MONTICELLO — Anglers looking to fish in one of southeastern Arkansas’s most popular fisheries will once again be able to launch their boats at Lake Monticello’s Hunger Run Access located off Hwy. 35.The City of Monticello officially opened the boat ramp adjacent to the lake’s newly renovated dam last Friday, May 31.Kris Nault, regional fisheries supervisor in the Arkansas Game and Fish Commissions Monticello Office, says that although the gates have been closed at the Hunger Run Access since the lake was drained many anglers have already been fishing from the banks and launching john boats from the Windy Hill Access on the opposite side of the lake.The lake was drained for renovation because there wasn’t enough water on the ramp to use it without blowing out the sediment at the end of the ramp and creating a scour hole.The city had the Windy Hill gate open since the lake began filling approximately 2.5 years ago so the public could use the park and disc golf course located there. As soon as this ramp got water on it about a month and a half ago, anglers started launching small boats. The water at this boat ramp is still shallow and launching larger boats there is questionable.“The lake has actually seen some pretty heavy fishing pressure from that access recently,” Nault said. “It’s been common to see five or six boat trailers at the ramp every weekday. I’ve noticed that the fish have started to move off the banks now for summer as well, and many anglers are catching fewer bass than they were earlier this spring.”Anglers are reminded that fishing for all game fish at Lake Monticello is strictly catch-andrelease.“We’re trying to protect this fishery as much as possible to let it show its true potential, and the majority of the fish in the lake are still only a couple of years old,” Nault said. “They have exhibited some excellent growth, but we still won’t see the real effects of the l...
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