoe, kayak, inner tube or other vessel easily susceptible to swamping, tipping or rolling, any beverage not contained in a sealed or locked container or litter bag must be attached to or held within a floating holder that prevents them from sinking beneath the water’s surface.

Paddling Safety

Rivers are ever-changing systems with inherent dangers. Here are some tips to help you safely enjoy your time on the water:

• Never paddle alone.
• Always file a float plan – tell someone where you are going and when you expect to return.
• Check weather forecasts.
• Carry a map of the stream so you can find your location at any time.
• Carry a hand-held Global Positioning System unit; it will help you pinpoint your position and how to get back to a launch site.
• Wear protective footgear and carry drinking water, sunscreen and insect repellent.
• Plan your trip so that your paddling skills are equal to the water conditions.

For more information about paddle sports safety in Arkansas, please visit:

• Boat Arkansas Course Online Study Guide
  • Click on Unit 6, Topic 2.
• U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary Paddlecraft Safety

Paddling Ethics

Respect Private Property

Please respect private property along navigable streams and avoid stopping on private property unless it is an emergency. Private property may be marked by fences, signs or purple paint. Keep noise levels low and plan your stops on public land.

Share the Water

When approaching anglers or other paddlers, give them a wide berth and proceed quietly, so you don’t interfere with their recreation.

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PINE BLUFF — The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission’s Gov. Mike Huckabee Delta Rivers Nature Center will again host its annual Wetlands and Wildlife Festival from noon to 5 p.m., Oct. 28. This family-friendly celebration of conservation is a great way to enjoy an afternoon with family and friends learning about all the outdoors has to offer.

This celebration of the outdoors is one of the center’s largest events. Jason Hooks, nature center director for the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission, says the lineup this year looks to be better than ever, with new vendors and conservation partners on hand.

“We’ll have door prizes, including a $500 gift card to Hunters Refuge,” Hooks said. And we’ll have food trucks, hunting demos, all sorts of games and music for attendees. With it being Halloween weekend, you can bet we’ll have lots of candy for the kids to enjoy, too. The nature center and trails will be open for folks to explore while you’re here as well.”

Cathay Melvin, an Arkansas children’s author, will be here to sell and sign copies of her book: Cypress Knees and Tupelo Trees. She will also do a book reading for the kids.

The Arkansas Hawking Association’s Kenley Money will demonstrate hunting with raptors.

“We even have KTPB, 98.1 ‘The Hog,’ doing a live broadcast from the event,” Hooks said. “Randy Turner and his shed hunting K9’s will also be at the event to do a demonstration. This hunting demo with the dogs has proven to be a favorite with the crowd.”

The event is sponsored by Pine Bluff Advertising and Promotion, Jefferson Regional Medical Center, Dew Drop Auto Parts and Repair, and many more Jefferson County and Pine Bluff  businesses.

 Visit www.agfc.com/naturecenters or check out the center’s Facebook page for more details.

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Lake Conway isn’t the only place the Arkansas anglers will find some tagged fish to catch a reward for their fall fishing effort. Arkansas Game and Fish Commission biologists tagged and released dozens of crappie in Lake Atkins last week.

Anglers who catch a tagged crappie on Atkins must remove the tag (regardless of whether or not they keep the fish) and mail it in to claim a reward. Each tag has a unique number that corresponds to a predetermined prize amount ranging from $10 to $100. Anglers should mail or hand-deliver these tags to the AGFC’s Russellville Office (1266 Lock and Dam Road, Russellville, AR 72802) to claim their reward.

The Lake Atkins tagged crappie program has a much different purpose than the one being held on Lake Conway. While the latter is solely an incentive for anglers to enjoy some added fishing action before Conway is drained for a projected 5-year renovation project, the tagged fish swimming in Atkins are part of a scientific study.

“We can use the number of tags returned to estimate the percentage of the crappie population harvested on an annual basis,” AGFC Regional Fisheries Supervisor Frank Leone said. “This information will help determine future management strategies to improve the lake’s crappie population and angler satisfaction.”

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The Wild Science Webinar is a monthly series featuring Arkansas Game and Fish Commission staff and guest speakers presenting research and projects about Arkansas fish and wildlife. The Wild Science Webinar is a monthly series featuring Arkansas Game and Fish Commission staff and guest speakers presenting research and projects about Arkansas fish and wildlife. Dr. Kendall Moles, AGFC Malacologist, will present “Update on the AGFC’s Freshwater Mussel Propagation Program” and Myron Means, Statewide Large Carnivore Program Coordinator, will present “Gulf Coastal Plain Bear Research Project Update”.

Go to Wild Science Webinars to view February 2021 through November 2021.

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The Wild Science Webinar is a monthly series featuring Arkansas Game and Fish Commission staff and guest speakers presenting research and projects about Arkansas fish and wildlife. Joe Kaiser, Trout Management Biologist, will present “Spring River Brown Trout Growth and Diets” and Jess Schmit, master’s student at the University of Arkansas, will present “Ain’t no Rest for the Cryptid: Migration and Breeding Ecology of a Secretive Marshbird”.

Go to Wild Science Webinars to view February 2021 through November 2021.

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HEBER SPRINGS — Biologists with the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission boosted the food chain at Greers Ferry Lake this week with the release of at least 476,000 threadfin shad from the lake’s nursery pond near Mill Creek Recreation Area.

The Charlie Craig State Fish Hatchery in Centerton stocked 4,760 adult threadfin shad into the pond April 17.

According to biologist Paul Port at the AGFC’s Mountain Home Office, the nursery pond was fertilized monthly throughout the shad’s spawning season to boost zooplankton, the main food source for the adult shad and their offspring.

“The abundant food supply and lack of aquatic predators enable the pond to produce shad with considerably higher survival rates than they would be able to accomplish outside the nursery pond,” Port said. “The estimated 476,000 fingerling shad produced in the pond averaged 2.3 inches at the time of their release. These fish, in addition to the adults that were originally stocked, should help improve the growth and body condition of sport fish in the lake.”

According to AGFC biologist Justin Homan, a similar stocking of shad is planned at Lake Maumelle in November from the adjacent nursery pond near this central Arkansas fishing destination.

Visit https://www.agfc.com/en/news/tag/greers-ferry-lake for more information on the AGFC’s efforts on Greers Ferry Lake.

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