Cleanest lake in Arkansas
We are located on the cleanest lake in Arkansas, with typical visibility depths of 30-40 feet. The water is almost always crystal clear with minimal particulates. It is a quiet and pristine lake- on any given day you’ll only see a handful of other boats on the lake. Frequently, it feels like you’ve got the place to yourself.
1,000+ miles of shoreline
Bull Shoals Lake is 80 miles long, with a surface area of 800 miles and 1,000+ miles of shoreline. The average depth is 75 feet. The deepest spots reach 210 feet. We have some of the best largemouth bass, smallmouth bass and crappie fishing in the country. The lake is home to many different species of freshwater creatures, including alligator gar, blue herons, coots, walleye, catfish…we could go on and on…
A Brief History
Bull Shoals Lake is one of four reservoirs located on the White River. These lakes were designed to control the flood waters and to provide hydroelectricity to several neighboring states. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers operates and maintains the hydroelectric dam and provides power within a six state region including Arkansas, Louisiana, Missouri, Oklahoma, Kansas and Texas. About 800,000 megawatt hours of power is sold annually.
Construction on the dam began in 1947 and was completed in 1951. A town was built for the workers, a railroad to carry materials, and a 7.5 mile-long conveyor belt to carry gravel from a nearby quarry for the 2.1 million cubic yards of concrete to the construction site. It was so well-built that it ran 24 hours per day, 7 days per week and only broke down one time due to a lightning strike. It took 1,500 workers 62 million man-hours to complete the project. In 1952, President Harry S. Truman dedicated it as the 5 th largest dam in the world, and Bull Shoals Lake was born.
Sugarloaf Harbor Marina was originally built in 1953 as an all-wood dock. Over the years, the various owners have reconfigured it, added, repaired and replaced it to be the modern marina that it is today.