Lake Hamilton

Lake Hamilton

Hulsey Access to Lake Hamilton ramp will be 60 feet wide by 135 feet long.
vehicle and trailer parking area will accommodate 100 vehicles at the site.

FLW Outdoors and the Hot Springs Convention announced in January that Lake Hamilton in Hot Springs will once again play host to the $1 million BFL championship presented by Chevy.
The tournment will be held May 29th - 31st.

Lake Hamilton was created in 1932 when the Arkansas Power and Light Co. completed Carpenter Dam on the Ouachita River to generate electricity. The shore is lined with condominiums, resorts, motels, restaurants and private homes. Hamilton is 7200 acres and approximately 18 miles long.

Water-skiing, parasailing, pleasure boating and fishing are popular Hot Springs attractions on Lake Hamilton and rentals of watercraft and sport accessories are readily available. Garvan Woodland Gardens is a 210-acre, lakeshore botanical garden accessible by boat.

Lake Hamilton is located on the southern edge of Hot Springs, Arkansas's most popular tourist destination.

Public Boat Ramps on Lake Hamilton:

Hulsey Ramp:

Parking area will accommodate 100 vehicles. The boat ramp is 60 feet wide by 135 feet long.

Wheatley Ramp:

Lake Hamilton annual winter drawdown:

Entergy has done annual draw downs of 3-5 feet for over 20 years.

Lake Hamilton water draw downs are necessary for a number of reasons, most of which have to do with maintaining and improving the beauty and recreational qualities of the lakes.

Entergy list the primary reasons for draw downs as:

Shoreline construction.

Allow lakefront property owners to do shoreline construction, maintenance and cleanup.

Nuisance aquatic vegetation control.

An added benefit of draw downs is improvement to overall fisheries on the lake. Draw downs concentrate forage fish, reducing their population and increasing the growth of sport fish that feed on them.

Eurasian water milfoil:

In the mid 1990s aquatic vegetation began to be a real problem in Lake Hamilton, covering swimming areas, clogging boat docks and generally fouling the shallower waters.

Intensive research by the Arkansas Game & Fish Commission and Entergy lead to a Aquatic Vegetation Management Plan.

The Aquatic Vegetation Management Plan called for the use of more extensive winter draw downs and the stocking of grass carp by the Arkansas Game & Fish Commission as the primary methods of “whole-lake” nuisance vegetation control.

The plan was successful and by 1997 a significantly southern naiad reduction occurred in the southern half of the lake, but in recent years a new species of nuisance underwater weed has appeared.

Invaded the northern half of Lake Hamilton Eurasian water milfoil, which is not native to the United States and is rapidly spreading down the lower Ouachita River system. Unlike the native Southern naiad, milfoil is more resistant to winter kill and is not favored by grass carp. In response, Entergy and the Arkansas Game & Fish Commission determined in 2002 that two consecutive years of more aggressive 9-footdrawdowns were needed to slow and hopefully reduce this explosive growth.

Entergy understands that many feel that an annual 9-foot drawdown would be excessive, and for that reason we have never intended to make them an annual occurrence. However, research suggests that to be effective against milfoil, draw downs should occur on a prolonged and regular basis. While 9-foot draw downs are effective, they do not completely eradicate milfoil, which unfortunately, grow to depths of 12 feet.

Entergy also has a drought contingency plan which allows a reduction in its required continuous minimum flow from Remmel Dam if severe drought occur.

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Lake Hamilton

FLW Outdoors and the Hot Springs Convention announced in January that Lake Hamilton in Hot Springs will once again play host to the $1 million BFL championship presented by Chevy. The tournment will be held May 29th - 31st.

Public Boat Ramps on Lake Hamilton:

Lake Hamilton annual winter drawdown:

Eurasian water milfoil:

Lake Hamilton Striper Guides

FLW Outdoors and the Hot Springs Convention announced in January that Lake Hamilton in Hot Springs will once again play host to the $1 million BFL championship presented by Chevy.
The tournment will be held May 29th - 31st.