Fishing Highlight of the Week: Just bought a new rod and reel combo for summer? Even if you’re a seasoned angler who uses a spinning reel or a baitcaster, take your new rig to the backyard and make several casts to make sure everything is in order before you discover trouble on the water – when it’s too late. Even if you don’t find a problem, at least you’ll be introduced to the new gear.
Arkansas and White river levels are available at: http://water.weather.gov/ahps2/index.php?wfo=lzk
For real-time information on stream flow in Arkansas from the U.S. Geological Survey, visit: http://waterdata.usgs.gov/ar/nwis/rt
For water quality statistics (including temperature) in many Arkansas streams and lakes, visit: http://waterdata.usgs.gov/ar/nwis/current/?type=quality
Family and Community Fishing Ponds: Click http://www.agfc.com/fishing/Pages/FishingProgramsFCF.aspx for a list of program ponds.
Central Arkansas
Craig D. Campbell Lake Conway Reservoir
Bates Field and Stream (501-470-1846) said the water level is normal and the lake is clear. Bream are excellent and can be caught with worm and crickets fished in coves and around lily pads. Crappie are fair; use minnows or white/chartreuse or Stingers around cypress trees. Bass are excellent with spinners, especially white patterns early in the morning and watermelon lizards late in the day. Catfish are excellent. Try rice slicks and large minnows on trotlines.
Little Red River
Lindsey’s Resort (501-302-3139) ) said the water is clear and low. Trout are good with wax worms, marshmallows with a Carolina rig and PowerBait.
Greers Ferry Lake
As of Wednesday, the Army Corps of Engineers reports the lake’s elevation at 460.8 feet msl (normal conservation pool – 461 msl).
Tommy Cauley of Fish Finder Guide Service said the water temperature is 72-75 degrees and warming. White bass and hybrids are eating well various times of the day. You can catch them if you can find fish away from everyone; there is a lot of boat traffic running around looking. A variety of baits is working, just about any bait that can be fished from 25-40 feet is working since they are eating gizzard and threadfin shad, as well. Bass fishing is a classic postspawn, small fish bite at present, with some on beds and others in a funk or not eating a lot, and a lot of small fish showing up. The lake is full of them again; a variety of baits will work. Bream are bedding and eating small crankbaits, crickets and night crawlers. The catfishing is hot right now with the blues and channels trying to eat and spawn, and the flatheads eating getting ready to spawn next month. Use rods and reels, jugs and trotlines. Crappie fishing is good but they are scattered; trolling and vertical fishing are catching them using minnows and jigs, as well as the Slab Hunter. Walleye are trying to eat, getting a lot of bites, but it’s real hard to stay hooked up. Try night crawlers in 15-27 feet of water.
Harris Brake Lake
Harris Brake Lakeside Resort (501-889-2745) said the lake is stained and at normal level. Bream are good on crickets. Crappie are fair with minnows and crickets. Bass are fair on spinners. Catfish are fair on stink bait, big worms and bream.
Whiskers Sporting Goods in Perryville (501-889-2011) had no report.
Lake Overcup
Whiskers Sporting Goods (501-889-2011) had no report this week.
Lake Maumelle
Jolly Roger’s Marina had no report this week.
Hatchet Jack’s Sport Shop (501-758-4958) said bream are excellent on crickets and red worms 10-12 feet deep. Crappie are good on Kalin’s 2-inch grubs in Tennessee shad or bleeding shad. Bass are good on top-water baits in the morning. Try Rattlin’ Rogue and Boy Howdy, or shad or root beer crankbaits. Catfish are good.
Whiskers Sporting Goods in Perryville (501-889-2011) filed no report this week.
Lake Valencia
Hatchet Jack’s Sport Shop (501-758-4958) said channel catfish are good with worms and chicken hearts. No reports on other species.
Sunset Lake
Turbyfill’s Outdoor Sports (501-315-3061) said the lake is clear and normal. Bream are excellent on crickets. Crappie are fair with minnows and jigs. Bass are poor. Catfish are good with live bait.
Saline River Access in Benton
Turbyfill’s Outdoor Sports (501-315-3061) said the river is clear and normal. Bream are good on grubs. Crappie are poor. Bass are good with grubs. Catfish are good with stink bait and chicken liver.
Arkansas River at Morrilton
Charley’s Hidden Harbor at Opello said Arkansas River flows are starting to drop. Bream are moving from rip-rap to sandbars to bed. They can be caught on crickets. Catfish are moving to beds in shallow water. They’re good at night with whole shad fished on the bottom. White bass are starting to school in Petit Jean River. Use Hopkins spoons. Black bass have moved into grass. They’re fair on worms.
Arkansas River (Maumelle Pool)
Hatchet Jack’s Sport Shop (501-758-4958) had this report from Little Maumelle River and Maumelle River: Bream are excellent on crickets and red worms around cypress knees and in lily pad fields. Crappie are good on yo-yos with live minnows. Bass are good if you flip creature baits and top-water baits in the morning. Try Rattlin’ Rogues or buzz baits. Catfish are excellent with chicken hearts, cut shad, skipjack or rice slicks.
Palarm Creek: Crappie are good with pink minnows, black/chartreuse tube jigs and yo-yos. Bass are good on flipping creature baits, and black/chartreuse crankbaits. Catfish are excellent on chicken hearts and cut bait.
Arkansas River (Little Rock Pool)
Vince Miller from Fish ’N Stuff said the river is muddy and high, but dropping. Bream are good with crickets. Crappie are good with chartreuse jigs fished around backwater brush. Bass are good on crankbaits, jigs, frogs, Senkos and Flukes in backwater.
Hatchet Jack’s Sport Shop (501-758-4958) had this report on Murray Lock and Dam: White bass are good with white/chartreuse tube jigs, money colored Kalin’s grubs and pink minnows on slip-cork rigs. Catfish are excellent with cut bait. Stripers are slow. Sauger are fair with large minnows.
McSwain Sports Center (501-945-2471) had no report.
Clear Lake
McSwain Sports Center (501-945-2471) filed no report.
Peckerwood Lake
Herman’s Landing (870-241-3731) said the water is clear and the level is normal. Bream are good on crickets and worms. Crappie are fair for those trolling with minnows and jigs. Bass are good on a variety of lures. Catfish are good with worms and chicken liver.
Lake Pickthorne
Hatchet Jack’s Sport Shop (501-758-4958) had no report on the lake.
Lake Willastein
Hatchet Jack’s Sport Shop (501-758-4958) said bream are good with crickets and red worms. Crappie are good with Kalin’s 2-inch grubs in Popsicle or electric chicken. Bass are good on buzz baits early in the morning, and shad-colored crankbaits during the day. Catfish are excellent on chicken hearts and night crawlers.
North Arkansas
White River
Sportsman’s White River Resort (870-453-2424) said the water is clear, low and slow. Trout fishing is good. Rapalas, jigs and working for spin fishermen; sculpins and bait fish are good, too. Try pink Power Worms or PowerBait in pink or yellow. Fly-fishermen should go with Zebra Midges, Copper Johns and Prince Nymphs; mayfly hatch has begun. Most any lures such as Blue Fox, Little Cleo or buoyant spoons are good, too.
Jim Brentlinger at Linger’s Guide Service and Fishing Lodge(870-499-5185) had no report this week.
Triangle Sports (870-793-7122) said the river is clear and low. Crappie are fair on minnows. Bass are fair with plastics, Gitzits, grubs and other baits. Walleye are fair on crankbaits and live bait. No report on other species.
Buffalo River
Just Fishing Guides said as of Monday, Ponca was very low at 1.74 feet, Pruitt was very low at 3.64 feet, Tyler Bend was low at 3.89 feet and Buffalo Point was low at 3.08 feet. Water temperature was ranging from 75-82 degrees and averaging 78 degrees. The river level is extremely low for floating; the water is clear. Water temperatures are very good for smallmouth. Make sure you are fishing deep holes on warm, sunny days. Some good fish have been caught. With the warmer temperatures continuing, fishing is really picking up. Fish slow and deep with soft plastics in watermelon red and green pumpkinseed, or crawdad pattern flies. Stealth is needed.
Crooked Creek
Just Fishing Guides said the gauge at Kelley’s Slab was reading 10.14 ft and 176 cfs Monday. This is about 2.25 feet under the low-water bridge at Kelley’s Access, but is floatable. Water temperatures have been averaging 76 degrees. Make sure you are fishing deep holes on warm, sunny days. Some good fish have been caught. With the warmer temperatures continuing, fishing is really picking up. Fish slow and deep with soft plastics in watermelon red and green pumpkinseed, or crawdad pattern flies. Stealth is needed.
Bull Shoals Lake
As of Wednesday, the Army Corps of Engineers reports the lake’s elevation at 653.4 feet msl (normal conservation pool – 654 msl).
Mike Worley’s Guide Service said the water temp is 74 degrees. Bass and walleye are biting on crankbaits cast along rocky points in the early morning and evening, as well as at night. The thermocline has set up at about 18 feet and walleye are biting around that depth on bottom-bouncer night crawler rigs during the day. Bass are also biting on jigs and soft plastics like tube baits and lizards 5-15 feet deep. Night fishing is very good on crankbaits and jigs for bass and walleye. There is also a deep-water walleye bite on crankbaits in the 30- to 40-foot range in 100 feet of water. Jigging spoons are catching a good mixed bag of fish on points in 25-35 feet of water.
Bull Shoals Tailwater
Just Fishing Guides said generation has been around the clock with one-six units. Drift fishing has been excellent with a variety of patterns and presentations. Streamers, nymphs, dry flies and terrestrials are all working at different times and areas during the day.
Lake Norfork
As of Tuesday, the Army Corps of Engineers reports the lake’s elevation at 551.9 feet msl (normal conservation pool: September-April – 552 msl, April-September – 554 msl).
STR Outfitters No report this week.
Hummingbird Hideaway Resort Lou Gabric spring fishing on Norfork Lake has been very exciting over the last 10 days. Last week the best place for stripers was from the Diamond Bay area to the dam. The bait of choice was to troll the new Alabama rig baited with 3.5-inch swimming minnows. Live bait was also working, but the Alabama rig was outfishing live bait. This is not the usual case, but last week it was. Stripers are on the move and being found at different depths. This gives you a lot of options to check out with your electronics. Look for the bait fish and you may find the fish. I have caught fish and have reports of other fish being caught in the mid-lake area, as well as up in Bennett’s and over toward Cranfield. This is a normal occurrence for spring fishing. Earlier this week, I hooked into a nice-size fish, but after about five minutes of fight, the hooks on my Spook bent out and the fish escaped. Yes, I said on my Zara Spook. I have been finding top-water action for black bass, as well as stripers. Bass fishing has still been very good. I am finding largemouth, smallmouth and spotted bass on main lake and secondary creek points. Early in the morning, they are very shallow, as well as pushing shad to the top. Caught several the last two mornings on Zara Spooks. I fished with one this morning and caught fish on top-waters, as well as on grubs and live bait. This morning, live bait was definitely more productive than artificial baits. But artificial baits are working – crankbaits, spinner baits, jig and pigs, swimming minnows – you name it and it will more than likely catch some bass. The crappie bite is good most days.
Guide Steve Olomon said water temperature is in the mid-70s early in the morning and gets to the upper 70s late in the day. Largemouth, smallies, Kentuckies, whites, hybrids, along with a few stripers, are surface feeding early in the morning. The stripers are not coming up in schools, just one here and there. They are hitting Zara Spooks. White and clear colors are working the best. White bass and some hybrids are coming up just before dark. Look for them in coves. Look for some whites back in the creeks and throw a Rooster Tail. For the larger whites, let the bait get down 5-10 feet. Neal Mustard of Indiana caught a 35-pound striper on a clear Zara Spook May 5 while fishing with me using 10-pound-test monofilament.
Norfork Tailwater
Just Fishing Guides said generation has been off during the day until 3-4 p.m. Midges are best close to the dam and in the park. Caddis and mayfly patterns are working mid-river on down. Also, try scud, sow bug and small streamers when hatches aren’t taking place.
Northwest Arkansas
Beaver Lake
As of Wednesday, the Army Corps of Engineers reports the lake’s elevation at 1,119.3 feet msl (normal conservation pool – 1,120 msl).
Bailey’s Beaver Lake Guide Service (479-366-8664) said Beaver Lake striper fishing is fair with the fish finding their way back down out of the river. Some stripes are being taken upriver and the fish are scattered. Try live shad fished on free lines 150 feet back and lightly weighted balloon lines trolled 50-100 feet back and 8-25 feet deep. Stripers are being caught near the dam and walleye have been taken along the rip-rap. At Point 4, check near the cedar thicket and in Fish Trap Hollow. Check Doc’s Cabin and the island between points 5 and 6. Hot spots include Copper Mine, Ventris, Beaver Shores, Couse Hollow, Escapalia Hollow and Falls Hollow. Walleye are heading for big water. Fish the clear water for best results. Most walleye are about 6-8 feet deep; fish are being taken off flats near the channel. Try trolling the flats with a slow death rig. Move less than 1 mph. Areas around the islands at Prairie Creek and near points 12, 9, 8 and 7 have produced walleye. Flat-line troll with Hot-N-Tots, Rapala Tail Dancers, Shad Raps, Reef Runners or Ripsticks in natural blue or black back combos, or chartreuse/orange and clown colors. Jigging spoons around brush and rock piles also is producing.
JT’s Crappie Guide Service (479-640-3980) ) filed no report this week.
Southtown Sporting Goods (479-443-7148) said the lake is clear and low. Bream are good with red worms and crickets. Crappie are good in 15 feet of water with minnows, Shineee Hineees among timber. Bass are good in 10-15 feet of water using the Alabama rig, jigs, tubes and lizards. Catfish are good using cut bait from limblines.
Beaver Tailwater
Just Fishing Guides said low, clear water conditions mean long leaders and stealthy presentations. Sight casting to visible fish instead of blind casting will spook fewer fish and improve hook-ups. Generation has been off in the mornings until 11 a.m. all week. Fish streamers early, then midges late morning. Recommended patterns include Woolly Bugger, Slump Buster, Squirrely Tukass, .56er, Sparrow, Zebra Midge, BH Simple Sow, Humpback Scud, BH Pheasant Tail and BH Hare’s Ear.
Lake Elmdale
Lucky Key at Duck Camp Fishing Retreat said it was a wild and crazy week. The crappie did what they do, and the charted moon phase times were the real key. Limits were caught by many. Minnows were the best bait, fished under a slip bobber at 6 feet. Just off of our dock there were 126 taken. Boaters report similar catches in some areas. For spawning crappie, fish 2½ feet under a bobber with minnows in 5-6 feet of water. Otherwise, go down 6 feet. Bluegill and redear are being caught on crickets. Bass were good, too. Soft plastics, Trick worms fished Carolina style, worked well for one man. Thirty or so were caught before 11 a.m. The Pop-R brought the biggest bass reported, weighing in at 3.65 pounds. Here’s your tip: Watch the weather, check the moon charted times. Without an approaching front, try to fish in those times. I saw it work all last week. Lake Elmdale is a no-wake lake.
Kings River
Just Fishing Guides said the river gauge near Grandview was reading 3.14 feet and 81 cfs Monday. The average is 650 cfs this time of year. Fair level for floating and fishing and very clear. Water temperatures are hitting 75-82 degrees in the afternoon and averaging 78 degrees. Fish are biting on watermelon red and white soft plastics. Flyfishing is good with Tequeely streamers, rabbit strip divers in white or chartreuse, and Crazy Dads in olive. Sunfish are good with poppers.
Lake Fayetteville
Lake Fayetteville Boat Dock (479-444-3476) said water clarity is good and the lake is a little high. Bream are good on worms and crickets. Crappie and white bass are fair on minnows and jigs. Bass are good on a variety of artificials. Catfish are poor.
Lake Sequoyah
Lake Sequoyah Boat Dock (479-444-3475) said the lake was clear and low about 2 inches. Bream are bedding and can be caught with worms and crickets. Crappie are fair with minnows and jigs fished 4-8 feet deep. Bass are good with spinners, crankbaits and buzz baits. Catfish are good on chicken livers and shad.
Upper White River (Twin Bridges area)
Just Fishing Guides had no report this week.
Northeast Arkansas
Crown Lake
Boxhound Marina (870-670-4496) had no fishing report this week.
Lake Frierson
Lake Frierson State Park said the lake was muddy and at normal level. Bream are good on wax worms and crickets. Crappie are poor. Bass are fair with a variety of lures. Catfish are good on stink bait and night crawlers. Saugeye are fair with crankbaits.
Spring River
Mark Crawford with Spring River Flies and Guides said water was running at 380 cfs at the spring and water is 50 percent clear. We received a lot of rain Monday morning and the warm fork became muddy through the day. It has begun to clear and should be back to normal by the time this report is published. The trout have been biting really well. Crayfish patterns have been hot all week. We have been catching a few smallmouth bass on Grandma’s Brownies. Guppies have been a hot fly over the week also. We have been letting the fly swing with an erratic twitching motion to resemble a wounded baitfish floating down the river. Red and white Trout Magnets are working great also.
Southeast Arkansas
Cane Creek Lake
Cane Creek State Park had no report.
Southwest Arkansas
Millwood Lake
Mike Siefert at Millwood Lake Guide Service said the lake level, 259.7 msl as of Monday, is about 6 inches above normal (259.2). was nearing normal level (259.20). The tailwater level was 227.3. Surface temperature is 73-79 degrees. Little River's oxbows over the last week have much-improved water clarity. Warmer temperatures in the last week have again increased surface temperatures. Clarity and visibility as of Monday on main lake structure improved; stained somewhat in the river; currently ranging 10-12 inches in the river. The oxbows’ clarity is better, with some stain, ranging 22-30 inches. Largemouth bass have provided the best bass bite during the last week and aggressiveness continues improving with the increase of surface temperatures and longer daylight hours. Numerous techniques are catching bass, including buzz baits, Rat-L-Traps, spinner baits, and soft-plastic Bass Assassin shad jerkbaits and Yum Frogs are starting to turn on. Lizards, worms and jigs around stumps, grass, dead lily pad stems and wood laydowns in the oxbows, away from river current, are working. Most of the largemouth are postspawn. White bass are scattered along Little River and the oxbows in loose and broken schools, and can be found trolling crankbaits and Rat-L-Traps in the river and the oxbows. Crappie have been moving off the cypress trees and ridges where they are finishing up their spawning activities for the last couple weeks. Majority of these fish are moving back out and can be found near planted brush piles 8-14 feet deep on jigs and grubs on light-wire jigheads. Very large longnose gar (in excess of 20 pounds) continue to be very shallow and are making fine opportunities for bowfishermen. Catfish remain good this week on trotlines, yo-yos and tight lines along current and break lines in the outer bends of Little River. Blues and channel cats continue biting best on cottonseed mill cakes and cut bait in 12-16 feet of Little River on the outer break lines in current or on yo-yos tied along the Little River or hung from cypress tree limbs 8-10 feet deep in the oxbows.
Lake Greeson
As of Wednesday, the Army Corps of Engineers reports the lake’s elevation was 546.7 feet msl (Flood pool – 548 msl).
Lakeside Grocery and Bait (870-398-5304) said the water is clear and water level is high. Water temperature is about 78 degrees. Bream are biting well, mainly on crickets. Crappie are fair on minnows fished 15-20 feet deep. Bass are fair with crankbaits, top-water baits and plastic worms. Catfish are fair on chicken livers and stinkbait on jugs and trotlines.
For more information on crappie fishing at Lake Greeson, visit Jerry Blake’s website, www.actionfishingtrips.com/tripreports.htm.
Lake Greeson Tailwater (Little Missouri River)
Visit www.littlemissouriflyfishing.com for a daily update on fishing conditions.
DeGray Lake
As of Wednesday, the Army Corps of Engineers reports the lake’s elevation was 406.8 feet msl (flood pool – 408 msl).
Local angler George Graves said Bassmaster placed DeGray at No. 49 in the top 100 bass lakes in the nation. Not too shabby considering all the bass lakes in the country. Surface water temperature is in the low 80s and the lake is clear throughout. Bass fishing is still good, especially in the morning and evening with the rising water temperature. Look for surface activity in the morning on long, shallow, main lake points. Throw a top-water lure such as a Zara Spook, Pop-R, Sammy or a 4-inch swim bait. Later in the day, Texas- or Carolina-rigged worms or lizards are working best. Fish these lures down the steep side of both main and secondary lake points from 6-20 feet of water. Best colors for worms and lizards are green pumpkin, red shad and green pumpkin/red flake. Also some nice fish reported coming on half-ounce jigs with some type of crawfish trailer. Most any dark color will work with the jig and trailer. With the shad moving down the lake, bass fishing is now good in the lower end of the lake, especially along the south side of the state park between Caddo Bend and DeRoche Ridge; just look for bait and activity on points. Crappie fishing is fair with the fish back on the attractors in water 20-25 feet deep. Best pattern has been to fish vertically with a sixteenth-ounce jig and 2-inch grub or tube in a shad pattern. Fish the jig just above the thickest part of the brush. Another good pattern is a minnow fished about 15 feet down above the brush on a slip float. Sometimes minnows are the only thing they will bite. Look for attractors on the main lake and major creeks outside the spawning coves. Not all attractors will hold feeding fish; if no action within a few minutes, move to another brush pile. Best areas for crappies have been between Point 14 and Point Cedar. Several good catches reported from Brushy Creek. Early morning and evening are the best times right now for crappie. Hybrid fishing is fair with the fish migrating from Shrouse Ford to their summer haunts down lake. There are still fish at Shrouse Ford, just not as thick as they have been. Best pattern is slow trolling the five-arm umbrella rig with 3-inch Curly Tail white grubs. The Kalin’s 3-inch grub is hard to beat. In the Shrouse Ford area, fish the deep side of humps and islands at 25-30 feet deep. Remember, the fish will be suspended at about 15 feet down, so if your U rig is running 10 or 12 feet down, you are in the fish. Don’t make the mistake of weighting your rig too much and fish under the fish. Remember, hybrids, like most fish, feed up so be sure to have your lure above the fish. Also some decent catches reported from around Point 28 and the islands across from Point 4, with the U rig the best bet. Early morning and late evening are the best times. Bream fishing is still good with some bedding activity under the full moon. Look for fish in most any cove with some rock or wood cover and fish a worm or cricket 5-8 feet deep. Bream are schooling fish and they will bite right away, so just keep trying different spots until you find the school. No word on catfish.
West-Central Arkansas
Lake Nimrod
As of Wednesday, the Army Corps of Engineers reports the lake’s elevation was 345.3 feet msl (flood pool – 373 msl).
Whiskers Sporting Goods (501-889-2011) had no report this week.
Lake Bailey (Petit Jean Mountain)
Charley’s Hidden Harbor at Opello had no report on the lake.
Whiskers Sporting Goods in Perryville (501-889-2011) filed no report this week.
Fourche La Fave River
Whiskers Sporting Goods (501-889-2011) filed no report this week.
Lake Hinkle
Bill’s Bait Shop (479-637-7419) saisaid the lake is clear and normal. Bream are good on worms and crickets. Crappie are fair with minnows and jigs. Bass are good using minnows, spinners or crankbaits. Catfish are good with chicken livers, goldfish and shiners.
Blue Mountain Lake
As of Wednesday, the Army Corps of Engineers reports the lake’s elevation was 387.20 feet msl (flood pool – 419 msl).
Lake Ouachita
As of Wednesday, the Army Corps of Engineers reports the lake’s elevation was 576.3 feet msl (flood pool – 578 msl).
Lake Hamilton
For a daily fishing report from Darryl Morris, visit Family Fishing Trips.
Lake Catherine
For weekly flow releases from Carpenter Dam, visit www.entergy.com/hydro.
Shane Goodner, owner of Catch’em All Guide Service reports water temperature below Carpenter Dam has risen to 74 degrees. Rainbow trout become stressed when exposed to water temperature above 70 degrees for long periods; however, the trout population remains healthy. Cooler daytime weather this week combined with 50 degree nights will drop tailrace temperatures into a more normal range for this time of year. Moss growth is minimal and the entire area is clear. Drum are ready to spawn and are feeding on shad. Many of these fish are in the 20-pound range with some over 40 pounds, so anglers should use caution when laying down fishing rods in a boat or on the bank. Any bait unattended in the water is subject to a vicious strike and powerful run that would easily land tackle to the bottom of the lake. White bass are also chasing shad around the bridge and are being caught on silver spoons, crankbaits and jerkbaits in bright colors. Action is best in periods of current which are scheduled in the late afternoon. Walleye are being taken with the same techniques as these fish. Striper action is slow around the dam and below the bridge. This is subject to change quickly as these predator fish migrate in and out of the area chasing shad schools. Rainbow trout fishing is good with good-quality fish caught daily. Live bait presentations are best, but fly fishermen are catching trout on San Juan worms in red or hot pink with a strike indicator. Targeting sand bars in the late evening has been effective, which coincides with a number of insect hatches. Wax worms and red worms have accounted for limits of trout that are searching for food. PowerBait is also working well, along with corn combined with a marshmallow floater. The key element for fishermen in May, June and July is to exercise patience. The bite is much slower than in March and April, so anglers must realize this fact and adjust their approach. Anyone visiting Carpenter Dam is advised to be aware of the generation schedule.
East Arkansas
Bear Creek Lake
Mississippi River State Park said bass are schooling in the middle of the lake and are being caught on light-colored spinner baits, Rat-L-Traps, jigs and deep-diving crankbaits. Shellcrackers are biting well on worms. Crappie are being caught around the bank on live worms. Catfish are fair early in the morning or late in the evening under brush on livers.
Storm Creek Lake
Mississippi River State Park said crappie are being caught on blue and white jigs close to the banks and brush. Bass are fair on spinner baits and top-water bait. Catfish are picking up on chicken livers. No word on bream.
White River
Triangle Sports (870-793-7122) had no report this week.
Maddox Bay
Maddox Bay Landing (870-462-8317) said the water is clear and low. Bream are good on worms and crickets. Crappie are good with minnows and jigs. Bass are good on crankbaits and a variety of lures. Catfish are good on rod and reel with stink bait.
Horseshoe Lake
Local angler Clyde Gregory said the water is clear and at normal level. Bream are good, on their beds, and can be caught with little black beetles. Crappie are fair with minnows and jigs. Bass are good with spinners in lily pads. Catfish are good with night crawlers and cut bait.