Arkansas Fishing Report ~ Nov. 18, 2010

Kevin

Senior Fisheman
Joined
Jan 10, 2009
Location
Craig, Colorado
Best Catch
12lbs
Boat
Charger
#1
Central Arkansas Lake Conway
Bates Field and Stream (501-470-1846) said the water is low. Bream are slow. Crappie are fair on minnows. Bass and catfish are slow.
Dan at Gold Creek Marina said bass are biting well on jigs. Crappie are biting well on minnows and jigs. Bream are slow. Catfishing is fair on nightcrawlers.
Little Red River
Lindsey’s Resort (501-302-3139) aid the water is low with very little generation. Trout are biting well on wax worms. Fly anglers are catching fish on egg patterns, midges and brassies.
Greers Ferry
As of Tuesday, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reports the lake’s elevation at 454.6 feet MSL (Normal conservation pool - 461 MSL).
Tommy Cauley of Fish Finder Guide Service said the water level is falling, and the temperature is in the low 60s. Walleye fishing is tough, with very few fish showing up. No report on bream. The catfish continue to bite despite the cold weather. The bass are still scattered from shallow to 70 feet of water; try spinnerbaits on windy banks, jigs out deep, and c-rigs and jig head worms in-between. No report on crappie. The hybrids and white bass are still biting, but you have got to find the bait, it is a lot tougher now than it has been, most have moved deeper even out to 70 feet and some are schooling and eating topwater baits.
Cody S. Smith of www.fishgreersferry.com said Greers Ferry is currently 7 feet below normal pool. Water Surface temperatures range in the mid 60s. The bite on most species has been good early, but tapers off throughout the day. Water conditions are clear with visibility down to 15 feet in some areas. Shad are spread out from main lake pockets to the backs of select creeks. You must be around bait if you want to get bit right now, seek out the shad and game fish will be close by.
Harris Brake Lake
Coffee Creek Landing (501-889-2745) says crappie are fair on minnows and jigs. Bass are biting well on Rat-L-Traps. Catfish are slow.
Lake Overcup
Overcup Landing (501-354-9007) said the lake renovation is underway, with brush piles built, 350 tons of lime scattered on the lake bed and 1/3 of the boat lanes marked. Work on the dam is about ¾ complete and a new ramp is being poured. Fishing has slowed somewhat, but crappie are still being caught on white/chartreuse and black/chartreuse jigs in deeper water. Bream are slow. Catfish are being caught on trotlines using shad and chicken livers. Bass are fair.
Brewer Lake
Overcup Landing (501-354-9007) had no report.
Lake Maumelle
Jolly Roger’s Marina said the lake level is 8.7 feet below the spillway. The launch ramps at Jolly Roger’s will be worked on next week. Largemouths are biting well off points and the edges of channels on the west end of the lake in 8 to 12 feet of water on crankbaits. Spotted bass are excellent on jighead worms fished 18 to 20 feet deep near structure. White bass are fair, with some schooling activity on the south side of Big Island early and late. Spooks, Near Nuthings and Rogues are catching a few. Crappie are biting well on structure in 18 to 20 feet of water on 1/32-oz. red/white jigs and small pink minnows. Bream are slow, but some are being caught in 10 to 20 feet of water. Catfishing is good, with some nice flathead and blue catfish being caught on cut shad, bream and prepared bait. Hatchet Jack’s Sport Shop (501-758-4958) said crappie are biting well on minnows fished in deep water. White bass are biting well on Rooster Tails. Catfishing is good on trotlines baited with chicken hearts and stinkbait.
Hatchet Jack’s Sport Shop (501-758-4958) said crappie are biting well on minnows fished in deep water. White bass are biting well on Rooster Tails. Catfishing is good on trotlines baited with chicken hearts and stinkbait.
Lake Valencia
Hatchet Jack’s Sport Shop (501-758-4958) said catfishing is good on nightcrawlers and chicken hearts.
Sunset Lake
Turbyfill’s Outdoor Sports (501-315-3061) said the water is at normal level. Bream are slow right now. Crappie are good in 10 feet of water on chartreuse jigs. Bass are good in shallow water using white buzzbaits. Catfish are all slow.
Saline River Access in Benton
Turbyfill’s Outdoor Sports (501-315-3061) said the water is at normal level. Bream are slow. Crappie are good on chartreuse jigs. Bass also are good on white buzzbaits. Catfishing is slow.
Arkansas River at Morrilton
Charley’s Hidden Harbor in Oppelo said not many people have been on the river this week. Some nice catfish have been taken in shallow water on whole shad. Spotted bass are following the shad in shallow water in the evenings. Use firetiger-colored Chatterbaits and jigs around jetties. Stripers are being caught below the dam and in Coppers Gap on live shad. Bream are in the back of Petit Jean River and Point Remove Creek. White bass are shallow and are following the shad. (Last updated 10/20/2010)
Arkansas River (Maumelle Pool)
Hatchet Jack’s Sport Shop (501-758-4958) said bream are slow. Crappie are biting well on black/chartreuse jigs. Bass are fair on black/red tubes, chrome Rat-L-Traps and 8-inch black/red flake worms.
Arkansas River (Little Rock Pool)
Vince Miller from Fish ’N Stuff said the water is low and clear with very little flow. Crappie a good on jigs in black and chartreuse around brush piles. Bass are good on black and chartreuse crankbaits around the mouths of backwater areas.
Hatchet Jack’s Sport Shop (501-758-4958) said bream are slow. Crappie are biting well on pink minnows fished under a slip-cork rig or on white/chartreuse and red/chartreuse jigs. Bass are fair to good on shad-colored crankbaits fished around jetties. Catfishing is excellent on live minnows and cut skipjack.
McSwain Sports Center (501-945-2471) said the water is low and clear. Crappie are biting well on minnows in shallow water. Catfish are slow on nightcrawlers. No report on bream or bass.
Clear Lake
McSwain Sports Center (501-945-2471) said the water is low and clear. Crappie are biting well on minnows in shallow water. Catfish are slow on nightcrawlers. No report on bream or bass.
Peckerwood Lake
Herman’s Landing (870-241-3731) is closed to fishing for the winter and will reopen February 1, 2011.
Lake Pickthorne
Hatchet Jack’s Sport Shop (501-758-4958) said bream are slow. Crappie are biting well on minnows and white/chartreuse jigs fished on a slip-cork rig around timber. Bass are slow. Catfishing is fair to good on stinkbait and chicken hearts.
North Arkansas White River
Sportsman’s White River Resort (870-453-2424) said two generators are running. Rainbow trout are biting well on shrimp drifted in the current. Brown trout are good in the early morning and early evening.
Randy Oliver at www.randyoliverguide.com (901-832-1903) said the fish have been active in the mornings with two generators running most of the day. Fish are moving into the deeper holes late in the morning and corn and Power Bait have work well.
Guide Davy Wotton says temperatures are dropping. The Bull Shoals Dam Zone is now closed to fishing for the spawn, and the area below the dam zone to the state park now is catch-and-release only. Most brown trout are in spawning zones, digging redds and spawning. Please leave these fish alone so they can have a successful spawn for the health of the fishery. The best options during lower water flows are midge patterns in sizes 14 to 20 if fish are seen feeding on the surface. White-tail, prism, shimmer and zebra midges are the go-to flies. Sow bugs and scuds in gray, gray/olive and orange have produced during overcast conditions. Afternoons have been good for fishing both soft hackles in the riffle zones and small streamers in deeper water. When drift fishing moderate generations, combinations of midge, prism and San Juan worms have been very good, if fishing colored water and when overhead light is diminished then you may need to add hi-vis flies such as eggs and worms.
Jim Brentlinger at Linger’s Guide Service and Fishing Lodge (870-499-5185) said the water levels have remained constant and we have had no extra flow from the Buffalo River. The end result is that the fish have been and are biting very steady with more brown trout coming every day. Some people are having 100-fish days on White River Zig Jigs in ginger or green/ginger and black/gold/white no. 7 or 9 Countdown Rapalas.
Buffalo River
Just Fishing Guides said the river level at Highway 65 is 3.7 feet and flows of 27 cfs. Temperatures are in the low 50s. Not very much floating is possible, but walking and wading to fish the deeper holes can be good. Tube baits and other soft plastics are working for spin-fishing. Crawdad and minnow patterns will work for fly-fishing. Slow down your presentations for both types of fishing.
Crooked Creek
Just Fishing Guides said the creek level is at 10.8 feet and the flow is 110 cfs at Kelly’s Access. Much of the lower creek is dry where the creek flows underground. Fish the deeper holes with baits that mimic the naturals, minnows and crawdads. Slow down your presentation as the water is cooling fast. The best time is late afternoon when the sun heats up the water.
Bull Shoals Lake
As of Tuesday, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reports the lake’s elevation at 650.89 feet MSL (Normal conservation pool - 654 MSL).
Mike Worley’s Guide Service said the best walleye bite lately has been on jigging spoons on drop offs about 36-40 feet deep back in the creek channels. The main problem right now is turnover-related. The warm-up has caused the turnover to stall. Next week’s forecast calls for much colder weather, which hopefully will get it rolling again and get the fish biting. On cloudy, windy days the fish are biting crankbaits and jerk baits in shallow water back in the creek channels with a few keeper size walleyes mixed in. The fish seem to be really scattered right now from about 10-40 feet deep, with lots of shad moving back into the creek arms where the water is more stable.
Bull Shoals Tailwater
Ken Richards at Just Fishing Guides said generation is around the clock with 1-2 units. Some wade fishing is available in certain areas, but drift fishing is a better option. The trophy area below the dam is closed. A variety of tactics are working, including nymphing, swinging soft hackles and stripping streamers. Brown trout are in various stages of spawning, so be on the lookout for redds and don’t wade through them. Suggested patterns include: humpback scud, BH simple sow, pheasant tail, copper john, BH caddis, partridge/yellow, partridge/orange, partridge/peacock, San Juan worm, zebra midge, woolly bugger, zoo cougar, KC’s barred sculpin, sparrow and .56er.
Lake Norfork
As of Tuesday, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reports the lake’s elevation at 547.56 feet MSL (Normal conservation pool: Sept.-April - 552 MSL, April-Sept. - 554 MSL).
Randy Oliver at www.randyoliverguide.com (901-832-1903) had no report.
Guide Steve Olomon said the water temperature is in the low 60s and the lake level is 547.8 MSL. Normal lake level is 552 MSL. Look for stripers from 10 feet down to 40 feet. Bass are hitting crank baits (wiggle warts). Keep a top water rod on deck and watch for surface activity.
Highway 101 Grocery and Bait said fishing is good. The surface temperature is in the low 70s. Crappie fishing has been good using minnows and tube jigs. Bream fishing is good on crickets. Catfish have been doing well. Striped bass are spread throughout the lake. Walleye fishing has been fair on nightcrawlers and medium-sized shiners. Bass fishing is good using a variety of soft-plastics and jigs. White bass are being caught using rooster tails and jigging spoons. (Last updated 10/27/2010)
Norfork Tailwater
Jim Brentlinger at Linger’s Guide Service and Fishing Lodge (870-499-5185) said McClellands down to the confluence has been really hot, especially if you can catch the water falling after running for a couple of days. Some of the best cutthroat action ever has been taking place the last week. Ginger Zig Jigs and Rapalas have been the producers. Make sure to pinch your barbs down if you are in the catch-and-release zone.
Charlie’s Rainbow Trout Resort said fishing is excellent. Some large browns have been sighted under our dock. Big browns are being hooked upstream, but it has been difficult to land them. Big browns are moving into spawn but are more aggressive than they are hungry. Lots of rainbows and cutthroats are being caught on worms bouncing off the bottom. The San Juan worm works well as with other fly patterns for fly fishers. Guide Doyle Nichols has been catching some big 20-inch cutthroats downriver at long hole using crawdad tails and Rapalas.
Randy Oliver at www.randyoliverguide.com (901-832-1903) said two generators are running during the day. Fish are moving up toward the dam. Drift-fishing down river from Quarry Park to the end of Long Hole using red worms and corn has produced some nice catches. The ramp at Quarry Park is still closed.
Northwest Arkansas Beaver Lake
As of Tuesday, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reports the lake’s elevation at 1,115.58 feet MSL (Normal conservation pool - 1,120 MSL).
Bailey’s Beaver Lake Guide Service (479-366-8664) said the annual "Hooked on Fishing Not on Drugs" event will be held Nov. 23 and more volunteer boats are needed to take the kids fishing. If interested please call Beaver Lake Guide Service. Striper fishing has been fair. The stripers have pushed up river in pursuit of bait that has moved to warmer and more fertile waters looking for food. The stripers are beginning to key on smaller shad in the 4-5 inch range. Stripers are feeding near the surface. Free-lining and balloons are the methods to use. The stripers are keyed on flats where they find shad feeding. Fish location is greatly influenced by lake level and current flow, current in the lake from generation will generally position fish on upstream or down stream edges of structure. Live gizzard shad as always on Beaver Lake when fishing for trophy stripers is the go-to approach. The following area’s will be holding striper at different times during the day.
Rocky Branch – Striper are being caught. Check Fords Creek and "striper" island near Fords Creek and Ventris area. Also in the mouth of the marina cove around the road bed.
Copper Mine – Check around the gravel bar and the "tailings pile."
Prairie Creek – Check around the islands on the flats.
Beaver Shores – Walleye and stripers being caught. Check flats.
Horseshoe Bend – Walleye and striper are being caught. Check the rocky shoreline on the far side and the flats near the swimming area. Also the area near the rearing pond.
Hickory Creek – Walleye and striper are being caught in the area. Check flats in the area.
Mouth of War Eagle where it meets the White – Check the flats from the mouth up to the sidewalk hole.
Walleye and crappie can be found in the 10 to 20 foot range on the shoals in the Prairie Creek area and Beaver Shores to War Eagle. Try #11 Rapala’s in black or blue back silver fished on three-way rigs with bottom bouncers. Also try hot n tots in natural colors or chartreuse/orange combinations. Rapala tail dancers will also catch fish. Reef runners, rip stiks, rogues in clown or white are also catching walleye. Troll about 1.5 to 2 mph and run baits a foot off the bottom for best results. pay special attention to the areas around deer and bear islands. Crawler harnesses are also producing in chartreuse/orange combinations fished on bottom bouncers, troll your crawlers at speeds less than 1.5 mph. Fish are scattered and on the move, no GPS coordinates available since fish are moving freely through the lake. You will have to use intuition.
JT’s Crappie Guide Service (479-640-3980) said bass have been biting crawdad, shad and firetiger-colored crank baits along sloping gravel to chunk rock banks near visible cover. Spinnerbaits have also worked well fished in the same areas. Crappie have been biting yellow/white, red/white and pink/white tube jigs around brush piles in 15 to 30 feet of water. Best places to find them are around brush or timber closest to channels. Hickory Creek, White and War Eagle rivers and Piny Creek have all been very good. White bass have been schooling at dawn and dusk on main lake flats. Small rattle traps and spoons have been working best. 12 bridge, Monte-NE and around the water intake south of Eden Bluff have all been productive. Catfish have been biting well late afternoon through the evening from the bank on liver and worms. Bluegill have been taking crickets 3 to 12 feet deep under docks and along bluff lines.
Southtown Sporting Goods (479-443-7148) said the water is clear and low. Bream are biting fairly well on crickets. Crappie are fair on minnows around rocky points. Bass are fair on spinnerbaits, crankbaits and topwaters. White bass are biting well on spoons and Rat-L-Traps around the Point 12 area.
Beaver Tailwater
Just Fishing Guides said very little generation is taking place. Lots of wading is available for fishermen. Best flies are zebra midges in various colors, sow bugs and scuds in tan, gray and olive and smaller woolly buggers. Lots of browns have been seen getting ready to spawn. Be careful and don’t walk in their redds (nests); handle the fish with care.
Kings River
Just Fishing Guides said the water level is 2.4 feet and flow is 36 cfs at Grandview Bridge. Water temperatures are averaging in the low 50s. This is getting close to the record low levels for the river. Fishing can still be good in the afternoons of warm days. Be sure to slow down your retrieve and fish along the bottom. Soft plastics for spin-fishing and minnow and crawdad patterns for fly-fishing are working. Clouser deep minnows, crazydads and Gitzits are the best flies.
Lake Fayetteville
Lake Fayetteville Boat Dock (479-444-3476) said the water is murky and at normal level. Bluegill are hitting worms and crickets and a few are taking jigs. Crappie are fair on jigs. Bass are fair on plastic worms. White bass are fair along the channel.
Lake Sequoyah
Lake Sequoyah Boat Dock (479-444-3475) said the water is at normal level. Bream are good on worms and crickets in four feet of water. Crappie can be found in 4 to 6 feet of water around stumps and logs using minnows. Bass are hitting spinners and plastic worms. Catfish can be caught on worms and chicken livers.
Northeast Arkansas Lake Poinsett
Lake Poinsett State Park said Lake Poinsett is still down significantly, but fishing is still very good. Many anglers have had luck with bass and crappie. The boat ramp in the park is not usable as the cove is almost dry. (Last updated 10/27/2010)
Crown Lake
Boxhound Marina (870-670-4496) said the water is low, but still accessible. Crappie are biting well on minnows in 15 feet of water. No report on any other species.
Lake Frierson
Lake Frierson State Park said the water is muddy and low. Catfishing is fair on chicken livers. No report on any other species.
Spring River
Mark Crawford with Spring River Flies and Guides said the area got some much-needed rain on Tuesday morning. Water levels remain a steady 250 CFS at the spring. Water clarity is clear. Mayfly Emergers and Y2k’s are hard to beat this time of year. Local bait fishermen are using multi-colored Roostertails and cocktail shrimp for bait. Cold temperatures early in the morning require dressing in layers of fleece to keep warm and about noon time it warms up nicely. With clear water, sight fishing has been at its best the last few weeks. Look before you walk into the water to be sure you’re not crossing over a large trout that may be holding near shore. Moving upstream versus down stream will give you a better chance of not spooking large trout. They always look upstream - at least most of the time.
Southeast Arkansas Lake Chicot
Lake Chicot State Park said catfishing is still slow, but steady. Bream have been slow as well. (Updated 10/6/2010)
Cane Creek Lake
Cane Creek State Park said catfish are biting well on trotlines and limblines baited with live bait. Crappie have also been hitting well on minnows.
Lake Monticello
Fishing guide Greg Gulledge (870-723-3928) of MonticelloBigBass.com said the surface temperature on Lake Monticello is in the low 60s. There are still a few bass biting around the lake. The shallow bite seems to be waning, but there are still some bites to be had in 3 to 6 feet of water on 6-inch straight tail worms in watermelon and G-Bug. There is a jig bite developing in 12 to 16 feet of water. Black and blue jigs have produced a few bites in the last few days. Fishing on the lake is far from great with the bites being few and far between. That being said, the bite can be well worth the wait. There are few boats on the water right now.
Southwest Arkansas Millwood Lake
As of Tuesday, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reports the lake’s elevation at 255.65 feet MSL (Normal conservation pool - 259.2 MSL).
Mike Siefert at Millwood Lake Guide Service says largemouth, Kentucky (spotted) and white bass are good. Bass continue to randomly school and are chasing shad at creeks and junctions along Little River at various locations. The largemouths are ranging anywhere from 2 to 4 pounds and intermingled with schools of spotted and white bass in lily pads. These randomly schooling bass over the past week in Little River, were in or close to creek channels and chasing shad in lily pads. The 4-foot drawdown on Millwood is in effect, use extreme caution during navigation. For the past few weeks good catches of bass continue on Millwood, hitting Johnson Chrome Spoons with white curly tail trailers, Rat-L-Traps, crankbaits and swimbaits. The best bite remains around late morning to early after noon with these cooler nighttime low temperatures dropping the surface temps. The schooling bass are entirely at random and can surface break at any time during these cooler days. Watch especially inside vegetation lines and lily pad stands for shad flicking at the surface. The topwater breaking and schooling activity can bust loose at any time. The lake level remains consistent from last week and is 43.7 inches below normal pool and falling, with little current in Little River of 191 CFS and the 4-foot drawdown continues. Surface temperatures dropped over the past week and are currently ranging 60º early to 68º later in the day dependent on location and time of day. Use extreme caution at boat ramps, and navigation on Millwood during the four foot drawdown in effect through February 2011. Stumps and boat ramps are very shallow. Some cutover boat lanes through timber on main lake are inaccessible during drawdown conditions, and merely inches of depth remain.
To volunteer for one of the cleanup dates or ramp and USACE park information, contact Brooke Kervin at the Millwood Tri-Lakes Project Office.
Lake Columbia
Steve’s Outdoor Sports (870-234-2222) said the water is low. Bream are fair on worms and crickets. Crappie are biting well on minnows and jigs. No report on bass catfish.
Lake Erling
Steve’s Outdoor Sports (870-234-2222) said the water is low. Bream are good on worms and crickets. Crappie are good on minnows and jigs. No report on bass catfish.
Lake Greeson
As of Tuesday, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reports the lake’s elevation was 537.35 MSL (Flood pool - 548 MSL).
Lakeside Grocery and Bait (870-398-5304) said the water is clear and low. The surface temperature is around 53 degrees. Crappie are fair on minnows. Bass are biting well on spinners and buzzbaits. Catfishing is slow. Walleye are fair.
For more information on crappie fishing at Lake Greeson, visit Jerry Blake’s website, www.actionfishingtrips.com/tripreports.htm.
Lake Greeson Tailwater (Little Missouri River)
Jeff Guerin of www.littlemissouriflyfishing.com said the next six weeks may be my favorite time of the year to fish. The March Brown hatch in the spring is pretty awesome, but mostly because of the number of fish in the river at the time. The Light Cahill hatch of autumn is just as prolific and the fish are much better quality. With the latest storm coming up from the Gulf, it’s showery and mild. Totally different from the weekend! I was out for just a little while yesterday and the fog was so thick I was getting vertigo and having a hard time spotting the water much less the fish. The fish were fairly active and I talked about a dozen into taking the new fly and landed about six of those. There are still a lot of fish hanging around Sycamore Run, but they have been just about as tough as the fish up in the Park. We’re getting into a better generation pattern; this week they backed off to just noon to 6 p.m. (Last updated 10/27/2010)
Cossatot River
Cossatot River State Park said the water level is at 2.04 feet and rising slowly due to some rains and the loss of foliage around the river. The temperature has remained fairly constant. Wade fishing has produced many rock bass on black Beetle Spins. The water is very clear now and the whole river is starting to come alive with fall color. Live minnows or crawdads are always a sure thing with the smallmouth bass. Keep in mind when fishing on Cossatot River the smallmouth limit is two and the length has to be a minimum of 12 inches. (Last updated 10/27/2010)
DeGray Lake
As of Tuesday, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reports the lake’s elevation was 395.11 feet MSL (Flood pool - 408 MSL).
Due to the low water, boaters should use extreme caution when navigating DeGray. Many unmarked islands and humps are just under the surface, which can cause serious damage and harm if struck.
Local angler George Graves said surface water temperature is in the low 60s and the lake is clear throughout. Bass fishing is good with lots of nice Kentucky bass reported. The best pattern has been on the deep points and humps at about 20 to 30 feet down. Use a Texas-rigged finesse worm with a 1/4 ounce worm weight or a heavy, 3/4 ounce jig. Fish the lures on the bottom from 15 to 30 feet deep. Best colors are green pumpkin, green pumpkin/red glitter or red shad. Also try a Baby Brush Hog for large mouths around the brush piles. No problem finding the brush piles because the tops are sticking out in the low water. Now and throughout the winter is the time for the jigging spoon worked off deep points and ledges. Use a pretty heavy spoon (3/4 to 1 ounce) and work it near the bottom. Lots of times you can see the bass on the sonar. They will be small schools so the action can be pretty fast with the spoon. Very little surface activity with the colder water. Best areas for bass have been between Edgewood and Shrouse Ford. Sometimes Big Hill Creek can be very good because there are some good ledges along the old creek channel. Crappie fishing is only fair, but some big fish have been reported. With the low and clear water the fish are really spooky. You will only catch a couple from an attractor when they quit biting. The key is to cover a lot of attractors and catch a few from each one. Look for attractors in 18 to 20 feet on both the main lake and major creeks. The best lures have been 1/16 or 1/32 ounce jig heads with 2-inch shad pattern grubs. Keep your boat away from the brush and throw the lure to the thickest part and let it sink. In most cases the fish will hit it on the way down. Be sure to use light line, four to six pound test. Look for brush piles between Edgewood and Shrouse Ford. Also try Brushy and Big Hill Creeks. No reports on hybrids and no schooling activity. No reports on bream. A few catfish are coming from the Brushy Creek area on trot lines and noodles. Big minnows and small bream have been the best bait.
West-Central Arkansas Lake Nimrod
As of Tuesday, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reports the lake’s elevation was 337.36 feet MSL.
Greer’s Sporting Goods (501-889-2011) had no new report.
Lake Hinkle
Bill’s Bait Shop (479-637-7419) had no report.
Lake Dardanelle
Regina Olson at Spadra Marina said crappie are biting excellently in 7 to 10 feet of water. Anglers report they are having trouble finding them, even in their best honey holes, in any water deeper than 12 feet. Everyone is still taking home limits or at least near limits. Jigs are fairing better as the weather cools, while minnows have stayed steady since the season began. Catfish have been steady on bass minnows and stinkbait, as shad are very hard to find. Largemouth bass have been very slow.
Blue Mountain Lake
As of Tuesday, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reports the lake’s elevation was 383.92 feet MSL.
Teresa at CD’s Quick Stop (479-947-2178) said the store is closed until spring 2011. No report.
Lake Ouachita
As of Tuesday, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reports the lake’s elevation was 568.06 MSL (Flood pool - 578 MSL).
Larry Hurley from Poorman’s Guide Service said bass fishing is very good with a lot of bass busting in the mornings. Try a Zara Spook and swimbait. Stripers are still scattered and are close to the bass breaking the surface. Use a swimbait.
Mountain Harbor Resort said the water is 66-72 degrees and clear. Largemouth bass are good on topwater baits and jigs. Try Zara Spooks, Pop-Rs and buzzbaits over main lake and secondary points. Football jigs are working well in water 15 to 25 feet deep. Walleye are biting very well on spoons fished around brush in 20-25 feet of water. Stripers are fair on live bait and hair jigs. Bream are still fair on worms or crickets in water 15 to 25 feet deep. Crappie are excellent near brush in water 20 to 30 feet deep on minnows or Tennessee shad-colored crappie grubs. Catfish are still good and being caught on cut bait and live bait on jug lines and trotlines.
Lake Hamilton
Darryl Morris from Family Fishing Trips said the fall feeding frenzy is getting started on Lake Hamilton. Crappie are good to excellent and should improve this week. A few stripers are being caught around shad schools as well. (Last updated 10/27/2010)
Lake Catherine
Shane Goodner, owner of Catch’em All Guide Service, reports that the winter drawdown is complete below Carpenter Dam. A 5-foot drop was reached Nov. 12 and this level will be the norm until the middle of March when Lake Catherine is scheduled to begin refilling. Boaters and wade fishermen alike should be aware that the tailrace can be extremely dangerous under the present conditions and is made worse in times of heavy generation. Rainbow trout are scheduled to be stocked in the next two weeks which will provide anglers an opportunity for quality fishing below the dam. Arkansas is almost 14 inches behind a normal rainfall total for the year and this has caused Entergy to run only a minimum generation schedule for months. This lack of running water has allowed the tailrace water temperature to rise to as high 70 degrees and greatly reduced the number of threadfin shad that migrate into the area in search of cooler water. Normally, crappie and white bass are plentiful around the dam this time of year, but this lack of baitfish has caused these fish to migrate away from the dam in search of the shad schools. Until a regular flow of water begins, many of the various fish species will not be present until there are shad to feed on. While fishing is very poor, this pattern will change very soon with colder weather and rainfall on the way in the next few weeks.
Lake Atkins
Lucky Landing (479-641-7615) said fishing has been very good in all areas of the lake. The water temperature has dropped from 70 degrees to around 62 to 64 degrees, which will really help bring bigger crappie to the banks. They’re still being caught on jigs, but those who know how and like to use minnows are catching them as well. The bream have picked up using worms and crickets, with more redear being caught than we’ve seen in a long while. They’re catching them off the pier and along the banks as well the boats. The catfish are still slow unless you’re using trotlines or yo-yos. They’re still catching small bass, but not as many. More 2 to 3 pound bass are being caught under the 16-inch length and more anglers are keeping their 4-fish limit. The best bass bite has been on Rat-L-Traps and spinnerbaits.
South-Central Arkansas Moro Bay
Moro Bay State Park at the junction of the Ouachita River, Raymond Lake and Moro Bay said the Ouachita River is at 64.50 feet (Normal low is 65 feet). Bream are slow on worms and crickets. Catfish are fair on worms. Crappie are fair on small tube jigs. (Updated 10/20/2010)
Ouachita River Oxbows
Jaret Rushing said most of oxbows have gone completely stagnant and the only action is coming from bowfin, pickerel, gar and other rough fish. (Last updated 10/27/2010)
Tri-County Lake
Jaret Rushing said the lake is about 3 feet lower than usual, which exposed a lot of the stumps in the middle of the lake. Crappie and bass are fair on those stumps. (Last updated 10/27/2010)
East Arkansas White River
Triangle Sports (870-793-7122) had no report.
Maddox Bay
Maddox Bay Landing (870-462-8317) said the water is low and clear. Bream are fair on worms and crickets. Crappie are biting well on minnows and jigs in 3 to 6 feet of water. Bass are good on crankbaits. Catfishing is fair on trotlines.
Island 40 Chute
Daily’s Boat Dock (870-739-3478) said the water is low. Crappie are biting well on minnows and chartreuse jigs around stumps in about 2 feet of water. Bass are fair on chartreuse spinners. Catfishing is fair on worms.
Horseshoe Lake
Local angler Clyde Gregory had no report.