Arkansas will start refilling Lake Conway on Dec. 2, ahead of schedule

Lake Conway is about to start filling again. The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission says it will close the gates on the dam's auxiliary structure at Craig D. Campbell Lake Conway Reservoir on Dec. 2. Staff shared the news with about 170 people at a public meeting in Mayflower.

Regional fisheries supervisor Nick Feltz said the project is three years into a planned five-year renovation. Drought kept the lakebed dry, so all the work that needed a drained lake is finished. The extra month before the gates close gives lakeside landowners time to wrap up permitted construction. Feltz cautioned that it will still take a lot of rain to refill the lake.

Restocking starts with forage. About 200,000 golden shiners went in last week, and fathead minnows, bluegill and redear sunfish are planned for this winter. AGFC usually waits six to eight months before stocking bass, catfish and crappie, and Feltz said he'd like to aim for the shorter end if the forage takes hold.

Crews have also added woody fish habitat and marked 28 miles of boat lanes, and they deepened several fishing piers and bank spots for anglers fishing from shore. About 50 lane-marker poles are still to be set once the water is back.

This is a The Gillnet news desk summary, not a reprint.

Source: Arkansas Game and Fish Commission (Randy Zellers) (Nov. 4, 2026).

Photo: AGFC.