| ARKANSAS FISHING REPORTS |
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Bates Field and Stream said the water is high due to all the rain but has remained fairly clear. Bream are biting well on crickets and minnows in shallow water. Bass are fair on grubs and plastic worms. Catfishing is good on large minnows and small bream. If you get a crappie to bite, it will be on minnows and jigs. Little Red River: the water is fairly clear and low. Generators are running in the afternoon. Trout fishing is good on wax worms and power bait. Trout have also been biting jigs and nightcrawlers. had no report. the lake is at its normal water level. Bream have been biting well on worms, and crappie are biting fairly well on jigs. Bass have been a hit and miss over the past few days, but your best bet for catching one is with a jig. Catfish have begun to move up and bite mostly on nightcrawlers and minnows. fishing has been rather slow. There has been some bream and catfish activity. bass are biting around the banks on black plastic worms. Crappie can be found in 12 to 15 feet of water using tube jigs fished 4 to 5 feet deep. Bream are biting well on crickets and redworms fished around the docks and just off the bank. Catfish are a little slow, but some have been caught with trotlines and jugs using bream and cut bait. bass fishing has been fair on pig and jig and plastic worms. Crappie are biting on small minnows and white/chartreuse jigs fished in brush piles. Catfish are fair on trotlines using cut skip jack and bream for bait. Lake Maumelle: the water is barely above the spillway and the temperature is about 70 degrees. Fishing on Lake Maumelle has been very good over the past few days. Black bass are biting well on plastic worms, spinnerbaits, Rogues and jerkbaits. They are usually in 4 to 10 feet of water around edges of grass, or just off the points in the afternoon. Whites are biting well on crappie jigs, Rooster Tails and minnows. Most have been caught on the North Shore or near the spillway area. Crappie are biting on jigs, minnows and shad-colored grubs in 3 to 15 feet of water. Bream fishing has been excellent. They are hitting crickets and worms in both deep and shallow water. There has been a number of blue catfish caught on trotlines using cut shad and prepared bait. If you’re fishing for saugeye, try trolling around the points using Rogues, minnows and small crappie jigs. Lake Valencia: no report. Sunset Lake: the water is murky and at normal level. Bream fishing is excellent on crickets in 4 to 6 feet of water. Crappie are biting fairly well on Tennessee shad grubs, and can be located in brush piles in 10 to 12 feet of water. Bass are biting well on top-water lures. Catfishing is excellent with chicken liver and Magic Bait in 4 to 5 feet of water. Saline River Access in Benton: the river is clear and at normal level. Bream are biting excellently on crickets, and are found best in calm water at 4 to 5 feet deep. Bass are biting excellently on white buzzbaits and 4-inch green pumpkin lizards. Catfishing is good with chicken liver and Magic Bait in 4 to 5 feet of water. Crappie are poor but have been biting lemon meringue grubs in the brush piles. (Updated 5/12/2010) catfishing is good on whole shad around the jetties and below dams 9 and 10. Black bass are biting well in 3 to 10 feet of water on black/red flake tubes fished around wood cover. Kentucky bass are biting well around rocks in 6 to 10 feet of water on crayfish-colored jigs. White bass are fair at the mouth of Point Remove Creek, Cypress Creek and the Petit Jean River. Pearl-colored Sassy Shads and Wiggle Warts are working well early and late. Bream are biting fairly well on crickets in backwater areas. Arkansas River (Maumelle Pool): no report. Arkansas River (Little Rock Pool): the flow in the river is up, and will continue for the next week or so. Bass have been biting well on both cranks and jigs. Catfish are steadily biting on stink bait. He had no report on bream or crappie. the water is muddy and a little high. Bream are good on redworms. Bass are biting well on top-water lures fished in grass mats. Catfishing is excellent with minnows and shad. Crappie are slow. Clear Lake: the water level is high and a little murky. Bass fishing is excellent on spinnerbaits fished around cypress trees. Bream are biting well on redworms and crickets. Catfishing is good using minnows on yo-yos, and nightcrawlers. No report on crappie. Peckerwood Lake: the water is at its normal level and is beginning to clear up. Bream have been biting on just about anything you throw into the water. Depending on the day, trolling minnows and jigs will be your best bet at catching crappie. Catfish have also been biting well on minnows and chicken livers. no report.
White River: the river is low and clear with a little bit of moss. The generators are generally running in the afternoon. Trout fishing is excellent. There is a huge caddis hatch. This is a great time to catch large, brown trout. Fly fishing and spin fishing is working excellent for catching rainbow trout. the number one brown trout-catching bait between Arkansas Highway 62 bridge/Cotter and Buffalo City is minnows. The guides caught more than 25 browns on Saturday, 10 of those were over 22 inches. The water is high and somewhat mossy, but it hasn't stopped the fish from biting. We’ve had some luck with rainbows using white Power Bait but the big fish follow the minnows. Smithwick barbless suspending Super Rogues with blue backs and silver sides worked well. This is a great time to catch big fish. Don't let high water stop you – the guides know the river and want to provide a safe, productive fishing excursion. the rain this past weekend has caused lake levels to rise which will increase the water flow on the White River. The increased water flow has caused suspended algae to fog the water. Although the fishing may slow over the week, so far it has continued to be great in between generation times. Dry fly and top water fishing have been the most successful. Caddis activity continues with very large caddis hatches. Wotton says this is one of the longest periods of caddis activity he has ever seen. If you are in streamy water zones, the best baits to use are olive/tan woolly buggers, soft hackles, or wet flies. To imitate nymphs, which are active at the river bed, use hares ear and pheasant tails. Bull Shoals Dam continues to be a successful fishing zone. Remember if the water is low then long leaders are mandatory to reel in a good number of fish. If you’re fishing for a trophy browns, the best time to hook one is in the early morning and at dusk. These have been the most active feeding hours over the past few days. White River (From Buffalo City to Red’s Landing): the muddy water has caused fisherman to give their poles a break. A few fish could be caught on Power Bait, but until the water clears up fishing will be very slow. Above Buffalo City the water is much clearer and has provided some great fishing. Zig Jigs or Countdown Rapalas are your best bait for catching something. There has also been a lot of fish caught on the lower Norfork. Suggested baits have been artificial baits, Power Bait and shrimp. Buffalo River: no report. Crooked Creek: no report. no new report. the surface temperature ranges from 57-62 degrees. Fishing has been good for all species. Monster bluegill have been hitting minnows, red worms and crickets. Crappie are hitting minnows and jigs, and are moving to shallow water. Bass fishing has been good on jigs, crankbaits, flukes and top-water lures. Stripers, white bass, walleye and catfish have all been good and will only get better. the lake level is at 556.6 feet with the water temperature ranging from the upper 60s to low 70s. Stripers and bass are biting just about anything you throw into the water. Stripers are biting top-water baits, swim baits and some live bait. Bass are also biting top-water baits, jigs, Carolina rigs and jerkbaits. stripers have spawned and are moving throughout the lake. Most are biting on crayfish thrown close to the bottom. If you are looking for a top-water bite, cast in the early morning or late evening around the points. Diamond and Big Creek have been popular areas for these stripers. Norfork Tailwater: (Updated 4/28/2010) the tailwater has had low water almost every day. The fishing has been exceptional. Fisherman are catching all four species of trout found in Arkansas. The fishing is at its best. There were some really big rainbows caught in front of our dock. The biggest was caught by guide Paul Storm, and it was 22 inches and weighed 7 pounds. Plenty of fish over 18 inches are being caught, and some 20 to 22 inch browns are being caught in the middle of the day.
the water level has been fluctuating up and down but has not greatly affected the fishing. The water temperature is in the upper 60s. Stripers have moved back to the main lake and have been caught on top water. They are biting mostly at daybreak and dusk on Spooks, Redfins and Rapalas. Stripers are staying shallow, but are predicted to move into summer pattern within the next four weeks. Night fishing has also picked up on Beaver Lake. Some hot fishing spots on Beaver Lake are Backburn Creek, Prairie Creek and Copper mine. For daily Beaver Lake levels and flow data go Bailey’s Web site and click on the Daily Beaver Lake Level and Flow info link. fishing has picked up in Beaver Lake. Bass are biting well on top-water lures fished in newly flooded brush. Night fishing for bass has also been successful using dark colored worms and hula grubs. Crappie have been biting small curly tailed and tube jigs around brush piles in 15 to 30 feet of water. The hot spots have been Horseshoe Bend, Hickory Creek and Prairie Creek. The best night fishing for crappie and white bass has been around the bluffs east of Hickory Creek. Catfishing has also been good at night using worms and liver for bait. the water level is high and muddy. The water temperature is about 70 degrees. Bream are biting well on crickets in about 5 feet of water. Crappie are fair on minnows and jigs fished at night under a light. Bass are biting well on plastic worms, jigs and buzz baits. White Bass are caught best at night under a light. Catfishing is fair on live bait such as minnows, small bream or goldfish. Stripers are biting Spooks early in the morning or just after dark. Beaver Tailwater: opportunities have been very numerous on the tailwaters. The rain event earlier in the week and over the weekend did not seem to deter the fishing. Lots of great-looking fish are being caught. Mid-morning midge hatches have got the fish keying in on midge imitations. There is a good population of sculpins so far this year, so smaller streamers will pick up fish as well. There are not many scuds or sow bugs in the water. Zebra midges, Cadion midges, Disco midges, and brassies in sizes 18-22 are very successful. Takes can be very subtle at times, and adjusting your fly depth is sometimes a better option than switching flies. Smaller slumpbusters, sculpzillas, and near-nuff sculpins are doing well fished in the slower waters and around structure. Kings River: had no new report. Lake Fayetteville: the water is at normal level. Bream are biting fairly well on worms and crickets. Crappie are good on minnows and jigs. Bass are biting well on plastic worms. Catfishing is good with chicken livers and nightcrawlers. Lake Sequoyah: the water is muddy and high. Catfishing is good with goldfish and chicken livers fished in shallow water. Bream, crappie and bass are all very slow.
Lake Poinsett: no new report. Crown Lake: the water is dingy and about a foot high. Bream are biting well on red and wax worms. Crappie are fair on minnows, and have been reported close to shore. Bass are biting well on plastic worms and spinnerbaits fished around the rocky points. Catfishing is excellent with stink bait, chicken livers and nightcrawlers. Lake Frierson: the water level is high. Crappie are biting well on any artificial lures. Catfishing is good with chicken liver and nightcrawlers. Bream and bass are both slow. Spring River: the river is running at 450cfs and is cloudy. This cloudy water has been providing very good fishing. Mayfly and caddis hatches have been daily occurrences. These hatches along with the cloudy water have caused trout to feed heavier.
bream and crappie fishing have been steady but slow. Bream are being caught mostly in shallow water. Catfish are biting well on crickets and minnows. Baiting yo-yos with minnows has also been successful. Cane Creek Lake: no new report. Lake Monticello: You can find bass anywhere for 14 feet of water or shallower. When fishing around the ledges worms, jigs, and cranks are your best bait for hooking a bass. There has also been a lot of schooling including black basss and white bass. Chug Bugs and 4-inch Gilmore Jumpers have been great baits when fishing for these schools. The bream on Lake Monticello are staying in the shallow water, where you can also find bass planning to feed on the bream.
As of Tuesday, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reports the lake’s elevation at 259.52 feet MSL (Normal conservation pool – 259.2 MSL). the level is about 7.8 inches above normal but steady. There has been an increased current in Little River. The temperature of the lake ranges between 70 to 80 degrees, depending on your location. The chance of hooking a largemouth bass is best early to mid-morning. Baits such as lizards, Bass Assassin Shads, Twitch Assassins, jigs and green buzz baits seem to be the best for catching a largemouth. Bass have been ranging from 3 to 8 pounds over the past few weeks. Fishing around lily pads or cypress tress will be your best success. Crappie ranging from 2 to 3.5 pounds, continue to bite well around grass and cypress tress in the oxbows. They are biting well on white jigs, smoke grubs and Rocket Shads. Longnose gar continue to spawn in Millwood Lake. Gar have been spotted in the back of creeks and oxbows. Bream are biting best on crickets, redworms and grubs. Catfishing has been most successful with but shad and blood bait by tight-lining, anchoring or trotlines. Hanging yo-yos from cypress tress has also made for some good catfishing. fishing has picked up with the small rise in water level. The lake is still about 3 feet below normal. Bass have been very good on plastic worms. Bream are starting to hit on crickets and redworms. No report on crappie. Catfishing is picking up on Catfish Charlie. the water is at its normal level. Everything has been biting out on Lake Columbia. Bream are mostly after crickets. Crappie are biting well on minnows. Bass have been biting on anything artificial. Lake Erling: the water level is low. The low water level has provided some good fishing. No matter what you throw into the water, you are likely to catch a fish. Bream, crappie, bass and catfishing have all been successful over the past few days. the water is clear and high. The surface temperature is about 75 degrees. Bream are biting well on worms and crickets in shallow water. Crappie are fair, biting mostly on minnows and some jigs fished in brush piles. Bass are slow, biting numerous baits such as top-water lures, Spooks, cranks, plastic worms and buzz baits. The bass are biting mostly in the early morning. Catfishing is fair using large minnows and small bream, and also jugs, noodles and trotlines. Walleye are slow. Most walleye are biting deep crank baits towards the south end of the lake by the dam. Cossatot River: had no report. the surface temperature is in the low 70s and the lake remains clear. Crappie fishing continues to be successful with a number of catches reported. They are mostly being caught just off the spawning coves. Cast to the shelters in about 18 to 20 feet of water, and then reel in slowly to get a bite. The best bait is still Tennessee shad grub. The best fishing holes have been Caddo Drive and Shrouse Ford in the early morning. Bass are still a little slow, but with the shad spawning they should start biting over the next week. Top-water lures and swim baits have been the best for fishing during the morning hours. If you’re fishing in the afternoon throw a Texas-rigged worm or a Carolina-rigged worm. The last few days, mid lake has been the best for bass fishing. The best tip for catching a bass on DeGray Lake is locating the shad and that should be a successful fishing spot. Bream fishing has been good in the flooded brush and in almost any cove. They will bite all day on crickets and redworms.
the lake is in good condition. Every thing is biting well, so now is the time to plan a fishing trip. had no new report. the water is high. Crappie are biting well on minnows and worms at about 12 feet. Catfishing is good with chicken livers. Bream and bass are both poor. fish in Lake Ouachita are biting! If you are fishing early in the morning try use top-water lures. Later into the day, the fish have been biting on swim baits and spinnerbaits. Bass have been biting well on small, bulkier baits instead of worms. Walleye have also been biting excellently on shad imitations. the water is between 72 and 76 degrees and clearing. The water level is 579.47 feet. Bream are biting excellently on worms and crickets in 8 to 15 feet of water. Crappie are biting well on minnows and crappie grubs, and Tennessee shad and white artificial baits. If you are fishing for crappie, cast near the brush in 10 to 20 feet of water. Bass are biting well on Texas-rigged worms, jighead worms and super flukes. If your fishing top water for bass, Zara Spooks and Boy Howdies are you best baits. Stripers are still biting well on C-10 Redfins. Live bait has also been successful all over the lake. Catfishing on Lake Ouachita has been excellent, using cut bait and live bait on jug lines or trotlines. Lake Hamilton: the surface temperature is in the 70s and the water is clear. The lake is at full pool and weekend boat traffic is picking up. The spawn is on the back side of the curve, but you can still find a few beds. Bass are being caught on floating worms, jerk baits and Carolina rigs. Top-water season is right around the corner. Crappie are fair in water 5 feet deep and shallower. Lake Catherine: the generators have been running around the clock due to the heavy rains over the past weekend. The water temperature is 53 degrees just below Carpenter Dam. With the generators running trout fishing has been slow. Bank fishermen have been consistent in catching trout with live bait such as redworms and wax worms. For spin fishing try using small white or yellow spinnerbaits. Patience is needed these days when fishing for trout in Lake Catherine. Crappie are biting well especially near the dam. Jigs and minnows have been the most successful bait bringing in fish well over 2 pounds. White bass are in spawn and steadily increasing in numbers. Trolling small crankbaits has been the best way to hook a white. There has been little striper activity, but it should pick up as the threadfin shad migration increases. the water is clear and a little high. Bream are biting well on crickets and worms fished in brush piles and on the edge of the lake. Crappie are fair and can be found deep on the west end of the lake. Crappie are biting minnows and jigs. Bass are biting well on spinnerbaits, top-water lures and jigs. Catfishing is good with stink bait and on trotlines. the water is high due to the rain but has managed to remain clear. The fishing in Lake Atkins is beginning to pick back up. Bream are biting excellently, with several fishermen catching their limit over the past weekend. Crappie can be found in deep water. Bass and catfishing has also picked back up.
Moro Bay: at the junction of the Ouachita River, Raymond Lake and Moro Bay had no report. Ouachita River Oxbows: No report. No report.
the water is high and murky. Bream are biting excellently on worms, crickets and crappie jigs. Crappie are fair on minnows and black/chartreuse jigs. They can be found in brush piles in 5 to 6 feet of water. Bass are excellent on spinnerbaits, cranks and plastic worms. Catfish are fair on skip jack and shad. White River: had no report. Maddox Bay: the water is high and murky. Bream are fair on crickets. Catfishing is fair with worms and on trotlines. Crappie and bass fishing are both slow. Island 40 Chute: no fishing report due to the very high water level. the water is clear and high. Bream are biting excellently on redworms and crickets. Crappie are good in shallow waters, biting minnows and jigs. Bass are fair on white spinnerbaits fished in the brush. Catfishing is poor on bait shrimp. |
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