Oxbows in TN but across the river...

[MidTown]

I'm looking for some good places within 40 miles of Memphis to hit before or after work. Given that I work for myself, that basically means places I can get to and from quickly enough that I can rationalize doing it more often than I could a full day trip to Reelfoot or Pickwick, etc...

Some of the oxbows across the river look good, but I don't want to buy an Arkansas license if I can help it. Another problem is, there are days I won't have a boat.


What do y'all know about the nearby oxbows on the Arkansas side- what's the fishing like, do you have to actually be on the water to use a TN license, is there any bank access, any boat rentals- whatever useful you think you know.

To prime the pump-

I stopped at Dacus today to check the fishing report, and right now the fishing is one great heaving mystery. There'd been a carp problem last year, but there was a huge carp die-off over the winter, and they ruled out poisoning as the reason. The crappie, bream, and catfish action was back to its pre-carp form again earlier this Spring, but after the late cold spell the fish went squirelly- especially the crappie. On my first and only trip a week ago, nothing was hitting except 2-5 lb channel cat (minnows fished shallow), and they were slow. Today, the camp owner said that some people had been catching crappie or bream just off the bottom in 10-20', but that there was nothing remotely consistent about the where or how from one hour to the next.

Dacus has bank access, a couple of john-boats with paddles to rent (hope you're in shape), and the only bank access is in Ark., so you have to be on the water to rely on a TN license.

The Dacus camp owner said that the Island 40 Chute was completely over-run by carp. I couldn't tell whether he was just glad to have bad news to report about a competitor, or whether he was making it up.

Don't know anything else about Island 40 except that they have boat rentals of some kind.

[canebreaker]

What rule I've read is, if your on their soil, you need their license.
A lot of the oxbow lakes that are fed by the river are being over run with the carp. Do as I do, if you get 1 in the boat, plan to take it home. Trash bag onboard for yellow bass, carp and gar.