Fishing Tip:   Summertime bass can be very finicky during the heat of the day. Larry Hurley of Poorman’s Guide Service gives this advice: When the bite is very tough, go deep with hand-poured finesse worms like those by Magic Worm company. Hand-poured soft plastics are much more flexible and lifelike than injection-molded soft plastics. On a tough day, that may make all the difference. 
 
Arkansas River Levels: According to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, as of Wednesday the Arkansas River stages are:

12.93 feet at Dardanelle (flood stage – 32 feet)
16.23 feet at Morrilton (flood stage – 30 feet)
7.65 feet at Little Rock (flood stage – 23 feet)
32.03 feet at Pine Bluff (flood stage – 42 feet)
26.73 feet at Pendleton (flood stage – 31 feet)

White River Levels: According to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, as of Wednesday the White River stages are:

6.57 feet at Georgetown (flood stage – 21 feet)
18.60 feet at Augusta (flood stage – 26 feet)
6.51 feet at Newport (flood stage – 26 feet)
7.92 feet at Batesville (flood stage – 15 feet)
5.37 feet at Calico Rock (flood stage – 19 feet)

Statewide Family and Community Fishing Report:   Channel catfish are being stocked in all program ponds and are biting well on worms, chicken liver, hot dogs, shrimp and paste baits. Channel catfish are being caught with more success in early mornings and late evenings. Bream are still biting well on crickets, wax worms and redworms. To improve bream fishing, try fishing near any submerged brush. Little Rock and Cabot program ponds were stocked with adult largemouth bass averaging 3 pounds. Be sure to follow all regulations associated with largemouth bass fishing. For more information on stockings, call toll free 1-866-540-FISH (3474).
 
 
CENTRAL ARKANSAS 
Lake Conway : Bates Field and Stream (501-470-1846) said the water is at normal level and clarity. Bream are on beds in 2 to 3 feet of water and are biting anything that gets near them. Catfishing is decent on live bream strung from trotlines. All other species are slow.

Palarm Creek: Hatchet Jacks Sport Shop said bream are fair on crickets and redworms. Catfishing is good on trotlines and limblines baited with green sunfish. Bass and crappie fishing are poor.

Little Red River: Lindsey's Resort (501-302-3139) said there were many anglers on the water this weekend. Low releases made for great fly-fishing as well as bait fishing. The best baits were wax worms, marshmallows and PowerBait.

Jed Hollan at the Little Red Fly Shop said moderate temperatures and water stockpiling because of an expected dry summer have led to small but daily water releases. There has only been a fraction of the typical generation patterns and the releases are primarily in the afternoons. The river is very clear and cold. The fishing remains spotty with reports of larger than average fish being caught. Soft hackle emergers are working well, especially during a hatch. Try a red butt midge, partridge and orange, partridge and yellow and partridge and green emergers are all working. Cast slightly down and across the current, mend your line and let the fly swing in the current. When the fly gets to the end of the swing (straight down current from you) give it a little twitch or strip it back slowly.

Greers Ferry: As of Tuesday, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reports the lake’s elevation at 461.76 feet MSL.

Tommy Cauley of Fish Finder Guide Service said hybrids and whites are starting to move out to deeper water and surface feed on shad. If you can find an active school, top-water lures, spoons and Buckshot in-line spinners will catch plenty. Walleye are biting well on cloudy days in 8- 23 feet of water on nightcrawlers dragged across the bottom. Crappie are biting very well in 15 to 20 feet of water over brush piles on jigs tipped with minnows. Bream are spawning in the shallows and can be caught with nightcrawlers and crickets as well as small spinners. Catfish are doing very well all over the lake and can be caught with about anything you want to use in 8-17 feet of water. Bass are finally getting in their summer pattern (channel swings, drops and ledges as well as pole timber). They can be caught by swimming grubs through standing timber, on top-water lures and on Texas-rigged or Carolina-rigged soft-plastics. Buzzbaits and top waters are working early and late near any grass you can find, but the top-water bite shuts off as soon as the sun is up.

Harris Brake Lake: Coffee Creek Landing (501-889-2745) said the water is clear and at normal level. Bream are biting very well on worms and crickets close to the banks. Crappie are poor. Catfishing is fair on trotlines baited with large minnows or small bream. Hybrids are biting very well on Rat-L-Traps and Hot Spots in deeper water during the afternoons.

Lake Overcup : Lakeview Landing (501-354-1470) said the water has a green tinge and is down a little. Bream are biting well on redworms, crickets and black rock hoppers. Crappie are biting well on minnows. Bass are biting well on white Horny Toads, minnows and nightcrawlers fished along the bottom. Catfishing is fair on minnows and live bait.

Overcup Landing (501-354-9007) said the water is clear and at normal level. Bream are biting well on wax worms and crickets. Crappie are fair on salt-and-pepper jigs in 10 to 12 feet of water. Bass are biting well in the mornings on top-water lures and white or pink Flukes. Catfishing is poor on shrimp and small bream.

Brewer Lake : Overcup Landing (501-354-9007) said the water is clear and at normal level. Bream are biting well on redworms and crickets. Crappie are slow on minnows. Bass are fair on top-water lures. Catfishing is good on chicken livers and nightcrawlers.

Little MaumelleRiver: River Valley Bait (501-868-3279) said fishing has been terrible. The water is low because of the strong current in the Arkansas River.

Lake Maumelle: Jolly Roger’s Marina said largemouth bass are biting well on top-water lures in the mornings and on soft-plastic tubes and lizards once the sun comes up. Concentrate on water 10 to 15 feet deep during the day. Spinnerbaits and wake baits are catching bass well at night. There are some Kentucky bass mixed in with the largemouths. The Kentuckies are in excellent shape. White bass are biting well, schooling in the mornings from the east end of the lake all the way to the chimney. CC Spoons, Mr. Champs and Rooster Tails are working well. Crappie are biting well on minnows from 10 to 15 feet deep. Bream are biting excellently on crickets. They are bedding up with many larger ones slightly deeper than the beds. Catfishing is good in shallow water around the chimney and the flats around Patrick’s Point.

Hatchet Jacks Sport Shop said bream are biting well in 12 to 14 feet of water on crickets fished on a tight line with a single split shot for a weight. Bass are fair on Rattling Rogues fished near main lake points.

Lake Valencia : Hatchet Jack’s Sport Shop said catfishing is excellent on nightcrawlers and chicken livers.

Sunset Lake : Turbyfill’s Outdoor Sports (501-315-3061) said the water is clear and at normal level. Bream are biting well on crickets. Crappie are slow. Bass are biting fairly well on soft-plastic worms fished around brush in 10 to 12 feet of water. Catfishing is good on live bait fished around 3 to 6 feet deep.

Saline River Access in Benton: Turbyfill’s Outdoor Sports (501-315-3061) said bream are biting excellently on worms and crickets. Crappie are fair on minnows and jigs fished around standing brush. Bass are good on top-water lures. Catfishing is excellent on live bait fished 4 to 6 feet deep.

Lake Pickthorne : Hatchet Jacks Sport Shop said bream are biting excellently on crickets fished around stump beds. Bass are biting well on top-water lures early and late in the day. Catfishing is good on cut bait fished near the channel around the levee.

Arkansas River at Morrilton: Charley’s HiddenHarbor in Oppelo said the flow from Lock 9 is 8,300 cubic feet per second with a headwater of 285.5 and a tailwater of 272.9. Catfishing is good below locks 9 and 10 on whole shad fished on a three-way rig. Kentucky bass are biting well on chatterbaits fished along the mud lines near the channel. Largemouth bass are biting spinnerbaits fairly well in 3 to 8 feet of water. Stripers are below the dams and biting well on shad and live bream fished around 8 feet deep near outside swirls in the current. White bass are running to the edge of the current, chasing shad. Pearl-colored Bombers and Shad Raps are working well. Bream are biting well on crickets fished around overhangs. Crappie are biting fair on minnows fished around overhangs near 3 to 10 feet deep.

Murray Lock and Dam: Hatchet Jack’s Sport Shop said crappie are biting well on live minnows. Bass are biting well on 3-inch twister-tailed grubs. Catfishing is excellent on live green sunfish. Stripers and white bass are biting well on large white split tails and twister-tailed grubs.
 
 
NORTH ARKANSAS 
White River: Gaston’s White River Resort said the recent low water has been offering some excellent fishing lately. Water generation has been slim to none with one or two power units operating in the morning. Wax worms teamed up with a yellow Power Egg are working well on the trout. Mepps spinners, brown Rooster Tails, Colorado Spoons and Buoyant Spoons are all working as well. The best flies reported are the olive beadhead woolly bugger, squirrel tail nymphs, partridge and orange soft hackles and the bulbous bivisible.

Bull Shoals Lake : As of Tuesday, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reports the lake’s elevation at 656.83 feet MSL.

 LakeNorfork:As of Tuesday, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reports the lake’s elevation at 555.02 feet MSL.

Cranfield Junction Bait and Tackle (870-492-5141) said the water is 3 feet higher than normal. Bream are biting well on worms and crickets. Crappie are slow. Bass fishing at night is good on dark-colored jigs and salt craws. Catfishing is picking up on trotlines baited with live shad.

Norfork Tailwater: Gene’s Trout Dock (870-499-5381) said the water is clear and the flow is good with one to two generators running. Trout fishing has been good on nightcrawlers and chartreuse PowerBait.

Mountain River Fly Shop said the river has had low water in the mornings to mid afternoon, and the fish are feisty. Some sulphurs are being seen in the afternoon. The hatch is not full blown but soon will be.  A Humpback Sulphurnymph, Parachute Sulphur, or Copper Anna “K”soft hackle are the best bet once the hatch hits.
 
 
NORTHWEST ARKANSAS 
Beaver Lake : As of Tuesday, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reports the lake’s elevation at 1,121.23 feet MSL.

Southtown Sporting Goods (479-443-7148) said the water is very clear. Bream are bedded up and biting very well on crickets. Crappie are biting well on black/chartreuse jigs fished under lights at night. Bass are biting ell on spinnerbaits during the day and on black spinnerbaits at night. A large, dark-colored 10-inch plastic worm is also working well at night. Stripers are fairly slow, but a few have been caught on shad in 15 to 20 feet of water. Catfishing is very good on jugs and noodles baited with live bream.

Brad Wiegmann of Wiegmann’s Guide Service said largemouth, spotted, and smallmouth bass have been hard to find and are in post-spawn mode. The best action has been around the Highway 12 Bridge and dam on top-water lures in the early mornings. White bass are schooling around the Highway 12 Bridge and coves in the mid-lake area. Small top-water lures have been the most productive. Stripers should be gathering around deeper water near underwater clusters of trees. The best bite is at night and early morning.

Lake Fayetteville: Lake Fayetteville Boat Dock (479-444-3476) said the water is clear and at normal level. Bream are biting well on crickets and redworms. Crappie are poor. Bass fishing is good in the shallows on shallow-diving crankbaits and buzzbaits. Catfishing is good on stinkbait, chicken livers and worms.

Lake Sequoyah: Lake Sequoyah Boat Dock (479-444-3475) said the water is at a good level and the fishing is picking up. Bream are biting well on worms fished around cover. A few crappie have been caught on a jig-and-minnow combination. Catfishing is fair on prepared baits. Largemouth bass are biting well on buzzbaits early in the mornings.

Sugarloaf Lake: Midland Minimart said the water is clear. Bream are biting well on worms and crickets. A few crappie are being caught on live minnows. Catfishing is good on chicken livers.
 
 
NORTHEAST ARKANSAS 
 
Lake Frierson:Lake Frierson State Park said the water is muddy. Catfishing has been good on live goldfish.
 
 
SOUTHEAST ARKANSAS 
Lake Chicot :  Koenig Bass Tracker Marine (870-265-5374) said the water is low. Bream are biting well on wax worms and crickets. Crappie are poor. Catfishing is good on nightcrawlers.

Grand Lake :   Koenig Bass Tracker Marine (870-265-5374) said bream are biting well on red wigglers. Crappie are fair on minnows and jigs trolled slowly around main lake ledges. Catfishing is good on yo-yos and limblines baited with worms.
 
 
SOUTHWEST ARKANSAS 
Millwood Lake : As of Tuesday, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reports the lake’s elevation at 259.67 feet MSL.

Millwood Lake Guide Service said water surface temperature ranges from 74 to 81 degrees, depending on location and time of day.  The water level is steady and the current has increased to 1,979 cubic feet per second. Bass and crappie fishing are improving. Crappie are still scattered anywhere from 6 inches to 20 feet deep near the river, but are biting well on live shiners and jigs fished over brush piles. Bass are roaming back and forth from shallow to deep water, taking advantage of nest-making bream. Some good-size bass are blowing up and chasing bream in floating grass beds. The best bite has been on salad spoons and Johnson spoons in grass and lily pads. Buzz baits, top-water frogs and toads, Bass Assassin Shads and Johnson silver and gold spoons and weedless spoons are catching good bass up to 7 pounds in the grass beds. If the fish blows up on a spoon and misses, be quick to throw a 10-inch Old Monster or Power worm in Junebug/red, red shad or watermelon/red in where he missed the spoon. Last week, we had decent responses from bass with a Twitch worm in kiwi, watermelon/red and white ice colors, fished wacky style with a very light wire hook. Rat-L-Traps in baby bream, baby bass, or chrome are working on sunny days, and War Eagle spinnerbaits in spot remover and blue gill colors, are picking up roaming fish, erratically. White bass are being caught slow-trolling chartreuse crankbaits and Rat-L-Traps in Little River between Jack's Isle and Pugh Slough. Bream are biting very well on crickets and redworms, in and around MillwoodState Park. Channel Catfish improved with increase of current. The best bet is a trotline baited with cut shad, dog food and chicken liver. Yo-yos are back in action, and catching 3-4 pounders, using Catfish Charlie hung from low cypress limbs over 7-8 feet depths.

Lake Columbia : Steve's Marine (870-234-2222) said the water is at normal level. Bream are biting well on redworms and crickets. Crappie are very deep and are not biting well. A few crappie have been caught on minnows. Bass are biting well on Rat-L-Traps, Ribbit frogs and pumpkinseed soft-plastics in 6 to 10 feet of water. Catfishing is good on cut bait and worms.

Lake Erling : Steve's Marine (870-234-2222) said the water is at normal level. Bream are biting well on redworms and crickets. Crappie are very deep and are not biting well. A few crappie have been caught on minnows. Bass are biting well on Rat-L-Traps, Ribbit frogs and pumpkinseed soft-plastics in 6 to 10 feet of water. Catfishing is good on cut bait and worms.

Lake Greeson : As of Tuesday, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reports the lake’s elevation at 546.49 feet MSL.

Lakeside Grocery, Motel and Bait (870-398-5304) said the water is high and clear. Bream are biting excellently on crickets and worms. Crappie are fair on minnows fished 15 to 20 feet deep. Bass are fair on crankbaits and top-water lures. Catfishing is good on jugs baited with bream. Stripers are schooling in the mornings and biting well on top-water lures and spoons. Walleye are biting well on crankbaits and jigs fished around brush piles.

DeGray Lake: As of Tuesday, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reports the lake’s elevation at 407.56 feet MSL.
 
 
WEST-CENTRAL ARKANSAS 
 
LakeDardanelle: Murphy’s Sporting Goods (479-229-3200) said the water is high and muddy. Bream are biting well on worms and crickets. Crappie have moved deep and are hard to find. Bass are biting well in the shallows on spinnerbaits, crankbaits and soft-plastic worms. Catfishing is good on stinkbait and chicken livers.

BlueMountainLake: As of Tuesday, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reports the lake’s elevation at 387.22 feet MSL.

CNC’s End of the Line (479-947-2398) said bream are biting very well on redworms and crickets. Crappie are biting well on minnows and jigs. Bass are slow. Catfishing is good on worms and chicken livers with some good-size cats being pulled from the river channel as well as the main lake.

Ozark Pool:Lakeside Food Mart (479-667-5155) said the water is muddy from the current. Bream are biting well on crickets and Bream Killer flies. Bass are biting well on spinnerbaits and crankbaits. Catfishing is good on worms and shad.

LakeOuachita: As of Tuesday, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reports the lake’s elevation at 577.40 feet MSL.

Larry Hurley from Poorman’s Guide Service said Walleye fishing is excellent with limits being caught on Shad Raps and spinnerbaits fished over the grass. Bass fishing is good. Top-water lures such as clear Zara Spooks are working well early and late in the day over ledges on the main lake and in the creeks. Bream are good on crickets. They are scattered and at different depths every day, from 4 feet to 16 feet deep. Stripers are biting well with schooling action early and late. Catfish are good in 8 to 10 feet of water on crickets.

LakeCatherine:Diamondhead Marina (501-262-2272) said the water is clear and at normal pool. Bream are bedding up around the shoreline and biting well on crickets. Crappie are fair on minnows. Bass are fair on Texas-rigged brush hogs and Chug Bug top-waters. Catfishing is good on nightcrawlers in shallow coves. Walleye fishing is picking up on spinner rigs and crawler harnesses trolled in 14 feet of water.

Shane Goodner, owner of Catch’em All Guide Service, reports that the water temperature varies from 55 to 60 degrees during the day as Entergy operates on a regular generation schedule. The trout population at Carpenter continues to thrive in the fertile waters that are teeming with threadfin shad. Limits of trout are being caught daily by bank fishermen who are casting redworms, wax worms, live shad and PowerBait. Although the moss growth hinders fishing somewhat, the trout bite is very good with most of the fish in the 12- to 16-inch range. Boaters trolling the channels during periods of generation with small crawfish crankbaits are doing well. Casting Rooster Tails, 1/16-ounce jigs and white, brown and silver Rapalas is working as well. Fly-anglers are doing well on olive-colored woolly buggers and San Juan worms in areas where there is some current out of the main flow. Stripers and hybrids have been decent near the dam on large top-water baits such as Zara spooks and C10 Redfins. Fishing with large gizzard shad is the most effective presentation to catch large stripers.

LakeHamilton: Larry Hurley from Poorman’s Guide Service said the heavy boat traffic over the holiday weekend kept most of the fishing slow and most of the anglers off the water.

LakeHinkle: Bill's Bait Shop (479-637-4719) said the water has a green stain, but is clearing. Bream are biting well on crickets with some good size bluegill being caught. Crappie are biting well on minnows and jigs. Bass are biting well on soft-plastics and crankbaits. Catfishing is good on shiners and chicken livers. 

LakeAtkins: Lucky Landing (479-641-7615) said the water is clearing. Bream are biting fairly well on worms and crickets. Crappie are slow. Bass are biting well on spinnerbaits, crankbaits and soft-plastics fished shallow. Catfishing is good. 

LakeNimrod: As of Tuesday, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reports the lake’s elevation at 345.25 feet MSL.

Local angler Billy Blankenship said the bream are bedded up and biting excellently on crickets. Many anglers are out enjoying the bream fishing and loading the boat. Catfishing is good on trotlines baited with chicken livers. No report on any other species. 
 
SOUTH-CENTRAL ARKANSAS 
Moro Bay: Moro Bay State Park said the water level is back to normal and the fishing has been fairly good. Bream have started biting well on crickets and worms close to docks on the river and around the base of cypress trees in the bay. Several nice catfish were caught over the holiday weekend including a 40-pound blue catfish. They are hitting best on live bream. Crappie and Bass can be caught early in the morning, but the bite is spotty at best.
 
 
EAST ARKANSAS 
Arkansas River (Pine Bluff): River City Sporting Goods (870-534-8303) said the water is muddy and falling. Bream are fair on crickets and worms. Crappie have moved deep and are slow. Bass are biting fairly well on spinnerbaits and crankbaits fished around the edges of current. Catfishing is good around deeper water (close to 30 feet deep).

Maddox Bay: Maddox Bay Landing (870-462-8317) said the water is dingy near the main channel. Bream are fair on worms and crickets. All other species are slow.

Bear Creek Lake: Arkansas Outdoors (870-295-4240) said the water is clear. Bream are biting very well on crickets and worms near shallow cover. Crappie are slow, but a few are being caught trolling minnows and jigs. Bass are fair on top-water lures early in the morning. Catfishing is poor.