December 16, 2009 Edition

Fishing Tip:  During winter, there’s no substitute for a good fish finder. Crappie and bass gather in schools over deep water, and can be nearly impossible to find without a little help from electronics. Troll slowly around the deep side of drop offs and look for concentrations of baitfish, which will resemble clouds or suspended haystacks on your fish finder screen. If you see larger arches or streaks beneath these clouds of baitfish, you’ve found some active fish. Drop a spoon, a small jig or a drop-shot rigged grub down to these fish and be ready.

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 low. No report.

Dan at Gold Creek Landing (501-607-0590) had no report.

Little Red River: 

Lindsey's Resort  (501-302-3139) said the water is clear and two generators are running. Trout fishing is good on drifted nightcrawlers and Little Joe spinners.

Jed Hollan at the Little Red Fly Shop said the Greers Ferry powerhouse is still in full swing with both generators operating at near their maximum capacity along with two flood gates open 12 inches each. The lake level is falling like a stone – 7 feet since Dec. 1. The lake should be at top power pool by about Jan. 3 if there are no large rains. Hopefully, we will see more normal releases soon after the first of the year. The Little Red Fly Shop's hours of operation have changed due to the high river water. Fishing the Little Red while the flood gates are open is not forbidden but I don't recommend it. If you simply must "wet a line", hire an experienced guide with a boat. Be aware that the guide will have very little time to assist you since managing the boat in swift water will be the priority. An egg pattern (14 salmon) or a San Juan worm (14 hot pink) fished deep with plenty of split shot or sink putty to get it down to the streambed along with a large enough strike indicator to float it all is a rig that usually works in high water. Remember, never try to fish and manage a boat at the same time in high water! We will be closed Monday through Thursday and will be open 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. We will resume normal hours immediately after the high river water recedes.

Greers Ferry:  

As of Tuesday, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reports the lake’s elevation at 467.14 feet MSL (Normal conservation pool – 461 MSL).

Tommy Cauley of Fish Finder Guide Service  said the water level is falling fast and the surface temperature is in the low 50s. Hybrid and white bass fishing continues to be good, especially when the sun is shining. The falling water is grouping the shad and the hybrids are grouped up with them. Try spoons, inline spinners, swim baits and hair jigs under deep balls of shad. Bass fishing is slow. Spinnerbaits and jigs pitched to the outside edge of woody cover are working, but it’s a slow bite. No report on crappie, bream, walleye or catfish.

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.

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

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 lake is a little high and clear. Crappie have been biting well, except the last couple of days. White Crappie Stingers and white and white/chartreuse Trout Magnets are working well. Bream are hitting redworms fairly well. Catfish and bass are slow.

Brewer Lake:  

Overcup Landing  (501-354-9007) said the water level is normal and clear. Crappie are being caught with 2-inch white/chartreuse tube jigs and small (no. 4) minnows around buck brush in shallow water. Bream are hitting redworms fairly well. Catfish and bass are slow.

Lake Maumelle: 

Jolly Roger’s Marina  had no report.

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

Lake Valencia: 

Hatchet Jack’s Sport Shop (501-758-4958) said trout have been stocked for the winter and are biting well on Power Bait and nightcrawlers. Catfishing is fair on chicken hearts.

Sunset Lake: 

Turbyfill’s Outdoor Sports (501-315-3061) said bass are fair on Norman crankbaits. All other species are slow.

Saline River Access in Benton: 

Turbyfill’s Outdoor Sports (501-315-3061) said crappie are biting well on white Roadrunners. Bass are fair on moss green Rebel crankbaits. Catfishing and bream fishing are slow.

Arkansas River at Morrilton:

Charley’s Hidden Harbor in Oppelo said the flow has dropped and a few people are getting out on the river for catfish. Sauger are starting to move to the front of dams 9 and 10. Red and chartreuse speck rigs are working well. Stripers are biting fairly well around dams 9 and 10 on live bait floated 4 to 6 feet under the surface. Kentucky bass are against the rock jetties and are biting fairly well in the afternoons. No report on crappie or bream.

Arkansas River (Maumelle Pool):

Hatchet Jack’s Sport Shop (501-758-4958) said that in the Little Maumelle River and Maumelle River, crappie are biting well on minnows and jigs. The best colors for jigs have been blue/white in clear water and chartreuse in muddy water. Catfishing is good on chicken hearts and cut bait. Bass and bream are slow.

Arkansas River (Little Rock Pool):  

Vince Miller from Fish N’ Stuff (501-834-5733) said no one is fishing the river lately. No report. Fish ‘N Stuff will be closed Dec. 21-Jan. 4. Happy Holidays.

Hatchet Jack’s Sport Shop (501-758-4958) said bream are biting fairly well below Murray Lock and dam on small worms. Crappie are biting well on pink minnows fished under a slip-cork rig and on salt-and-pepper jigs below Murray Lock and Dam. White bass are biting well on minnows and jigs below the dam. Catfishing is good on shad or skipjack below the dam and on trotlines baited with shad placed away from current in the backwater.

McSwain Sports Center (501-945-2471) said the water is muddy and the level is normal. Bream are slow. Crappie are biting well on chartreuse jigs in 15 feet of water. Bass are biting well on crankbaits and jig-and-pig combos. Catfishing is fair on skipjack.   

Clear Lake: 

McSwain Sports Center (501-945-2471) said the water is clear and at normal level. Bream are slow on worms. Crappie are excellent on minnows. Bass are biting well on spinnerbaits. Catfishing is fair on worms.

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) said crappie are biting well on pink minnows and red/chartreuse jigs.

North Arkansas

White River: 

John Berry from Berry Brothers Guide Service said there has been precious little wadable water, and the releases have increased. If you are fishing on the White River, carefully monitor the water level and avoid boating on it.

Sportsman’s White River Resort (870-453-2424) said the water is very high, with 8 generators running around the clock. The water is very high, but some anglers are fishing and catching a few on crankbaits and jigs.

Zachary Hoyt at Just Fishing Guides said generation is around the clock with seven or eight units running and several flood gates open slightly. Use high-water nymph tactics from a boat with San Juan worms, scuds, sow bugs, pheasant tails and zebra midges (sizes 10-14). Concentrate your drifts over flooded grass beds. Also try high-water streamer fishing using woolly buggers, slump busters, zoo cougars and various sculpin patterns (sizes 4-8) on fast type 4 or 5 sink-tips or full sinking lines. Concentrate on various bank structure such as boulders, root wads and laydowns.

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

Jim Brentlinger at Linger's Guide Service and Fishing Lodge (870-499-5185) said fishing has been tough. Rapala crankbaits are producing a few fish, but it’s very slow. Quarter-ounce Zig Jigs also produce an occasional fish but you need to make sure it is getting close to the bottom. Power Bait will produce if you use enough weight to get it on the bottom. Seven units are running around the clock at Bull Shoals and five spillway gates are open.

Crooked Creek: 

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

Zachary Hoyt at Just Fishing Guides had no report.

Bull Shoals Lake:

As of Tuesday, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reports the lake’s elevation at 671.44 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 561.48 feet MSL (Normal conservation pool: Sept.-April – 552 MSL, April-Sept. – 554 MSL).

101 Grocery and Bait  said fishing live bait is the key to hooking into a striped bass this time of year. Shiners are the hot bait. The water temperature is in the upper 50-degree range and it is getting cooler every day. If striper fishing is your thing, it's time to get on the water. Crappie fishing has been fair and of course live bait is the bait of choice. White bass fishing is good. Walleye fishing is fair. Largemouth, smallmouth and Kentucky bass fishing is fair. Sunfish and catfish fishing are fair. The night bite for stripers and walleye should begin any time now using Rogues.

Norfork Tailwater: 

Jim Brentlinger at Linger's Guide Service and Fishing Lodge (870-499-5185) said two generators and two spillway gates are running continuously. Fishing is very slow.

John Berry from Berry Brothers Guide Service said monitor the water levels on the Norfork and do not attempt boating on it until the Corps of Engineers closes the flood gates and limits flows to generation from the dam. The boat ramp at Quarry Park is flooded and closed to all traffic. The high water levels washed away all of the recently installed landscaping. Hopefully there will be no further damage to the recently resurfaced ramp parking lot.

Zachary Hoyt at Just Fishing Guides said generation has been around the clock as the Corps lowers the lake to power pool. Drift-fishing from a boat is the only option during this period of high water. Use high-water nymph tactics with larger flies: San Juan worms, scuds, sow bugs, pheasant tails and zebra midges (sizes 12-16). Also use high-water streamer fishing with type 4 or 5 fast sink-tips or full sinking lines. Try woolly buggers, slump busters, zoo cougars or various sculpin patterns in sizes 4 - 8. Be extremely cautious if you do decide to fish on the high water. Don’t anchor and keep one person designated to pilot the boat at all times.

Northwest Arkansas

Beaver Lake:  

As of Tuesday, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reports the lake’s elevation at 1,127.50 feet MSL (Normal conservation pool – 1,120 MSL).

Bailey’s Beaver Lake Guide Service  said stripers are scattered, but are hitting shad all over the lake. The hottest action has come on shad and brood minnows fished 10-20 feet deep under balloons set 50-100 feet behind the boat (stagger your balloons so you don't tangle.). On windy days, fish the coves that the wind is blowing into; on still days, fish deeper near the main channel. This is a pattern that will generally hold all winter. Last week's cold front caused a shad kill and had the stripers feeding on bottom as they ate the dead/dying bait. In this scenario you would want to anchor on a point or piece of structure so you could present your baits on or near the bottom using a slip-sinker rig fished between 15-25 feet deep, wherever you are marking bait near the bottom. With another impending cold front for this week we could see stripers feeding on the bottom again. The following areas will hold fish, but you may have to adjust your technique to the weather conditions: On the White River from the Highway 12 Bridge to the Highway 412 Bridge, concentrate efforts in backs of coves and shallow flats near the river/creek channel. Hickory Creek is producing fish. Try the main river channel and the Hickory Creek arm. The striper alley area in Horseshoe Bend is producing fish on the flats near the main river channel. The Joe creek area is also producing. The Monte Ne area has been producing fish. Look near the mouth and on the flats near the main river channel. Some fish have been caught as far back as the boat ramp. In War Eagle, concentrate your efforts from the War Eagle/White River junction up War Eagle to the Sidewalk Hole. Some fish are being taken near the power lines at the lower end near the White River. White bass and hybrids can be taken in the area all the way up to the mill. Try fishing Rooster Tails or jigging spoons in silver or gold/chartreuse. Around Lost Bridge, most fish are being caught on the bottom near Fish Trap Hollow and Pine Log. The best area in Prairie Creek is up river from the 12 Bridge up to and including Blackburn Creek. On the main lake try fishing jigging spoons or live bait on the bottom on rocky points 4, 5-, 6, 9, 10, 11 and 12. Concentrate on water 20-30 feet deep.

JT’s Crappie Guide Service  (479-640-3980) said bass fishing has been fair using crawdad-colored crankbaits along sloping chunk-rock banks with timber. Another option is to drop a Texas-rigged worm or a jigging spoon beside pole timber in at least 25 feet of water. Crappie fishing is fair on curly tailed grubs fished slowly along timber in 25 to 40 feet of water. White bass have been holding on main-lake points, suspending anywhere from 15 feet to 35 feet. Locate shad and drop a ¼-oz. jigging spoon down to them. Catfishing is slow. Try using worms or liver in the evenings from the bank close to the main channel drops.

Southtown Sporting Goods (479-443-7148) said the water is clear and high. Crappie are biting fairly well on minnows in 8-12 feet of water. Bass are slow, but a few have been caught on spoons, crankbaits and spinnerbaits fished in deep water. Stripers have been fair around Hickory Creek on live shad.

Beaver Tailwaters: 

Zachary Hoyt at Just Fishing Guides said generation has been sporadic, but there is some low water wading at some point during the day. During periods of low water, try swinging small soft hackles (sizes 14-18) or stripping small streamers such as woolly buggers, 56ers, slump busters or sparrows (sizes 8-12). Also, try nymphing with small scuds, sow bugs, pheasant tails and zebra midges (sizes 14-20) using 6x or 7x tippet with a 9- to 12-foot leader. Use as small an indicator as possible in natural colors like white, blue or black to spook fewer fish. During periods of high water, drift fishing from a boat is the best option. Try high-water nymph tactics with larger flies such as San Juan worms, scuds, sow bugs, zebra midges and pheasant tails (sizes 12 - 16). Concentrate your drifts along the slower current seams along channel banks and drop offs.

Kings River:

Ken Richards at Just Fishing Guides said had no report.

Lake Fayetteville: 

Lake Fayetteville Boat Dock (479-444-3476) said fishing is slow and no anglers are visiting the lake. Lake Fayetteville Boat Dock will be closed Dec. 23-Jan. 15.

Lake Sequoyah: 

Lake Sequoyah Boat Dock (479-444-3475) said the water is clear and at normal levels. Bream are biting well on worms and small spinners and crankbaits around stumps and weeds in 1 to 5 feet of water. Crappie are biting well on jigs fished next to stumps in 1 to 5 feet of water. Bass are biting well on crankbaits. Catfishing is slow, but a few have been caught on goldfish, cut shad and bream. Overall, fishing is good for this time of year.

Northeast Arkansas

Crown Lake: 

Boxhound Marina  ( 870-670-4496) said the water is clear and at normal levels. Bream are biting fairly well on redworms. Crappie are biting well on small jigs. Bass are fair on Eakin’s jigs tipped with a grub. Catfishing is slow.

Lake Frierson: 

Lake Frierson State Park  said no anglers are visiting the water. No report.  

Spring River: 

Mark Crawford at Spring River Fly Shop said the river is looking very good. Water levels are at 430cfs and water clarity is good. When the weather is up around 40 degrees, the caddis are coming off the banks. The Brownie, Y2K, Snail and Peeping Caddis are the flies that are hot right now. It is a great time to come fish. 

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 256.23 feet MSL (Normal conservation pool – 259.2 MSL).

Millwood Lake Guide Service  said, as of Monday, the lake level is 2.75 feet below normal. The surface temperature is 49 to 53 degrees, depending on time of day and location. The discharge at the dam is 4,657 CFS and clarity has improved to 9 to 12 inches of visibility. The boat ramp at Millwood State Park has been repaired, but most ramps around the lake are unusable because of the low water during the planned drawdown. The ramps at Yarborough and Jack’s Isle are still open. Use extreme caution navigating the lake; many river markers are missing or have been pushed out of the channel. Be cautious in boat lanes, as the drawdown places many stumps within reach of your lower unit. Fishing is following normal late fall/early winter patterns. The feeding level of bass has slowed and the best bite is during the warmest part of the day. Schooling activity has ended. The best bass bite has been on crankbaits or smoke grubs fished over schools of fish in 12-18 feet of water along Little River. Dead-sticking a Bass Assassin Shad jerk bait and Senkos and trick worms on a light wire hook and allowing it to fall to suspended bass has worked as well. Rat-L-Traps, Cordell Big O or XCalibur Fat Free Shad crankbaits are still working. Carolina-rigged trick worms and French fries (watermelon/red, pumpkinseed/chartreuse) are taking some keeper-sized bass, but the best bite is a reaction presentation with a Rat-L-Trap, slow-rolled spinnerbait or crankbait. Magnum tubes like the 3- or 4-inch Southern Pro Fatbutt Tube (pumpkinseed/chartreuse tail, purple smoke, smoke/black/red flake with chartreuse tail). Flipping stumps, cypress trees, and laydown trees near deep water is the best bet for jig fishing (Texas Craw, black/blue, or pumpkin/chartreuse are the best colors). No report for White Bass. Crappie are biting well now that the water has cooled and cleared. Crappie are stacking vertically along planted brush piles in Little River. Try 11-12 feet deep on live shiners, hair jigs and tubes in white or white/chartreuse. Channel catfish are biting extremely well on bulky earthworms, cut shad, chicken livers and Catfish Charlie.

White Oak Lake:

Local angler John Tilley said there isn’t much fishing going on at White Oak because of the weather. The lake is being dropped 7 feet to make repairs to Starnes Landing ramp and the parking lot. The water should be back to normal level some time in February. No other fishing information available at this time.

Lake Greeson:  

As of Tuesday, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reports the lake’s elevation was 541.97 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 407.30 feet MSL (Flood pool – 408 MSL).

Local angler George Graves had no new report for this week, but last week he said the water temperature is in the mid 50s and the water is clear throughout the lake. Bass fishing is fair, but the fish are scattered. Most are being caught on points and ledges 25 to 40 feet deep with heavy jigs with trailers and Texas-rigged finesse worms. Green pumpkin, brown and red shad are the best colors. The sudden drop in water temperature schooled up the shad deep. Don't waste too much time on any spot, because the fish are really scattered. Main-lake points, ledges and humps between Caddo Drive and Point Cedar are producing the best. Crappie fishing has slowed considerably. Some big fish are being taken from main lake brush/cane attractors. The best bet is fishing attractors in 28 to 30 feet of water. The fish are buried in the thickest part so be sure to stay right over the shelter. A 1/16-ounce jighead with a 2-inch Tennessee shad grub is still working well between Caddo Drive and Point 14. Bream fishing is good around fish shelters. Fish the same shelters you would for crappie with redworms and crickets. Some hybrids are starting to show on the big flat between Point Cedar and Shouse Ford. The fish are scattered and reluctant to bite. However in the next few weeks the fish will school in this area and the bite will be on. Look for fish on the bottom in about 30 feet and drop a jigging spoon. A ½-ounce Hopkins Smoothie with chartreuse foil tape works well.

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 had no report.

Blue Mountain Lake:

As of Tuesday, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reports the lake’s elevation was 384.60 feet MSL.

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

Ozark Pool:

Lakeside Food Mart (479-667-5155) said the water is at normal flow. The surface temperature is cold and the water is clear. Crappie are biting well on jigs tipped with a minnow. White bass are biting well on minnows and jigs as well. Catfishing is fair on cut bait and minnows. Black bass and bream are slow.  

Lake Ouachita:

As of Tuesday, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reports the lake’s elevation was 576.98 MSL (Flood pool – 578 MSL).

Larry Hurley from Poorman’s Guide Service said bass fishing is good with some quality fish being caught in and around the grass on green pumpkin jigs and brush hogs. Concentrate your efforts in 25 feet of water.

Mountain Harbor Resort  said the water is 46-50 degrees and is clearing. Largemouth bass are very good on jigs fished in brush piles on points or humps in 18 to 25 feet of water. Deep-running crankbaits are working well fished near drop-offs and ledges. Walleye are still fair and being caught on jigging spoons or fluorescent jigs tipped with minnows on main-lake points or humps near deep water in depths of 20 to 30 feet. Stripers are fair on live shad or trotline minnows. Main-lake points near creek channels or open water humps are the best areas. Crappie are still good and being caught near brush in water 20 to 30 feet deep. Minnows or crappie grubs are still working best. Tennessee shad and Arkansas shad are the best colors for artificial baits. Catfish are still fair and being caught on cut bait and live bait on jug lines and trotlines.

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 water temperature is in the mid-50s. Crappie fishing is excellent on points and humps near deep water. Bass fishing is fair.

Lake Catherine: 

Shane Goodner, owner of Catch’em All Guide Service, said water temperature has fallen to 49 degrees below Carpenter Dam. Clarity is fair to dingy with all the generation that is taking place. Rainbow trout fishing has picked up as trout downstream have made their way up into areas where fishermen have access to them. Bank fishermen are having trouble managing the swift flows, but are finding areas of less current where trout are holding. Nightcrawlers and redworms fished just off the bottom with marshmallows have taken limits of trout. Wax worms will also work well using the same technique. Rooster Tails in white or brown have been the best artificial lure as rainbows are keying on injured threadfin shad. Fly-fishermen are able to wade into prime areas with the low water conditions and have caught quality trout casting San Juan worms in red or pink under a strike indicator. Micro jigs in white or black have also provided some good action. Egg patterns are working well and are a go-to presentation when fishing gets tough. White and hybrid bass continue chasing shad. Top-water action usually occurs in the late evening with little or no activity in the morning. Jerk baits and small jigs are a deadly presentation to use on these fish and will almost guarantee results when used in areas where schooling fish are present. Some stripers have been caught below the bridge in the main channel. Trolling large Rapalas and casting ¼-ounce jigs hooked several stripers in the 10- to 12-pound range. Big striped bass will move into the shallow water around the dam as the trout stocking program becomes more regular. Boaters are advised to use extreme caution when navigating the waters below Carpenter Dam as many hazards are exposed with the 5-foot drawdown this year.

Lake Hinkle:  

Bill's Bait Shop (479-637-4719) said no one is fishing.

Lake Atkins:

Ken Vinson at Lucky Landing (479-641-7615) said the water level is stable and the water temperature is 38 to 40 degrees. Crappie are beginning to pick up out in the timber and around the banks. Many crappie being caught are still small, but some very nice fish in the 21/2-3-pound range have been caught on minnows. Bass are fair, but almost all of them have been small. Catfishing and bream fishing are fair in deep water.

South Central Arkansas

Moro Bay: 

Moro Bay State Park at the junction of the Ouachita River, Raymond Lake and Moro Bay said the river is 80 feet above sea level (15 feet above normal). Fishing is slow for all recreational anglers.

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 murky and high in the harbor. Bream are slow. Bass are fair on crankbaits and jig-and-pig combos. Catfishing is fair on chicken liver. Crappie are biting well on red shiners.

White River: 

Triangle Sports (870-793-7122) said the water is still very high. All the fish have gone deep with the weather.

Maddox Bay: 

Maddox Bay Landing (870-462-8317) said fishing is very slow because of the weather and hunting seasons.

Island 40 Chute: 

Daily’s Boat Dock (870-739-3478) said the water is high and rising. Fishing is nearly impossible with the high water and current.

Horseshoe Lake:

Local angler Clyde Gregory said very few people have been fishing because of the wind and cold. The water is a little high and clear. Crappie are biting well on black/chartreuse jigs fished around piers. No report on any other species.