October 7
, 2009 Edition
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This is the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission’s fishing report for October 7, 2009. If there is a body of water you would like included in this report, please call or e-mail us with information on possible sources for that lake or river.
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Fishing Tip:
When traveling in “no wake” zones, many boaters often take their boats off pad, but don’t lower their speed enough to even out the bow and stern. If the stern rides deeper in the water than the bow, your boat will still produce a large wake at idle speeds. To prevent this, slow to a near stop, let the bow drop, and then ease the throttle forward to start moving again. You will be able to idle a little faster without producing a dangerous wake.
Arkansas River Levels
are available at:
http://www.swl-wc.usace.army.mil/WCDS/Reports/Daily/Pao_rvrs.txt
White River Levels
are available at:
http://www.srh.noaa.gov/lmrfc/forecast/tributaries/status_white.shtml
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Central Arkansas
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Bates Field and Stream (501-470-1846) said the water is at normal level and the clarity is good. Bream are fair on worms and crickets. Crappie are biting well on minnows. Bass are fair on soft plastics. Catfishing is slow.
Dan at Gold Creek Landing (501-607-0590) said crappie are starting to bite well in the lily pads and around brush. Bream are still biting well on redworms and crickets. Bass are fair on shad-imitating lures. Catfishing is good on live and prepared bait.
Little Red River:
Lindsey's Resort
(501-302-3139) said the generators are all but stopped and the water level is low. Trout fishing is good on marabou jigs, spoons, corn, wax worms and Power Bait. A pink or orange Trout Magnet is also working extremely well when drifted under a bobber.
Jed Hollan at the Little Red Fly Shop said the Greers Ferry powerhouse gave clear, low water through the weekend. Rain on Sunday and Tuesday raised the lake a little further and larger water releases should be anticipated. Prior to this weekend, water releases were occurring every day for two weeks lasting about 18 hours per day in an effort to lower the lake almost 2 1/2 feet. The average temperature of the water surging through our turbines is 55 degrees with an average level of dissolved oxygen in the 5.2 ppm range. Aquatic insect hatches remain prolific with midges, blue-winged olive mayflies, caddis flies and sulphurs in the mix. Productive dry flies include midge (sizes 22-32; cream or black), BWO (sizes 18-20), elk hair caddis (sizes 16-20; tan) and Adams (sizes 18-20). Effective sub-surface flies include sow bug (size 14; tan, UV tan, smoky olive or peacock), chronic (size 14), zebra midge (sizes 16-22; red, black or copper), San Juan worm (size 14; red, hot pink, fl. cerise or worm brown), red butt soft hackle (sizes 14-18) or woolly bugger (sizes 8-12; olive, brown or black).
As of Tuesday, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reports the lake’s elevation at 461.52 feet MSL (Normal conservation pool – 461 MSL).
Tommy Cauley of Fish Finder Guide Service
said the water level was falling, but will be back on the rise with the rain. The hybrid and white bass are still eating like crazy and will continue to be good until January. Find the schools deep and drop an in-line spinner, hair jig or jigging spoon above them for the best action. Crappie are being caught over brush piles and in the standing pole timber pretty well. Try minnows or a jig-and-minnow combination. Bass fishing slowed with the cold fronts and water level rising and falling, but should get better once the rain leaves. Spinnerbaits, Rat-L-Traps, Flukes and small crankbaits will work shallow. Deeper fish are being caught on Carolina-rigged lizards and Senko’s as well as football head jigs. The walleye bite has been off, but a few are still being caught under the hybrids. No report on catfish. Bream are biting well on crickets and crawlers in shallow water.
Shiloh Marina (501-825-6237) said not many anglers are on the water because of the weather and hunting seasons cranking up. No report.
Coffee Creek Landing
(501-889-2745) said no one is fishing because the lake is being drawn down and will remain so until Dec. 12.
Greer’s Sporting Goods (501-889-2011) said hunting has everyone preoccupied and fishing is slow, but the crappie are biting on jigs. Catfish have been biting well on nightcrawlers and bobbers.
Lake Bailey (Petit Jean State Park):
Greer’s Sporting Goods (501-889-2011) had no report.
Overcup Landing
(501-354-9007) said the water is high and clear. Bream are slow. Crappie are biting well on minnows and white or salt/pepper jigs fished 6-8 feet deep in 10 feet of water. Bass are biting well on top-water lures and soft plastics around the grass. Catfishing is good on large minnows fished from the bank.
Overcup Landing
(501-354-9007) said the water is high and clear. Crappie are fair around brush piles. Bass are biting well around the brush near the bank. Catfishing is good on cut bait and shad. Bream are slow.
Lake Maumelle:
Jolly Roger’s Marina
said largemouth bass are biting well on Gitzits, spinnerbaits and jigs in 15 to 20 feet of water during early morning and evening hours. Kentucky bass are mixed in with the largemouth and are hitting the same lures. White bass are fair; some are schooling around the east end of the lake. CC spoons, Rogues and clear Near Nuttings are working fairly well. Crappie are biting well on minnows and 1/32-oz. jigs in 19 to 25 feet of water. Bream are excellent on worms and crickets fished in 10 to 20 feet of water on rocks and the breakwater at the marina. Saugeye are fair on Rogues and jigs trolled 10 to 15 feet deep. Catfishing is good on minnows, worms and prepared bait 8 to 15 feet deep.
Hatchet Jack’s Sport Shop (501-758-4958) said bream are biting fairly well on crickets. Crappie are fair on medium-sized minnows. Bass are fair on soft-plastics. Catfishing is fair on large minnows and cut shad.
Lake Valencia:
Hatchet Jack’s Sport Shop (501-758-4958) said bream are biting fairly well on crickets. Crappie are fair on medium-sized minnows. Bass are fair on spinnerbaits. Catfishing is fair on nightcrawlers and packaged bait.
Sunset Lake:
Turbyfill’s Outdoor Sports (501-315-3061) said bream are fair on crickets. Crappie are slow. Bass are fair on top-water lures. Catfishing is slow.
Saline River Access in Benton:
Turbyfill’s Outdoor Sports (501-315-3061) said bass are the only thing biting, and they’re only fair on top-water lures.
Charley’s Hidden Harbor in Oppelo said the flows are dropping. Catfishing is good below dams 10 and 9. The best action is coming on whole shad drifted down to the Hwy. 7 Bridge below dam 10 and to the Hwy. 9 Bridge below dam 9. Bream are biting well in the backwater around woody cover on crickets. Bream are also being caught on the backside of jetties on black Mepps spinners and Rooster Tails. Stripers are biting fairly well around the tips of jetties on live shad. Kentucky bass are biting fairly well on chartreuse and blue chatterbaits fished around creek mouths. Largemouth bass are biting fairly well on firetiger Rat-L-Traps in Coppers Gap, Flagg Lake Cutoff and Point Remove Creek. White bass are fair around jetty tips with shad present.
Arkansas River (Maumelle Pool):
Hatchet Jack’s Sport Shop (501-758-4958) said bream are biting fairly well in Palarm Creek, the Maumelle River and the Little Maumelle River on crickets. Crappie are fair on small minnows in backwater areas. Bass fishing is fair on spinnerbaits near the mouths of the backwaters. Catfishing is fair on large minnows and nightcrawlers.
Vince Miller from Fish N’ Stuff (501-834-5733) said the water is still flowing pretty well and it’s muddy. Bass are biting fairly well on spinnerbaits and crankbaits fished around rocky areas near current. Catfishing is good.
Hatchet Jack’s Sport Shop (501-758-4958) said bream are fair around Burns Park on redworms, around Murray Lock and Dam on crickets and redworms and Fourche Creek on crickets. Crappie are fair on medium-sized minnows around Burns Park and Murray Lock and Dam. The crappie seem to be biting a little better on red/chartreuse or black/chartreuse crappie jigs in Fourche Creek. Bass are biting fairly well on crankbaits, soft plastics and spinnerbaits around Fourche Creek and Burns Park. Catfishing is good on live bream and cut shad.
McSwain Sports Center (501-945-2471) said that around Terry Lock and Dam, the water is muddy and high. No one is fishing.
Clear Lake:
McSwain Sports Center (501-945-2471) said the water is high and clear. Bream are slow, but a few have been caught on crickets in 4 to 6 feet of water.
Peckerwood Lake:
Herman’s Landing (870-241-3731) said the water is high and clear. Bream are fair on crickets around brush. Crappie are biting well on jigs fished near brush piles. Bass are excellent around the lily pads. Catfishing is good on hot dogs, shrimp, stink bait, chicken liver and packaged bait.
Hatchet Jack’s Sport Shop (501-758-4958) said bream are fair on redworms and crickets. Crappie are fair on medium-sized minnows. Bass are fair on spinnerbaits and soft-plastic worms. Catfishing is fair on cut shad and large minnows.
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North Arkansas
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White River:
Mountain River Fly Shop
said it’s been hard to establish a pattern this week on the generation schedule, given the heavy rain last week. Midges remain very strong, pick your size according to the flow. Davy’s Whitetails are stocked back up courtesy of a care package from Teresa Van Winkle. We have also had very good reports on the Pearl Super Midge and standard black zebras. WD40s have been very good in the lower flows, as have Olive Zebras. Try the Tailwater Sow bug and McLellan’s Woven V-Rib for the lower flows plus the Wotton Sow bugs.
John Berry from Berry Brothers Guide Service said the rain raised all the levels in the White River system reservoirs. Wildcat Shoals was hit or miss. On low-water days, when the water was relatively clear, the black zebra midges have been the go-to nymph. The hot flies have been the partridge and orange soft hackle and the green butt. Dan’s turkey tail emerger and the olive woolly bugger were also effective. This is a broad shallow shoal that can provide limited wading on low levels of generation. Be very careful, as there is a lot of bedrock in this area, which can be treacherous to wade. It did not fish well on those days when it was severely stained. Rim Shoals was hit-or-miss due to the runoff from the heavy rains. The hot flies have been the black zebra midge with silver wire and silver bead in size 16, prince nymphs in size 16 and beadhead sow bugs size 14. Other flies, specifically hot pink fluorescent San Juan worms and olive woolly buggers accounted for some large fish. If you encounter high water, Rim Shoals Trout Dock maintains a water taxi and will ferry you to wadable water for a nominal fee.
Sportsman’s White River Resort
(870-453-2424) said from two to four generators have been running lately, and the water clarity and level have increased or decreased accordingly. Trout fishing is good on Power Bait.
White River (From Buffalo City to Red’s Landing):
Jim Brentlinger at Linger's Guide Service and Fishing Lodge (870-499-5185) said The Buffalo River is still about 1.5 feet above normal, but the color is a nice green. Combine the green water from the Buffalo and the clear water being generated at Bull Shoals and you have some great fishing water all the way down the river. Power Baits in green, white or pink are working well. Spin fishermen are doing well with No. 7 or 9 Rapalas in black/gold/white and White River Zig Jigs in Ginger or Ginger/Brown.
Crooked Creek:
John Berry of Berry Brothers Guide Service said Crooked Creek and the Buffalo River are high and off color. Give them a few days to clear. The cooler temperatures have moderated the water temperature. The hot flies have been Clouser minnows and crayfish patterns. The White River below Crooked Creek and the Buffalo River is stained and fishing poorly.
As of Tuesday, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reports the lake’s elevation at 655.72 feet MSL (Normal conservation pool – 654 MSL).
As of Tuesday, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reports the lake’s elevation at 554.95 feet MSL (Normal conservation pool: Sept.-April – 552 MSL, April-Sept. – 554 MSL).
101 Grocery and Bait
said the lake level is around 555 msl and surface water temperature is in the low 70s. Bass fishing has been good in the mornings using top-water baits, especially buzzbaits and spooks. Crappie fishing has been fair around brush piles in 20-30 feet of water using minnows. Sunfish are doing well on worms and crickets. Catfishing has been fair on trotlines. White bass fishing has been good with some top-water action and some a little deeper using a variety of baits from Beetle Spins and in-line spinners to Rat-L-Traps. Walleye fishing has been fair using worms on a crawler harness bounced on the bottom in 18-25 feet. Striper fishing has been fair using live bait. With the rain and cool temperatures, a lot of the fish are moving into and around coves that have creeks and streams flowing into them.
Norfork Tailwater:
The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission is resurfacing the parking lot at the ramp at Quarry Park from Sept. 24 to Oct. 9. The ramp will be closed during this process and the area will effectively be closed to fishing. This will leave the Ackerman Access as the only access open on the Norfork River.
Jim Brentlinger at Linger's Guide Service and Fishing Lodge (870-499-5185) said there is not much water being generated and the wade fishing is fairly slow. The area is seeing a lot of pressure from anglers, and that keeps the bites to a minimum. Sow bugs, scuds, San Juan worms will produce, but you must be patient.
John Berry from Berry Brothers Guide Service said on low water, small midge patterns have been the ticket. Try black zebra midges, Norfork beadheads in black or olive and Dan’s turkey tail emerger. Soft hackles like the green butt and the partridge and orange have been effective. On sunny, windy days the grasshopper has been particularly effective. Use 9-foot 4X leaders and carefully work the banks. Drop the fly on the water with a plop and give the fly a twitch from time to time, to initiate a vicious strike. The best patterns have been Dave’s hoppers and Rainey’s hoppers. Dry Run Creek has fished well. The hot fly, as always, has been the sow bug. Other hot flies have been worm brown San Juan worms and egg patterns (orange). Be sure and bring a large net and a camera. The habitat improvement project for Dry Run Creek has begun. If you go down there, you will see trucks or cranes operating in the stream. The fish are still there, but it is important to avoid the areas under construction. This project will enhance angling opportunities for the handicapped and improve the creek’s fish-handling capacity.
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Northwest Arkansas
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As of Tuesday, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reports the lake’s elevation at 1,120.44 feet MSL (Normal conservation pool – 1,120 MSL).
JT’s Crappie Guide Service
(479-640-3980) said bass have been biting well, hitting spinnerbaits fished close to cover along the bank. They also have been biting well on top-water baits early and late and on cloudy days. Crappie fishing is excellent. Try a minnow along standing timber close to creek channels, 10 to 20 feet down. A jig-and-minnow combo has been working well over brush piles. White bass have been schooling all over the lake at any given time. Small curly tails or spoons are the best choice. Bluegill are hitting crickets close to cover and under docks 2 to 10 feet deep.
Southtown Sporting Goods (479-443-7148) said the water is at normal level. Bream are fair on crickets. Crappie are fair on trolled crankbaits. Bass are biting well on top-water lures near rocky areas. Catfishing is slow.
Beaver Tailwaters:
Zachary Hoyt at Just Fishing Guides said that with the weather cooling off and very little generation, fishing on the tailwater is in full swing. With increased pressure, fish are a bit spooky. Lower water levels are causing fish to hold in their feeding spots instead of schooling. Copper johns and hare’s ears are producing in the mornings. Adjust you indicator to make sure you are finding the trout’s feeding lane. When the sun is higher in the sky, switch to 6x or 7x tippet and smaller flies. Scuds, sow bugs, and zebra midges are a good bet. Remember these tend to bounce around the bottom, so be sure you have the correct depth. Small crankbaits are a good choice for spin fisherman. Sculpins are a good food source, so try an olive green tube or wiggler. Worms under a bobber are a good choice for a more laid back approach.
Kings River:
Zachary Hoyt at Just Fishing Guides said fall smallmouth action is heating up. Water levels have been decent and the summer canoe traffic is slowing. Fish will tend to hold at the front or end of shoals/riffles. A threadfin shad hard bait will bring some solid strikes. Watermelon or speckled olive tubes bounced along the bottom are a good bet as well. Fish structure and changes in river bottom. Mornings and evenings will bring fish to the top to feed, so don’t forget about those buzzbaits. For the fly-fisherman, dry flies will produce well. Mouse patterns fished along weed banks or a Todd's Wiggle Minnow just below the surface will get those fall feeding smallies. Don't discount a large stonefly pattern under an indicator as well.
Lake Fayetteville:
Lake Fayetteville Boat Dock (479-444-3476) said the water is clear and at normal level. Bream are slow, but a few bluegill have been caught on small minnows. Crappie are slow, but a few have been caught on live minnows. Bas are slow. Catfish are slow.
Lake Sequoyah:
Lake Sequoyah Boat Dock (479-444-3475) said the water is at normal level. Bream fishing is slow. Crappie fishing is fair on minnows and jigs in brush. Bass are biting well on top-water lures. Catfishing is fair on chicken liver.
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Northeast Arkansas
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Crown Lake:
Boxhound Marina
(870-670-4496) said the water is a little high and clear. Bream are biting well on redworms and crickets. Crappie are slow. Bass are fair on spinnerbaits and top-water lures fished near shore. Catfishing is fair on nightcrawlers.
Lake Frierson:
Lake Frierson State Park
said the water is high and muddy. Bass are biting well on minnows. Catfishing is good on chicken liver. No report on any other species.
Spring River:
Mark Crawford at Spring River Fly Shop said the water is a little higher than average and has a green tint. Fishing has been great on Brownies, Cotton Candy and Coachman streamers. Blue dun mayflies have been hatching daily in a size 20, but no fish are rising to them.
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Southeast Arkansas
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Lakeshore Motel and Marina
(870-265-9901) had no report.
Lake Monticello:
Fishing guide Greg Gulledge (870-723-3928) of MonticelloBigBass.com said the surface temperature is cooling a little every day. With that, there are bass in the shallows around the pads. Yum Dingers and slowly fished Flukes are working in the skinny water. Jighead worms are catching fish here and there on the lake. There are still bites to be had in the deeper water around 8 to 12 feet on worms and crankbaits. The lake level has been fluctuating with the recent rains, but the water is still as clear as usual. The schooling is still not happening like it should be for this time of year. Top-water fishing should improve during the next week or two as the water continues to cool.
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Southwest Arkansas
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As of Tuesday, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reports the lake’s elevation at 257.66 feet MSL (Normal conservation pool – 259.2 MSL).
Millwood Lake Guide Service
said as of Monday, the surface water temperature is 70 to 75 degrees, depending on location and time of day. The 4-foot is in process and discharge increased to 16,970 CFS. Main lake visibility worsened to 2-4 inches away from any current in Little River. Exercise extreme caution running Little River during low light conditions because many river buoys are missing or pushed out of place from the current and pool fluctuations. The drawdown will last until February, and caution should be used across the entire lake, even in boat lanes, when the water is low. Most boat ramps are closed or too shallow to launch from. Yarborough Landing is still open, although extremely shallow. Wilton Landing on Hwy 71 and White Cliffs are still open and gravel has been added by the USACE to the end of the ramp to assist loading and unloading boats and trailers. The cold fronts, rain and thunderstorms continue to lower the surface temperature. The feeding level of the bass improved with the cool down, but the best bite over the past few weeks has shifted to mid-day. However, schooling Largemouth Bass are still being found all along Little River at random most any time of day. The most aggressive bass bite over the past two weeks was on smoke or holographic grubs rigged on white jig heads for schooling fish. Cordell Crazy Shads, Clear Baby Torpedoes, YUM Buzz Frogs and Bass Assassin Shad jerk baits worked well also. For sub-surface schools, Rat-L-Traps, Cordell Big O or XCalibur Fat Free Shad Crankbaits have done well. The best Rat-L-Trap colors remain Millwood Magic, Sexy West or Transparent in the clearer areas of the oxbows. Siefert's buzz baits in Chartreuse Shiner, Bleeding Chartreuse Shad, or Black continue working in and around grass beds and vegetation in the river channel and in the oxbows, in the clearest water available. A Rattling Zara Mouse has worked well over big lily pads and where 2 species of lily pads meet hydrilla or milfoil. White bass disappeared with the increase in muddy water and current. The crappie bite shut down with all the current, muddy water and rapid pool fluctuations along Little River. Channel Cats are loving the increase in current along Little River and biting extremely well on bulky earthworms, cut shad, chicken livers, or Catfish Charlie on yo-yos hung from cypress trees in the oxbows over 10-15 feet of water.
No report.
As of Tuesday, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reports the lake’s elevation was not available. (Flood pool – 548 MSL).
Darryl Morris of Family Fishing Trips Guide Service said the lake level is still falling into a level that will work well for colder months. Bass and crappie are still biting very well on live bait and jigs.
Cossatot River:
Cossatot River State Park
had no report.
As of Tuesday, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reports the lake’s elevation was 405.46 feet MSL (Flood pool – 408 MSL).
Local angler George Graves said the surface water temperature is in the low 70s. The water is clear in the lower lake but slightly dingy above Caddo Drive. Very few anglers are out because of the rain, hunting season and football. Just a few reports of bass catches are coming from mid-lake. With the higher water, most fish are being caught shallow just outside the submerged vegetation. Try surface- and shallow-running lures in the morning, then Texas-rigged worms or a jig later in the day. The best area has been between Edgewood and Yancey Creek. Hybrids have slowed and are scattered in the trees suspended about 50 feet deep. Look for submerged timber and fish in 90 to 110 feet of water. The best areas are between Iron Mountain and the mouth of Brushy Creek. Best lures are jigging spoons and small, (3-inch) swim baits. Fish the lure about 40 feet down, the fish will come up to it. There was one report of schooling and breaking hybrids off Point 10 in the morning. The best way to catch breaking fish is to throw a spoon over them, let it sink to about 20 feet and reel it up through the fish. No reports on crappie or bream.
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West-Central Arkansas
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Lake Fort Smith:
No report.
Lake Nimrod Bait and More II (479-272-4025) had no report.
Greer’s Sporting Goods (501-889-2011) had no report.
Regina Olson at Spadra Marina had no report.
As of Tuesday, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reports the lake’s elevation was 388.98 feet MSL.
Teresa at CD’s Quick Stop (479-947-2178) said not many anglers are visiting the water now. No report
Lakeside Food Mart (479-667-5155) said the current is high. Bream are slow on crickets and nightcrawlers. Crappie are biting well in backwater areas on minnows. Bass are fair on crankbaits. Catfishing is good on worms fished below the dam.
As of Tuesday, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reports the lake’s elevation was not available (Flood pool – 578 MSL).
Larry Hurley from Poorman’s Guide Service said stripers are excellent around deep holes in the main lake. Once you find the fish, catching them is easy. Largemouth bass fishing is very good with a lot of schooling action in the creeks. Topwaters and spinnerbaits are working very well.
Mountain Harbor Resort
said the water is 577.52 MSL and stained. The surface temperature ranges from 70 to 75 degrees. Largemouth bass have slowed, but are still biting well. They can be caught on jigs fished in brush piles in 18 to 25 feet of water. Largemouths and spots are still breaking and can be caught on white Rooster Tails or top-water lures. Walleye are fair and still being caught on jigging spoons on main-lake points or humps in 16 to 24 feet of water. Stripers are slow on live shad and trotline minnows. Main-lake points near creek channels or open water humps are the best areas. Bream are good with worms or crickets in 18 to 25 feet of water. Crappie are very good and being caught near brush 20 to 30 feet deep. Minnows or crappie grubs are still working best. Tennessee shad and white are the best colors for artificial baits. Catfish are still good and being caught on cut bait and live bait on jug lines and trotlines. Rod-and-reel fishing with hot dogs or dough bait is good in 15 to 20 feet of water.
Dave Lindhag from Striped Bass Adventures said fish seem to be transitioning a bit with the cool down. There have been a few breakers here and there, but most fish are deep, holding around 20 to 40 feet deep. If you can find a good school, you should be able to stay on top of them and drop live bait right above their heads for a bite. Most fish are in the teens, but a few 20-pounders have been caught recently.
Lake Hamilton:
Trader Bill’s Outdoor Sports
said the surface water temperature is in the 70s and the water color is stained to muddy because of the rain. A top-water lure, spinnerbait or a buzzbait is working in the creeks where the fresh water is coming in. Also people are finding schooling fish in the mouth of most major creeks. After dark, a Texas-rigged worm is best in the brush. Also try a black spider in brush. Bluegill are easy to catch in the backs of most pockets.
Lake Catherine:
Shane Goodner, owner of Catch’em All Guide Service, reports that Entergy is generating water during most of the daylight hours below Carpenter Dam. Water temperatures are holding in the high 50s as the cooler nights of fall set in. Rainbow trout are few and far between in the tailrace since most fish have been caught, eaten by predators, or moved far downstream. Threadfin shad haven't stayed in the tailrace like usual due to the mild summer temperatures and this has greatly affected striper and hybrid fishing. Little top-water action has been observed, which makes it difficult to pattern these fish. October is typically a good month for striper and hybrid action in shallow waters, but this year is an exception. However, walleye fishing has been the savior with quality fish being caught in the main channel and around the bridge pilings during the last month. Anglers trolling small crankbaits in the current of the main channel have taken walleye in the 2- to 3-pound range. The best time to catch these fish has been early morning or late evening. Minnow- and crayfish imitators have worked the best during periods of generation.
Bill's Bait Shop (479-637-4719) said no one is fishing because of the weather. No report
Lucky Landing (479-641-7615) said the water is still dropping slowly and the water is pretty clear, despite the rain. The crappie bite picked up this week. Catfish are excellent and are hitting just about any bait, even jigs. Bream are beginning to move closer to the banks with some redear showing up around deeper brush piles. Catching big bass is still tough, but small bass will keep you busy all day. Shad are pretty thick in the lake and the small bass are gorging on them. A 91/2-lb. and 5-lb. blue catfish were caught from the bank Monday on bass minnows. Lucky Landing is open seven days a week from 5:45 to 6:30 (Closes at 5 p.m. on Sunday). Drop by for your licenses, good food and conversation. We have campgrounds and cabins for rent as well.
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South Central Arkansas
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Moro Bay:
Moro Bay State Park
at the junction of the Ouachita River, Raymond Lake and Moro Bay said the weather is cooling and the fishing has been slow. The river level is at 76.20 msl, but it’s rising and falling every day. Bream are biting slowly on worms.
No report.
Ouachita River Oxbows:
The river is rising again from the recent rain, making fishing tough. The water is muddy and will be rising as long as the rain stays around.
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East Arkansas
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The Tackle Box (870-534-1498) said bream are biting well on medium-sized worms and crickets. Crappie are biting well on blue/white jigs. Bass are biting well on shad-imitating crankbaits. Catfishing is good on shad and skipjack.
White River:
Triangle Sports (870-793-7122) said no anglers are on the water. No report.
Maddox Bay:
Maddox Bay Landing (870-462-8317) said the water is high and clear. Crappie are fair on minnows. Catfishing is fair on trotlines.
Island 40 Chute:
Daily’s Boat Dock (870-739-3478) said no one is on the water lately because of the weather. Fishing is slow for all species.
Local angler Clyde Gregory said the water is at normal level and the clarity is good. All species are slow, and not many anglers are on the water.
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