Once the wrapping paper has been thrown away and the last drop of egg nog has been consumed, few people have a use for that evergreen tree that graced their home during the holiday season. The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission has a new job for those leftover trees: fish habitat.
The AGFC has drop-off locations across the state to let your old Christmas tree have a second life as underwater cover. The small spaces and dense cover offered by fresh Christmas trees make excellent nursery habitat for small fish as well as great places to fish.
Anglers are welcome to remove trees from drop-off locations to create their own fish attractors. Tying the trees to cinder blocks with parachute cord is a popular option to weight the trees down.
The small branches will deteriorate quickly, so it’s best to sink the trees in groups. The trunks of the trees will last much longer, offering some woody cover long after a single tree’s attractiveness wanes.
Trees should be clean of all ornaments, lights and tinsel before they are dropped off. Artificial Christmas trees should not be used as fish habitat, either.
Trees can be dropped off at any of the following locations until the end of January:
Northwest ArkansasBeaver Lake – Highway 12 Access, AGFC Don Roufa Highway 412 Access and Monte Ne Boat Ramp AccessLake Elmdale – Boat Ramp AccessBob Kidd Lake – Boat Ramp AccessCrystal Lake – Boat Ramp Access
North ArkansasBull Shoals Lake – Any U.S. Army Corps of Engineers boat rampNorfork Lake – Any U.S. Army Corps of Engineers boat ramp
Northeast ArkansasJonesboro – Craighead Forest Park Lake boat rampLake Bono – Boat Ramp AccessLake Walcott – Crowley’s Ridge State Park Boat Ramp AccessLake Charles – West parking lot at Highway 25 Boat Ramp Access
Central ArkansasArkansas River – Riverview Park Access in North Little RockLake Barnett – Reed AccessLake Conway – Lawrence Landing AccessGreers Ferry Lake – Sandy Beach (Heber Springs), Devils Fork Recreation Area and Choctaw Recreation Area (Choctaw-Clinton)Harris Brake Lake – Chittman Hill AccessLake Pickthorne – Boat Ramp AccessLake Overcup – Lake Overcup LandingCox Creek Lake – Cox Creek Lake Public AccessLake Hamilton – Andrew Hulsey State Fish Hatchery Access AreaJack Nolen – Boat Ramp Access at Fire StationSugar Loaf Lake – Boat Ramp Access
East ArkansasHorseshoe Lake — Boat Ramp AccessWynne Sports Complex Family and Community Fishing Pond
Southeast ArkansasLake Chicot – Connerly Bayou Access AreaLake Monticello – Hunger Run AccessCook’s Lake – Potlatch Conservation Education Center at 625 Cook’s Lake Road, Casscoe, or the bus lot across from Grand Avenue United Methodist Church in Stuttgart
South ArkansasCamden – AGFC Regional Office on Ben Lane, next to the National Guard ArmoryUpper White Oak Lake – Upper Jack’s LandingMagnolia – Columbia County Road Department Yard on Highway 371El Dorado – City recycling center drop-offs: one behind Arby’s and one on South JacksonSmackover – Recycling Drop-Off Center (these will be transported to El Dorado)
Southwest ArkansasBois d’Arc Lake – Kidd’s Landing or Hatfield AccessMillwood Lake – Cottonshed, White Cliffs Recreation Areas and the Millwood State Park ramp on the pointDierks Lake – Jefferson Ridge South Recreation AreaDe Queen Lake – Any U.S. Army Corps of Engineers boat rampGillham Lake – Any U.S. Army Corps of Engineers boat rampLake Greeson – New Cowhide Cove and Self Creek Recreation areasSouth Fork Lake – South Fork Lake AccessTerre Noire Lake – Terre Noire Lake AccessHope – AGFC Regional Office on U.S. Highway 67 EastLake Dieffenbacher – Bobby Ferguson Park Pavilion