November 18, 2009 Edition

Fishing Tip:  As the water cools, the metabolism of the fish slows dramatically. Deadsticking a Senko-style bait is a good way to catch a few bass during colder weather. Thread a hook through the bait Texas-style without a weight. Cast it to areas near cover in moderately shallow water (3-5 feet deep) and let it sink. Then let it sit. When you think it’s time to reel it in, let it sit longer. Sometimes a fish will hit the lure after it has been on the bottom for up to a minute. When you can’t stand it any longer, reel the lure in and cast again, repeating the same procedure.

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 stained and at normal level. Bream are biting well on redworms fished in deep water. Crappie are biting well on medium-sized silver minnows and jigs fished in creek channels. Bass fishing is slow. Catfishing is slow.

Dan at Gold Creek Landing (501-607-0590) said crappie fishing has been fair on jigs, shiners and pink minnows. Bass fishing is slow. Bream are fair on redworms and wax worms fished on the bottom. Catfishing is fair on nightcrawlers.

Little Red River: 

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

Jed Hollan at the Little Red Fly Shop said restricted around-the-clock water releases may continue until Dec. 1. Then releases may well increase to two full units non-stop for about a month to drop the lake level. The brown trout spawn is definitely occurring, but there is no way to wade fish the shoals in all this high water. Fishing from a boat is great! If you have a boat and some river knowledge, now is the time to launch! If not, hire a guide and get fishing. Midges remain the dominant species buzzing over the Little Red with blue wing olive mayflies and caddis flies in the mix. High-water tactics should be used along with weighted sub-surface flies. While someone else manages the boat, you should use about 15 feet of leader and tippet combined with a fluorescent cerise or hot pink San Juan worm. You will need lots of sink putty or split shot to sink the fly to the streambed and a large strike indicator to float it.

Greers Ferry:  

As of Tuesday, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reports the lake’s elevation at 475.81 feet MSL (Normal conservation pool – 461 MSL).

Tommy Cauley of Fish Finder Guide Service said the water level is rising. Hybrids and white bass continue to bite very well on vertically jigged spoons, in-line spinners and hair jigs on days with sun, wind and generation. Black bass are biting fairly well on small Rat-L-Traps, spinnerbaits and small cranks fished around the flooded brush. A few will still hit a frog in the brush as well. Outside of the brush line, some deeper fish can be caught on crankbaits, Carolina rigs and football head jigs. Some crappie are in the bushes and some are out a little deeper over brush piles and suspended in the pole timber. Bream are eating crickets and crawlers around shallow bushes. Some walleye are being caught in areas void of hybrids and white bass. Fish a spoon on the bottom. When you catch one, hold your position and get your spoon right back down. You may catch a limit in one spot.

Shiloh Marina (501-825-6237) said bass are schooling fairly well. Top-water lures worked well when they were surface feeding, but once they went deep, live bait was about all they would hit.

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) had no report.  

Lake Overcup:  

Overcup Landing  (501-354-9007) said the water is high and clear. Bream are slow. Crappie are biting well on white/chartreuse jigs in shallow water. Bass are fair on spinnerbaits and soft-plastic worms fished around grass and brush near the bank. Catfishing is fair on worms and cut bait at night.

Brewer Lake:  

Overcup Landing  (501-354-9007) said the water is high and clear. Bream are biting fairly well on redworms and crickets. Crappie are biting well on small minnows and jigs. Bass are fair on buzzbaits and jigs fished around the grass. Catfishing is fair on cut bait and live bream.

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 clear and at normal level. Bream are slow. Crappie are biting well on 2-inch, Tennessee shad-colored grubs. Bass are biting well on watermelon seed lizards in brush about 12 feet deep. Catfishing is slow.

Saline River Access in Benton: 

Turbyfill’s Outdoor Sports (501-315-3061) said the water is clear and at normal level. Bream are slow. Crappie are fair on live bait in 4 to 5 feet of water. Bass are biting well on bright red crawdad-colored crankbaits in 4 to 5 feet of water. Catfishing is slow.  

Arkansas River at Morrilton:

Charley’s Hidden Harbor in Oppelo said the flow is well below the 100,000-mark and is dropping. Catfishing is good on the inside of jetty tips. Live shad and bream fished off the bottom are working well. Stripers are below dams 9 and 10 and are biting well on live shad fished 6 to 8 feet deep. Some very large drum are being caught on Mudbug crankbaits fished around jetties. Largemouth bass are in the creeks and backwater and are fair on soft-plastics. White bass are biting well on Sassy Shads fished around schools of shad in the warm pockets of water near roads in the evenings.

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 for good fishing.

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

McSwain Sports Center (501-945-2471) said the water is still high. Fishing is slow for all species.   

Clear Lake: 

McSwain Sports Center (501-945-2471) had no report.

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 said the White is fishing very well both for boaters and waders during on moderate flows. Places like Rim Shoals, the Narrows, Cotter/Roundhouse and Wildcat have been fishable for waders. Egg patterns have been tremendously productive, pinks, oranges, and other hues have all done very well. With a bunch of browns having started the spawning cycle before the warm weather (and a bunch more ready to go) the rainbows are really keying on eggs. Midge patterns are working as well.

John Berry from Berry Brothers Guide Service said light but steady generation around the clock with slightly higher flows in the afternoon have been the normal conditions. There has been precious little wadable water. We did have a brief (two hour) window of no generation one afternoon. The only thing preventing high levels of generation around the clock is flooding down stream. As soon as it clears, we will see a lot of high water. The stretch from Cotter to Rim Shoals 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 (black zebra midges with silver wire and silver bead) also have been effective. Rim Shoals has cooled down some but is still fishing well. The go-to flies have been Y2Ks and cerise San Juan worms. If you encounter high water, Rim Shoals Trout Dock maintains a water taxi and will ferry you to wadable water for a nominal fee. Some of the more productive water that can be accessed includes the water around Jenkin’s Creek or along the island near the walk-in access.

Sportsman’s White River Resort (870-453-2424) said two to three generators are running fairly steadily. Trout fishing is good from a boat, but most of the fish being caught are small rainbows.

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

Jim Brentlinger at Linger's Guide Service and Fishing Lodge (870-499-5185) had no report.

Crooked Creek: 

John Berry of Berry Brothers Guide Service said Crooked Creek and the Buffalo River are clearing, but fishing is still very slow.

Bull Shoals Lake:

As of Tuesday, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reports the lake’s elevation at 680.20 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 570.66 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) had no report.

John Berry from Berry Brothers Guide Service said the Norfork has received a lot 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 the higher flows hot fluorescent pink San Juan worms and orange egg patterns have been the most effective way to fish. There has been some major work done at Quarry Park. The parking lot at the ramp has been resurfaced. This is a busy ramp and it is great to have it back in service. Dry Run Creek has fished well this past week. There are some big browns that have moved into the creek to spawn. The hot fly, as always, has been the sow bug. San Juan worms and Y2Ks have also accounted for some large fish.

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 1,128.57 feet MSL (Normal conservation pool – 1,120 MSL).

JT’s Crappie Guide Service  (479-640-3980) said bass have been biting shad- and crawdad-colored medium-diving crankbaits along chunk rock banks. Hula grubs have also produced along docks and under flooded bushes. Crappie fishing has been good. Fish have been suspended 10 to 20 feet deep, close to creek channels. Try fishing tube jigs tipped with a minnow around brush piles and pole timber. White bass have been in the main lake, chasing schools of shad 10- to 30-feet deep. Main-lake points and edges of flats have been a good place to look. Small jigging spoons or ¼-oz. Rat-L-Traps have worked best. Catfishing is good on worms or liver from the bank in the Hickory Creek, Monte-NE and Prairie Creek areas.

Southtown Sporting Goods (479-443-7148) said the water has cooled considerably. Bream are slow. Crappie are biting well on minnows and jig and on trolled crankbaits. White bass are schooling around Hickory Creek and Point 12. Black bass are biting well on spinnerbaits, Rat-L-Traps and jigs fished shallow. Drop shot rigs and football head jigs are working fairly well deep. Catfishing is slow.

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) had no report.

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 near brush around the bank. Crappie are biting well on minnows and jigs fished in brush piles form 2 to 4 feet deep. Bass are biting well on spinnerbaits fished around shallow brush. Catfishing is fair on chicken livers and cut goldfish in 4 to 10 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. Bream fishing is fair. Bass fishing is fair on tubes and spinnerbaits. Catfishing is good on worms and stink bait.  

Spring River: 

Mark Crawford at Spring River Fly Shop said water flows this week have dropped below 500 cfs and water clarity is fair. Sunday night brought some rain, but it did not affect the water. Last weekend was pretty busy with other local rivers running high water. Beadhead woolly buggers were the hot flies with some trout preferring olive and some black. Grandma's brownie and cotton candy are still heavy hitters. With all the minnows in the river, a white woolly bugger can be hard to beat.  

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 said the high water continues at Lake Monticello. Bass are biting on a variety of patterns. Carolina-rigged Brush Hogs and 2K Craws are working well around deeper structure. Bass are schooling in several areas. Standard schooling baits (crankbaits, top-waters, plastics) are effective. There is still a structure bite on deep crankbaits and blade-type baits. Jighead worms are taking many fish, too.

Southwest Arkansas

Millwood Lake:  

As of Tuesday, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reports the lake’s elevation at 258.33 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 to 64 degrees. As of Monday, the discharge at the dam is 12,765 CFS. Main-lake visibility is very poor (about 3- to 5-inches of visibility). Bass feeding activity picked up with the lake getting back to normal levels. The best bite is midday with some random schooling in the back of Yarborough Lake and other areas upriver. Rat-L-Traps in Millwood Magic, Tennessee Shad and Yearling Bass/Orange Belly are working well around remaining vegetation near creek channel bends. The Bass Assassin Shads, Johnson spoons, and Yum Buzz Frogs are still working inside the lily pads or vegetation where the Traps can't be used. Slow rolling spinnerbaits in White/ Chartreuse, Spot Remover, or Hot Mouse colors is working well in clearer water. Magnum Tubes like the 3-4" Southern Pro Tubes are working in remaining flooded grass and stumps over the past week now that normal pool is returning. Schooling white bass disappeared with the increase in muddy water and current. They will return and improve over the next week to ten days now that water clarity is improving. The crappie bite almost completely shut down with all the current, muddy water and rapid pool fluctuations. They will improve in the next week as long as the water continues to clear. Channel catfish love the current along Little River and are biting extremely well with the increase in current. They are best on bulky earthworms, cut shad, chicken livers, or Catfish Charlie.

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 544.97 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 407.79 feet MSL (Flood pool – 408 MSL).

Local angler George Graves said water surface temperature is in the low to mid 60s and the water is clear throughout the lake. Very few anglers were on the water, likely because of hunting season. Some decent crappie have been caught on 2-inch grubs fished on a 1/16-ounce jig head directly over brush piles in 25 to 30 feet of water. Most every shelter will hold a few fish but some are definitely better than others. If they are there, the fish will bite right away, so if you don't catch a fish within five minutes, move to another attractor. The best area has been between Caddo Drive and Goat Island. Some big fish are starting to move to the main lake attractors so give these a try. Always start with Tenn. shad for a color and in most cases that is all you will need. No reports on bass, however now is the time of the year to look for fish on the deep ledges. DeGray is an excellent winter bass fishery. The fish will school off deep points and ledges in 25 to 40 feet of water. It is no problem catching a limit when the school is located. Use your sonar to locate the fish and use a Texas-rigged green pumpkin finesse worm with a ¼- to 3/8-ounce weight. Bream fishing is fair and they are mixed in with the crappies in the fish shelters. If you are having trouble catching crappies, drop a worm or cricket for bream.

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 402.94 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 clearing and the current is dropping. Bream are slow. Crappie are fair on minnows. Bass are biting well on minnows and jigs. Catfishing is fair below the dams on cut bait and nightcrawlers.  

Lake Ouachita:

As of Tuesday, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reports the lake’s elevation was 577.98 MSL (Flood pool – 578 MSL).

Larry Hurley from Poorman’s Guide Service said bass fishing is finally improving. Jigs and creature baits fished around the outer edge of the grass will catch a few fish. Spoons fished around deeper timber will catch some Kentucky bass as well. Striper fishing is spotty.

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 had no report.

Lake Hamilton: 

Trader Bill’s Outdoor Sports had no new report.

Daryl Morris of Family Fishing Trips said the winter drawdown is almost complete. Crappie are holding on brush piles on drops that have deep water nearby. Most crappie are being caught 12 to 15 feet deep, but some are being found in water as deep as 20 feet.  

Lake Catherine: 

Shane Goodner, owner of Catch’em All Guide Service, reports that water temperature below Carpenter Dam is 59 degrees with good clarity from the dam to the bridge. The winter drawdown is underway until Nov. 22. Flood gates have been open to bring Lake Ouachita out of flood pool. Rainbow trout season has begun and fish are being caught in the main channels. Rooster Tails in white or brown in 1/8- and 1/16-ounce sizes cast around visible structure will produce strikes from trout that are feeding on threadfin shad. Nightcrawlers and redworms fished just off the bottom are working well as bank fishermen have caught most of the fish last week. Wax worms and meal worms are other good baits for trout. Boaters casting Super Dupers in sliver or gold have caught limits of trout. Fly-fishermen have taken some quality rainbows in the shoal areas with olive or black colored woolly buggers. Micro jigs in white and grey fished under a strike indicator offer feeding trout a perfect imitation of an injured threadfin shad. Hybrid activity is on the rise and has been observed on a daily basis. Top-water action can be fast in the mornings and late evenings. Zara Spooks in shad colors and Tiny Torpedoes in black have been the baits of choice. Large stripers will move into the area as the trout stocking program intensifies later this month. Walleye in the 2- to 3-pound range are being caught in the main channel during periods of generation on small shad-colored crankbaits. Fishermen using Carolina rigs with live minnows have taken the largest walleye as these fish prefer live bait.

Lake Hinkle:  

Bill's Bait Shop (479-637-4719) not many anglers are on the water because of hunting season.

Lake Atkins:

Lucky Landing (479-641-7615) said the water was still falling last week, but it seems to have settled at about 4 feet below normal. The surface temperature is 57 to 54 degrees and dropping daily with the weather. Fishing has been fairly good for crappie and bream. Bass picked up a little, but it’s still mostly small bass being caught. Catfishing was slow.

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 still closed and the river is at 85 feet above sea level. Currently it is falling about 3/10-feet per day. There are still no fishermen out on the high water. The park might get to open soon, (barring no more heavy rains). A few anglers braved the cold and winds yesterday trying to catch some bream from the bank with no luck. 

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 clear and at normal levels. Bream are fair on worms and crickets fished around brush. Crappie are biting well on shiners fished around brush. Bass are biting well around any woody cover on spinnerbaits and crankbaits. Catfishing is good on cut bait.  

White River: 

Triangle Sports (870-793-7122) said bass fishing is fair on Texas-rigged tube baits. No report for any other species.

Maddox Bay: 

Maddox Bay Landing (870-462-8317) said the water is at normal levels and is clearing. Catfishing is fair on trotlines. All other species are slow.

Island 40 Chute: 

Daily’s Boat Dock (870-739-3478) had no report.

Horseshoe Lake:

Local angler Clyde Gregory said the water is clear and high. Bream are slow on crickets fished around cypress trees. Crappie are fair on black jigs fished near the piers. Bass are fair on spinnerbaits. Catfishing is good on cut bait fished in deep water.