Hot Times In Hot Springs

With five lakes brimming with fish and 47 thermal springs pure enough to drink from, Hot Springs isn't your everyday boating destination.

by Alan Jones

You know you're in a pretty fair fishing hole when you're taking pictures, notice a beautiful stand of startlingly white dogwoods in the background, and jokingly say to your guide Hugh Albright, "All right, you can catch one now." As if he were waiting for your cue, he does so ... immediately! It's like pressing the "easy" button on that TV commercial. But here in Hot Springs, Ark., good fishing and boating aren't too hard to find — they literally surround you.

Even though your angling trio, which includes Robert Montgomery of ESPN's Bassmaster magazine, is fishing on 25-mile-long Lake Hamilton on Monday after anglers have been pounding it over the weekend, the action is still hot, mostly with small largemouth bass. Other species such as striped bass abound here, where two of the last four state records have been caught, including a 58-pound monster. Everyone is using plastic baits impregnated with a fishy substance that smells pretty awful, especially when you repeatedly wipe your hands on your pants after re-baiting because you've forgotten your towel. Just ask the folks you share the elevator with after-wards at the Clarion Resort, who give you a graphic depiction of the true meaning of the phrase "stink eye."

Veteran guide Doyle Cain hefts
a massive DeGray Lake crappie.

If you didn't know anything about Hot Springs, you might mistakenly think it's like any other rural town in this neck of the woods with a population of less than 40,000 residents, but you'd be wrong. Hot Springs is a unique city surrounded by five lakes with a colorful history and level of culture far advanced from what the uninformed masses would expect from the state where the Beverly Hillbillies originated before moving to California.

Après angling, there's just enough time before dinner to sneak in 18 holes of golf at the Hot Springs Country Club, where you get smoked by local golfer Larry Dewitt, who recently hung up his whistle as an SEC basketball referee and is now manager at the Comfort Inn and Suites here, and has some great insider stories about many famous athletes. After a quick pit stop back at the Clarion, located right on Lake Catherine with a boat ramp in the parking lot, it's off to some fine dining at Chef Paul's. When you walk in, the first thing you see is a display of the seafood and steaks being served at the restaurant tripadvisor.com rates No. 1 out of 138 in Hot Springs. Although the wild salmon (which was just flown in from Alaska) looks great, your eyes gravitate toward a row of rib-eye steaks that are so well-marbled, they could pass for Japanese Kobe beef. Great call, as it turns out.

As its name would imply, Hot Springs' most famous natural feature is the cluster of 47 thermal springs emanating 143-degree water from Hot Springs Mountain, which has to be cooled to a non-soup-making temperature before adding the human ingredient. Although the springs were "discovered" by Hernando De Soto in 1541, Native Americans had been enjoying the waters here in the "Valley of the Vapors" for generations. The water has been carbon- dated, and it's believed to be rainwater that fell 4,000 years ago. Unlike many other thermal springs that sometimes have sulfur or iron in them, the spring water here tastes excellent and is available for all to "download" from spigots placed around town. The water is certified as being naturally potable with no filtering required, and many visitors bring back water-filled jugs as a souvenir when they leave.

Named one of the cleanest lakes in America,
Lake Ouachita is also one of the prettiest.

An interesting feature of Hot Springs is that it's the only town in America set within a National Park. It was also the first place ever set aside for purposes of preservation for the American people. In 1832, Congress designated four parcels as Hot Springs Reservation, thus making it the oldest park in the National Park System. People began flocking to bathe in the springs not only for recreation but also for the purported medicinal benefits. Although the eight lavish bathhouses built side-by-side catered mostly to the rich, the government saw to it that those who were less financially endowed had free bathing privileges at a public bathhouse. The opulent Fordyce bathhouse, which opened in 1915, has since been con-verted to a visitor center, and only the Buckstaff Bathhouse remains functional to this day, as it has been ever since 1912. Plans are on the table to renovate the other six, with the idea that they could be leased for commercial use, but funding has been a major drawback.

One of the more colorful aspects of Hot Springs' history is that it became a popular vacation spot for many of America's most notorious gangsters, like Al Capone and "Lucky" Luciano. In a rare case of agreement amongst the usually battling factions, The Spa City was declared to be a safe haven where mobsters could bring their families without fear of assassination. Illegal, yet open, gambling also flourished here from as far back as the late 1800s all the way to 1967. In addition to two horseracing tracks, there were several Vegas-style casinos that even featured headliner entertainment. It's said that in Hot Springs' heyday, it surpassed even Las Vegas in terms of gambling dollar revenue. Today, the only vestige of that era is Oaklawn Park Race Track.

The next day's fishing is on DeGray Lake with Doyle Cain, who has fished professionally in this area since he was a teenager as both a guide and tournament fisherman. DeGray is one of the five Diamond Lakes near Hot Springs, and that designation isn't just a fanciful chamber of commerce superlative for the immaculate body of water that it is. The lake is actually in one of the few diamond-producing areas in North America. Crater of Diamonds State Park is located in nearby Murfreesboro, and it's the only actively producing mine in the world where visitors can search for diamonds by paying a daily fee of $5. Who knows? You might get lucky and find one like the 40-carat "Uncle Sam" diamond, the largest diamond ever found in North America.

Rows of beautiful tulips planted next to the Hale Bathhouse
commemorate the first national park's 175th birthday.

But today the hunt is on for other shiny, precious things, and instead of using shovels and sieves, the twosome is prospecting with Rapala jerkbaits. This pristine 13,800-acre lake is surrounded by DeGray Lake State Park, which offers a wide range of services. There's a full-service marina, along with plenty of recreational activities such as kayaking, golf, tennis and horseback riding. Although it's best known for hybrid striped bass, Doyle's first fish is a massive black crappie that could feed two for dinner. His next strike is a healthy largemouth bass, which is tossed back to grow up for future anglers. By now, Doyle is probably wondering if he should slow down on the fish catching so he doesn't make you look bad, but he's spared the dilemma as a huge strike pounds the flittering pumpkin-colored lure. Whatever it is, it has some serious heft and rips the line off the reel before being slowly pumped to the boat. Doyle gets the net and scoops a double-digit-pound hybrid striper. Hybrids — also called sunshine bass — are a cross between striped bass and white bass, and are strong fish for their size, and excellent table fare, although this one is released as well.

A night out on the town can be an eclectic event as you stroll along Bathhouse Row on Central Avenue. While attending a champagne reception at the museum-like home of Davis Tillman, owner of Tillman Antiques (just one of many fine galleries here as well as other generally artsy shops), you learn about the various festivals the city is famous for. In early September, the city comes alive with music as it features a pair of festivals for blues and jazz aficionados. Not only are the concerts great, but many of the talented musicians can be seen practicing during the day at public venues throughout downtown for the free enjoyment of all. This night's fine-dining adventure in the historic part of town takes you to The Porterhouse, and although you just had a T. Rex-worthy steak the night before, what are you going to order at a restaurant like this ... the chicken? Nope, you order the namesake, and you aren't disappointed. Eschewing beef the next night at Pompeii Café and Wine Bar, the menu features seared yellowfin tuna and some awesome orzo. Later, you attend a sneak preview of a pair of films by Ken Mandel that will be shown at the prestigious documentary film festival in October, which is one of four preliminary sites used to screen films for the Academy Awards.

Fishing begins early on the crown jewel of the Diamond Lakes as you shove off the dock at the fabulous Mountain Harbor Resort and Spa with Jerry Bean on Lake Ouachita. Named one of the cleanest lakes in America, this 40,000-acre compound, which is set in the foothills of the Ouachita Mountains, is true to its American Indian name, "River of good hunting grounds and sparkling silver waters." Although bass fishing is popular here — being the site of the FLW Forrest Wood Cup, where this year Scott Suggs pocketed a million dollars for first place — today the target is striped bass.

Hugh Albright lands a healthy bass for Misty Bryant, who works
at the Mountain Harbor Resort and Spa on Lake Ouachita.

Fishing Cotton Cordell Red Fin topwater lures, the pair finds fast and thrilling action as the striper bust the lure on the surface. When asked about Jerry's specialty, he says, "Years ago, I had a wealthy client who told me he would give me $1,000 for every striper he caught over 40 pounds, and it was at that moment I decided to become a large fish specialist." He adds with a grin, "That client now has 41 striper mounts hanging on his den wall better than 40 pounds." Jerry ended up traveling the world many times over with that client, who later grew to be a close friend as they fished and hunted in exotic locations like Africa and South America over a 10-year period. He also has some interesting stories about President Clinton, who grew up here, and his half-brother Roger Clinton, with whom he allegedly had an encounter involving a Corvette and a brandished pistol.

Sometimes when you visit an area, you can check it off your list of "been there, done that." But this brief foray to Hot Springs serves only as an appetizer/scouting mission for what will surely be a series of future trips, because there's no way you can come close to doing it all in less than a week. So hook your boat up, pile your kids in the SUV, head on down, and prepare to fall in love.

When You Go

Accommodations

There are two really good places for boaters to stay, depending on what experience you're looking for. If you want to be on the water but want to be close to downtown Hot Springs, the Clarion Resort (www.hotspringsclarion.com) is a great choice. Located on Lake Hamilton, the hotel has boat docks for guests as well as a boat ramp. Along with good bass fishing, anglers will find good numbers of crappie and walleye.

For those wanting a more outdoorsy experience, the Mountain Harbor Resort and Spa (www.mountainharborresort.com) is an outstanding facility located right on Lake Ouachita. There's a full-service marina, restaurant, spa and America's only floating Subway restaurant. There are a variety of accommodations to suit any budget, from motel units all the way to luxury cabins.

The sites haven't changed much on
Bathhouse Row in the last 100 years.

Attractions

This entire area seems to be a magnet for state parks, with a dozen or so located within 50 miles of Hot Springs, such as Lake Ouachita State Park, DeGray State Park and Lake Catherine State Park (www.arkansasstateparks.com), which offer a variety of outdoor activities, such as hiking, biking and camping, and watersports such as kayaking. The town is set within Hot Springs National Park (www.hot-springs.national-park.com) and loaded with things to do like visiting the historic Bathhouse Row, checking out the art museums, or strolling through magnificent Garvan Woodland Gardens (www.garvangardens.org). There's great golfing on two distinctly different and challenging golf courses at the Hot Springs Country Club (www.hotspringscc.com).

Dining

Hot Springs may have more restaurants per capita than anywhere in the region. Chef Paul's restaurant (www.chefpaulsfinedining.com) rates highly for its carefully chosen ingredients and outstanding preparation of steak and seafood. The Porterhouse (www.belleartigroup.com) is another outstanding steak and seafood house located in the heart of the historic district. Pompeii Café and Wine Bar (www.pompeii-hotsprings.com), a Mediterranean restaurant, offers an array of food and will match your selection with the perfect wine. For down-home barbecue, locals and tourists alike have been dining at McClard's (www.mc-clards.com) since 1928.

Fishing

When you come here to go fishing, it greatly enhances your experience if you go with a local guide (at least for the first day) to get the lay of the land. Here are three of the best who will meet you on your lake of choice, put you on the fish, and show you how to catch them: Jerry Bean (501/624-6907), Hugh Albright (501/767-2171), and Doyle Cain (501/767-2088).