Fishing Tip of the Week: Next time you’ve had a successful fishing trip and you want to fry your catch, step out of the ordinary. Instead of simple corn meal and a few seasonings, coat your fillets with crushed almonds, maybe Parmesan cheese or perhaps flaked coconut and bake it. It’s a more healthful approach than frying and you might discover some new favorite flavors.
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
For 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 lake is stained and normal. Bream reports are good, especially with crickets. Crappie are excellent. Try pink minnows and jigs around Arkansas Highway 89 bridge and Pierce Creek. Bass are good; use spinners and plastic worms. Catfish are excellent with worms and shrimp around the bridge and dam.
Little Red River
Lindsey’s Resort (501-302-3139) said the river is clear with one or two generators running in the afternoon. Trout fishing has been good with wax worms, marshmallows and PowerBait. Sowbug imitations are working for fly-fishing, which has been excellent as of late.
Just Fishing Guides said water releases have been once per day in the afternoon or evening for one or two hours at 2,500-4,000 cfs.
Greers Ferry
As of Wednesday, the Army Corps of Engineers reports the lake’s elevation at 454.1 feet msl (normal conservation pool – 461 msl).
Tommy Cauley of Fish Finder Guide Service said the water temperature is 66-72 degrees. Walleye fishing is just hit-or-miss again; the weather has been a factor, nothing steady. Try drop-shot leeches, trolled crankbaits and drag night crawlers in 25-32 feet of water for best results. Hybrid and white bass have been affected by the weather, as well; good one day and off the next. As weather gets steady after the algae bloom gets over with, fishing will improve a lot as the oxygen improves. The bite will be good through December. Try staying with shad in 25-48 feet of water and just be patient and use spoons, in-line spinners, top-water baits and the Arkansas Claw. Crappie have slowed as well. Try 15-28 feet of water for the suspended fish in pole timber, and around and on top of brushpiles, using jigs and jigs tipped with minnows. A lot of bream have moved deeper with some still shallow eating crickets and night crawlers. The deeper fish are eating small crankbaits and flies. Catfishing is good all over the lake using a variety of baits. Bass fishing is hit-and-miss, as well, with some shallow fish being caught with a wacky-rigged Senko, small spinner baits and cranks. In-between fish are eating jighead worms real good, and deeper fish are eating the Arkansas Claw football heads, big worms and C-rigged creature baits.
Cody S. Smith of www.fishgreersferry.com said there’s limited run-off and daily generation from the Corps of Engineers. Surface temperatures have finally fallen to the low 70s and upper 60s. Fishing for surfacing hybrids is sporadic and hit-or-miss; however, the spoon bite is good and we have been able to locate fish every day on the water. The live-bait bite for multi-species action is good and will only get better as the days continue to get shorter. Smallmouth are really starting to pile together good on main lake flats with some sort of drain nearby. Shad are starting to invade the shallows and the game fish are following them.
Greers Ferry Tailwater
Just Fishing Guides said water releases have been once per day in the afternoon or evening for one-two hours at 2,500-4,000 cfs.
Harris Brake Lake
Harris Brake Lakeside Resort (501-889-2745) said lake has visibility of 2 feet and it’s low, although up from last week. Bream are good with crickets. Crappie are excellent; try minnows, jigs and crickets. Bass are good on crankbaits, minnows and buzz baits. Catfish are good with goldfish on trotlines.
Whiskers Sporting Goods in Perryville (501-889-2011) said crappie have been biting well on minnows, Baby Shad, Stroll’Rs and Slab Slay’Rs in white, salt and pepper, red/chartreuse and bone white in deep water. Try PowerBait Crappie Nibbles in green or yellow. Bream have been biting well, also in deep water, on night crawlers, red worms, meal worms, crickets and rock hoppers. Bass can be taken with tequila sunrise and dark-color worms, spinner baits, Rooster Tails and Flukes.
Lake Overcup
Overcup Landing (501-354-9007) said water is about 3 feet low and 85 degrees. Crappie are good around stumps in 8-10 feet of water; try fishing about 5 feet deep. Bream are good around the banks using crickets and red worms. Catfish are fair on cut bait and live bream on trotlines and noodles. Bass are fair on bubble gum Flukes and spinners.
Whiskers Sporting Goods in Perryville (501-889-2011) said the lake level is up about 8 inches. Crappie have been biting well on minnows, Baby Shad, Stroll’Rs and Slab Slay’Rs in white, salt and pepper, red/chartreuse and bone white in deep water. Try PowerBait Crappie Nibbles in green or yellow. Bream have been biting well, also in deep water, on night crawlers, red worms, meal worms, crickets and rock hoppers. Bass can be taken with tequila sunrise and dark-color worms, spinners, Rooster Tails and Flukes.
Brewer Lake
Overcup Landing (501-354-9007) said water is about 5 feet low and 83 degrees. Crappie are fair over the brushpiles using white/chartreuse and white Stinger jigs. Bream are good on red worms and crickets. Catfish are good on noodles using live bream and night crawlers. Bass are fair using black plastic 6-inch worms and Flukes.
Lake Cargile
Overcup Landing (501-354-9007) said water is clear and about 3 feet low. Bream are good around the shore with a white Cubby Mini-Mite or a black lure; also crickets and red worms. Crappie are fair using a white Stinger or blue/white jigs. Catfish are fair on trotlines using live bream and night crawlers. Bass are fair.
Lake Maumelle
Jolly Roger’s Marina reports the lake level is 5.5 feet below the spillway. Largemouth bass have been excellent 8-12 feet deep on Pop-Rs and Torpedoes early in the day, then go to deeper lures such as pig-and-jigs and Carolina rigs. Early, do the drop-off points, and during the day, deep structure. Kentucky bass are beyond excellent. They are being caught on Rooster Tails, and jigheads and worms 10-15 feet deep. They are small but there are lots of them. White bass are fair and are being caught toward the restricted area and north shore on Rooster tails, trolling with lures 15 feet deep, and jigging with CC spoons. Crappie are good. They are 15-20 feet deep on brushpiles and are hitting small jigs, colored grubs and small minnows. Bream are good. They are hitting worms and crickets 10-15 feet deep. Bream are really big this year. Catfish are good. They are being caught on trotlines on prepared bait and bream. They are about 10-13 feet deep.
Hatchet Jack’s Sport Shop (501-758-4958) said bream reports are fair on worms and crickets around brushpiles. Crappie are good on minnow and jigs in deep and shallow water. Bass are good early in the day on top-water. Use deep-diving crankbaits and Texas-rigged creature baits. Catfish are good with worms, stink bait, chicken livers, chicken hearts and brooder minnows.
Whiskers Sporting Goods in Perryville (501-889-2011) said crappie reports include Baby Shad and Slab Slay’Rs in red/chartreuse, bone white, pearl and orange/chartreuse in deep water. Minnows and PowerBait Crappie Nibbles in green or yellow are working, too. White bass can be found in deep water in the channel and river; try Rooster Tails in shad, white or salt and pepper. For bream, head for deep water and use night crawlers, red worms, meal worms, crickets and rock hoppers. Bass are hitting tequila sunrise and dark-color worms, spinner baits, Rooster Tails and Flukes.
Lake Valencia
Hatchet Jack’s Sport Shop (501-758-4958) reports catfish have been excellent lately with worms, chicken livers, stink bait 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 reports have been good with jigs in shallow water. Bass have been good on shallow-running crankbaits in up to 5 feet of water. Crappie and catfish reports have been poor.
Saline River Access in Benton
Turbyfill’s Outdoor Sports (501-315-3061) said the river is clear and normal. Bream, crappie and catfish reports have been poor, although bass are fair on shallow-running crankbaits.
Arkansas River at Morrilton
Charley’s Hidden Harbor in Oppelo said the shad population appears to be back to what it was five years ago. White bass are great with Alabama rigs with 2-inch willow blades up front and 2-inch Sassy Shad. Throw these near bank on windswept sides near sandbars where the shad are packed up. Also watch for white bass schools coming up. Whites are three-quarter pounds to 2 pounds. Stripers are below whites. Use a wobble spoon and let it drop. Kentucky bass are on points and front side of jetties. Use top-water stick baits and shallow-diving crankbaits. Catfish are 5-15 feet deep behind the island up from dam. Use shad or shad/worm combination.
Arkansas River (Maumelle Pool)
Hatchet Jack’s Sport Shop (501-758-4958) had this report from Little Maumelle River and Maumelle River: Bream are good with red worms and crickets. Crappie are good around brushtops with jigs and minnows. Bass are good. Try Zara Spooks, shad-colored spinners and medium-diving crankbaits. Catfish are good on night crawlers.
Main River Channel: Crappie are good around jetty points on white and chartreuse twist tails. Bass are good with black and blue football jigs, Zara Spooks and shad-colored spinners on jetty points. Catfish are good with brooder minnows, worms, chicken hearts, chicken livers and stink baits.
Palarm Creek: No report this week.
Arkansas River (Little Rock Pool)
Vince Miller from Fish ’N Stuff said the river is stained and low with little flow. No reports on bream and catfish. Crappie are good with minnows and jigs off jetty points. Bass are good on shad-colored crankbaits and plastic worms (red bug, green pumpkin) and green pumpkin creature baits. They’re also working for hybrids and stripers. Bass are on jetty ends.
Hatchet Jack’s Sport Shop (501-758-4958) had this report from Burns Park and the main channel: Bass are good with Zara Spooks and big creature baits. Catfish are good in the middle of the channel with cut bait, brooder minnows, chicken hearts, chicken livers and worms. No reports on bream and crappie.
Fourche Creek: No report this week.
Murray Lock and Dam: Crappie are good with minnows and jigs in assorted colors. Stripers and sauger are hitting chartreuse split-tail jigs. Catfish are good with chicken hearts, chicken livers, worms and brooder minnows. No reports on bream and bass.
McSwain Sports Center (501-945-2471) filed no report this week.
Clear Lake
McSwain Sports Center (501-945-2471) filed no report this week.
Peckerwood Lake
Herman’s Landing (870-241-3731) filed no report this week.
Lake Pickthorne
Hatchet Jack’s Sport Shop (501-758-4958) had no report on the lake this week.
Lake Willastein
Hatchet Jack’s Sport Shop (501-758-4958) said bream fishing is fair around piers and brushtops. Use red worms and crickets. Crappie are fair on piers. Use white and chartreuse or shad-colored jigs and minnows. Bass are good on the shallow end of the lake. Use red and black core Texas-rigged worms, and black buzz baits. Catfish are excellent on hot dogs, night crawlers and chicken hearts and chicken livers.
North Arkansas
White River
Sportsman’s White River Resort (870-453-2424) said the river is clear with one or two generators running. Trout fishing is good with PowerBait, shrimp, buoyant spoons and Rooster Tails. Brown trout are moving upriver but not spawning.
Jim Brentlinger at Linger’s Guide Service and Fishing Lodge(870-499-5185) no report.
Buffalo River
Just Fishing Guides said as of Wednesday, the river was very low. Ponca was at 1.75 feet, Pruitt was very low at 3.7 feet, Tyler Bend was low at 4.1 feet and Buffalo Point was low at 3.2 feet. If you’re willing to hike, you can reach long pools that hold fish. Clousers, Shenk’s Streamer, KC’s Ozark Slider and Crazy Dads are all working well. Also, try large hopper and dragon fly patterns on top. Whit’s Hopper and Whitlock’s Gorilla Dragonfly are cool patterns to try, as well as Sneaky Pete’s, Gurglers in white or chartreuse, and Boogle Bullets. The top-water bite with flies is really going gangbusters. Spotted bass are holding near woody debris. Smallmouth bass are in the deeper channels. Sunfish have been caught with about anything that hits the water. Small poppers, woolly buggers, spiders, beetles and hoppers are raking in the sunfish. Sometimes it is hard not to catch them. Spin fishing has picked up fish with white or gray Flukes, 4-inch Zoom lizards in watermelon red and tube baits in green pumpkinseed. Crank baits, buzzbaits and spinners have worked well also.
Crooked Creek
Just Fishing Guides said the gauge at Kelley’s Slab was reading 9.9 feet Wednesday. Fishing has been very good; you just have to hike or drag a canoe or kayak to get to the fish. Top-water fishing is slowing. Concentrate on deeper runs and the upper end of pools with chunk rock and/or wood cover and fish thoroughly with repeated, accurate casts with varied retrieve rates. Hot flies this week have been Ozark Shiner Clousers, olive Crazy Dads and, for sunfish, white Miss Prissy.
Bull Shoals Lake
As of Wednesday, the Army Corps of Engineers reports the lake’s elevation at 647.6 feet msl (normal conservation pool – 654 msl).
Mike Worley’s Guide Service said the water surface temperature has cooled a few more degrees to 78-80 degrees. We have received some much-needed rain and some nice fall weather. Walleye are biting in 30-34 feet on night crawler rigs trolled with bottom-bouncers on gravel flats. White and silver jigging spoons are catching a mixed bag of walleyes, black and white bass. Catfish have been biting on night crawlers in 10-40 feet. Soft plastic baits like Hula grubs, plastic worms and swim baits are catching bass in 20-40 feet.
Bull Shoals Tailwater
Just Fishing Guides said water releases have been averaging 1,000 with highs to 6,000 cfs. Anglers are picking up good-quality fish using a variety of patterns and techniques. Nymphing, swinging soft hackles, midging and streamer tactics are all working depending on the situation on the river. As fall approaches, browns will start moving into spawning staging areas. Blue wing olive mayflies and tan micro caddis will start hatching, so have a variety of patterns to cover these anticipated fall hatches.
Lake Norfork
As of Wednesday, the Army Corps of Engineers reports the lake’s elevation at 544.3 feet msl (normal conservation pool: September-April – 552 msl, April-September – 554 msl).
Tom Reynolds of STR Outfitters said striper fishing has slowed. The water temperature has dropped to the high 60s, shad have moved to the mid-lake and they’re starting to migrate from the creeks. I fished near Woods Point and found stripers and shad in 80 feet of water. The next day, I fished the Crystal Cove area and found lots of bait but the stripers are very few right now. The next few days with the rain and cold weather, we should see a major move. I plan on beginning to fish the northern part of the lake near the Missouri line. Fish will stage there for the next several months. I will keep you posted after next week’s trips.
Lou Gabric of Hummingbird Hideaway Resort said Norfork Lake is shaping up to be a great place for fall fishing. The lake temperature has dropped into the upper 60s. The lake appears to have turned over or at least the thermocline has dropped to 50-60 feet. The lake is clearing up. Top-water action is starting. Fish are starting to feed in very shallow water. Fish are moving back onto brushpiles. Over the last couple of weeks, stripers have been very hard to find and I have found out why. They have started their fall move to the mid- and upper portions of the lake. Largemouth, smallmouth and spotted bass fishing also is improving daily. Fish can be caught in a variety of methods. I have been vertical jigging a spoon in 25-40 feet of water, throwing a jig-and-pig, and have started to cast a suspending Rogue. I have been catching most of the fish off of the jig-and-pig. These fish are anywhere from near the shore to 25 feet deep. Jerk bait fishing (I use a Rogue) is starting to heat up. I landed three nice spotted bass on a Rogue yesterday morning. I have been working the bait as a jerk bait; by this I mean I cast the bait to shore, let it sit for a few seconds and give it a couple quick jerks, stop and let it sit, then give it a couple more jerks. I continue this method back to the boat. Live bait also will work – worms, shiners, shad and crawdad are all good live-bait choices. I mainly have been concentrating on bluff lines and points off the bluff lines. I have found walleye on the same rocky points as the bass. I caught all my walleye with a spoon vertical jigging in 30-40 feet of water.
Guide Steve Olomon of Steve’s Guide Service says the water temperature is in the upper 60s. The striper bite has been slow but should pick up with the water temperature dropping and the night bite will get going. The walleye bite will get better, too. We caught a few on a grub in 20-25 feet, and at night on a Rogue on flats. The bass bite is getting better every day. You can catch them just about any way you want from top-water to a jig or a spoon.
Campground News: Jordan Campground on Norfork Lake is open April 1-Oct. 1 and managed by Jordan Marina. Formerly run by the Army Corps of Engineers, Jordan Campground is a favorite of families camping on the south end of Norfork Lake and is the gateway to Sand Island and Jordan area beaches. This area also is a favorite of scuba divers, with 30 dive sites within 2 miles of the campground. Jordan Campground has 41 RV and tent sites; sites with 50-amp service and 30-amp service are available for $20 per night. The campground, adjacent to Jordan Marina, also features a swimming beach, picnic pavilion, boat launch and two restrooms. For more information, call (870) 499-7223 or Jordan Marina at (870) 499-7348.
Norfork Tailwater
Just Fishing Guides said water releases have been about 1,000 cfs several times per day and in the afternoon for four hours 3,500 cfs. As fall gets here with low dissolved oxygen in the lake, releases will be several per day with shorter times. Shorter days and cooler nights are hints of fall weather. The fishing is picking up, and a variety of patterns and techniques are producing good numbers and good-quality fish. Scuds and sowbugs are working well over recognizable feeding behaviors of trout. Blue wing olives and micro caddis action will start to pick up, as well. Midging can produce surprisingly large numbers of fish when found in concentrations. For that trophy, medium to large streams swung through channels with heavy cover makes all that hard work worth it.
Northwest Arkansas
Beaver Lake
As of Wednesday, the Army Corps of Engineers reports the lake’s elevation at 1,110.4 feet msl (normal conservation pool – 1,120 msl).
Bailey’s Beaver Lake Guide Service (479-366-8664) said Beaver Lake is cooling rapidly in the wake of the cold fronts and the middle layer is turning. Striped bass are scattered because of rapidly cooling water temperature and can be caught from Point 12 to the Indian Creek area. White bass, small striper and hybrids are schooling on the surface. Throw small Kastmaster spoons to schooling fish. As always, live shad for trophy stripers is the go-to approach. Stripers are hitting shad in the 4- to 8-inch range. Check out this week’s hot spots: Indian Creek, Lost Bridge north and south, Point 4, Point 5, Rocky Branch (try the island and the roadbed that extends to the island; also check the little islands in front of the Larue boat ramp) and Prairie Creek (Striper, white bass and walleye are being taken here. Fish being taken on the flats and cuts around the islands. There has been schooling fish here for several days; check around Deer Island. Walleye are also being taken on Kastmaster spoons fished near the bottom. Trolling with Cordell Spots, Shad Raps, Hot ’N Tots and Tail Dancers have been producing walleye and white bass. Most walleye are 5-15 feet deep; fish are being taken off area flats near the channel. Try the areas mentioned above. 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. Also Try Cotton Cordell Super Spots and Rat-L-Traps in similar colors. Jigging spoons around brush and rockpiles are producing.
Southtown Sporting Goods (479-443-7148) said the lake is stained in the tributaries; clear otherwise. The lake is 10-15 feet low. Fishing in fair and there’s not a lot of pressure. Bream reports have been good with worms and crickets. Crappie are good with minnows and jigs (Shiney Hineys). Bass are good with small plastic drop-shot worms and top-water plugs early in the day. White bass are hitting CC spoons. Catfish are fair.
Jason Piper of JT’s Crappie Guide Service (479-640-3980) said bass have been hitting three-eighths-ounce, natural-colored spinner baits or shad-colored, medium-diving crankbaits early and late along pea gravel to chunk-rock banks. If it is a tough day, drop-shoting or Carolina-rigging a 4-inch green pumpkin Finesse worm over points with timber has been effective. War Eagle, Big Clifty, Rambo and Fords creeks have all been good places to bass fish. Crappie fishing continues to be outstanding. Look for them to be holding close to timber in 35-45 feet of water that is closest to the creek channels or in the mouths of small coves off the main channel. Fish have been suspending close to the timber or brush 15-25 feet down. As the water cools down, look for the crappie to begin moving a bit shallower to manmade brushpiles close to a channel in 15-30 feet of water. Best presentation is to use a 1.5-inch black/chartreuse or pink/white tube on a sixteenth-ounce jighead and let it go to the bottom along the tree and slowly retrieve up until the fish are located. Horseshoe Bend, Eden Bluff, Hickory Creek and Piney Creek have all been good places to find crappie. Early and late in the day have been best for white bass. Fish have been suspending 15-30 feet deep along and over main lake points and can be caught using quarter-ounce jigging spoons as a school is located. Dawn and dusk, fish have been chasing shad at the surface and can be found on main lake flats. Shad-imitating, 2- to 3-inch lures have been the best choices. Point 11, Rocky Branch Recreation Area, Arkansas Highway 12 bridge area and Point 12 have been good places to fish. Catfishing has been best after dark using cut bluegill or chicken liver. The Arkansas Highway 12 bridge, Hickory Creek and Horseshoe Bend have been good places to fish.
Beaver Tailwater
Just Fishing Guides said water releases have been once per day mid-day for two-four hours at 2,500-4,000 cfs. Fishing has really picked up as summer wanes and fall approaches. No more 7X and size 18 and smaller midge patterns, although they’re still catching fish. Chocolate, gray and tan are the top colors for midges. Last weekend, tan scuds, simple sows (tan), hare ’n copper (tan and olive) and hare’s ear in sizes 14-16 all were producing well. Small streamers (sizes 10-14) including olive and white woolly buggers, fifty-sixers and sparrows are working well also. Cover the water to find concentrations of active fish. There are wading opportunities well below the U.S. Highway 62 bridge.
Lake Elmdale
Lucky Key at Duck Camp Fishing Retreat ) said recent rains have gotten Lake Elmdale in great shape for the fall season. The lake level is good and the water is clear. Bass fishing is king here now. Many are being caught on Finness worms fished wacky worm style, without weight. One father and son team reported a combined total of 47 largemouth bass caught Oct. 11 using this method. The largest was 4 pounds and several 1.5- to 2.5-pounders were caught. APop-R with black back was second choice of the day. Also good last Monday was the Senko fished the same way. Shallow areas of the lake, with grassy patches on top, were the best, 4-7 feet deep. You can fish all the way up the creek right now; do that. Fish slowly and experiment with colors. Green is always good here. Weightless 4-inch pumpkin green lizards are another good bait to use. Things change daily in this fall weather. Keep your chartreuse and white, double willow-leaf spinner bait tied on, and your buzz bait, too. Buzz them early for some top-water action and don’t forget that Pop-R. Fish shallow, grassy areas next to shore. If they’re feeding shallow, that’s where they are. Crappie are on the move. Trolling is good with a Crappie Crank-R or a crawfish-colored crank bait that runs 10 feet deep. Try different colors on cloudy days; go darker. Most of our biggest fish here are caught in the fall. The bait shop on Lake Elmdale will be closed for the winter season Nov. 1-March 1, 2013.
Kings River
Just Fishing Guides said the river gauge near Grandview was up to 3.23 feet Wednesday, still very low. If you can find water, wading while fishing for smallmouth and bream is a nice way to beat the heat. Top-water baits are still producing good numbers and good-quality fish as well. Poppers, slider/divers, hoppers, damsel and dragon fly patterns are all producing consistent action. Spin-fishers are doing well with top-waters. Tiny Torpedoes and buzz baits are top producers. Four-inch lizards, 3-inch tubes and 3- and 4-inch Brush Hogs in watermelon, green pumpkin and black, as well as Flukes in white, watermelon and baby bass colors, are consistent producers. Rebel Crawdads and 3- and 4-inch suspending stick baits should be in your arsenal also.
Lake Fayetteville
Lake Fayetteville Boat Dock (479-444-3476) said water is clear and normal. Bream reports have been good with worms, crickets and small jigs. Crappie are fair; try minnows and jigs. Catfish are good on worms, chicken liver, live bait and bluegills. Bass are good on top-water baits. White bass are hitting a variety of lures.
Lake Sequoyah
Lake Sequoyah Boat Dock (479-444-3475) said the lake is clear at the lower end and murky at the upper end. It’s at normal level. Bream reports have been good with worms and crickets. Crappie are fair with minnows and jigs about 4 feet deep. Bass are good on spinners and crankbaits. Catfish have been good with bluegills.
Upper White River (Twin Bridges area)
Just Fishing Guides said the level at the Hindsville gauge as of Wednesday was 1.55 and 190 cfs. If you’re willing to hike, you can reach long pools that are full of fish! Clousers, Shenks Streamer, KC’s Ozark Slider and Crazy Dads are all working well. Also, try large hopper and dragon fly patterns on top. Whit’s Hopper and Whitlock’s Gorilla Dragonfly are cool patterns to try, as well as Sneaky Pete’s, Gurglers in white or chartreuse, and Boogle Bullets. The top-water bite with flies is really going gangbusters. Spotted bass are holding near woody debris. Smallmouth bass are in the deeper channels. Sunfish have been caught with about anything that hits the water. Small poppers, woolly buggers, spiders, beetles and hoppers are raking in the sunfish. Sometimes it is hard not to catch them. Spin fishing has picked up fish with white or gray Flukes, 4-inch Zoom lizards in watermelon red and tube baits in green pumpkinseed. Crank baits, buzz baits and spinners have worked well also.
War Eagle Creek
Just Fishing Guides said the level at the Hindsville gauge as of Wednesday was 0.65 and 9.3 cfs. If you’re willing to hike, you can reach long pools that are full of fish! Clousers, Shenks Streamer, KC’s Ozark Slider and Crazy Dads are all working well. Also, try large hopper and dragon fly patterns on top. Whit’s Hopper and Whitlock’s Gorilla Dragonfly are cool patterns to try, as well as Sneaky Pete’s, Gurglers in white or chartreuse, and Boogle Bullets. The top-water bite with flies is really going gangbusters. Spotted bass are holding near woody debris. Smallmouth bass are in the deeper channels. Sunfish have been caught with about anything that hits the water. Small poppers, woolly buggers, spiders, beetles and hoppers are raking in the sunfish. Sometimes it is hard not to catch them. Spin fishing has picked up fish with white or gray Flukes, 4-inch Zoom lizards in watermelon red and tube baits in green pumpkinseed. Crank baits, buzz baits and spinners have worked well also.
Northeast Arkansas
Lake Poinsett
Lake Poinsett State Park had no report this week.
Crown Lake
Boxhound Marina (870-670-4496) said the lake is clear and 2.5-3 feet low. No report for bream or catfish. Crappie are good on minnows and jigs in 15 feet of water. Bass are good in 10 feet of water and on top-water baits.
Lake Frierson
Justin Huss at Lake Frierson State Park said the lake level is still low and boaters should be careful on the lake because of hazards and shallow water, especially on the northern half. Bass have been fair to good on crankbaits and soft plastics. Some good top-water action has been popping up at dusk as shad school in the creek channel and mouths of coves. Channel catfish have been good on night crawlers, chicken livers and stink bait. Blue cats have been fair on night crawlers. Flatheads have been fair on carp, goldfish and minnows under floats. Saugeye are fair to good on crankbaits and minnows; they should be picking up as cool nights continue. No reports for crappie or bream.
Spring River
Mark Crawford with Spring River Flies and Guides water is running clear at 243 cfs. During the last week, fishing has been excellent on overcast, cloudy days and tough on really nice, sunny days. Y2ks, snails and olive woollies have been the hot flies this week. Red and hot pink Trout Magnets are working great with spinning rods. This week the leaves have begun to fall and, on windy days, can be a problem when they cover the river. Just remember the leaves sometimes have ants and bugs on them. If you see trout that look like they are feeding on the leaves, then they are probably eating ants on the leaves.
Southeast Arkansas
Cane Creek Lake
Cane Creek State Park's Geoff Wright filed no report this week.
Lake Chicot
Local angler and guide Jessie James (870-355-7800) filed no report.
Lake Monticello
Fishing guide Greg Gulledge (870-723-3928) of MonticelloBigBass.com had no report this week.
Southwest Arkansas
Millwood Lake
As of Wednesday, the Army Corps of Engineers reports the lake’s elevation at 259.2 feet msl (normal conservation pool – 259.2 msl).
Mike Siefert at Millwood Lake Guide Service said the surface water temperature as of Monday was 67-72 degrees. Discharge rate was 171 cfs. Tailwater level was 223.8 mfsl. The bass bite continues to improve over the last few weeks through mid-day, and numerous techniques and lures are catching bass. Bass Assassin Shads, pad frogs, Johnson spoons with grub trailers, and Spitin’ Images are working at dawn around pads and vegetation. Later in the morning, when largemouth begin schooling, switching to Cotton Cordell hammered spoons, Rat-L-Traps, Bomber crankbaits, Bass Assassin 5-inch Shads (tandem-rigged) Little Cleos, Little Georges, and Rocket Shads will get continue to get a good response. Largemouths and white bass continue to group tighter together, and continue running shad schools in Horseshoe and McGuire oxbows up Little River into mid-day. We are occasionally seeing breaking fish in mid-afternoon. They are random and short in duration, but we are seeing a lengthening of the duration as the surface temperatures continue cooling. Shad have been grouping tighter, as well, with the cooler weather, forcing bass to surface feed in these groups. Johnson spoons with 2- to 3-inch curly tail white grub trailers are taking fish in the pads. Bass Assassin Eager Beavers and Berkley Pit Bosses in perfection, watermelon red, or California continue to work for bass in creek channel swings next to stumps. Bang Vapor Shads in panhandle moon, Houdini, and salt and pepper silver phantom colors on a light-wire hook worked extremely slow dead-sticking have been catching solid bass in the 2- to 3-pound range, around most any vegetation, pads or grass when bass are not schooling. Once schooling bass break on shad, these soft-plastic jerk baits will catch two fish at a time when tandem-rigged with a second shad on a 15- to 20-inch leader in front of the second shad during schooling. In the heat of surface activity, Rocket Shads, Rat-L-Traps and Kastmaster or Cordell spoons are a few of the best choices. Bomber crankbaits continue catching schooling largemouths and white bass. Foxy shad, Tennessee shad and citrus shad colors continue to catch largemouth along Little River and the oxbows, where the water clarity has improved. Square-bill X-Calibur crankbaits (X-100 and X-200 sizes) are working in shallow creeks and ditches or depressions (adjacent to flats) during late morning. White bass continue to roam the oxbows and Little River in large schools, chasing shad. These schools are beginning to group tighter and more organized efforts are being noted, herding large pods of threadfin shad. Whites continue grouping around largemouth bass for a concerted effort to force shad to the surface. The whites can be found by slow-trolling shad-colored crankbaits and Rat-L-Traps in Little River and in the oxbows. White Cliffs Recreation Area along Little River had numerous schools of white bass breaking on shad in the last few weeks at creek mouth junctions with the river. Cotton Cordell smoke (paddle-tail) grubs or Berkley white curly tail grubs on light-wire jigheads and Blakemore Roadrunners were catching some nice crappie slabs in the last week. Best colors of Roadrunners are white, chartreuse and pink/white. Find brush with your electronics in 14-17 feet out of current along Little River for best action. Crappie are beginning to stack vertically around brush. Catfish are fair to good, yet consistent over the last week in Little River. Channel cats continue hitting best on cut bait, cut shad, chicken livers and Catfish Charlie in 15-20 feet in Little River, on the outer break lines in any current. Cats also have been caught on yo-yos using minnows at 8-12 feet deep, tied along the Little River from cypress trees in 9-15 feet of water.
Lake Columbia
Steve’s Outdoor Sports (870-234-2222) had no report this week.
Lake Erling
Steve’s Outdoor Sports (870-234-2222) had no report this week.
Lake Greeson
As of Wednesday, the Army Corps of Engineers reports the lake’s elevation was 539.0 feet msl (Flood pool – 548 msl).
Lakeside Grocery and Bait (870-398-5304) said the lake is clear in deep water but murky in shallow areas. Lake level is normal and water temperature is 68 degrees. Bream and crappie fishing is poor. Bass are good with top-water baits early and late in the day. Kentucky bass are schooling. Catfish are fair with minnows or bream on trotlines 5-20 feet deep.
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.
Cossatot River
Cossatot River State Park had no report this week.
DeGray Lake
As of Wednesday, the Army Corps of Engineers reports the lake’s elevation was 397.4 feet msl (flood pool – 408 msl).
Local angler George Graves says he dropped an underwater camera on five “better’ attractors between Alpine Ridge and Point 15. He saw three crappie, total, on all five attractors. The fish just are not there and I don't know where they are. Could be that crappie are in a down cycle because of weak spawns or habitat. However, I did see lots of black bass just outside the attractors. I must have seen 15-20 bass next to one attractor in 18 feet of water. Looks like there are plenty of black bass most everywhere. Surface water temperature is about 70 degrees and the lake is clear throughout. Bass fishing is good, especially in the coves and up the creeks because that is where the shad are. Look for breaking fish early in the morning in the back of major coves between Point 2 and up to Brushy Creek. Best pattern has been to throw a surface lure such as a Zara Spook, Sammy, Fluke or even a swim bait as close to the feeding fish as possible. Also look in the big coves along the south side of the state park and around Caddo Drive to Arlie Moore. During the day, fish the secondary points in the coves at 10-20 feet with a Texas- or Carolina-rigged worm or lizard in green pumpkin or red shad. Also try a jig with a craw trailer for bigger fish. Don’t overlook standing timber in the coves, especially on secondary points. Fall is a good time for bass in Big Hill Creek; give it a try. Crappie fishing is still slow with very few even trying for them. Since there are not many fish on the attractors, the best pattern is to hit as many attractors as possible. Fish a curly tail grub or tube on a sixteenth-ounce jighead in a shad pattern vertically and tight to the thickest part of the brush. If no action within a few minutes, move to another attractor because if they are there, they will bite within minutes. Hybrid fishing is slow with virtually no schooling activity because the shad are deep in the coves and pockets. There are still a few fish holding at 50 feet in the Iron Mountain area but they are mostly singles and are very hard to make bite. With water cooling, the shad will return to the main lake and hybrid fishing will pick up. Bream fishing is fair with most of the fish now in deep water and around cover in 18-25 feet of water. Best pattern is to tight-line a red worm or cricket near the bottom just outside the attractor. Bream are a school fish, so be sure to cover all around the brushpile. Catfish are still good at night, especially on trotlines set off long, sloping main lake points. Best area has been around Point 10 and Ozan Point. Use Catfish Charlie, blood, chicken livers or hot dogs along with a piece of soap. For bigger fish, try big minnows or small, live bream.
West-Central Arkansas
Lake Nimrod
As of Wednesday, the Army Corps of Engineers reports the lake’s elevation was 343.6 feet msl (flood pool – 373 msl).
Whiskers Sporting Goods in Perryville (501-889-2011) said crappie are biting well in deep, open water and in the river on minnows, Baby Shad, Slab Slay’Rs and Stroll’Rs in white /salt and pepper, red/chartreuse and bone white shad, as well as PowerBait Crappie Nibbles in green or yellow. Bream are biting well in deep water; use night crawlers, red worms, meal worms, crickets and rock hoppers. Bass can be caught on tequila sunrise or dark worms, and spinner baits, Rooster Tails and Flukes. Catfish are going for night crawlers, and chicken, rabbit and turkey livers.
Lake Bailey (Petit Jean Mountain)
Whiskers Sporting Goods in Perryville (501-889-2011) said bream reports have been good, especially with night crawlers, red worms, meal worms, crickets and rock hoppers. Catfish are biting well on red worms, night crawlers, minnows, goldfish, stink bait, and chicken, turkey and rabbit livers. Bass are going for dark-colored worms, spinners, Rooster Tails and Flukes.
Fourche La Fave River
Whiskers Sporting Goods in Perryville (501-889-2011) said the river is stained and very low. Crappie can be caught with minnows, white/salt and pepper, and red/chartreuse shad. Also try PowerBait Crappie Nibbles in green or yellow. Catfish can be caught with stink bait, goldfish, minnows, and chicken, turkey or rabbit livers. Bass are going for tequila sunrise or dark-color worms, spinner baits, Rooster Tails and Flukes.
Lake Hinkle
Bill’s Bait Shop (479-637-7419)reports the lake is clear and low, although high enough to launch a boat. Crappie reports have been fair; minnows and jigs are working. Bass are good with crankbaits, minnows and jigs. Catfish have been fair with chicken livers and shiners. No reports for bream.
Lake Dardanelle
Regina Olson at Spadra Marina filed no report this week.
Blue Mountain Lake
As of Wednesday, the Army Corps of Engineers reports the lake’s elevation was 376 feet msl (flood pool – 419 msl).
The Army Corps of Engineers began a drawdown of Blue Mountain Lake July 5 to improve aquatic vegetation, make repairs to launch ramps and buoys, and complete other projects. During the drawdown, boaters should exercise extreme caution because submerged stumps and shallow areas will be more prominent. All water activities such as skiing, tubing and operating personal watercraft are prohibited. Boaters should be cautious when launching because of damage or sediment build-up that may have occurred at the end of the ramps. It is impossible to determine which ramps might be affected. Boat ramp closures may occur during the drawdown.
Lake Ouachita
As of Wednesday, the Army Corps of Engineers reports the lake’s elevation was 570.5 feet msl (flood pool – 578 msl).
Todd Gadberry at Mountain Harbor Resort says the lake is clear and 66-72 degrees. Black bass are still good on football jigs, crankbaits and drop-shot rigs. Try fishing over main lake and secondary points near brush. Walleye are getting better. These fish are being caught on jigging spoons near humps and main lake points with brush. Bottom-bouncing and drop-shot rigs are still working for catching these fish. Stripers have slowed a bit and are being caught with live bait or trolling hair jigs. Main lake points are the best locations for these fish. Bream are still being caught on crickets or worms 20-25 feet deep. Crappie are fair to good and being caught near and over brush. Try brush in water 20-40 feet deep. Minnows or crappie grubs are working best. Catfish are still good and being caught on cut bait and live bait on juglines and trotlines 20-30 feet deep.
Larry Hurley from Poorman’s Guide Service filed no report.
Lake Hamilton
To read about black and white crappie, and habitat installed in the lake, visit Family Fishing Trips.
Drawdown Update: Entergy Arkansas says winter drawdowns will begin Nov. 3 when Lake Hamilton will drop 5 feet and Lake Catherine will drop 3 feet. Water released at the dams will be used to generate hydroelectric power. Both lakes will return to their normal summertime levels in March 2013. The annual drawdowns help with shoreline maintenance and inspection, and are part of a plan to help control nuisance aquatic vegetation. Entergy Arkansas coordinates the annual winter drawdown with the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission.
Lake Catherine
For weekly flow releases from Carpenter Dam, visit www.entergy.com/hydro.
Shane Goodner, owner of Catch’em All Guide Service,reports that fall-like weather of the last several days has helped drop water temperature below Carpenter Dam to 60 degrees. Clear conditions exist in the tailrace; temperatures climb to 76 degrees below the bridge. Rainbow trout stocking begins next month, which marks the beginning of the much-awaited trout season that attracts fishermen from all over the state. A 3-foot drawdown is scheduled in November for Lake Catherine and will be in place until early March of next year. The lake has been lowered 5 feet the last two years, which reduced the amount of fishable water below the dam and created dangerous areas to navigate when the turbines were running. Two more feet of water in the tailrace allows boaters to move around the area with less chance of accident and enables all fish species to thrive in deeper water. October weather will bring threadfin shad into the tailrace and this migration will bring white bass and crappie close to the dam to feed. Fishermen should watch closely for schools of shad close to the bank or at the surface, which is key for these species of fish. Periods of current are best for fishing, which tend to force shad to seek shelter behind the many rock formations in the tailrace. Casting small jigs in white or gray, and crankbaits that imitate an injured shad are the preferred techniques to find and catch white bass and crappie. Walleye fishing has slowed to a crawl, but had been consistent for months. The spawn begins in mid-February and will continue through April. Striper and hybrid bass will follow shad movements and can be caught on gizzard or brood shad fished with a balloon rig. Jigs in quarter-ounce sizes will perfectly imitate injured shad and often work better than the large top-water presentations normally used to catch stripers. With only short releases from the dam in the afternoon to maintain lake levels, little fishing is going on around the dam to report. Good fishing is on the horizon.
Drawdown Update: Entergy Arkansas says winter drawdowns will begin Nov. 3 when Lake Hamilton will drop 5 feet and Lake Catherine will drop 3 feet. Water released at the dams will be used to generate hydroelectric power. Both lakes will return to their normal summertime levels in March 2013. The annual drawdowns help with shoreline maintenance and inspection, and are part of a plan to help control nuisance aquatic vegetation. Entergy Arkansas coordinates the annual winter drawdown with the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission.
Lake Atkins
Lucky Landing (479-641-7615) filed no report this week.
South-Central Arkansas
Moro Bay
Moro Bay State Park at the junction of the Ouachita River, Raymond Lake and Moro Bay, had no report this week.
Ouachita River Oxbows
Jaret Rushing said bass are starting to move up from deeper water to begin feeding for the winter lull. At times, prior to frontal boundaries, bass can be caught using many different lures. Shallow- to deep-running crankbaits, as well as smaller spinner baits (three-sixteenths-ounce or so) around cypress trees are seemingly working well right now because shad and small baitfish are the primary diet of bass. Toward mid-morning and afternoon, try slowing your presentation and using soft-plastic baits and try finding underwater shelves where baitfish could be schooling. These need to be 4-8 feet deep. Crappie are starting to move up, as well, and are biting well in the early morning and late afternoon for people using shiners as bait and fishing shelves and channels at about 5 feet deep.had no report.
Tri-County Lake
Jaret Rushing said: I have no report for Tri-County Lake but the same pattern in the Ouachita River Oxbows should be holding. Fish everywhere are starting to move shallower because of cooler temperatures, and they are aggressive on baitfish right now.
East Arkansas
Bear Creek Lake
Mississippi River State Park says bass are biting well in 10-16 feet of water on crankbaits. Bream are biting crickets and worms. Crappie are biting on minnows about 5 feet from the bank. Catfish are good on crickets and live worms.
Storm Creek Lake
Mississippi River State Park said striped bass are being caught on Rat-L Traps and crankbaits. Catfish are good on live worms. Bream are slow. Crappie are fair on minnows.
White River
Triangle Sports (870-793-7122)filed no report this week.
Maddox Bay
Maddox Bay Landing (870-462-8317) said the water is normal and stained. Bream, crappie, bass and catfish reports have been poor lately.
Horseshoe Lake
Local angler Clyde Gregory said the lake is clear and normal. Fishing has been slow.