Swepco, the hotest little lake in NWA

[Avonthediver]

Morning all!

I have been told and talked about the little lake called Swepco right out side of Gentry Arkansas for sometime now and yesterday I made my way to this "hot" spot to check it out and see if its worth diving.

The lake itself is not very big at all at only 500 acres and their is only one good point to put in a boat. Swepco is heated by a coal burning power plant and water temps are in the upper 60's to mid 80's all winter long.
My wife and I just set up on the fishing dock that is very nice and makes for an easy splash! Viz is not bad but not good at points down to zero, but doable with around 4-5 ft.
their is a butt load of fish to see but not much else the bottom is very silty with a dark green haze to the water. once you get down past 30 ft it gets very very dark.
My computer had a water temp at 86.

My buddy and I found a rubber chicken that is marked as "Help me" its from a 2011 DM class, the chicken was half under some large rocks and we are thinking to was ment to float but got traped somehow. So to Jon, Lisa, chuck, Jack and Mike if your out their and read this congrats!

All and all its not a very good lake for diving but the fishing is super!

 

[k ellis]

You must have caught it on a good day. Swepco is only good for brail diving. I dove it a several times before finally giving up on it. I looked at my depth guage and had to use a flashlight to see it right up against my mask and aborted the dive when I saw I was only 5 foot deep at 12 noon on a clear summer day.

I think Id rather dry suit another local lake myself. I am interested though to hear about the fishing?

 

[D.C.R.]

Try diving Keystone. Especially when they are letting water out from the Cimeron.
Swepco is great in comparison.....