Saline River Fishing Guides
Arkansas's longest undammed river, running free from the Ouachitas through south Arkansas bottomlands to the Ouachita River.

Map of the Saline River
24 numbered points: 17 access points, 4 bridges, 2 parks and conservation areas, 1 USGS gauge. Tap a marker for details. Reviewed Sep 25, 2026.
- Access / boat ramp (17)
- Bridge crossing (4)
- Park / conservation area (2)
- USGS gauge (1)
Print it. Bag it. Bring it.Phones die, screens crack, and most of this water has no signal. Print this map, fold it into a zip-top bag or dry bag with your license, and you have a backup your electronics can’t give you. Every marker is numbered so you can say exactly where you are.
Open the printable mapAll 24 points on this map
| # | Point | Type | Lat, Lon | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lyle Park Boat Ramp AGFC · concrete ramp · Benton | Access / boat ramp | 34.58728, -92.60481 | Uppermost main-stem ramp, in Lyle Park on the east edge of Benton. An unnamed OSM slipway sits at the same spot, within a few metres. |
| 2 | I-30 Cherry Gingles Boat Ramp AGFC · concrete ramp · Benton | Access / boat ramp | 34.55582, -92.62109 | Ramp beside the Interstate 30 crossing at Benton; the usual put-in for the short town float down to the Old River Bridge. |
| 3 | Bernard W. Holland Park City of Benton · riverside park | Park / conservation area | 34.55290, -92.60958 | Benton city park on the left bank just below the I-30 crossing. |
| 4 | Old River Bridge Historic span · closed to traffic | Bridge crossing | 34.54091, -92.60691 | 1891 iron truss listed on the National Register; carries the old River Road alignment and is closed to vehicles, so it reads as a landmark rather than an access. |
| 5 | Union Pacific Railroad Bridge Little Rock Subdivision | Bridge crossing | 34.54052, -92.60606 | Active railroad crossing immediately downstream of the Old River Bridge. |
| 6 | Tull Bridge Tull · Saline County | Bridge crossing | 34.44127, -92.59984 | Named crossing at Tull, beside the Cherry Road bridge; the old span carries no through traffic. |
| 7 | Fitzhugh Boat Ramp AGFC · concrete ramp | Access / boat ramp | 34.36636, -92.61421 | First ramp below Tull, on the long rural reach above the Highway 270 crossing. |
| 8 | Highway 270 Boat Ramp AGFC · concrete ramp | Access / boat ramp | 34.31920, -92.58714 | Ramp at the Highway 270 crossing. |
| 9 | Jenkins Ferry State Park Arkansas State Parks | Park / conservation area | 34.21315, -92.54738 | Civil War battlefield park on the Saline at the historic Jenkins Ferry crossing; its own ramp is the next point downstream. |
| 10 | Jenkins Ferry Boat Ramp Arkansas State Parks · concrete ramp | Access / boat ramp | 34.21093, -92.54863 | Ramp inside Jenkins Ferry State Park, roughly 250 m below the park centre. |
| 11 | Hwy 167 Boat Ramp AGFC · concrete ramp | Access / boat ramp | 34.11537, -92.40624 | Ramp at the U.S. 167 (South Rock Street) crossing; the bridge sits about 25 m away. |
| 12 | Lee's Ferry Boat Ramp AGFC · concrete ramp | Access / boat ramp | 34.07136, -92.36574 | Rural ramp at the old Lee's Ferry crossing. |
| 13 | Hwy 79 Pool Boat Ramp AGFC · concrete ramp · Kingsland | Access / boat ramp | 33.89531, -92.23346 | Ramp on the Highway 79 pool near Kingsland. |
| 14 | Lloyd Wilton "Buddy" Reaves Mt. Elba Boat Ramp County ramp · concrete · Mt. Elba | Access / boat ramp | 33.85007, -92.15998 | County ramp at Mt. Elba. The state access layer spells the first name 'Lioyd'; it is an agency typo. |
| 15 | Cowford Boat Ramp AGFC · concrete ramp | Access / boat ramp | 33.74607, -92.06037 | Ramp at the Cowford crossing, on the lower river above Hwy 15/63. |
| 16 | Hwy 15/63 Boat Ramp AGFC · concrete ramp | Access / boat ramp | 33.70126, -92.02602 | Ramp at the combined Highway 15 / Highway 63 crossing; the USGS gauge is immediately downstream. |
| 17 | USGS 07363500 — Saline River near Rye Real-time stage and discharge | USGS gauge | 33.70083, -92.02583 | The gauge the float levels on this river are read from, just below the Hwy 15/63 ramp. |
| 18 | Hwy 278 Boat Ramp AGFC · concrete ramp | Access / boat ramp | 33.60684, -92.01147 | Ramp at the Highway 278 crossing. |
| 19 | Ozment Bluff Boat Ramp AGFC · concrete ramp | Access / boat ramp | 33.49935, -91.99930 | Ramp under Ozment Bluff, one of the few high banks on the lower river. |
| 20 | Basin Landing Boating Access County ramp · concrete | Access / boat ramp | 33.46917, -92.00764 | County boating access on the lower river. |
| 21 | Longview Boat Ramp AGFC · concrete ramp | Access / boat ramp | 33.37952, -91.95980 | Ramp on the bottomland reach below Basin Landing. |
| 22 | Stillion Boat Ramp AGFC · concrete ramp | Access / boat ramp | 33.25278, -92.04427 | Lowest AGFC ramp above the Felsenthal backwater; the railroad bridge is just downstream. |
| 23 | Fordyce & Princeton Railroad Bridge Short-line railroad crossing | Bridge crossing | 33.25680, -92.04639 | Railroad crossing beside the Stillion ramp, on the old Rock Island alignment. |
| 24 | Prairie Island Boat Ramp USFWS · concrete ramp · Felsenthal NWR | Access / boat ramp | 33.20983, -92.12694 | Lowest ramp on the river, inside Felsenthal National Wildlife Refuge near the Ouachita confluence. |
Guides on the Saline River
Claimed profiles take booking requests. Unclaimed profiles are built from public records so the river is never empty; the guide can claim or remove one any time.
Order on this page: premium and outfitter plans first (labelled Premium placement), then claimed free profiles, then unclaimed — one published price, no bidding for position. How placement works
About the Saline River
The Saline River is the longest free-flowing river in Arkansas, running without a single dam from its forks in the Ouachita Mountains all the way to its confluence with the Ouachita River in the south of the state. That fact alone makes it significant, and it means the river passes through a full sequence of landscapes: mountain headwaters, Gulf coastal plain, and finally the hardwood bottoms of the lower reach near Rye.
The lower river, which the gauge at Rye measures, is bottomland water. It runs slow and stained through Bradley and Drew Counties, winding between banks of cypress, tupelo and mixed hardwood, with sandbars on the inside of the bends and deep holes against the cut banks. Woody structure is constant and is where most of the fish are. The floodplain is extensive and the river spreads into it readily during winter and spring high water.
Largemouth and spotted bass dominate the lower river, with smallmouth more of an upstream fish. Crappie are good in the deeper bends and around brush. Bluegill and longear sunfish are abundant. Catfish are a serious fishery here, with channel, flathead and blue catfish all present and the deep holes worth working. Bowfin, longnose gar and freshwater drum are part of any full day on this water.
Access is spread out and often informal, and a kayak or jon boat opens up far more of the river than bank fishing does. Because nothing regulates the flow, the gauge is the whole story: the Saline rises quickly on rain and drops to a lazy summer trickle in the shallower reaches. Conservation interest in the Saline is high precisely because it is undammed, and stretches of the lower river run through wildlife management areas and protected bottomland. Those reaches offer the best combination of public access and undisturbed habitat on the river.
This water needs a real photo
The photo at the top of this page is not Saline River.
It is a regional stand-in, honestly captioned but generic — we will not put a name to a river we cannot prove. Send us a photograph you took here and it replaces the stand-in, with your credit on it.
Add a photo of this water
Landscape, not fish — the water itself. Reviewed by hand before it appears. The first one published here earns the Pioneer badge.
Fished this water? Add a photo
Reviewed by hand before it appears. Pick the water, not the spot — we never publish exact locations.
Access
Rye - the gauge reach and the main access on the lower river.
Warren area crossings - access in Bradley County.
Moro Bay State Park, downstream - access near the Ouachita confluence.
Benton and the upper river - access to the Ouachita Mountain reach.
US 63 and US 278 crossings - highway access on the middle and lower river.
Drew County road crossings - informal launches through the bottomlands.
Saline River confluence with the Ouachita - the downstream end of the river.
Seasons
Spring: high water through the bottoms, then excellent bass and crappie fishing as it drops.
Summer: low and warm, with catfish steady and bass holding on the deeper wood.
Fall: strong bass fishing as water cools and clears through the bends.
Winter: high water is common, with crappie deep and catfish still taking bait in the holes.
From the water
No logged trips yet. Be the first to put this water on your map.
Log this water
Fished it or cleaned it? Log in or create a free account to log a trip with photos and earn the waterway badge.
Questions
What is the current flow on the Saline River?
As of Nov 2, 7:15 am, the USGS gauge Saline River near Rye, AR reads 11 cfs. Conditions update every 15 minutes.
What species can you catch on the Saline River?
Anglers target Black Crappie, Blue Catfish, Bluegill, Bowfin, Channel Catfish, Flathead Catfish, Freshwater Drum, Largemouth Bass, Longear Sunfish, Longnose Gar, Smallmouth Bass, Spotted Bass, White Crappie on the Saline River in Arkansas.
Are there fishing guides on the Saline River?
GuidedFloats lists 1 guide and outfitters on the Saline River. Claimed profiles accept booking requests; unclaimed profiles are built from public records and link to the business.
Where can you access the Saline River?
Rye - the gauge reach and the main access on the lower river. Warren area crossings - access in Bradley County. Moro Bay State Park, downstream - access near the Ouachita confluence. Benton and the upper river - access to the Ouachita Mountain reach. US 63 and US 278 crossings - highway access on the middle and lower river. Drew County road crossings - informal launches through the bottomlands. Saline River confluence with the Ouachita - the downstream end of the river.
When is the best time to fish the Saline River?
Spring: high water through the bottoms, then excellent bass and crappie fishing as it drops. Summer: low and warm, with catfish steady and bass holding on the deeper wood. Fall: strong bass fishing as water cools and clears through the bends. Winter: high water is common, with crappie deep and catfish still taking bait in the holes.
Where are the fishing regulations for the Saline River?
Regulations change by season and section. Read the current rules on the Arkansas agency site: https://www.agfc.com/regulations/general-fishing-regulations/