November 11 , 2009 Edition

Fishing Tip:  Fishing during fall and winter can be relaxing and fun because few anglers and pleasure boaters are on the water. But fewer boats on the water means fewer people are around to help if you find yourself stranded. Always make sure to tell someone where you’re going and what time you expect to be home. Carry a fully charged cell phone and make sure you have reception to call for help if you need it.

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

Central Arkansas

Lake Conway:

Bates Field and Stream (501-470-1846) said the water is clear and at normal level. Crappie are biting well on minnows and jigs. Bass are fair on soft-plastic worms. Catfishing is poor on chicken liver.

Dan at Gold Creek Landing (501-607-0590) said crappie have been biting well, but it’s been hit-or-miss. Shiners and jigs have been the best bets. Bream are still biting well on redworms in deeper water. Catfishing is fair.

Little Red River: 

Lindsey's Resort  (501-302-3139) said the water is clear and at normal level. The river is clear and at normal level. Trout are biting well on nightcrawlers, Power Bait and wax worms on red hooks.

Jed Hollan at the Little Red Fly Shop had no report.

Greers Ferry:  

As of Tuesday, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reports the lake’s elevation at 476.48 feet MSL (Normal conservation pool – 461 MSL).

Tommy Cauley of Fish Finder Guide Service had no report.

Shiloh Marina (501-825-6237) said not many anglers are on the water. No report.

Harris Brake Lake:  

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 crappie are biting well on jigs and minnows. White Crappie Stingers are working especially well.

Lake Bailey (Petit Jean State Park): 

Greer’s Sporting Goods (501-889-2011) said crappie are biting fairly well on jigs and live minnows.  

Lake Overcup:  

Overcup Landing  (501-354-9007) said the water is a little high and clear. Bream are fair on worms and crickets. Crappie are biting well on white Crappie Stingers and white/chartreuse tube jigs. Bass are fair on small H and H spinnerbaits and grubs. Catfishing is fair on live bream and cut shad.

Brewer Lake:  

Overcup Landing  (501-354-9007) said the water is high and clear. Bream are biting well on worms and crickets. Crappie are biting well on white/chartreuse jigs. Bass are fair on spinnerbaits and buzzbaits. Catfishing is fair on nightcrawlers and cut bait.

Lake Maumelle: 

Jolly Roger’s Marina  said the water is 1.6 feet above the spillway. Black bass are in 15 to 20 feet of water and are biting fairly well on spinnerbaits, crankbaits and tubes. Some good catches have come from the banks around muddy water as well. Kentucky bass are biting well in 15 feet of water on tubes, jigs and soft-plastic worms. White bass are schooling around the east end of the lake, and some are beginning to gather at the west end of the lake. CC spoons, clear Near Nuttings and Rogues have worked well. Crappie are biting well in 15 to 20 feet of water on minnows and 1/32-oz. jigs. Pink minnows will be the key to good crappie catches in the next few months. Saugeye are fair on trolled Rogues and jigs in 10 to 15 feet of water. Catfishing is good on minnows, worms and prepared baits in 8 to 15 feet of water.

Hatchet Jack’s Sport Shop (501-758-4958) had no report.  

Lake Valencia: 

Hatchet Jack’s Sport Shop (501-758-4958) said catfishing is good on chicken hearts and nightcrawlers.

Sunset Lake: 

Turbyfill’s Outdoor Sports (501-315-3061) said the water is high and clear. Crappie are fair on 2-inch grubs fished in brush 10-12 inches deep. Bass are fair on top-water lures and green pumpkin grubs. Catfishing and bream fishing are slow.

Saline River Access in Benton: 

Turbyfill’s Outdoor Sports (501-315-3061) said the water is at normal level and clear. Bream and catfish are slow. Bass are biting well on 4-inch green pumpkin grubs and brown jigs. Crappie are biting well on live bait fished over brush piles.  

Arkansas River at Morrilton:

Charley’s Hidden Harbor in Oppelo had no report.

Arkansas River (Maumelle Pool):

Hatchet Jack’s Sport Shop (501-758-4958) had no report.  

Arkansas River (Little Rock Pool):  

Vince Miller from Fish N’ Stuff (501-834-5733) said the current is still too high and dangerous for any fishing.

Hatchet Jack’s Sport Shop (501-758-4958) had no report.

McSwain Sports Center (501-945-2471) said the main channel is still too swift for much fishing, but the backwaters are producing. Bream are biting well in the afternoons on crickets. Crappie are fair on jigs. Bass are fair on soft-plastics. Catfishing is good on shad.   

Clear Lake: 

McSwain Sports Center (501-945-2471) said the water is high and clear. Bream are fair on worms. Crappie are biting well on minnows. Bass are fair on spinnerbaits. Catfishing is fair on chicken liver.

Peckerwood Lake: 

Herman’s Landing (870-241-3731) said the lake is closed for fishing until Jan. 31, 2010.

Lake Pickthorne:

Hatchet Jack’s Sport Shop (501-758-4958) had no report.

North Arkansas

White River: 

Mountain River Fly Shop had no report.

John Berry from Berry Brothers Guide Service said the White has seen light but steady generation around the clock with slightly higher flows in the afternoons. There has been precious little wadable water. The only thing preventing high levels of generation around the clock is flooding downstream. As soon as it clears, we will see a lot of high water. The Catch-and-release section below Bull Shoals Dam will be closed until January 31, 2010. The section from the bottom of the catch-and-release section downstream to the wing wall at the State Park is seasonal catch-and-release for the same time. The stretch from Bull Shoals State Park to the Narrows has fished well. The moderate flows we have received have been perfect for drift fishing. The hot flies have been San Juan worms and Y2Ks. Two-fly rigs (San Juan worm and egg) have done particularly well in this area. Small mayfly nymphs like pheasant tails and copper johns and midge patterns have also been effective. Rim Shoals has been red hot for another week. The go-to flies have been Y2Ks and cerise San Juan worms. On windy days, try fishing grasshoppers. Use 4X tippet and large flies. Let the fly land with a splash and twitch it occasionally to imitate a struggling grasshopper. The best patterns have been Dave’s hoppers and Rainey’s hoppers. 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 the water is high and murky. Trout are biting fairly well on Power bait. Brown trout are slow, but rainbows are biting fairly well.

Jim Brentlinger at Linger's Guide Service and Fishing Lodge (870-499-5185) said Rim Shoals is where the action is. One-hundred to 200-fish days have been common. The fly rod with sow bugs, scuds, San Juan worms (hot pink) and pink 1/8-ounce jigs have generated a lot of action. White River Zig Jigs on 4-lb. line and spinning rods have been awesome.  

White River (From Buffalo City to Red’s Landing):

Jim Brentlinger at Linger's Guide Service and Fishing Lodge (870-499-5185) said as you come down from Buffalo City, the fishing is not quite as furious but still no problems putting a lot of fish in the boat. Six to 8 percent of the daily catches have been brown trout with several in the 18- to 20-inch range.

Crooked Creek: 

John Berry of Berry Brothers Guide Service said Crooked Creek and the Buffalo River are running high and muddy.

Bull Shoals Lake:

As of Tuesday, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reports the lake’s elevation at 678.48 feet MSL (Normal conservation pool – 654 MSL).

Lake Norfork:

As of Tuesday, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reports the lake’s elevation at 570.60 feet MSL (Normal conservation pool: Sept.-April – 552 MSL, April-Sept. – 554 MSL).

101 Grocery and Bait said fishing has been good for the most part. The surface temperature is in the low 60s. There is some stained water near the newly flooded brush that has been good for largemouth bass. Kentucky and smallmouth bass are being caught more often in the deeper water. Crappie fishing has been fair using minnows and small rubber baits with a very light jig and a slow presentation. Catfishing is good on nightcrawlers and live minnows. Walleye fishing has been slow. Striper fishing has been slow. White bass fishing has been fair on top-water baits.

Norfork Tailwater: 

Jim Brentlinger at Linger's Guide Service and Fishing Lodge (870-499-5185) the tailwater is very muddy because of Otter Creek flooding during the last rain. There won’t be much good fishing until the stained water is flushed out.

John Berry from Berry Brothers Guide Service said there have been significant periods of no generation every day with moderate generation in the afternoon. This has created some great wading conditions daily. The North Fork River has continued to receive quite a bit of pressure due to round the clock generation on the White but has still fished well. Midge patterns have been the go-to flies on the lower flows. The most productive patterns were black zebra midges with silver wire and silver beads, black Norfork midges and Dan’s turkey tail emergers. Other effective flies have been olive woolly buggers and soft hackles (partridge and orange soft hackles and green butts). On higher flows, hot fluorescent pink San Juan worms and orange egg patterns have been the most effective way to fish. Dry Run Creek has fished well. Some big browns have moved into the creek to spawn. The hot fly, as always, has been the sow bug. The most effective technique to use on Dry Run creek is to high stick nymphs under an indicator. There is precious little room to cast. Have the youngster you are fishing with set the hook quickly and fight the fish on the reel. Be sure and use at least 4X tippet to have a chance at landing some of the bigger fish. Carry the biggest net you can lay your hands on as most fish are lost at the net.

Ken Richards at Just Fishing Guides had no report.

Northwest Arkansas

Beaver Lake:  

As of Tuesday, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reports the lake’s elevation at 1,128.93 feet MSL (Normal conservation pool – 1,120 MSL).

JT’s Crappie Guide Service  (479-640-3980) said bass have been hitting medium-diving crankbaits in crawdad or shad colors fished along gently sloping chunk rock banks. Hula grubs fished around the flooded cover is another good option. Crappie have been biting minnows fished above brush piles 25 to 40 feet deep along creek channels. White bass have been schooled up over main lake flats and points. Small jigging spoons have worked best. Catfishing continues to be very good from the bank using liver or worms in Hickory Creek, Prairie Creek and the 12 bridge.

Southtown Sporting Goods (479-443-7148) said the water is at normal level and stained. Crappie are biting well on minnows and deep brush piles. Bass are biting well on spinnerbaits and spooks fished around cedar laydowns. Catfishing is good on chicken liver.

Beaver Tailwaters: 

Ken Richards at Just Fishing Guides had no report.

Kings River:

Ken Richards at Just Fishing Guides had no report.

Lake Fayetteville: 

Lake Fayetteville Boat Dock (479-444-3476) said the water is high and at normal level. Bass are fair on CC spoons. All other species are slow.

Lake Sequoyah: 

Lake Sequoyah Boat Dock (479-444-3475) said the water is clear and at normal level. Bream are biting well on worms and crickets fished around brush in 2 to 4 feet of water. Crappie are biting very well on minnows in 2 to 4 feet of water. Bass are biting well on spinnerbaits and soft-plastic worms in 2 to 5 feet of water around brush and logs. Catfishing is fair on chicken livers and bream in 4 to 8 feet of water.

Northeast Arkansas

Crown Lake: 

Boxhound Marina ( 870-670-4496) had no report.

Lake Frierson: 

Lake Frierson State Park  said the water is high and clear. Bream fishing is good on crickets fished around brush. Catfishing is good on chicken livers.  

Spring River: 

Mark Crawford at Spring River Fly Shop said the fishing is good on the Spring River. Water is back to normal levels and water clarity is not perfect but pretty good. Good flies to use have been Grandma's Brownie (beadhead) and Cotton Candy. There's no rain in the forecast, so now is the time to hit the river. 

Southeast Arkansas

Lake Chicot:

Lakeshore Motel and Marina (870-265-9901) had no report.  

Lake Monticello: 

Fishing guide Greg Gulledge (870-723-3928) of MonticelloBigBass.com had no report.

Southwest Arkansas

Millwood Lake:  

As of Tuesday, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reports the lake’s elevation at 259.62 feet MSL (Normal conservation pool – 259.2 MSL).

Millwood Lake Guide Service said exercise extreme caution boating Little River; many river markers are pushed out of place or missing because of current and major pool fluctuations. USACE will run the 4-foot drawdown from July 2009-February 2010. Many stumps are exposed or shallow enough in the boat lanes to cause major damage to boats and injure boaters. Many boat ramps are closed because of the proposed lake level during drawdown. Yarborough and Jack's Isle are still open. River Run East and River Run West are all closed due to high water. Boat ramp repair and improvements at the Millwood State Park are recently completed. Main lake and Little River water surface temps are 60-67 degrees, depending on location and time of day. As of Monday, the discharge at the dam is 19,610 CFS is with 13 gates open at 4 feet each and two sluice gates open at 6 feet each. Main-lake visibility is very poor (about 2- to 4-inches of visibility). Largemouth bass are improved, due to falling lake level to near normal conditions. The schooling fish disappeared with the muddy water and current in Little River. Surface water temps are currently in the lower to mid 60's. Repeated cold fronts have dropped the water surface temps another few degrees within the last several weeks. Schooling bass were being caught in Little River several weeks ago at random intervals and various locations throughout the daylight hours, but are very random with the influx of muddy water and rapidly changing conditions and heavy current in Little River. Largemouth Bass ranging from 3-9 pounds are in typical fall patterns. Crankbaits, Rat-L-Traps, spinnerbaits, worms, and plastic frogs are the go-to baits for Bass over the past several weeks. Schooling white bass disappeared with the increase in muddy water and current. They will return and improve over the next week to 10 days. The crappie bite almost completely shut down with all the current, muddy water and rapid pool fluctuations along Little River. They will improve over the next week to 10 days, now that the water has begun clearing. Channel cats are biting extremely well with the increase in current, and are best on bulky earthworms, cut shad, chicken livers, or Catfish Charlie by either tight-lining, or on yo-yos hung from cypress trees in the oxbows over 10-15 foot depths, and on trotlines in Little River current.

White Oak Lake:

Frequent rain has kept anglers off the lake. The water is high and muddy.

Lake Greeson:  

As of Tuesday, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reports the lake’s elevation was 546.84 MSL (Flood pool – 548 MSL).

Cossatot River: 

Cossatot River State Park said the water is too high and swift for fishing.

DeGray Lake:

As of Tuesday, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reports the lake’s elevation was 408.84 feet MSL (Flood pool – 408 MSL).

Local angler George Graves said the surface temperature is in the low to mid 60s and the water is clear throughout the lake. Fishing is improving because the water is receding and clearing. Once the water gets near normal pool, the fishing should really improve. Crappie fishing is good with several good catches being reported. The best catches are coming from fish shelters/brush piles. Look for the shelters in 25 to 30 feet of water. The crappies will be suspended from 15 to 20 feet down directly over the cover. You can see the fish on a fine-tuned sonar. Drop a 2-inch grub on a 1/16-ounce jig head down to the fish. Very little or no jigging is required, just move slowly around the cover. Tennessee shad is the best color with chartreuse/black a good second choice. The best areas are between Caddo Drive and Goat Island (Island 38). Most major creeks in this area have good shelters. Bass fishing is fair with quite a few Kentuckies showing up. Fish the first drop off steep banks with a Texas-rigged worm or jig down the drop-off. Try water 10 to 25 feet deep. Try main lake and secondary creek points from Arlie Moore to Point Cedar. Bream fishing is fair around brush. Quite a few big bluegills are showing up next to fish attractors and are positioned about 20 feet down. Drop a redworm or cricket just above the fish. Hybrids are still scattered and almost impossible to make bite.

West-Central Arkansas

Lake Fort Smith:  

No report.   

Lake Nimrod:

Lake Nimrod Bait and More II (479-272-4025) had no report.  

Greer’s Sporting Goods (501-889-2011) had no report.    

Lake Dardanelle:

Regina Olson at Spadra Marina said a person couldn’t ask for better crappie fishing. Crappie limits are being reported daily. Anglers are fishing about 6 inches from the bottom with minnows or red/clear and red/yellow jigs. Bass anglers are reporting decent catches on the river. The backwaters are still a little too muddy, but are starting to produce better than last week. White bass are running in Spadra Creek. Catfish limits are still within reach on cut shad and bream.

Blue Mountain Lake:

As of Tuesday, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reports the lake’s elevation was 404.54 feet MSL.

Teresa at CD’s Quick Stop (479-947-2178) had no report. The lake is flooded.

Ozark Pool:

Lakeside Food Mart (479-667-5155) said the water is still dirty from the flood. Bream are slow. Crappie are biting well on minnows and jigs fished up the creeks and backwater. Black bass are biting well on spinnerbaits, jigs and crankbaits. White bass are biting well on minnows and jigs. Catfishing is good on shad.  

Lake Ouachita:

As of Tuesday, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reports the lake’s elevation was 580.09 MSL (Flood pool – 578 MSL).

Larry Hurley from Poorman’s Guide Service said fishing is fair to good. Bass are hitting top-water lures and spinnerbaits fairly well. Bass are biting well on spoons fished in deep timber. Stripers are scattered, but a few have been caught by anglers covering a lot of water with a large Redfin.

Mountain Harbor Resort  said the water is 60 to 66 degrees and stained. Largemouth bass are fair on jigs fished in brush piles in 18 to 25 feet of water. Walleye are fair on jigging spoons fished around main lake points or humps in 20 to 30 feet of water. Stripers are slow on live bait with shad or trotline minnows. Main lake points near creek channels or open water humps are the best areas. Bream are fair on worms or crickets in 18 to 25 feet of water. Crappie are very good and being caught near brush. Try brush in water 20 to 30 feet deep. Minnows or Tennessee shad or white crappie grubs are still working best. Catfish are fair on jugs and trotlines with cut bait or live bait.

Dave Lindhag from Striped Bass Adventures said the high water has scattered the stripers quite a bit. Some schools are being found, but finding fish that will hit is a bit tough. The ones that are being caught have had some good size to them. Live gizzard shad sinkered down to the schools has been the only thing working.

Lake Hamilton: 

Trader Bill’s Outdoor Sports had no new report.

Dave Lindhag from Striped Bass Adventures said the added current has kept the water too muddy for most striper fishing. If you can get your shad below the muddy surface water, you can catch a few fish, but it’s been spotty.

Daryl Morris of Family Fishing Trips said the lake is being dropped 5 feet for the annual winter drawdown. Crappie and bass are being caught 12-15 feet deep in 18-32 feet of water near deeper water on live bait and jigs. Catfish have been excellent on jug lines with live bait.  

Lake Catherine: 

Shane Goodner, owner of Catch’em All Guide Service, reports the winter drawdown began Nov. 7 and will be complete on Nov. 22. Both Lakes Hamilton and Catherine will be lowered 5 feet this year. Periods of heavy generation combined with spillway gate openings will be the norm at Carpenter Dam until Lake Ouachita is out of flood pool and area lakes are brought down into normal operating levels. Rainbow trout are now in the tailrace and are being caught in the main channel on white Rooster Tails and silver Super Dupers. Boaters have caught limits of fish by trolling small minnow and crawfish crankbaits against the current. The stocking program has just begun and trout fishing will become much better as Christmas approaches. Walleye and white bass are feeding in the old Ouachita River channel and are still being caught on jigs tipped with minnows or minnows cast on a Carolina rig. Hybrids and stripers have been taken on Shad Raps in sliver/black with a few fish hooked on Super Spooks in rainbow trout colors. Caution is advised to anyone navigating the tailwaters while the drawdown is underway. Many underwater obstacles will be exposed with the falling water levels.

Lake Hinkle:  

Bill's Bait Shop (479-637-4719) said the water is high and clear. The fishing has been good this week. Bream are slow. Crappie are biting very well near the bank on minnows fished in 6 to 8 feet of water. Bass are biting very well around the weedline nearest the bank on spinnerbaits and crankbaits. Catfishing is good on worms.

Lake Atkins:

Lucky Landing (479-641-7615) had no report.

South Central Arkansas

Moro Bay: 

Moro Bay State Park at the junction of the Ouachita River, Raymond Lake and Moro Bay said the park is closed due to flooding over the roadway into visitor’s information center and campground.  

Tri-County Lake:

Flooding has kept most anglers off the water.  

Ouachita River Oxbows: 

Flooding has kept most anglers off the water.

East Arkansas

Arkansas River at Pine Bluff:

The Tackle Box (870-534-1498) said the water is lower than last week and murky. Bream are biting well on worms and crickets. Crappie are biting well on minnows or chartreuse/black jigs and crappie nibbles fished around brush and stumps. Bass are biting fairly well on brush and light-colored spinnerbaits. Catfishing is good on worms and chicken livers.  

White River: 

Triangle Sports (870-793-7122) had no report because of high, muddy water.

Maddox Bay: 

Maddox Bay Landing (870-462-8317) said the water is too high and muddy. No one is fishing.

Island 40 Chute: 

Daily’s Boat Dock (870-739-3478) said the river is too high for fishing and is still rising. No fishing.

Horseshoe Lake:

Local angler Clyde Gregory said the water is clear and at normal pool. Bream are slow. Crappie are fair on minnows and jigs. Bass are fair on soft-plastic worms. Catfishing is good on chicken livers.