The Gold Cleo or the silver Blue Fox with the rainbow blade are attracting a lot of attention since the recent rain. The old faithfuls are a good bet right now, too: the red-gold Thomas Buoyant Spoon caused a splash this past week, and the ever-successful shrimp/PowerBait brought in rainbows left and right. Keep your bait near the bottom in the center of the channel during these very low water events.
If you’re not having any luck, try something different right away — keeps both you and the fish interested and attentive. Change up the color you’re using or even just reverse the order.
The catch has been especially good this past week for browns. Although most were not officially “trophies,” there were many that fell just an inch or two short of the 24-inch requirement to earn a catch-and-release pin. The bait of choice was, again, sculpins, but crawdads are crawling out of the mud and adding to the mix.
Low-water times have been great for fly-fishers with many wading opportunities opening up. Can’t miss with a silver/red midge. You’ll see hatches most every day with these sunny afternoons. Don’t forget: The river level can change fast, so keep an eye on the water level if wade fishing.
“Stop in and catch up while you’re in Cotter, Trout-Capital-Of-The-USA. We’d love to welcome you to The Natural State.”
Calico Rock Area
(updated 4-2-2026) Dave McCulley, owner of Jenkins Fishing Service in Calico Rock, said, “Another great week of fishing around Calico Rock. In the mornings we have been seeing water below 4 feet and clear, which is great for artificial lures. On these mornings, we started at the Calico Rock bridge and then fished downriver to stay ahead of rising water. Throwing quarter-ounce Thomas Colorado Spoons in nickel/gold worked great for rainbows and the occasional brown trout. For larger browns and rainbows, Rapala Countdowns, CD5 or CD7, in brown trout or rainbow trout colors worked well. Additionally Dynamic HD lures in ghost brown or rainbow trout colors worked well.
“In the afternoon, with the rising and dingy water, we were moving several miles upriver to find dropping and clearer water and changing to drift-fishing with Uncommon Bait UV eggs and shrimp. That resulted in some fat 16-inch-plus rainbows being caught.
“North-central Arkansas is in a severe drought and we look forward to the rain coming on Friday and Saturday. As of now they are predicting over 1.5 inches of rain. The dry ground should soak up most of the rain, and we don’t expect there to be much effect on the river.”
