Lake Atkins sits in the fertile Arkansas River Valley just south of it namesake, the town that made pickles famous. The lake itself is best known for its crackerjack bream fishing. The water teams with huge bluegills and redear sunfish. Visiting anglers will also find topnotch fishing for big crappies, largemouth bass, channel catfish and flathead catfish. The lake is fertilized annually to increase the size and numbers of fish it produces and is considered by many to be the best small-lake fishery in western Arkansas.
Lake Atkins was the first Arkansas lake partially financed under the Dingell-Johnson Act with funds from federal excise taxes on fishing equipment. Built on Horsepen and Ten Yard creeks, the lake is jam-packed with snags, stumps, brush and logs providing excellent fish habitat. Boat lanes are cut through the timber in places, but boaters should watch for submerged stumps and logs. Four fishing jetties jut into the lake allowing bankfishermen better access to prime fishing spots.