The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission announced on May 7 that it will hold a ribbon-cutting and rededication ceremony for Lake Wilhelmina on May 15 at the newly constructed fishing pier. The lake, which is 200 acres in size and 68 years old, underwent extensive renovations starting in June 2024 to address infrastructure issues.
Lake Wilhelmina was renovated after water levels began falling uncontrollably in 2019, signaling a failure in the water-control tower. Inspections revealed two large holes in the lakebed caused by ruptures in the outflow pipe running through the dam into Powell Creek. “We made temporary repairs with sandbags to stop the water loss, but we needed to drain the lake to perform a complete fix from the downstream end of the 30-inch outflow pipe,” Reid Phifer, assistant chief of operations, said.
Contractors supervised by AGFC re-sleeved the outflow pipe with new piping and injected grout from the outfall pipe to replace outdated hardware. Phifer said, “That pipe lasted nearly 70 years underwater, which is well past the life expectancy of that sort of material in those conditions. But we didn’t stop with the outflow pipe. The drawdown gave us an opportunity to make major upgrades to the controls and equipment on the water control tower. We replaced the two lower gates, which included installing new stems and actuators. We also replaced the hardware, stem and actuator on the top gate.”
Other improvements included replacing aging radial gates that regulate water levels, adding a floating courtesy dock for boaters, and constructing a new fishing pier. “Construction wrapped up earlier this year on all of the infrastructure improvements, but there was just as much effort funneled into aquatic habitat work from the Fisheries team,” Phifer said.
Andy Yung, AGFC Fisheries Supervisor in Hot Springs said: “Mother Nature does a great job of rejuvenating herself when you give her the opportunity in the right setting, but we helped her along quite a bit this time.” He added that placing structures directly onto dry lake bottom allowed for better habitat creation: “As lakes age they lose a lot of complex cover that young fish need… being able to work right on [the] lake bottom really lets us fine-tune placement.” Large corrugated pipes were installed vertically and horizontally among PVC tubing forests; additional PVC towers anchored for small fish sanctuaries; stakebeds created for crappie anglers; pea gravel beds added for bream and bass spawning; oak timber log cribs built as further attractors.
Yung explained these features are accessible: “Best of all most of these fish attractors are within casting distance of bank… Boaters will find some nice ones out deeper but there are plenty…to satisfy shorebound anglers throughout many fishing trips.”
The gates were closed in March so rainwater could refill Lake Wilhelmina following repairs. Yung noted recent rains have nearly restored normal pool elevation: “Wilhelmina has a pretty large watershed that feeds it… spring rain has already filled it within five feet.” Forage species have been stocked along with game fish since then; bluegill fingerlings arrived March 23.
Anglers must practice catch-and-release only under current regulations while populations recover. Officials expect some smaller catchable fish will be available next year.
