Jim Harris, Author at Arkansas Game & Fish Commission

Arkansas Wildlife Weekly Fishing Report

Jim Harris — Thu, 11 Jul 2024 19:50:01 +0000

July 11, 2024

Jim Harris

Managing Editor Arkansas Wildlife Magazine

When Lou Gabric sent in this photo of a whopper striped bass in late June, he said the ongoing striper bite was awesome on Norfork Lake, with other species biting, too. Lou has featured a series of great striper photos on his Hummingbird Hideaway Resort website over the past few weeks. Last week, the hybrid striped bass bite and white bass bite were both on, with Lou and his daughter seeing fish in 70-80 feet of water near a creek channel swing and landing them in 50-60 feet. They were jigging Binks Spoons for the whites and White Trash Tater Shads for the bigger fish. Like everywhere else we’re hearing from these days, you’ve got to start early (by 6 a.m.) and you’ll be wrapped up around 8 a.m. fishing on Norfork Lake, if you follow Lou’s recommendations.

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Reports are updated weekly, although some reports may be published for two weeks if updates are not received promptly or if reporters say conditions haven’t changed. Contact the reporter listed for the lake or stream you plan to fish for current news.

Arkansas River 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

Download the Fish Brain app and follow AGFC at: https://join.fishbrain.com/agfc-page

Quick links to regions:

Central Arkansas
North Arkansas
Northwest Arkansas
Northeast Arkansas
Southeast Arkansas
Southwest Arkansas
South-Central Arkansas
West-Central Arkansas
East Arkansas

Central Arkansas

Craig D. Campbell Lake Conway Reservoir
For the most up-to-date lake level, visit the U.S. Geological Survey’s Lake Conway water level site.

NOTE: Lake Conway recently experienced a fish kill due to low oxygen levels. Most fish affected were non-game fish (such as drum, shad and yellow bass), but some game fish also died. Fish kills like this are likely to happen throughout a lake renovation when water levels are low and temperatures are high. Daily limits are still lifted, and harvest of catches is highly encouraged. The AGFC thanks anglers for their support and patience. For more Lake Conway renovation project updates, see https://agfc.attn.tv/aQNV63-BKBEL

(updated 7-5-2024) Bates Field and Stream (501-470-1846) said the water has really fallen out of the main fishing areas now with the water allowed to flow out for the planned Lake Conway renovation by the AGFC. The big thing is anglers catching lots of big catfish at the dam. “Catfish is what everybody is catching now,” they said. “Big ones, too, coming up from the bottom.” These are predominantly channel catfish, some blues and a few flatheads. Definitely eating-size channels and blues.
Gar is also being seen around the dam in the water left there. The lake is extremely low. “They are catching whatever they can.”

They hear reports of crappie being caught in the Toad Suck area, and anglers are going to nearby Bearverfork for bass fishing. They are selling a lot of spinnerbaits and Pop-R style baits, along with lizards and soft plastic worms.

Lake Conway has no creel or length limits while the lake is in its drawdown phase as part of the AGFC’s renovation project. All fish may be kept; in fact, it’s encouraged, hence the no limit regulation. Still chances to stock up on crappie and others for the freezer.
Also, the Lake Conway nursery pond is open for fishing with the AGFC stocking various sport fish there. The pond is more than 60 acres and has bass, crappie and bream.

Little Red River
For the Army Corps of Engineers’ real-time outflow report from Greers Ferry Dam, visit the Corps’ Little Rock office website or by calling (501) 362-5150). Also check the Southwestern Power Administration website to see forecast generation schedule.

(updated 7-11-2024) Mike Winkler of Little Red River Fly Fishing Trips (501-507-3688) said Wednesday, “We’ve had some much-needed rain over the past few days here in Arkansas. The rainwater collected in Greers Ferry Lake is going to be a big help in keeping the river cool during these hot summer days.
“Right now, the Little Red River is still a bit muddy around Dripping Springs Access. However, the Southwestern Power Administration has projected releases of two units of generation for seven hours starting today (July 10). This should help clear up the upper river.
“With all this rain, it’ll be interesting to see what happens with the generation schedule. It looks like SWPA might be running more water now that there’s more in Greers Ferry Lake. This extra water will be great for the fish, especially in this heat.
“The bite was good last week if you started early to beat the heat. It’s a bit early to predict the generation schedule post-rain, but fishing the falling water from the previous day’s generation is always productive. I’d recommend using flies like Pheasant Tail Soft Hackles, Guide’s Choice Hare’s Ear, San Juan Worms and Midges.

“Try fishing the deep water near moss beds, and anywhere we’re there is some current.”

Greers Ferry Lake
For the Army Corps of Engineers’ real-time lake level and outflow report from Greers Ferry Dam, visit the Corps’ Little Rock office website.

(updated 7-11-2024) Tommy Cauley of Fishfinder Guide Service (501-940-1318) said the water level at Greers Ferry Lake is at 460.95 feet msl, which is 1.59 feet below normal pool. Not much else has changed other than more and more fish are coming up on top schooling in different parts of the lake and rivers. Power generation has picked up with the Southwestern Power Administration generating 4-5 hours in afternoons, which will help oxygenation in the lake and the river below the dam as well. Also it will help with the bite as well — all species of game fish are eating off and on at opportune times. Most species now are getting and staying out where they will summer at and staying on structure where you can really work on them.

For crappie, try super shallow and out to 30 feet and use jigs, minnows or crankbaits. A lot of fish are migrating to cooler areas in timber where a lot of bait will spend summer, so fishing straight up and down is a must when seeking crappie. Walleye are eating in the main lake, and for the few that are left up rivers, drag a crawler or crankbait in 28-50 feet. Some walleye are following under big schools of white bass and hybrid bass — use a spoon for those. And, just like crappie it’s time for a lot of them to head to the timber and hang out for the rest of summer into fall, as water is a little cooler and more bait fish are there as well. A spoon is best for that vertical fishing in 10-50 feet.

Hybrid striped bass and white bass are trying to get set up in main lake for the summer, while some are roaming and schooling on top. For the ones that are set, use spoons, inline spinners, grubs and swimbaits in 25-60 feet. Catfish have started showing up more regularly, and the usual catfish baits are working in the lake and rivers. Some bream are shallow but most are still around 8-30 feet; crickets and crawlers are working fine for them, as well as inline spinners. Some loner black bass are shallow, but most are out or roaming shallow and schooling. Use Carolina rig, topwater lures, wake baits, drop-shots, crankbaits and spinnerbaits for best action super shallow out to 60 feet. Be safe and wear your life jacket.

Harris Brake Lake
(updated 7-11-2024) Harris Brake Lake Resort (501-889-2745) said anglers have been catching catfish. Most catches are on trotlines baited early in the morning, and they are catching cats in the 3-4-pound range. Bream are also biting well off the shoreline on crickets and redworms. Bass are reported to be biting for boat anglers near the big island in the lake. One angler fishing for bass also was catching some crappie — not many, but a few that were big in size and biting minnows.

The best fishing is very early in the morning 5-6 a.m. and wrapping up by 10 a.m., then back to it after 5 p.m. and into the evening.

Lake Overcup
(updated 7-11-2024) John “Catfish” Banks at Overcup Landing off Arkansas Highway 9 said the lake’s water level is about 2 feet high from 5 inches of rain. Clarity is murky at best but clearing quickly. Surface temperature is around 85 degrees.
Bass are doing well on Cajun Spin and buzzbaits and plastic worms.

Crappie are in the deeper water; nobody has been fishing for them lately.

Catfish are doing well on trotlines and jugs using bass minnows and bream.

Bream were doing well on crickets and redworms before all this water. One family came out and caught 130 in about 5 hours.

Lake Maumelle
(updated 7-11-2024) WestRock Landing in Roland (501-658-5598) noted a temperature being a little cooler this week, ranging 86-89 degrees. The largemouth bass bite overall remains fair. Anglers report bass schooling in the mornings and evenings. They can be found shallow in the mornings and evenings in 2-4 feet, with others being noted in deeper water, 12-20 feet. Fish points and drop-offs. Drop-shots, Texas-rigged worms, topwater baits and crankbaits are best. Spotted bass (i.e. Kentucky bass) are fair as well, with anglers catching them on points in 8-20 feet of water as well as around drop-offs. Drop-shots and crankbaits are working for these fish. Similar results to last week were seen Tuesday night in the weekly black bass tournament, with Brandon Crain and Matt Hedrick hauling in 14.7 pounds with their five-bass stringer. Cameron Nesterenko and Andrew Wooley were just behind them, catching 14.30 pounds with a Big Bass of 5.49 pounds.
Crappie and bream continue to provide the best bite on the lake. Crappie are being caught in good numbers and size, as they are suspended around brush anywhere from 16 to 21 feet. Jigs and minnows are the baits of choice. Bream are good, with bluegill being very active. Find them both around 6-10 feet and in shallower at 3- feet. Crickets, worms and drop-shots are catching them.

White bass and catfish reports haven’t come in for a while, but they can still be caught. White bass are best using twister tails during this time, while catfish should be attracted to small bream, liver or live worms.

Arkansas River at Morrilton
For the real-time water flow at the Ormond Lock and Dam and Morrilton stage level, visit the Corps’ Little Rock office website.

Little Maumelle River
(update 7-11-2024) Ray Hudson at River Valley Marina (501-517-1250) said the Little Maumelle was a mud river for a while this week after 5-6 inches of rainfall earlier in the week, but there are signs of clearing. It’s still on the murky side but is at normal river pool. Further up into the Little Maumelle the clearer it will be, but at the marina it murky. Two days ago it was “chocolate milk” he said, and it will still be a couple of days before it gets really clear again. “Catfish ought to be good because of the water moving,” he said. “I haven’t seen anybody out since the rain.”

Before that, anglers were still catching lots of black bass mostly on crankbaits and soft plastic worms. Some were also using spinners and catching a few. Bream were being caught also; they were up shallow and biting crickets and worms.

Arkansas River (Maumelle Pool)
For the real-time water flow at the Toad Suck Lock and Dam, visit the Corps’ Little Rock office website.

Arkansas River (Little Rock Area Pools)
For the real-time water flow at the Murray Lock and Dam and David D. Terry Lock and Dam, as well as the Little Rock pool stage level, visit the Corps’ Little Rock office website.

(updated 6-27-2024) Fish ’N Stuff (501-834-5733) reports that largemouth bass and Kentucky bass (spots) are biting in 10-12 feet around jetties. Anglers are having best success throwing a shaky head with a Zoom Trick Worm, along with deep-diving crankbaits in a shad pattern.

Bluegill are biting on the shallow flats in 5-6 feet water. Crickets and redworms rigged on a bobber rig have them biting about a foot deep.

Crappie are being caught in water that is ranging from 8-10 feet and anywhere that you can find structure. A one-eighth-ounce jig in white and chartreuse or a Crappie Magnet is what’s catching the most.

Water clarity of the pool is stained to muddy with about a half-foot to a foot of visibility.

Peckerwood Lake
(updated 6-27-2024) Donna Mulherin at Herman’s Landing (501-626-6899) said anglers say that “right now the hot species of the lake are the catfish and bream” As for crappie, some are having success trolling and others are spider-rigging underwater structure for bites.

Catfish are biting hot dogs and liver, and also some live bait such as shiners, shad and bream are great to use.

Early morning and evening topwater is working now for the black bass. Donna also said, “Right now it seems that the bass anglers are the ones that are rarely left empty-handed.”
Bream have seen an increase in overall activity, the full moon playing its part. Crickets and worms are the most popular bait for bream.

“We’re level full and a little dingy, but not that bad. About normal for Peckerwood,” she said of the water conditions.

North Arkansas

White River
(updated 7-11-2024) Cotter Trout Dock (870-435-6525) said Bull Shoals Lake elevation measured 660.91 feet msl Wednesday, below the targeted power pool of 661 feet, with generation continuing its schedule of minimum flows in the morning, raising a little earlier than it has been, to almost 12,000 cfs (four generators). Hurricane Beryl brought one day of steady rain, but the impact on the water levels in our lakes and rivers was minimal.

The recent rain did provide the trout with a bounty of food, so look for something shiny to catch their attention. Rainbows are hitting gold spinners and pink and white PowerBait mouse tails (scented manufactured worms topped with white PowerBait). The ever-popular red/gold hammered Thomas Buoyant Spoon is living up to its reputation by adding to the creel count. As always, keep a cup of nightcrawlers or redworms on hand during the late afternoon rise in water and play them close to the banks just a foot or so below the surface.

Early morning is the best time to be on the river casting crawdad tails or crawfish crankbaits near the bank. Browns have been hiding in the remaining deep holes and biting on sculpin and crawdad tails. Wouldn’t hurt to cast a Rebel WeeCraw or TeenyCraw and watch for a chase.

“Treat yourself to some time on the river. You’ll return home refreshed, revived and thankful for all the great outdoors The Natural State has to offer.”

(updated 7-11-2024) Dave McCulley, owner of Jenkins Fishing Service in Calico Rock, said, “This week we have seen an almost daily repeating water level with depths as low as 3 feet in the morning with a rise to a depth as high as 7 feet. During higher water, using Uncommon Baits UV eggs in neo pink and corn with or without silver inline spinners worked best while drift-fishing. When the water was low and clear, quarter-ounce Thompson Colorado Spoons in nickel/gold worked very well. We also saw success using Rapala Countdown CD5 in silver/black.
“Although we got a lot of rain Monday evening through Tuesday afternoon, the Buffalo River didn’t rise too much. By Wednesday morning, Calico Rock was seeing dingy but definitely fishable water. As of Wednesday Norfork Lake was about 4 feet above the power pool while Bull Shoals remained below the power pool level. Norfork Dam has been generating daily during the work week between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. while Bull Shoals Dam has been generating in the afternoons into the night.”

Bull Shoals Lake
For the Army Corps of Engineers’ real-time outflow report from Bull Shoals Dam, visit the Corps’ Little Rock office website.

(updated 7-5-2024) Fishing guide Del Colvin at Bull Shoals Lake (815-592-4302) said Thursday night that lake level has fallen to around 660 feet msl, now a foot below the listed summertime conservation pool. The Army Corps of Engineers has continued running some big water through the dam. Water temperature is around 85 degrees, give or take.

Bass are set up on summer areas and patterns. Shad are spread out from the back off the creek out to the main lake. Check deeper water points, ledges, drop-offs and channel swings and saddles. “Get up early, or if it’s cloudy, rainy and windy hit the surface with topwater. Smaller sizes are working best for me, a Zara Spook, Pop-R, Lucky Craft Gunfish, wake baits in shad patterns. As the sun gets up, try a 2.8 swimbait, especially if there’s wind, or a Flutter Spoon. That will keep the bite going.
“Once the sun gets up, a lot the fish will move out over deep water. You can follow them out there — try a drop-shot, Robo Worm or shad-shape worm or Tater Shad.

“If we get rain, I’ll powerfish covering water. Try a buzzbait if it’s windy and cloudy, or a frog/toad if it’s sunny, over submerged flooded bushes. You can still catch them on points with a small Jewel Peewee Jig in green pumpkin orange or a tube or a shaky head in 10-20 feet early, then 25-30 feet. Keep the boat out for deep long casts.

“There’s a lot of activity in the 15 feet range. You can also go up there with a big worm, a Beaver or Salt Craw early or late. Shallower brush piles closer to deep water in less than 25-30 feet are holding some fish.

“Overall summer patterns are here. Suspended fish in large groups are roaming; if you can find ’em with the front looker, you can get right in a hurry. Fish the conditions.

Del regularly posts new YouTube videos. Visit his YouTube site (Bull Shoals Lake Fishing Report) for more information and tips on fishing Bull Shoals Lake.

(updated 7-5-2024) Southernwalleye Guide Service (501-365-1606) says walleye have slowed down but are still being caught. “We’re pulling nightcrawler harnesses in 25-30 feet with 2-ounce bottom bouncers on primary and secondary points with gold or orange blades with orange bead patterns. Also, just a No. 4 split shot and No. 2 Aberdeen hook and nightcrawler, work slowly around groups of fish, will catch some. More small fish in the 16- to 17-inch size are being caught than legal-size (18 or more inches) fish.

Spooning with a three-quarter-ounce white spoon in deeper water off main lake points in 40-50 feet will also get some fish.

“Here’s hoping the lake will stabilize soon and fishing will improve around the thermocline.”

(updated 7-5-2024) Crappie 101 Guide Service (870-577-2045) says crappie seem to be moving deeper and are definitely pickier, as the jig bite has slowed down a lot. Minnows and 4-pound line help, but they are still finicky. Just keep moving until you find fish that will cooperate.

Norfork Lake
For the Army Corps of Engineers’ real-time outflow report from Norfork Dam, visit the Corps’ Little Rock office website.

(updated 7-11-2024) Lou Gabric at Hummingbird Hideaway Resort (870-492-5113) said had no new reports, but he posts fishing reports nearly every day to his blog on the Hummingbird Hideaway Resort webpage.

Northwest Arkansas

Beaver Lake
For the Army Corps of Engineers’ real-time outflow report from Beaver Lake Dam, visit the Corps’ Little Rock office website.

(updated 7-11-2024) Jon Conklin with FishOn Guide Service (479-233-3474) said Beaver Lake is staying right around normal pool level. The water temperature dropped a bit to the mid-80s. Fishing is definitely in the summer pattern, which means early or late and fish the thermocline.
Stripers are again really good this last week. Look from Point 6 down to the dam. Shad brooders and bluegill will work. Again early or earlier is the ticket.
Crappie have been fair on trolled cranks. Same story, as early is your best option. Bandit 300s trolled at 75 feet back at 1.8 mph have been working lately. Places to troll are any flats in 25-35 feet of water.
Walleye have been good some days and they disappear the next. Look for them in 25 feet of water and troll crawler harnesses for best success.
Catfish doing well from shore and from trotlines and jugs. Bluegill are always there to accommodate fishermen. Crickets are the bait.
“Good luck and stay safe on the lake!” Visit Jon’s Facebook page for the latest updates, FishOn Guide Service Goshen AR.

Beaver Tailwater
(updated 7-11-2024) Guide Austin Kennedy (479-244-0039) says fishing these past two weeks has been pretty good. You may have to move around a bit, but the bite does pick up as you do so. Most fish have been caught between Houseman Access and the U.S. Highway 62 bridge. The trout have been very responsive to Pautzke Fire Worms, fished on bottom, with slight movement. This is also the bait and presentation of choice when drift-fishing. Also Fire Bait, with light terminal tackle, has also produced nice numbers. You can also try pulling crankbaits in the deeper water for some bigger fish.
The water temperature has been up and down, but the Army Corps of Engineers is releasing water to keep the tailwater cool. There are still some here-and-there walleye being caught. Most catches are in the deeper holes, jigging with soft plastics.
“As summer in upon us, remember to stay hydrated, wear loose cool clothing and protect yourself from the sun. Hope you all are able to get out and catch some fish!”

Follow Austin’s fishing Facebook page (Busch Mountain Fishing Guide Service) for regular updates.

Lake Fayetteville
(updated 7-11-2024) Lake Fayetteville Boat Dock (479-444-3476) says catfish have started moving around after the rain earlier in the week and anglers reported a few bites Wednesday. Bream are still good on redworms. A couple of anglers were fishing them with crickets too, but reported that redworms were working better. If you know what you’re doing on Lake Fayetteville with the crappie and their usual locales, you can catch them — regulars reported a few smaller crappie being caught. Black bass have been really good this week on soft plastic worms and on a little topwater, but mostly the plastics.

Northeast Arkansas

Lake Charles
(updated 7-11-2024) Shelly Jeffrey at Lake Charles State Park (870-878-6595) said earlier this week that the water cooled off a bit over the last weekend. She received reports of small bream and other species of sunfish (like bluegill), as well as a few black bass being caught, and also catfish were being caught on lines.

Bream are good on worms and crickets and are relating to brush piles, stumps and rocky points. Fished the shaded areas. Black bass are fair on soft plastic worms. Find them around brush and rocky points.
There were no reports on crappie.

Water temperature on Sunday morning was 79.8 degrees. Lake Charles is regularly murky, and the water level is normal.

Lake Poinsett
(updated 7-11-2024) Jonathan Wagner at Lake Poinsett State Park said that even with the heat and rain left over from Beryl, Lake Poinsett has had numerous anglers out and about. Bream are still biting pretty well, according to reports. Anglers are mostly using live bait of crickets or worms. Bass and crappie continue to be catch-and-release, but reports of catches have been decent for the crappie; bass, not so much. Anglers have reported several-pound crappie and have expressed excitement for them eventually to be able to keep them. Primarily, anglers have been fishing early mornings and into the evenings (even with the mosquitoes).

Spring River
(updated 6-27-2024) Mark Crawford with springriverfliesandguides.com (870-955-8300) said water flows at the Spring are at 390 cfs (350 is average) and water clarity is mostly clear. Over the last month, a lot of rain had messed up the river the previous two weeks. It is looking great this week, however. Hot, dry weather has river flows back down. Note that conditions can change with heavy rains.

“With the river looking back to normal conditions, we are having a blast with Hopper Droppers. We’re still using cicadas for the Hopper with lots of Hopper action. Best Dropper this week has been a pink worm and Y2K. There are plenty of rainbow trout with weekly stockings. Streamer action on overcast days might get you bigger fish, but our last 20-inch brown last week was on a Woolly in the middle of a hot day. The browns are there, but not liking this weather.
“Smallmouth are biting great when the river isn’t high and murky. Catching a bunch on Woollies and sculpin patterns fished slow and deep. You’ve got to be committed to the slow, deep presentation and they will bite. As the river drops out, the smallmouth action should be hot for the rest of the summer.
“So, it has been hot out but the river is an ice-cold 58 degrees year-round. If temps are in the high 90s, the trout turn off after lunch, and so do we. Fish early and late to stay on the bite and hydrate. I highly recommend a nap midday.”

Check out Mark’s blog for the latest river conditions on the Spring River on his website linked above.

White River
For the Army Corps of Engineers’ real-time gauge level and flow from the White River stages at Batesville, Newport and Augusta and all other sites within the White River basin in Arkansas, visit the Corps’ Little Rock office website.

Southeast Arkansas

Arkansas River (Pine Bluff Pool)
For the real-time water flow at the Emmett Sanders Lock and Dam and Maynard Lock and Dam, as well as the Pine Bluff pool stage level, visit the Corps’ Little Rock office website.

(updated 7-11-2024) The University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff Bass Fishing Team reported that water temps are around 90 degrees. Water clarity ranges 8-12 inches. There is light flow on the main channel. Black bass are biting well, especially in the morning and evening, on shad-colored buzzbaits, shallow- to medium-diving crankbaits, and dark-colored jigs. Brush piles in Lake Langhofer and jetty points/openings on the main channel are holding fish in predictable locations. Focus on current breaks and eddies near the main channel and especially target shady spots as the sun rises.

Cane Creek Lake
(updated 7-11-2024) Claire Humes at Cane Creek State Park (870-628-4714) said anglers were back out Tuesday, fishing with redworms and minnows for anything, as well as crickets for bream on the exterior pier. There were anglers seeking out bream with crickets at the interior pier on Wednesday.

Lake Monticello
(updated 7-11-2024) Anglers are reminded that if they venture out for some fishing on Lake Monticello now while the lake continues to refill after being renovated, that all fish caught must be released immediately.
The city of Monticello has opened Hunger Run Access to boat traffic.

Southwest Arkansas

Millwood Lake
For the Army Corps of Engineers’ real-time lake level and outflow report from Millwood Lake Dam, visit the Corps Little Rock office website.

(updated 7-5-2024) Mike Siefert at Millwood Lake Guide Service noted that the AGFC Tournament Courtesy Dock at Yarborough Landing was completed a few weeks ago. “Thank you, (AGFC regional supervisor) Dylan Hann, the AGFC, Army Corps of Engineers and everyone who made this improvement happen for Millwood Lake,” Mike said.

Millwood’s elevation is almost back to normal pool, with the lake about 5 inches above normal conservation pool at 259.6 feet msl and stable. Millwood Lake Dam is releasing about 652 cfs as of Tuesday, and the tailwater is holding near 226 feet. Check the guide service’s website linked above, or at the Army Corps of Engineers website, for updated gate release changes and inflow rates with rising and falling lake levels. Watch for random floaters and broken timber during any navigation on Little River and Millwood Lake. Lake elevation and discharge at Millwood Dam can change dramatically in mere hours with thunderstorms and fresh water influx.

Surface temps were stable along Little River over the past week, ranging 87 degrees early to 93 degrees depending on location and the time of day. Clarity along Little River continues improving this week with decreased river current. Normal to moderate stain is found in most locations; some areas further up Little River have heaviest stain, with river clarity ranging 10-15 inches visibility depending on location. Clarity of oxbows will vary widely from normal stained to good visibility from 20-30 inches, and we observed around fair visibility in a few wind- and current-protected areas like McGuire Oxbow up to 3 feet clarity. Areas further up Little River from White Cliffs to Cossatot inflow at Wilton Landing remain more stained, and there is higher flow rates with more current.

* Not much change from last week with largemouth bass, except it’s HOT in southwestern Arkansas, folks. Largemouths around 2-3 pounds continue to be fairly consistent in the last couple of weeks, and the best bite is early on cloudy days; the topwater bite is consistent till around 9-10 a.m. Numerous bass over 9 pounds, including a few in the 10- and 11-pound class, have been caught and released over the past couple months.

Best activity continues being seen early mornings along Little River between Pugh Slough and Jack’s Isle, and Snake Creek to McIntosh Bend, near grass and vertical drops. Buzzbaits, frogs, Bass Assassins and Spit’n Images are working early. In the oxbows, near flats of 3-4 feet deep, focus on areas where a creek meanders through the flat that drops quickly into 8-10 feet structure. Locate fresh lily pad blooms, stumps and vegetation that are holding fish. Various topwater baits will get a reaction early, including frogs, Spit’n Images, Dying Flutters, soft plastic jerkbaits, 5-inch Bass Assassin Shads and buzzbaits 1 to 8 feet of depth at dawn and dusk.

Once the sun gets up above the tree line, switching over to a Brazalo Stutterbait Chatterbait with a 3.5-inch Bass Assassin Lit’L Boss swimbait trailer in Spot Remover, white/chartreuse or Millwood Mayhem Bream will draw a reaction near stumps. For deeper sections of the creek after the sun gets high, a Bill Lewis crankbait like the ATV, MR-6, and SB-57 MDJ crankbait square bills will continue getting random reaction bites from active roaming bass in the creek channels or near drops from the flats into 8-10 feet depth structure.

For reactions from 3- to 5-point largemouths, try fat, jumbo Southern Indiana Bait Company’s 4.25-inch Monster Bass tubes on a light wire jighead, or Texas rig in black/blue or green pumpkin/purple, Brush Hogs in watermelon magic, 10-inch Power Worms in blue fleck or black and fish near stumps, lily pads, buckbrush and cypress trees. The best water clarity continues to be more reliable in the oxbows of McGuire and Clear Lake, and the bass activity levels are drastically better. Water clarity in Mud Lake and Horseshoe Lake oxbows continues to improve over the past couple of weeks. Bang Skunk Apes, Woopah Craws, Salty Rat Tail baits, jumbo magnum 8-inch lizards and Brush Hogs continue taking some decent 14- to 17-inch largemouths roaming flats in the back of the oxbows near stumps, cypress knees and lily pads. In and near shallow stumps, cypress knees and cover around 5- to 8-foot depth flats with vegetation like fresh lily pad blooms, you can get a reaction to a topwater frog or jerkbait at daylight.
* Little River has improved clarity and the white bass bite over the past couple of weeks. The reduced current has clarity much improved on primary or secondary points. White bass are roaming back down Little River to their summer spots in the main lake, but they’re pausing on these points and roaming in and out of creek dumps, too.
Heavy, three-quarter-ounce Cordell Hammered Spoons, Kastmaster Spoons in chrome/blue white Bucktails, the Bomber Fat Free Guppy or Fingerling crankbaits or the Bill Lewis MR-6 Crankbaits in Citrus Shad, Tennessee Shad and Millwood Magic colors will draw reactions. Little George’s, Rocket Shads and red/white Rooster Tails were working last week.

* Crappie continue to improve over the past few weeks with water clarity improving in many locations. Planted brush piles in Pugh Slough, Horseshoe, Bee Lake, Millwood State Park or Saratoga continue to hold nice 12- to 15-inch crappie, and gave up some nice 2-pound slabs over the past few weeks. The crappie are best using minnows one day and jigs the next, or jigs tipped with a minnow, in planted brush piles in 10-16 feet of depth. Best color jig over the past week has been Monkey Milk one day, Electric Chicken the next, while smoke-colored grubs with a chartreuse tip tail on a light wire jig head would pick up a few extra bites.
* We are getting reports from bream fishermen along the river that they are having good success near Jack’s Isle and Hurricane Creek in recent weeks. Bream beds have been noticed near Jack’s Isle and Little River back slough pockets off the main creek channels.
* No reports on catfish.

Lake Columbia
No reports.

Lake Greeson Tailwater
For the most updated Narrows Dam generation schedule from SWEPCO, click here.

Lake Greeson
For the most updated lake level at Lake Greeson, click here.

No reports.

DeGray Lake
For the most updated lake level at DeGray Lake, click here.

(updated 6-20-2024) John Duncan of YoYo Guide Service (870-942-6291 or yoyoguideservice@gmail.com) at Iron Mountain Marina says, “Well, it’s getting hot! Water level is 407.19 feet msl at this writing. Surface water temperature is in the high 80s.

“Full moon coming, so get ready to find those bream beds. They are there. I found several. They are all over the lake. Side scan for the ‘waffle’. Drop-shot, slip bobber, worms or crickets. It is about to be on again.

“I think the ‘big bite’ that we have been experiencing on crappie on the brush piles seems to be over. My experience tells me that when the water gets this hot, the crappie begin to move. They are in the standing timber now. That means forward-facing sonar and casting jigs or one-poling for them. Jig profile comes into a great effect this time of year. THink small. There are suspended crappie in the open water and on the sides of some piles.

“There are still bream, bass and catfish in the brush piles for the kids.

“Getting hot. Hydrate, watch for others who need help.”

De Queen Lake
For the Army Corps of Engineers’ real-time lake level and outflow report from De Queen Lake, visit the Corps’ Little Rock office website.

Dierks Lake
For the Army Corps of Engineers’ real-time lake level and outflow report from Dierks Lake, visit the Corps’ Little Rock office website.

South-Central Arkansas

White Oak Lake Area
No reports.

West-Central Arkansas

Lake Catherine Tailwater (Below Carpenter Dam)
For weekly flow releases from Carpenter Dam, visit www.entergy.com/hydro

(updated 7-11-2024) Shane Goodner, owner of Catch’em All Guide Service, reports that water temperature below Carpenter Dam is 65 degrees with stained conditions in the tailrace. Both lakes Hamilton and Catherine are at normal summertime pool. Entergy has scheduled several days of lengthy generation time, which has lowered the tailrace water temperature and aided greatly in the reduction of grass and moss growth. Below Carpenter Dam, fly-fishermen can still wade to areas that hold numbers of trout and can have had some success casting micro-jigs in white or black under a strike indicator. This presentation perfectly matches the injured shad drawn through the turbines from Lake Hamilton. San Juan Worms offer feeding trout a different look and will often work equally well when fished in the same manner. Trout Magnets should not be overlooked by fly-anglers and often make the difference between a successful outing and an unsuccessful one. Bank fishermen using waxworms or mealworms cast with a small bobber or fished just off the bottom with a marshmallow floater can catch rainbows. Boaters can anchor in and around sandbars and rock structure and catch trout using small inline spinners such as a Rooster Tail or Mepps Spinner in brown or silver colors.

Conditions are favorable now for effective trolling against the current. Catching a limit of rainbow trout in July should be considered a good day on the water, as the bite is very inconsistent and short in duration.
Numbers of male and female walleye remain to rest from the long-over spawning season and feed before making the move downstream to the main body of Lake Catherine. These fish can be caught by trolling shallow-running crankbaits against the current on both sides of the river below the dam. Shad or crayfish imitations work best, as both of these are present in large numbers in the lake and offer game fish a solid food source all throughout the year.

Catfish spawned in the tailrace during June from the bridge to the dam and some fish were caught on cut bait fished on the bottom. These fish will offer anglers a hearty fight and some wonderful table fare.
The heat of summer brings striper action closer to Carpenter Dam as these large predator fish search for prey and cooler temperatures. Alabama rigs and large topwater lures work well when the turbines are running, which is a key ingredient for success when attempting to catch these wary predators. Entergy is scheduling a weekend release below Carpenter Dam from noon until 5 p.m. on select Saturday and Sunday mornings, which is keeping tailrace temperatures down and reducing moss growth that is rampant below the dam.
Always wear a life jacket when on the water and remember to follow all park and boating regulations. Pick up after yourself as the number of trash cans are limited in this area. Always cooperate with all wildlife officials and law enforcement.

Lake Dardanelle
For the Army Corps of Engineers’ outflow and gauge level reports from Dardanelle, visit the Corps’ Little Rock office website.

No reports.

Lake Hamilton
No reports.

Lake Nimrod
For the Army Corps of Engineers’ real-time lake level and outflow reports from Nimrod Lake, visit the Corps’ Little Rock office website.

(updated 7-3-2024) Sheila Ferrebee, owner of Carter Cove Bait-N-More (479-272-4025), says a lot of catfish are being caught. Quite a few anglers are out trying for crappie. Some who know the spots are having good luck (one angler caught 16 crappie in the brush); others are not — the lake is in a drawdown until October. Anglers are buying pounds and pounds of No. 6 crappie minnows.

A catfish angler had six or seven flathead catfish in the boat, one of which was 52 pounds measured at the dock. Try goldfish or other live bait for the catfish.

Carter Cove has a Facebook page, and the email address is cartercovebaitnmore@gmail.com, with updates and photos. Stop in for live bait, tackle, cabin rentals, pizza, burgers, sandwiches and more.

Lake Ouachita
For the current lake level at Blakely Dam, click here.

(updated 7-11-2024) Todd Gadberry at Mountain Harbor Resort and Spa (870-867-2191/800-832-2276 out-of-state) said black bass are still fair. Try a topwater bait near main lake and secondary points or a Texas-rigged Ole Monster worm near brush. Walleye are still very good and being caught on nightcrawlers near structure with a drop-shot rig or a minnow-like jig. Stripers are good. These fish are being caught in the eastern portions of the lake and can be caught on umbrella rigs or live bait. Bream are very good and being caught on crickets and worms in the 15- to 25-feet range. Crappie are still fair. Try minnows or small jigs over structure in the 15- to 20-feet range. For catfish try stink bait or cut bait on a rod-and-reel setup in the 10- to 20-feet range; especially near structure and brush. Water temperature on Wednesday is still in the 80-86 range. Water clarity is clear. Lake level is at 576.09 feet msl, down a little from this time last week. Call the Mountain Harbor fishing guides (Mike Wurm, 501-622-7717, or Chris Darby, 870-867-7822) for more information.

Blue Mountain Lake
For the Army Corps of Engineers’ real-time lake level and outflow reports from Blue Mountain Lake, visit the Corps’ Little Rock office website.

East Arkansas

White River/Clarendon Area
For the Army Corps of Engineers’ real-time gauge level and flow from Clarendon, visit the Corps’ Little Rock office website.

Horseshoe Lake
(updated 7-3-2024) Kent Williams of Oxbow Guide Service (870-278-7978) says the fishing has been unchanged for a couple of weeks now. The water looks good for this time of year and is a little low.

“For crappie, it’s the same ol’ song,” he said. “The fish just don’t seem interested in any bait. LiveScope shows fish, but it is difficult at best to get them to bite. One trip this week we had 12 fish over 10 inches caught. The pads seem to be the same. Smaller fish are biting, but just a few of them. Hopefully things will change in the upcoming weeks.”

He had no reports on bass, catfish or bream.

Cook’s Lake
(updated 6-27-2024) The AGFC’s Wil Hafner at Cook’s Lake Nature Center (501-404-2321) says the lake level has held steady for the last week and has begun to clear up. Water temperatures are around 90 degrees. “Fish catching has still been slow at best, but we are hoping stable conditions will increase the bite soon.
“I would focus on hollow trees and laydowns for all species. For bass, I would flip a Texas-rigged black and red plastic or green pumpkin jig. For bream and crappie, I would jig a 1/32-ounce black and chartreuse jig in the same areas.
“I have heard that the action is starting to heat up on several White River lakes in the area.”

Cook’s Lake is nestled in the heart of the Dale Bumpers White River National Wildlife Refuge near Arkansas County. This fertile oxbow has slab crappie, black bass, bream and every species of catfish and receives very little fishing pressure due to being used only for education purposes and youth and mobility-impaired fishing. Cook’s Lake is open to fishing for youths under 16 or mobility-impaired anglers who must possess the AGFC mobility-impaired access permit, and up to two guests (who may also fish), during the specified fishing season. Fish from the 140-foot mobility-impaired accessible dock or launch a boat. Fishing will be allowed only on Fridays and Saturday through August, 8 a.m.-4 p.m., water level pending. Before launching, please check in at the Nature Center classroom and report back before leaving. For information or unscheduled closures, please call the center at 501-404-2321.

Note: msl is mean sea level; cfs is cubic feet per second.

The post Arkansas Wildlife Weekly Fishing Report appeared first on Arkansas Game & Fish Commission.

Arkansas Wildlife Weekly Fishing Report

Jim Harris — Fri, 05 Jul 2024 21:18:00 +0000

July 5, 2024

Jim Harris

Managing Editor Arkansas Wildlife Magazine

Tommy Simmons sent in this photo of a catfish he hauled in recently out of the Fourche LaFave River near Nimrod. He did not get the fish’s weight. Catfish appear to be the word this week (lots are being caught at the dam where Lake Conway is draining), along with anglers doing mostly early morning and after-dark fishing to deal with the oppressive temperatures. At least a front brought in cooler temps July 5 and could mean a reasonable weekend weather-wise for fishing in Arkansas.

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Reports are updated weekly, although some reports may be published for two weeks if updates are not received promptly or if reporters say conditions haven’t changed. Contact the reporter listed for the lake or stream you plan to fish for current news.

Arkansas River 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

Download the Fish Brain app and follow AGFC at: https://join.fishbrain.com/agfc-page

Quick links to regions:

Central Arkansas
North Arkansas
Northwest Arkansas
Northeast Arkansas
Southeast Arkansas
Southwest Arkansas
South-Central Arkansas
West-Central Arkansas
East Arkansas

Central Arkansas

Craig D. Campbell Lake Conway Reservoir
For the most up-to-date lake level, visit the U.S. Geological Survey’s Lake Conway water level site.

(updated 7-5-2024) Bates Field and Stream (501-470-1846) said the water has really fallen out of the main fishing areas now with the water allowed to flow out for the planned Lake Conway renovation by the AGFC. The big thing is anglers catching lots of big catfish at the dam. “Catfish is what everybody is catching now,” they said. “Big ones, too, coming up from the bottom.” These are predominantly channel catfish, some blues and a few flatheads. Definitely eating-size channels and blues.
Gar are also being seen around the opened dam in the water left there. The main lake is extremely low. “They are catching whatever they can.”

Anglers are stopping in on their way elsewhere these day. The store employee we spoke with has heard reports of crappie being caught in the Toad Suck area, and anglers are going to nearby Lake Bearverfork for bass fishing. They are selling a lot of spinnerbaits and Pop-R style baits, along with lizards and soft plastic worms.

Lake Conway has no creel or length limits while the lake is in its drawdown phase as part of the AGFC’s renovation project. All fish may be kept; in fact, it’s encouraged, hence the no-limit regulation. There are still chances to stock up on crappie and others for the freezer.
Also, the Lake Conway nursery pond is open for fishing with the AGFC stocking various sport fish there. The pond is more than 60 acres and has bass, crappie and bream.

(updated 7-5-2024) Mike Winkler of Little Red River Fly Fishing Trips (501-507-3688) said the generation schedule lately has been minimal, with the Southwestern Power Administration running water at Greers Ferry Dam for just an hour or two each night. “Daytime temperatures are soaring into the 90s, and coupled with the lack of released water from the dam, we’re hitting the river early to beat the heat. Remember, fish can get stressed when water temperatures hit 68 degrees, so it’s crucial to practice quick catch-and-release.
“The best bite has been found in deeper sections around moss beds where fish seek cover and shade from the sun. Look for areas with some current and a drop-off into deeper water for optimal results.
“Lately, the hot flies have included a pink San Juan Worm under an indicator. When fishing these mossy areas with minimal current, try adding a bit of action to the San Juan Worm by flicking the rod tip or giving a slight mend to the line to simulate movement. Other successful flies have been the Pheasant Tail Nymph, Guide’s Choice Hare’s Ear, and Rootbeer Midge.
“Get out there early, stay cool, and tight lines!”

Greers Ferry Lake
For the Army Corps of Engineers’ real-time lake level and outflow report from Greers Ferry Dam, visit the Corps’ Little Rock office website.

(updated 7-3-2024) Tommy Cauley of Fishfinder Guide Service (501-940-1318) said the water level at Greers Ferry Lake is at 461.04 feet msl, which is 0.1 feet below normal pool of 462.04 feet msl. Not much else has changed other than more fish coming up on top schooling in different parts of the lake and rivers. Power generation has been slim at best — just a couple of hours a day, or none at all. All species of game fish are biting on and off all day. Now, most species are getting and staying out where they will summer at, staying on structure where you can really work on them. Try for crappie super shallow and out to 30 feet and use jigs, minnows or crankbaits. A lot of fish are migrating to cooler areas in timber where a lot of bait will spend summer, so fishing straight up and down is a must when fishing for these.

Most walleye are eating in the main lake. The few that are left up rivers, drag a crawler or crankbaits in 10-22 feet. Some walleye are following under big schools of white bass and hybrid bass. Use a spoon for those — and just like crappie, it’s time for a lot of them to head to the timber and hang out for the rest of summer into fall, as water is a little cooler and more bait fish is there as well. So a spoon is best for vertical fishing.

Hybrids and white bass are trying to get set up in main lake for the summer, while a a lot are still traveling. For the ones that are set, use spoons, inline spinners, grubs and swimbaits in 25-60 feet.

Catfish are starting to show up more regularly. The usual stuff is working in the lake and rivers. Some bream are shallow but most still around 8-15 feet; crickets and crawlers are working fine as well as inline spinners. As for black bass, the loners are shallow, but most are out or roaming shallow and schooling. Use c-rigs, topwater, wake baits, drop-shots, crankbaits and spinnerbaits for best action super shallow out to 60 feet.
“Be safe and wear your life jacket. And enjoy the Fourth of July holiday.”

Harris Brake Lake
(updated 6-27-2024) Harris Brake Lake Resort (501-889-2745) said it seems almost too hot for fishing, but anglers are catching some catfish. Most catches are on trotlines baited early in the morning, and they are catching cats in the 3-4-pound range; “not the really big ones,” our contact tells us. Bream are also biting well off the shoreline on crickets and redworms. Bass are reported to be biting for boat anglers near the big island. One angler fishing for bass also was catching some crappie — not many, but a few that were big in size and biting minnows.

Most of the fishing is happening very early in the morning 5-6 a.m. and are back in by 10 a.m., then back to it after 5 p.m. and into the evening.

Lake Overcup
(updated 6-27-2024) John “Catfish” Banks at Overcup Landing off Arkansas Highway 9 said there hasn’t been a lot of people fishing because of the heat, but the ones that are fishing are out on the lake at night. The water level is about normal pool and surface temperature is in the mid-80s. The clarity is good.

Bream are doing well and are on their beds. Catfish are being caught on trotlines and jugs using bream and bass minnows. Bass are doing well on spinnerbaits and buzzbaits. Crappie have moved into the deeper water.

Lake Maumelle
(updated 7-3-2024) WestRock Landing in Roland (501-658-5598) noted a slight cooling of the water temperature to 85-88 degrees in its report on Wednesday this week. Fishing appears to be about the same as it’s been. Largemouth bass are still biting fair with reports of bass schooling in the mornings and evenings. They can be found shallow in the mornings and evenings at 2-4 feet, with others found deeper around 12-20 feet. Try points and drop-offs. Drop-shots, Texas-rig worms, topwater lures and crankbaits are the preferred presentations. Spotted bass (Kentucky bass) are also fair and reported on points in 8-20 feet of water as well as relating to drop-offs. Drop-shots and crankbaits are working. This week’s Tuesday night weekly tournament out of WestRock featured Cameron Nesterenko and Andrew Wooley bringing in a 5-bass stringer of 14.31 pounds, nearly 2 pounds ahead of the closest competition. Cody Bryat and Brad Lequieu hauled in the Big Bass of 5.18 pounds.

Crappie and bream remain the best bite on the lake now, with good results. Decent-sized crappie are being found suspended around brush anywhere from 16-21 feet. Use jigs and minnows. Reports of the bluegill biting well again this week in 6-10 feet as well as shallow in 3-5 feet. Crickets, worms and drop-shots will work.
White bass fishing has been slow for some time and there has been no reports. A twister tail might get a bite. Catfish are slow but should favor bream, liver or worms at this time.

Arkansas River at Morrilton
For the real-time water flow at the Ormond Lock and Dam and Morrilton stage level, visit the Corps’ Little Rock office website.

Little Maumelle River
(update 6-27-2024) Ray Hudson at River Valley Marina (501-517-1250) said the fishing and conditions are about the same this week as last. The water is “clear as normal, and a lot of people are fishing.” Several trucks of anglers reported catching lots of bass, and others said the bream were biting well.

Black bass are biting crankbaits and soft plastic worms with some topwater also working. Some crappie returned to biting last week with minnows being all they were biting and at a 5-feet depth.

Bream are on the banks and bedding, and anglers are catching them on worms and crickets. Not much has been heard on the catfish but try liver and hot dogs fished in deeper water.

Arkansas River (Maumelle Pool)
For the real-time water flow at the Toad Suck Lock and Dam, visit the Corps’ Little Rock office website.

Bluegill are biting on the shallow flats in 5-6 feet water. Crickets and redworms rigged on a bobber rig have them biting about a foot deep.

Water clarity of the pool is stained to muddy with about a half-foot to a foot of visibility.

Catfish are biting hot dogs and liver, and also some live bait such as shiners, shad and bream are great to use.

“We’re level full and a little dingy, but not that bad. About normal for Peckerwood,” she said of the water conditions.

North Arkansas

White River
(updated 7-3-2024) Cotter Trout Dock (870-435-6525) said, “Nothing like the freedom of spending Independence Day on the White River! We are grateful for the blessings bestowed on our nation and hope you are able to celebrate the Fourth with family and friends.
“Early mornings on the White River in Cotter are refreshingly cool and offset the afternoon heat regardless of how high the thermometer climbs. Spirits are renewed and balance replaces chaos. Add to that some terrific trout fishing and you’ve found yourself in a pretty good place.”
Bull Shoals Lake elevation measured 660.96 feet msl with releases now at minimum flow (700 cfs) in the morning before rising to 12,000 cfs (four generators) in late afternoon.
Browns will be hiding in the deep holes and always looking for sculpins and crawdad tails. The rainbows are hitting gold spinners and pink PowerBait mouse tails (bubblegum pink worms topped with white egg patterns). “We always suggest keeping a cup of nightcrawlers or red wigglers for the afternoon rise; play them close to the banks just a foot or so below the surface. Keep your line light and tight in the low water — you’ll lose less bait and will feel the bite quicker.
“Come visit our Natural State of Arkansas. We look forward to seeing you.”

(updated 7-5-2024) Dave McCulley, owner of Jenkins Fishing Service in Calico Rock, said, “This week we have seen a varied generation from both Bull Shoals and Norfork dams. We have seen levels as high as 9 feet or more and as low as under 4 feet. During periods of higher water, silver inline spinners with corn worked well. We’ve also seen success using worms or shrimp with Uncommon Baits UV Eggs.
“On Tuesday we saw reduced flow and lower water. Fishing was great with the lower water and artificial lures such as quarter-ounce Thompson Colorado Spoons or Rapala Countdown CD7s in rainbow trout colors or silver/black worked well.
“Norfork Lake remains about 3 feet above the top of power pool level. During the work day they have been able to use the generators with flows above 5,000 cfs. Bull Shoals Lake is about a foot below the top of the power pool. On Tuesday we saw reduced flow through the night and morning with increased flow starting Tuesday afternoon. As a result, on Wednesday we saw dingier water in Calico Rock in the morning with water clearing later in the morning and afternoon.
“The heat has been brutal. Drink plenty of water and keep a cooling towel handy to dip in the water.
“On June 27 the AGFC stocking raft stocked over 3,000 rainbow trout between Norfork and Calico Rock. In addition, Red Landing received 800 rainbows, Chessmond Ferry received 1,000 rainbows and Calico Rock received 1,000 rainbows. On July 3 the stocking raft ran from Calico Rock to Round Bottom Access stocking over 4,000 rainbows.”

Bull Shoals Lake
For the Army Corps of Engineers’ real-time outflow report from Bull Shoals Dam, visit the Corps’ Little Rock office website.

“Overall summer patterns are here. Suspended fish in large groups are roaming; if you can find ’em with the front looker, you can get right in a hurry. Fish the conditions.

Spooning with a three-quarter-ounce white spoon in deeper water off main lake points in 40-50 feet will also get some fish.

“Here’s hoping the lake will stabilize soon and fishing will improve around the thermocline.”

Norfork Lake
For the Army Corps of Engineers’ real-time outflow report from Norfork Dam, visit the Corps’ Little Rock office website.

(updated 6-20-2024) Lou Gabric at Hummingbird Hideaway Resort (870-492-5113)

said Wednesday, “I started out fishing around 4 a.m. this morning. My first spot was a bust even though I brought in some bait by dropping my green light. Very few fish showed up, so I moved to a main lake point in 100 feet or more of water. Dropped my green light again and the bait showed up. There were some small fry on the surface, but the bigger-sized bait were 15-25 feet down. It wasn’t long until I started seeing a few big arcs cruising under the bait 30-50 feet down. I landed my first striper about 15 minutes after arriving and then it started to get a little light out, but the bait stuck around and a few more fish showed up. I got to land another two stripers by about 5:15.
“By then it was getting light enough that other fishermen started showing up. I had caught three nice stripers and all swam away easily so I decided to look around and fish some new spots for possibly my outing tomorrow. I found one area back in a small creek that was holding a few fish. I fished for them a brief time, but they seemed to be just window shopping. I did manage to catch a couple of nice largemouth by casting out my Kastmaster and letting it sink about 4 seconds. They wanted a steady slow retrieval today. For the striped bass I was using a Tater Bait Tater Shad in a copper rose color pattern. It has been working well for me lately. I headed back to the resort early since I needed to get back and wait for the delivery of a new refrigerator for one of our cabins.
“The lake surface temp was about 83 degrees this morning on the main lake. The water level is fairly stable and sits at 560.65 feet msl. There is a thermocline formed around 25 feet deep. The water is clear on the main lake and slightly stained in the creeks.

“Come make some everlasting memories on Norfork Lake in the Arkansas Ozark.”

Lou posts fishing reports nearly every day to his blog on the Hummingbird Hideaway Resort webpage.

Northwest Arkansas

Beaver Lake
For the Army Corps of Engineers’ real-time outflow report from Beaver Lake Dam, visit the Corps’ Little Rock office website.

(updated 7-5-2024) Jon Conklin with FishOn Guide Service (479-233-3474) said Beaver Lake is dropping slowly and now is just under normal pool level. Water temperature is ranging from the high 80s to low 90s depending on location.

Stripers have been really good lately. If you can find shad, that will put more fish on the line right now. If there is no shad, then brooders and bluegill will work.

The fish are in their summer pattern, which is basically from Prairie Creek all the way to the dam. It also is a very early or night bite right now. You need to be on the lake fishing one hour before sunrise, and the bite is fast with limits coming before 7 a.m. on most days.
Crappie are fair to good on trolled crankbaits. This also is an early or late deal. Picos or Bandits are working well. Catfish are also very good. “We have been catching a lot of nice fish on trolled crawler harnesses while targeting walleye.”

Walleye are fair to good on bottom bouncers using crawlers. Look for humps and flats adjacent to deep drop-offs; 25 feet seems to be the depth.

Bass again are early or late, also.

“Dog days are here; get out early and you will catch some fish!! Good luck.”

Visit Jon’s Facebook page for the latest updates, FishOn Guide Service Goshen AR.

Beaver Tailwater
(updated 7-5-2024) Guide Austin Kennedy (479-244-0039) says there has been no change in the fishing this week except for the water temperature, which is higher. He said that fishing has been pretty good now for three weeks. Anglers may have to move around a bit, but the bite will pick up. Most fish have been caught between Houseman Access and the U.S. Highway 62 bridge. The trout have been very responsive to Pautzke Fire Worms, fished on bottom, with slight movement. This is also the bait and presentation of choice when drift-fishing. Also Fire Bait, with light terminal tackle, has also produced nice numbers. You can also try pulling crankbaits in the deeper water for some bigger fish.

Last week, Austin noted: “The water temperature has been up and down, but the Army Corps of Engineers is releasing water to keep the tailwater cool. There are still some here-and-there walleye being caught — most are being caught in the deeper holes jigging with soft plastics.
“Summer is here, so remember to stay hydrated, wear loose cool clothing and protect yourself from the sun. Hope you all are able to get out and catch some fish!”

Follow Austin’s fishing Facebook page (Busch Mountain Fishing Guide Service) for regular updates.

Lake Fayetteville
(updated 6-27-2024) Lake Fayetteville Boat Dock (479-444-3476) says anglers are still having success catching bluegill on worms. Channel cats and blue cats have been reported biting chicken liver and shrimp; they’re being caught near the dam off boats as well as from the shoreline.

Bass fishing has overall picked up in full summer effect — topwater in the mornings and evening time around boat docks and other structures is key. Popular during the daytime are crankbaits and jigs to get down to the cooler water.

Crappie have been constant. Trolling with minnows and spider-rigging minnows have been the reported technique and bait.

The water is stained and murky from this past week’s statewide shower.

Northeast Arkansas

Lake Charles
(updated 7-3-2024) Shelly Jeffrey at Lake Charles State Park (870-878-6595) said the heat sent most of the fish, and many of the anglers, into hiding and cooler spots this weekend. Bream and other sunfish, like bluegill, were all that were reported biting. Nevertheless, the bite was good for those, with anglers using worms, crickets, jigs and flies.

Water temperature on Sunday morning was 81 degrees. Lake Charles is regularly murky, and the water level is normal.

Lake Poinsett
(updated 7-3-2024) Jonathan Wagner at Lake Poinsett State Park said that anglers recently had been fishing Lake Poinsett using baits like the Booyah Buzzbaits for bass and were predominantly using crickets for the bream.

Bass and crappie continue to be catch-and-release. Bream and catfish may be kept at state limits.

Check out Mark’s blog for the latest river conditions on the Spring River on his website linked above.

Southeast Arkansas

Cane Creek Lake
(updated 7-5-2024) Claire Humes at Cane Creek State Park (870-628-4714) said she heard of a big bream catch with minnows being used from the lake’s exterior pier late last week. Anglers were using redworms and crickets for bream on Saturday, and throwing crickets to try to get any bites from any species as well. Anglers were throwing redworms to find a bass bite on Sunday, and nightcrawlers were also being favored by one angling party later Sunday at the pier.

Lake Monticello
(updated 7-5-2024) Anglers are reminded that if they venture out for some fishing on Lake Monticello now while the lake continues to refill after being renovated, that all fish caught must be released immediately.
The city of Monticello has opened Hunger Run Access to boat traffic as of Friday, May 31.

Southwest Arkansas

Millwood Lake
For the Army Corps of Engineers’ real-time lake level and outflow report from Millwood Lake Dam, visit the Corps Little Rock office website.

(updated 7-3-2024) Mike Siefert at Millwood Lake Guide Service noted that the AGFC Tournament Courtesy Dock at Yarborough Landing was completed a few weeks ago. “Thank you, (AGFC regional supervisor) Dylan Hann, the AGFC, Army Corps of Engineers and everyone who made this improvement happen for Millwood Lake,” Mike said.

Once the sun gets up above the treeline, switching over to a Brazalo Stutterbait Chatterbait with a 3.5-inch Bass Assassin Lit’L Boss swimbait trailer in Spot Remover, white/chartreuse or Millwood Mayhem Bream will draw a reaction near stumps. For deeper sections of the creek after the sun gets high, a Bill Lewis crankbait like the ATV, MR-6, and SB-57 MDJ crankbait square bills will continue getting random reaction bites from active roaming bass in the creek channels or near drops from the flats into 8-10 feet depth structure.

Lake Columbia
No reports.

Lake Greeson Tailwater
For the most updated Narrows Dam generation schedule from SWEPCO, click here.

Lake Greeson
For the most updated lake level at Lake Greeson, click here.

No reports.

DeGray Lake
For the most updated lake level at DeGray Lake, click here.

“There are still bream, bass and catfish in the brush piles for the kids.

“Getting hot. Hydrate, watch for others who need help.”

(updated 6-20-2024) Capt. Darryl Morris of Family Fishing Trips (501-844-5418) said, “The fishing report for what I am doing on these three lake — Ouachita, Hamilton and DeGray — is the same: Starting early at first-light is key. We’ve been casting spoons for schools of breaking bass. Then trolling crankbaits across points for more bass and an occasional walleye.”

De Queen Lake
For the Army Corps of Engineers’ real-time lake level and outflow report from De Queen Lake, visit the Corps’ Little Rock office website.

Dierks Lake
For the Army Corps of Engineers’ real-time lake level and outflow report from Dierks Lake, visit the Corps’ Little Rock office website.

South-Central Arkansas

White Oak Lake Area
No reports.

West-Central Arkansas

Lake Catherine Tailwater (Below Carpenter Dam)
For weekly flow releases from Carpenter Dam, visit www.entergy.com/hydro

(updated 7-5-2024) Shane Goodner, owner of Catch’em All Guide Service, reports that water temperature below Carpenter Dam is 65 degrees with clear conditions in the tailrace. Both lakes Hamilton and Catherine are at normal summertime pool. Entergy recently scheduled several days of lengthy generation time, which has lowered the tailrace water temperature and aided greatly in the reduction of grass and moss growth. Below Carpenter Dam, fly-fishermen can still wade to areas that hold numbers of trout and can have had some success casting micro-jigs in white or black under a strike indicator. This presentation perfectly matches the injured shad drawn through the turbines from Lake Hamilton. San Juan Worms offer feeding trout a different look and will often work equally well when fished in the same manner. Trout Magnets should not be overlooked by fly-anglers and often make the difference between a successful outing and an unsuccessful one. Bank fishermen using waxworms or mealworms cast with a small bobber or fished just off the bottom with a marshmallow floater can catch rainbows. Boaters can anchor in and around sandbars and rock structure and catch trout using small inline spinners such as a Rooster Tail or Mepps Spinner in brown or silver colors.

Conditions are favorable now for trolling to be effective against the current. Catching a limit of rainbow trout in July commences should be considered a good day on the water, as the bite is very inconsistent and short in duration.
The walleye spawn is long complete on Lake Catherine, but numbers of male and female walleye remain to rest and feed before making the move downstream to the main body of Lake Catherine. These fish can be caught by trolling shallow-running crankbaits against the current on both sides of the river below the dam. Shad or crayfish imitations work best, as both of these are present in large numbers in the lake and offer game fish a solid food source all throughout the year.

Catfish are spawning in the tailrace from the bridge to the dam and can be caught on cut bait fished on the bottom. These fish offer anglers a hearty fight and some wonderful table fare.

The heat of summer brings striper action closer to Carpenter Dam as these large predator fish search for prey and cooler temperatures. Alabama rigs and large topwater lures work well when the turbines are running, which is a key ingredient for success when attempting to catch these wary predators.

Entergy is scheduling a weekend release below Carpenter Dam from noon until 5 p.m. on select Saturday and Sunday mornings, which is keeping tailrace temperatures down and reducing moss growth, which is rampant below the dam. Always wear a life jacket when on the water and remember to follow all park and boating regulations. Pick up after yourself, as the number of trash cans are limited in this area. Always cooperate with all wildlife officials and law enforcement.

Lake Dardanelle
For the Army Corps of Engineers’ outflow and gauge level reports from Dardanelle, visit the Corps’ Little Rock office website.

No reports.

Lake Hamilton
(updated 6-20-2024) Capt. Darryl Morris of Family Fishing Trips (501-844-5418) said, “The fishing report for what I am doing on these three lake — Ouachita, Hamilton and DeGray — is the same: Starting early at first-light is key. We’ve been casting spoons for schools of breaking bass. Then trolling crankbaits across points for more bass and an occasional walleye

“Stay safe on the water. Start early because summertime pleasure boating on Hamilton is upon us anglers.”

Lake Nimrod
For the Army Corps of Engineers’ real-time lake level and outflow reports from Nimrod Lake, visit the Corps’ Little Rock office website.

A catfish angler had six or seven flathead catfish in the boat, one of which was 52 pounds measured at the dock. Try goldfish or other live bait for the catfish.

Carter Cove has a Facebook page, and the email address is cartercovebaitnmore@gmail.com, with updates and photos. Stop in for live bait, tackle, cabin rentals, pizza, burgers, sandwiches and more.

Lake Ouachita
For the current lake level at Blakely Dam, click here.

(updated 7-3-2024) Todd Gadberry at Mountain Harbor Resort and Spa (870-867-2191/800-832-2276 out-of-state) said black bass are fair. Try a topwater bait near main lake and secondary points or a Texas-rigged Ole Monster near brush.

Walleye are very good and being caught on nightcrawlers near structure with a drop-shot rig or a minnow-like jig. Stripers are still good. These fish are being caught in the eastern portions of the lake and can be caught on umbrella rigs or live bait.

Bream are good and being caught on crickets and worms in the 15- to 25-foot range.

Crappie are still fair. Try minnows or small jigs over structure in the 15- to 20-foot range. For catfish try stink bait or cut bait on a rod-and-reel set up in the 10- to 20-foot range, especially near structure and brush.
Water temperature on Tuesday was ranging 80-86 degrees. Water clarity is clear. Lake level is at 576.40 feet msl. Call the Mountain Harbor fishing guides (Mike Wurm, 501-622-7717, or Chris Darby, 870-867-7822) for more information.

Blue Mountain Lake
For the Army Corps of Engineers’ real-time lake level and outflow reports from Blue Mountain Lake, visit the Corps’ Little Rock office website.

East Arkansas

White River/Clarendon Area
For the Army Corps of Engineers’ real-time gauge level and flow from Clarendon, visit the Corps’ Little Rock office website.

Horseshoe Lake
(updated 7-3-2024) Kent Williams of Oxbow Guide Service (870-278-7978) says the fishing has been unchanged for a couple of weeks now. The water loosk good for this time of year and is a little low.

He had no reports on bass, catfish or bream.

Note: msl is mean sea level; cfs is cubic feet per second.

The post Arkansas Wildlife Weekly Fishing Report appeared first on Arkansas Game & Fish Commission.

Arkansas Wildlife Weekly Fishing Report

Jim Harris — Thu, 27 Jun 2024 21:31:02 +0000

June 27, 2024

Jim Harris

Managing Editor Arkansas Wildlife Magazine

Bill Fidler wasn’t fiddling around on the Spring River recently when he caught this 20-inch brown trout while fishing with guide Mark Crawford. Fidler was using a Woolly Bugger. Water flow and clarity are closer to normal now on the Spring, which starts near Mammoth Spring in northeast Arkansas. Browns, rainbows and smallmouth bass are biting great, Crawford reports. Read more from him under the “Northeast Arkansas” section in the report.

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Reports are updated weekly, although some reports may be published for two weeks if updates are not received promptly or if reporters say conditions haven’t changed. Contact the reporter listed for the lake or stream you plan to fish for current news.

Arkansas River 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

Download the Fish Brain app and follow AGFC at: https://join.fishbrain.com/agfc-page

Quick links to regions:

Central Arkansas
North Arkansas
Northwest Arkansas
Northeast Arkansas
Southeast Arkansas
Southwest Arkansas
South-Central Arkansas
West-Central Arkansas
East Arkansas

Central Arkansas

Craig D. Campbell Lake Conway Reservoir
For the most up-to-date lake level, visit the U.S. Geological Survey’s Lake Conway water level site.

(updated 6-20-2024) Bates Field and Stream (501-470-1846) said that anglers are doing well on all species. Bream are biting on redworms (full moon is June 22, and they should be back on the beds). Crappie can be caught with minnows. Black bass will hit topwater lures and soft plastics. Catfish are being caught on about anything being thrown at them now. White bass were biting last week on Rooster Tails and white jigs.

(updated 6-13-2024) Mike Winkler of Little Red River Fly Fishing Trips (501-507-3688) said that this week the Little Red River has been experiencing low water levels. Typically at this time of year higher water flows are maintained to regulate Greers Ferry Lake. However, recent days have seen inconsistent generation schedules, resulting in extended periods of low flow. The low water conditions have opened up excellent opportunities for wade fishing. Anglers are encouraged to take advantage of these conditions and explore the river on foot. The deeper holes below plunge pools have been particularly productive for wading.

For those fishing from boats during low flows, launching from Lobo Landing access has been effective. Targeting deeper waters around moss beds and areas with current has yielded good results.

Successful flies recently have included pink San Juan Worms, Pheasant Tail Nymphs, Hare’s Ear and Rootbeer Midges. These patterns have been attracting bites and proving effective under current conditions.

Overall, despite lower water levels than usual, fishing on the Little Red River remains productive, especially for wade anglers targeting deeper holes. For the most current updates and to plan your trip, contact Mike Winkler at the number above or visit his website linked above.

“Enjoy your time on the water and tight lines!”

(updated 6-13-2024) Fish ’N Stuff (501-834-5733) in Sherwood said Thursday that water temperature has been creeping up into the 60s with little water running at the dam. Fishing for trout has been good of late with more wading opportunities now. No. 5 and No. 7 Rapala Countdowns in rainbow or brown trout colors are a good bet for these conditions. Also, a Trout Magnet in a variety of colors is a good go-to, along with a Marabou Jig.

Greers Ferry Lake
For the Army Corps of Engineers’ real-time lake level and outflow report from Greers Ferry Dam, visit the Corps’ Little Rock office website.

(updated 6-27-2024) Tommy Cauley of Fishfinder Guide Service (501-940-1318) said the water level at Greers Ferry Lake is at 461.33 feet msl. That’s 0.71 feet below normal pool of 462.04 feet msl. Not much else has changed other than more fish are coming up on top schooling in different parts of the lake and rivers. Power generation has been slim at best; just a couple of hours a day or none at all. All species of game fish are biting on and off all day. Now most of species are getting and staying out where they will summer, staying on structure where you can really work on them.

For crappie, try super shallow and out to 30 feet. Use jigs, minnows or crankbaits. A lot of fish are migrating to cooler areas in timber where a lot of bait will spend summer, so fishing straight up and down is a must when fishing for crappie. Walleye are eating in main lake, while the few that are left up rivers, trying dragging a crawler or crankbait in 10-22 feet. Some walleye continue following under big schools of white bass and hybrid bass; use spoon for those, and just like the crappie it’s time for a lot of them to head to the timber and hang out for the rest of summer and into fall as water is a little cooler and more bait fish are there as well. A spoon is best for vertical fishing.
Hybrid and white bass are trying to get set up in main lake for the summer. A lot are still traveling, but for the ones that are set up, use spoons, inline spinners, grubs and swimbaits in 25-60 feet. Catfish are starting to show up more regularly. The usual stuff is working in the lake and rivers. Some bream are shallow, but most are still around 8-15 feet; crickets and crawlers are working fine as well as inline spinners.

Loner black bass are shallow, but most are out or roaming shallow and schooling also. Use Carolina rigs, topwater baits, wake baits, drop-shots, crankbaits and spinnerbaits for best action from shallow out to 60 feet. Be safe and wear your life jacket.

(updated 6-13-2024) Fish ’N Stuff (501-834-5733) in Sherwood said the bass fishing has been doing really well. Anglers are catching lots of black bass, though there is not much size to them right now. The bass are concentrated around schools of baitfish, and anglers are catching them in 12-15 feet of water, mostly on the main lake close to some type of a drop-off. Bass are being caught on topwater when they’re chasing bait, best on a bone-colored Zara Spook or a clear topwater lure. When the bass are not chasing on top, mostly they are biting a crankbait, a Carolina rig or a Flutter Spoon.

Walleye are hitting really well now around standing timber in 16-25 feet of water. Try a nightcrawler on a chartreuse jighead.
The water is clear with a little stain in the rivers. Lake level is normal.

Most of the fishing is happening very early in the morning 5-6 a.m. and are back in by 10 a.m., then back to it after 5 p.m. and into the evening.

Lake Maumelle
(updated 6-27-2024) WestRock Landing in Roland (501-658-5598) reported that water temperature jumped this week to 89-90 degrees. The largemouth bass bite remains fair. Anglers report bass schooling in the mornings and evenings. They can be found shallow in the mornings and evenings at 2-4 feet and others found deeper, to 12-20 feet. Try points and drop-offs. Try using drop-shots, Texas-rigged worms, topwater lures and crankbaits. Spotted bass (Kentucky bass) are reported on points in 8-20 feet of water as well as relating to drop-offs. Drop-shots and crankbaits are working for spots. The black bass fishing picked up in the Tuesday night weekly tournament out of WestRock, as Cameron Nesterenko and Andrew Wooley landed a 5-bass stringer of 15.72 pounds and the Big Bass of 5.34 pounds. Brandon Crain and Matt Hedrick had 15.22 total pounds.
Crappie are the best bite on the lake now, with good results and reports of them being found suspended around brush anywhere from 16-21 feet. Decent size crappie has been noted this week, too. Use jigs and minnows. Bream are also good after last week’s full moon. Reports of the bluegill biting well this week. They can be found around 6-10 feet as well as shallow in 3-5 feet. Crickets, worms and drop-shots will work.
White bass fishing has been slow for a while. No reports of schools this week. A twister tail might up a bite. Catfish also went unreported again. Use bream, liver or worms and possibly pick up a cat.

Arkansas River at Morrilton
For the real-time water flow at the Ormond Lock and Dam and Morrilton stage level, visit the Corps’ Little Rock office website.

Bream are on the banks and bedding, and anglers are catching them on worms and crickets. Not much has been heard on the catfish but try liver and hot dogs fished in deeper water.

Arkansas River (Maumelle Pool)
For the real-time water flow at the Toad Suck Lock and Dam, visit the Corps’ Little Rock office website.

(update 6-13-2024) An AGFC staffer/local angler fishing the Maumelle Pool last weekend reported the Arkansas River is rolling in the 50,000-60,000 cfs range below Toad Suck Dam, which is ideal flow to draw fish out to the jetties and main channel obstructions during post-spawn. The water temperature ranged from 78 degrees on the main river channel to 81 degrees in the backwaters before Sunday night’s front-cooled temperatures (slightly). Bass were biting well on black/blue swim jigs and black/blue or green pumpkin weightless YUM Dingers and Senkos fished on the edges of grass patches at the edge of current breaks in the main channel and in the backwater areas. Look for small patches of grass instead of the large mats and swim a jig through the sparse stems in the morning, then switch to pitching at matted clumps as the sun gets high. Shad-colored crankbaits like the Bomber Fat Free Fingerling worked well on main river jetties, catching a mixed bag of everything from largemouth bass and spotted bass to drum and the occasional striped bass. Fish the crankbaits just beneath the swell of water found behind jetties and wingdams along outside river bends for the best luck.

No report on crappie. If the flow slows a little, it will be a great time to set out some jugs for catfish, but the higher flow we’re seeing, jug fishermen will spend more time chasing jugs and untangling lines from snags than hauling in fish.

Bluegill are biting on the shallow flats in 5-6 feet water. Crickets and redworms rigged on a bobber rig have them biting about a foot deep.

Water clarity of the pool is stained to muddy with about a half-foot to a foot of visibility.

Catfish are biting hot dogs and liver, and also some live bait such as shiners, shad and bream are great to use.

“We’re level full and a little dingy, but not that bad. About normal for Peckerwood,” she said of the water conditions.

North Arkansas

White River
(updated 6-27-2024) Cotter Trout Dock (870-435-6525) said the White River watershed has seen some much needed rain this week, and water clarity has remained very good, keeping the trout catching phenomenal. The water level has continued to be high with generation throughout the day averaging 14,000 cfs. Bull Shoals Lake is approaching seasonal power pool of 661.6 feet msl.

The rainbow catches were achieved mainly with sunrise or pink PowerBait tipped with shrimp on a size 6 Aberdeen or bait holder hook, bronze. Another favored bait for a great catch has been fresh soft-shell crawdads — when drifted mid-depth, you’ll increase your catch count.
“I don’t think the high water is going to last much longer, so get out those lures and stick baits while you can. Tie on your favorite Smithwick (try the 4½-inch blue back/white belly model) or Rapala (try a glass blue minnow Husky Jerk) before the water drops.
“I was surprised to see some small grasshoppers this week — seems early — but it might be signaling a great hopper season. Worth a try. With the recent heat wave, the cold, clear river provides even more of an escape than usual. Life is good. Come share it with us.”

(updated 6-27-2024) Dave McCulley, owner of Jenkins Fishing Service in Calico Rock, said, “High heat equals higher demand for air conditioning equals high electrical demand equals increased power generation from Bull Shoals Dam equals higher water and flow. We have seen depths as high as 9 feet or more to as low as 7 feet. With the increased water depths and flows, anglers have had to work harder to catch trout. The KISS rule has worked the best by keeping things simple with a silver inline spinner, Uncommon Baits UV neo pink eggs tipped with corn or shrimp. The trout have moved onto the gravel bars feeding on snails and freshwater shrimp. We’ve also cleaned several larger fish with crawdads and sculpins in their stomachs. Both Bull Shoals and Norfork levels remain above the top of the power pool level. I expect river conditions will remain very similar for at least the next week.

“We received one trout stocking last week with the AGFC using the pontoon raft to stock more than 3,400 rainbow trout between Calico Rock and Sylamore Creek.

Bull Shoals Lake
For the Army Corps of Engineers’ real-time outflow report from Bull Shoals Dam, visit the Corps’ Little Rock office website.

(updated 6-27-2024) Fishing guide Del Colvin at Bull Shoals Lake (815-592-4302) said Wednesday that lake level has fallen to around 663 feet msl. The Army Corps of Engineers has been running some big water. “I feel like the thermocline isn’t setting up with the water getting pulled,” Del said, adding that parking and boat ramp access still can be limited and users should call ahead before they go. Water temperature is around 83 degrees, give or take, with stained water being warmer.

Bass are set up on summer areas and patterns. Shad are spread out from the back off the creek out to the main lake. Check deeper water, points, ledges, drop-offs and channel swings and saddles. Get up early, or if it’s cloudy, rainy and windy hit the surface with topwater! “Smaller sizes are working best for me — Zara Spook, Pop-R, Lucky Craft Gunfish, wake baits in shad patterns. As the sun gets up, a try a 2.8 swimbait, especially if there’s wind, or Flutter Spoon — that will keep the bite going.

“Once the sun gets up, a lot of the fish will move out over deep water. You can follow them out there and try a drop-shot Robo Worm or shad-shape worm or Tater Shad. Or just go home and let the ‘look at me’s’ have it. If we get rain, I’ll powerfish covering water. Try a buzzbait if it’s windy and cloudy, or a frog/toad if it’s sunny, over submerged flooded bushes.
“You can still catch them on points with a small Jewel Peewee Jig in green pumpkin orange or a tube or shaky head in 10-20 feet early, then 25-30 feet. Keep the boat out deep and make long casts. There is a lot of activity in the 15-feet range. You can also go up there with a big worm, Beaver or Salt Craw early or late. Some shallower brush piles closer to deep water, less than 25 feet, are holding some fish.
“Overall summer patterns are here. Suspended fish in large groups roaming. If you can find them with the front looker, you can get right in a hurry. Fish the conditions.”

Del regularly posts new YouTube videos. Visit his YouTube site (Bull Shoals Lake Fishing Report) for more information and tips on fishing Bull Shoals Lake.

(Updated 6-27-2024) Southern walleye Guide Service (501-365-1606) says walleye fishing has slowed down but some are still being caught. We’re pulling nightcrawler harnesses in 25-30 feet with 2-ounce bottom bouncers on primary and secondary points with gold or orange blades with orange bead patterns. Also just a No. 4 split shot and No. 2 Aberdeen hook and nightcrawler, work slowly around groups of fish, will catch some. More small fish in the 16- to 17-inch size are being caught than legal-size fish.

Spooning with a three-quarter-ounce white spoon in deeper water off main lake points in 40-50 feet will also get some fish.

Here’s hoping the lake will stabilize soon and fishing will improve around the thermocline.

(Updated 6-27-2024) Crappie 101 Guide Service (870-577-2045) says crappie seem to be moving deeper and are definitely pickier, as the jig bite has slowed down a lot. Minnows and 4-pound line help, but they are still finicky. Just keep moving until you find fish that will cooperate.

Norfork Lake
For the Army Corps of Engineers’ real-time outflow report from Norfork Dam, visit the Corps’ Little Rock office website.

(updated 6-20-2024) Lou Gabric at Hummingbird Hideaway Resort (870-492-5113)

“Come make some everlasting memories on Norfork Lake in the Arkansas Ozark.”

Lou posts fishing reports nearly every day to his blog on the Hummingbird Hideaway Resort webpage.

Northwest Arkansas

Beaver Lake
For the Army Corps of Engineers’ real-time outflow report from Beaver Lake Dam, visit the Corps’ Little Rock office website.

(updated 6-27-2024) Jon Conklin with FishOn Guide Service (479-233-3474) said Beaver Lake continues to drop lower. It now is basically normal level, around 1,121.4 feet msl.
Stripers have been very good this last week. Fish have been caught from Horseshoe Bend well north to the Starkey area. If you’re targeting stripers you must be fishing right before sunrise and the bite will continue for a couple of hours after sunrise. Use live bait, which includes brood minnows, shad and — this time of the year — bluegill.
Crappie have been fair on crankbaits and spider-rigged minnows. “I like to use Bandit 300s and Picos.
“There are fish suspended, so if you have forward-facing sonar, that sniping game is still in play. Look from Monte Ne and south. Fairly good crappie at Point 12 and up into both river arms.
“When trolling with cranks, you will also pick up walleye and catfish. Remember: Walleye have to be at least 18 inches to keep. If you know how to fish a bottom bouncer, those will produce walleye this time of the year. Catfish have been good on every method: Jugs and noodles will produce, along with various baits on terminal tackle.
“Bass are in their summer pattern, which means early and late. Spotted bass are doing the best, it seems.
“As I type, we are getting some much needed rain. It was getting fairly crispy out there. Lots of boats with holiday coming up, so stay aware of your surroundings and other boaters. At the ramps, be ready to unload before you back down the ramp. Lots of hot weather, which can lead to hot tempers at the ramps if you are not prepared to launch.
“Stay safe and good luck!”
Visit Jon’s Facebook page for the latest updates, FishOn Guide Service Goshen AR.

Beaver Tailwater
(updated 6-27-2024) Guide Austin Kennedy (479-244-0039) says, “Fishing this past two weeks has been pretty good. You may have to move around a bit, but the bite does pick up as you do so. Most fish have been caught between Houseman Access and the U.S. Highway 62 bridge. The trout have been very responsive to Pautzke Fire Worms, fished on bottom, with slight movement. This is also the bait and presentation of choice when drift-fishing. Also Fire Bait, with light terminal tackle, has also produced nice numbers. You can also try pulling crankbaits in the deeper water for some bigger fish. “The water temperature has been up and down, but the Army Corps of Engineers is releasing water to keep the tailwater cool. There are still some here-and-there walleye being caught — most are being caught in the deeper holes jigging with soft plastics.
“Summer is here, so remember to stay hydrated, wear loose cool clothing and protect yourself from the sun. Hope you all are able to get out and catch some fish!”

Follow Austin’s fishing Facebook page (Busch Mountain Fishing Guide Service) for regular updates.

Crappie have been constant. Trolling with minnows and spider-rigging minnows have been the reported technique and bait.

The water is stained and murky from this past week’s statewide shower.

Northeast Arkansas

Lake Charles
(updated 6-27-2024) Shelly Jeffrey at Lake Charles State Park (870-878-6595) said she received reports of small bream and sunfish in shallow water. Also, crappie are around 10 feet. Early morning and evening fishing are best with the heat being where it is now. You’re going to find the fish in the shaded areas.
The bream bite is good around brush piles, stumps and rocky points. Crappie are good on minnows and jigs and are relating to the brush piles, stumps and rocky points. Black bass and white bass haven’t shown up in the past after a good week before. Catfish are good on blood bait and chicken liver.

active around 10 feet and relating to the same areas as bream: brush piles, stumps and rocky points.

Crankbaits appear to be working best for black bass. They are hanging around brush and rocky points. Catfish are good on worms and blood bait. White bass are good, too, and being caught on worms and jigs.

Surface water temperature earlier this week was 80.5 degrees. The water is high and murky.

Lake Poinsett
(updated 6-27-2024) Jonathan Wagner at Lake Poinsett State Park had no new updates, but said recently before the heat wave that anglers had been fishing Lake Poinsett regularly, using baits like the Booyah Buzzbaits for bass and continuing to predominantly use crickets for the bream. Bream have been the most prevalent fish caught both from the bank as well as from a boat and were spawning before and around the full moon.

Bass and crappie continue to be catch-and-release. Bream and catfish may be kept at state limits.

Check out Mark’s blog for the latest river conditions on the Spring River on his website linked above.

Southeast Arkansas

Cane Creek Lake
(updated 6-27-2024) Claire Humes at Cane Creek State Park (870-628-4714) said an angler fishing with crickets for bream on the exterior pier last Thursday hauled in 20 large bream. Crickets and minnows have been the main go-to among anglers in the past week, along with nightcrawlers. Anglers were using nightcrawlers from the camper dock last Friday. Anglers tried redworms for bream under the full moon last Saturday. Some small bream were caught at the exterior pier and released. Anglers on a boat fishing Saturday caught 10 and released them as well, and another group caught five catfish from their boat and just kept two.

Lake Monticello
(updated 6-27-2024) Anglers are reminded that if they venture out for some fishing on Lake Monticello now while the lake continues to refill after being renovated, that all fish caught must be released immediately.
The city of Monticello has opened Hunger Run Access to boat traffic as of Friday, May 31.

Southwest Arkansas

Millwood Lake
For the Army Corps of Engineers’ real-time lake level and outflow report from Millwood Lake Dam, visit the Corps Little Rock office website.

(updated 6-27-2024) Mike Siefert at Millwood Lake Guide Service said the AGFC stocked about 180,000 purebred Florida bass fingerlings from the hatchery into Millwood Lake this week. The total goal of stockings this year in Millwood is scheduled to be 300,000 fingerlings, he noted, and the remainder would most likely be stocked next week. Mike has kept up closely with the AGFC’s Florida bass stockings and says, “if the 300,000 goal is reached this year, my spreadsheet indicates the AGFC has stocked a cumulative total of 6,751,252 Florida bass in Millwood Lake since 1990.”

Also, he noted (as we did in last week’s emailed Fishing Report newsletter) that the AGFC Tournament Courtesy Dock has been completed. “Thank you Dylan Hann, AGFC, the Army Corps of Engineers, and everyone who made this improvement happen for Millwood Lake,” Mike said.

Millwood elevation is almost back to normal pool, Mike reports. The lake elevation is about 4 inches above normal, at 259.5 feet msl, and stable; Millwood Lake dam is releasing about 682 cfs and tailwater is near 227 feet and falling. Check the most recent lake level of Millwood Lake on the guide service’s website linked above, or Army Corps of Engineers website linked under “Millwood Lake” above, for updated gate release changes and inflow rates with rising and falling lake levels. Surface temperature is stable, ranging 82 degrees early to 90 degrees later in the day along Little River. Use caution in navigation. Clarity along Little River continues to improve this week with decreased river current. Normal to moderate stain in found in most locations, with some areas further up Little River being heaviest stain. River clarity ranges 10-15 inches visibility depending on location. Clarity and visibility of oxbows will vary widely from normal stained to good visibility from 20-30 inches, and we observed around fair visibility in a few wind- and current-protected areas like McGuire Oxbow up to 3 feet clarity, away from river current.
Mike has these updated specifics on the Millwood fishing this week:

* Largemouth bass continue to be fairly consistent over the last few weeks, and the best bite is early on cloudy days. The topwater bite was consistent till around 9-10 a.m. Numerous largemouth bass over 9 pounds, including a few in the 10- and 11-pound class, have been caught and released over the past month.
Best activity is still seen during early mornings along Little River between Pugh Slough and Jack’s Isle, and Snake Creek to McIntosh Bend, near grass and vertical drops. Buzzbaits, frogs, Bass Assassins and Spit’n Images are working early. In the oxbows, near flats of 3-4 feet deep, focus on areas where a creek meanders through the flat that drops into quick 8-10 feet structure. Locate fresh lily pad blooms, as stumps and vegetation are holding fish. Various topwater baits will get a reaction early; frogs, Spit’n Images, Dying Flutters, soft plastic jerkbaits, 5-inch Bass Assassin Shads and buzzbaits continue working and drawing reactions from 2- to 4-pound largemouths from 1-8 feet depth at dawn and dusk.

Once the sun gets up above the treeline, switch over to a Brazalo Stutterbait Chatterbait with a 3.5-inch Bass Assassin Lit’L Boss swimbait trailer in Spot Remover, white/chartreuse or Millwood Mayhem Bream to draw a reaction near stumps. For deeper sections of the creek after the sun gets high, a Bill Lewis crankbait like the ATV, the MR-6 and SB-57 MDJ crankbait square bills will continue getting random reactions from active roaming bass in the creek channels or near drops from the flats into 8-10 feet depth structure.

Fat, jumbo Southern Indiana Bait Company’s 4.25-inch Monster Bass tubes on a light wire jighead or Texas Rig in black/blue or green pumpkin/purple, Brush Hogs in watermelon magic, 10-inch Power Worms in blue fleck or black, near stumps, lily pads, buckbrush and cypress trees will draw a reaction from 3- to 5-pound largemouths. The best water clarity continues to be more reliable in the oxbows of McGuire and Clear Lake, and the bass activity levels are drastically better. Water clarity in Mud Lake and Horseshoe Lake oxbows continue to improve over the past couple weeks. Bang Skunk Apes, Woopah Craws, Salty Rat Tail baits, jumbo magnum 8-inch lizards and Brush Hogs continue taking some decent 14- to 17-inch largemouth bass roaming flats in the back of the oxbows, near stumps, cypress knees and lily pads. In and near shallow stumps, cypress knees and cover around 5-8 foot depth flats with vegetation such as fresh lily pad blooms, you can get a reaction to a topwater frog or jerkbait at daylight.
* Little River has improved clarity and the bite over the past couple weeks and the reduced current has clarity much improved on primary or secondary points. White bass are roaming back down Little River to their summer spots in the main lake, but pausing on these points in the process, and roaming in and out of creek dumps, too.

Heavy three-quarter-ounce Cordell Hammered Spoons, Kastmaster chrome/blue spoons with white bucktails, or Bomber Fat Free Guppy or Fingerling crankbaits, the Bill Lewis MR-6 Crankbaits both in Citrus Shad, Tennessee Shad and Millwood Magic colors will draw reactions from white bass. Little George’s, Rocket Shads and red/white Rooster Tails continue working. Random and broken schools are pausing their annual migration back down river and stopping in Little River where primary or secondary points intersect with creek mouths dumping into the river. With reduced current, their activity levels have improved in reacting to crankbaits and spoons.
* Crappie continue to pick up in recent weeks with water clarity improving in many locations. Locating planted brush piles in Pugh Slough, Horseshoe, Bee Lake, Millwood State Park or Saratoga continue to hold nice 12- to 15-inch crappie, and gave up some nice 2-pound slabs over the past few weeks. Expect to use minnows one day, and jigs the next, or jigs tipped with a minnow, in planted brush piles 10-16 feet of depth. Best color jig over the past week has been Monkey Milk one day, Electric Chicken the next, and smoke-colored grubs with a chartreuse tip tail on a light wire jig head would pick up a few bites.
* We are getting reports from bream anglers along the river that they are having good success from bream in a spawning frame of mind near Jack’s Isle and Hurricane Creek in recent weeks. Bream beds have been noticed near Jack’s Isle and Little River back slough pockets off the main creek channels.

* No reports on catfish.

Lake Columbia
No reports.

Lake Greeson Tailwater
For the most updated Narrows Dam generation schedule from SWEPCO, click here.

Lake Greeson
For the most updated lake level at Lake Greeson, click here.

No reports.

DeGray Lake
For the most updated lake level at DeGray Lake, click here.

“I think the ‘big bite’ that we have been experiencing on crappie on the brush piles seems to be over. My experience tells me that when the water gets this hot, the crappie begin to move. They are in the standing timber now. That means forward-facing sonar and casting jigs or one-poling for them. Jig profile comes into a great effect this time of year. Think small. There are suspended crappie in the open water and on the sides of some piles.

“There are still bream, bass and catfish in the brush piles for the kids.

“Getting hot. Hydrate, watch for others who need help.”

De Queen Lake
For the Army Corps of Engineers’ real-time lake level and outflow report from De Queen Lake, visit the Corps’ Little Rock office website.

Dierks Lake
For the Army Corps of Engineers’ real-time lake level and outflow report from Dierks Lake, visit the Corps’ Little Rock office website.

South-Central Arkansas

White Oak Lake Area
No reports.

West-Central Arkansas

Lake Catherine Tailwater (Below Carpenter Dam)
For weekly flow releases from Carpenter Dam, visit www.entergy.com/hydro

(updated 6-27-2024) Shane Goodner, owner of Catch’em All Guide Service, reports that water temperature below Carpenter Dam is 65 degrees with clear conditions in the tailrace. Both lakes Hamilton and Catherine are at normal summertime pool. Entergy recently scheduled several days of lengthy generation time, which has lowered the tailrace water temperature and aided greatly in the reduction of grass and moss growth. Overall, it has been another terrible year for fishing in the tailrace. Constant flooding and bad weather consumed the majority of the rainbow trout season and kept many fishermen off the water during the peak spawning times of area game fish.

Before fishing below a hydroelectric dam, it is a good idea to check the weekly generation schedules and plan your outings accordingly. The Entergy website features a hydroelectric page for the general public to view current lake levels and conditions. This website has been down for several weeks for upgrades to be installed, but should be back online soon.

Below Carpenter Dam, fly-fishermen can still wade to areas that hold numbers of trout and can have had some success casting micro-jigs in white or black under a strike indicator. This presentation perfectly matches the injured shad drawn through the turbines from Lake Hamilton. San Juan Worms offer feeding trout a different look and will often work equally well when fished in the same manner. Trout Magnets should not be overlooked by fly-anglers and often make the difference between a successful outing and an unsuccessful one. Bank fishermen using waxworms or mealworms cast with a small bobber or fished just off the bottom with a marshmallow floater can catch rainbows. Boaters can anchor in and around sandbars and rock structure and catch trout using small inline spinners such as a Rooster Tail or Mepps Spinner in brown or silver colors.

Conditions are favorable now for trolling to be effective against the current. Catching a limit of rainbow trout as the end of June commences should be considered a good day on the water, as the bite is very inconsistent and short in duration.
The walleye spawn is long complete on Lake Catherine, but numbers of male and female walleye remain to rest and feed before making the move downstream to the main body of Lake Catherine. These fish can be caught by trolling shallow-running crankbaits against the current on both sides of the river below the dam. Shad or crayfish imitations work best, as both of these are present in large numbers in the lake and offer game fish a solid food source all throughout the year.

As temperatures warm and threadfin shad aren’t stunned by cold temperatures, there will be a dramatic decrease in the amount of prey for fish to feed on. Several days of this reduction in food will force fish to actively search for prey, which will create a good situation for anglers to be successful. Despite the safer conditions and warmer weather, it is extremely important to remember that fish in the tailrace have proven difficult to catch this entire year. Trout can be caught but not in the numbers that are expected in past years. Normal pool levels will bring a more consistent bite from the rainbow trout population. Patience is a must this year for anglers to have success due to the flooding and heavy flows the lake has experienced.

Catfish are spawning in the tailrace from the bridge to the dam and can be caught on cut bait fished on the bottom. These fish will in the tailrace the entire month of June and offer anglers a hearty fight and some wonderful table fare.

Lake Dardanelle
For the Army Corps of Engineers’ outflow and gauge level reports from Dardanelle, visit the Corps’ Little Rock office website.

No reports.

“Stay safe on the water. Start early because summertime pleasure boating on Hamilton is upon us anglers.”

Lake Nimrod
For the Army Corps of Engineers’ real-time lake level and outflow reports from Nimrod Lake, visit the Corps’ Little Rock office website.

(updated 6-6-2024) Sheila Ferrebee, owner of Carter Cove Bait-N-More (479-272-4025), says a lot of catfish are being caught. Quite a few anglers are out trying for crappie. Some who know the spots are having good luck (one angler caught 16 crappie in the brush); others are not — the lake is in a drawdown until October. Anglers are buying pounds and pounds of No. 6 crappie minnows.

A catfish angler had six or seven flathead catfish in the boat, one of which was 52 pounds measured at the dock. Try goldfish or other live bait for the catfish.

Carter Cove has a Facebook page, and the email address is cartercovebaitnmore@gmail.com, with updates and photos. Stop in for live bait, tackle, cabin rentals, pizza, burgers, sandwiches and more.

Lake Ouachita
For the current lake level at Blakely Dam, click here.

(updated 6-27-2024) Todd Gadberry at Mountain Harbor Resort and Spa (870-867-2191/800-832-2276 out-of-state) said black bass are still good. Try a topwater bait near main lake and secondary points or a Texas-rigged Ole Monster near brush. Walleye are good and still being caught on nightcrawlers near structure with a drop-shot rig. Stripers are good. These fish are being caught in the central and Eastern portion of the lake and can be caught on umbrella rigs or live bait. Bream are still very good and being caught on crickets and worms in the 15- to 25-feet range. Crappie are fair. Try minnows or small jigs over structure in the 15- to 20-feet range. For catfish, try stink bait or cut bait on a rod-and-reel set up in the 10- to 20-feet range, especially near structure and brush.
Water temperature is ranging 80-86 degrees. Water clarity is clear. Lake level Thursday was at 576-76 feet msl. Call the Mountain Harbor fishing guides (Mike Wurm, 501-622-7717, or Chris Darby, 870-867-7822) for more information.

Blue Mountain Lake
For the Army Corps of Engineers’ real-time lake level and outflow reports from Blue Mountain Lake, visit the Corps’ Little Rock office website.

East Arkansas

White River/Clarendon Area
For the Army Corps of Engineers’ real-time gauge level and flow from Clarendon, visit the Corps’ Little Rock office website.

Horseshoe Lake
(updated 6-20-2024) Kent Williams of Oxbow Guide Service (870-278-7978) is back on the lake and reports that Horseshoe’s water temperature is in the low 80s and the water is clear on the western arm and a little cloudy on the eastern arm. The water level is near normal for this time of year.
Crappie are slow, he said. “We had problems getting bigger fish to commit and bite a bait. Small fish would bite a jig, but they didn’t hit it hard. We probably caught 30 fish and only had five that would be 10 inches or over. The pads are where the most action is. Fish on piers were difficult.”

Kent had no reports on black bass or catfish. Bream are slow. “We used a small one-sixteenth-ounce jig with a waxworm and only caught about 15, and they were small.”

Bear Creek Lake/Storm Creek Lake

Note: msl is mean sea level; cfs is cubic feet per second.

The post Arkansas Wildlife Weekly Fishing Report appeared first on Arkansas Game & Fish Commission.

Arkansas Wildlife Weekly Fishing Report

Jim Harris — Thu, 20 Jun 2024 16:37:33 +0000

June 20, 2024

Jim Harris

Managing Editor Arkansas Wildlife Magazine

John Smith recently landed this nice brown trout up the White River from Rim Shoals. Higher water on the tailwater from Bull Shoals Lake dam has offered a lot of drift fishing opportunities in recent weeks. Bull Shoals is dropping closer to normal pool with the releases, though, so enjoy these conditions while they last. Read more about the trout fishing around Cotter, Calico Rock and other points in the North Arkansas section of the report.

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Reports are updated weekly, although some reports may be published for two weeks if updates are not received promptly or if reporters say conditions haven’t changed. Contact the reporter listed for the lake or stream you plan to fish for current news.

Arkansas River 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

Download the Fish Brain app and follow AGFC at: https://join.fishbrain.com/agfc-page

Quick links to regions:

Central Arkansas
North Arkansas
Northwest Arkansas
Northeast Arkansas
Southeast Arkansas
Southwest Arkansas
South-Central Arkansas
West-Central Arkansas
East Arkansas

Central Arkansas

Craig D. Campbell Lake Conway Reservoir
For the most up-to-date lake level, visit the U.S. Geological Survey’s Lake Conway water level site.

For those fishing from boats during low flows, launching from Lobo Landing access has been effective. Targeting deeper waters around moss beds and areas with current has yielded good results.

“Enjoy your time on the water and tight lines!”

Greers Ferry Lake
For the Army Corps of Engineers’ real-time lake level and outflow report from Greers Ferry Dam, visit the Corps’ Little Rock office website.

(updated 6-20-2024) Tommy Cauley of Fishfinder Guide Service (501-940-1318) said the water level at Greers Ferry Lake is at 461.75 feet msl — that’s 0.29 feet below normal pool of 462.04 feet msl. Not much else has changed other than more and more fish are coming up on top schooling in different parts of the lake and rivers. Power generation has been slim at best, just a couple hours a day or none at all. All species of game fish are biting on and off all day. Now, most species are getting and staying out where they will summer and they’re staying on structure where you can really work on them.

For crappie, try super shallow and out to 30 feet and use jigs, minnows or crankbaits. Most walleye are eating in the main lake; for the few that are left up rivers, drag a crawler or crankbaits 10-22 feet. Some are following under big schools of white bass and hybrids — use a spoon for those.

Hybrid and white bass are trying to get set up in the main lake for the summer, and a lot are still traveling, but for the ones that are set up, use spoons, inline spinners, grubs and swimbaits 25-60 feet. Shad spawn still going on in various places around the lake and rivers, and when you find them, stay with them for good catches of all species. Catfish are starting to show up more regularly and the usual stuff is working in the lake and rivers.
Some bream are shallow but most are still around 8-15 feet. Crickets and crawlers are working fine as well as inline spinners. Some solo black bass are shallow, but most are out or roaming shallow and schooling. Use Carolina rigs, topwater lures, wake baits, drop-shots, crankbaits and spinnerbaits for the best action — though many other baits now will work — super, super shallow out to 60 feet.
Be safe and wear your life jacket.

Harris Brake Lake
(updated 6-13-2024) Harris Brake Lake Resort (501-889-2745) said a man passed the big island on the lake and caught some big largemouth bass around 4-5 pounds. Also, he caught some nice crappie, including one that was 15.5 inches in length.

Catfish and bream are being caught around the shoreline. Bream are doing really well on crickets and redworms.

A trotline user on the lake caught a 43-pound blue catfish using bream as bait. Catfish are doing well for bank anglers and boat users alike, they report.

Crappie are biting for boat anglers but nothing is being reported from the shoreline.

The water is clear enough to see minnows (and turtles) in shallow water. Water temperature Thursday at midday was 88.5 degrees. The water level is good.

Lake Overcup
(updated 6-20-2024) John “Catfish” Banks at Overcup Landing off Arkansas Highway 9 had nothing new to report, but crappie recently were being caught in 5-10 feet of water using jigs and minnows. Also, bass were doing well on buzzbaits and plastic frogs since their spawn. Bream were starting to get on their beds and doing well before the recent full moon. Catfish were being caught on jugs using nightcrawlers and bass minnows, and John said he was starting to run his trotlines.

Lake Maumelle
(updated 6-20-2024) WestRock Landing in Roland (501-658-5598) reported that water temperature is consistent, still in the 80- to 82-degree range. The largemouth bass bite has been fair this week. Reports have the bass biting shallow in the mornings and evenings and with other reports of finding them deeper in 8-20 feet of water. They are also schooling in some areas in the mornings and evenings. Try points and drop-offs, and use drop-shots, Texas-rigged worms and crankbaits. Spotted bass (Kentucky bass) are being found on points in that 8- to 20-foot range as well as drop-offs. Try using drop-shots and crankbaits. Tuesday night bass tournament results out of the marina were in line with that fair bite. Matt Hedrick and Brandon Crain led the way with a 5-bass stringer of 13.85 pounds and the Big Bass of 4.77 pounds. Vaughn Greenway and Daniel Romine were second with 12.98 pounds.

Still no reports on white bass, but a twister tail is always good for picking up one here and there. Crappie were fair this week. Some reports have crappie being found suspended on brush anywhere from 12-14 feet and also at 16-21s feet. Use jigs or minnows. Bream are good (Saturday will be the peak of June’s full moon, by the way). They can be found around 6-10 feet as well as shallow at 3-5 feet. Try using crickets, worms and drop-shots. Catfish are slow and no reports have reached the shop. Try bream, liver or worms now.

Arkansas River at Morrilton
For the real-time water flow at the Ormond Lock and Dam and Morrilton stage level, visit the Corps’ Little Rock office website.

Little Maumelle River
(update 6-20-2024) Ray Hudson at River Valley Marina (501-517-1250) said the fishing and conditions are about the same this week as last. The water is “clear as normal, and a lot of people are fishing.” Several trucks of anglers reported catching lots of bass, and others said the bream were biting well.

Bream are on the banks and bedding, and anglers are catching them on worms and crickets. Not much has been heard on the catfish but try liver and hot dogs fished in deeper water.

Arkansas River (Maumelle Pool)
For the real-time water flow at the Toad Suck Lock and Dam, visit the Corps’ Little Rock office website.

(updated 6-20-2024) Fish ’N Stuff (501-834-5733) reports that largemouth bass and Kentucky bass (spots) are biting in 10-12 feet around jetties. Anglers are having best success throwing a shaky head with a Zoom Trick Worm, along with deep-diving crankbaits in a shad pattern.

Bluegill are biting on the shallow flats in 5-6 feet water. Crickets and redworms rigged on a bobber rig have them biting about a foot deep.

Water clarity of the pool is stained to muddy with about a half-foot to a foot of visibility.

Peckerwood Lake
(updated 6-13-2024) Donna Mulherin at Herman’s Landing (501-626-6899) said anglers “are wearing the catfish and bass out.” As for crappie, some are trolling and some are spider-rigging for catches.

Catfish are biting hot dogs and liver.

Topwater is working now for the black bass. Donna noticed some anglers with some nice bass stringers. A few bream are still being caught, mainly on crickets.

“We’re level full and a little dingy, but not that bad. About normal for Peckerwood,” she said of the water conditions.

North Arkansas

White River
(updated 6-20-2024) Cotter Trout Dock (870-435-6525) said Bull Shoals Lake, at 666.98 feet msl, is less than 5 feet from the seasonal power pool goal of 661 feet msl, so if you’re wanting to catch some fat, sassy rainbows, now’s the time to fish the White River in the Arkansas Ozarks.
“We are still experiencing round-the-clock generation from Bull Shoals Dam and the catch has been plentiful and healthy — quick bites drifting Berkley pink worms, sometimes tipped with a white Power Egg. The shrimp/PowerBait combo is always a great fallback bait. Add a little salt your shrimp supply to keep your bait on the hook between bites. I watched an angler this morning, just checking his line and reel, testing the cast; he had a gold Cleo tied one. Bam, a beauty of a rainbow responded. … Try the Cleos this week.
“The brown trout bite has been exceptional for June, with catches in the double-digits some days. Sculpin have been the ticket this week with several good keeper browns reeled in and released.
“Visit Cotter and find out why we’re called ‘Trout Capital USA.’ Hope to see you at the river.”

(updated 6-20-2024) Dave McCulley, owner of Jenkins Fishing Service in Calico Rock, said, “Late last week we continued to receive dramatic water level changes with high water in the morning and then dropping 3-4 feet throughout the day. By the weekend we began seeing more consistent water levels with the last couple of days average around 8 feet. Both Bull Shoals and Norfork continue to be 4-5 feet above the top power pool levels. More than likely we will continue to see increased water levels on the river until the lakes reach the power pool levels.

“With the higher water, we are seeing success using Uncommon Bait UV Eggs in Neo Pink or Orange with corn. With the higher water the trout have moved onto the gravel bars looking for food. As we are cleaning fish we are seeing a lot of fish with freshwater shrimp, snails and bug larvae in their stomach, with the occasional crawdad or sculpin in the bigger fish.
“Because of the higher water levels we are seeing limited success with artificial lures. We are starting to see more 90-degree-plus days. Remember to stay hydrated, wear sunscreen and a hat. A cooling towel dipped in the river and draped on your head or neck works wonders to help cool off.

“This week there is one trout stocking scheduled with the AGFC using the pontoon raft to stock from Calico Rock down to Sylamore Creek. With the raft stocking fish, there is a chance for the areas not close to a stocking point to get and hold fish.”

Bull Shoals Lake
For the Army Corps of Engineers’ real-time outflow report from Bull Shoals Dam, visit the Corps’ Little Rock office website.

(updated 6-20-2024) Fishing guide Del Colvin at Bull Shoals Lake (815-592-4302) said Wednesday the lake level is around 666 feet msl. The Army Corps of Engineers has been running some big water. Parking and boat ramp access can be limited; check ahead before you go. The water temperature is around 82 degrees, give or take, with stained water being warmer. Bass are set up on summer areas and patterns. Shad are spread out off deeper water around points, ledges, drop-offs and channel swings.
”Get up early or if it’s cloudy, rainy or windy and hit the surface with topwater! A Zara Spook, Pop-R or Lucky Craft Gunfish and wake baits in shad patterns are working for me. As the sun gets up, try a 2.8 swimbait, especially if there’s wind, or a Flutter Spoon. That will keep the bite going. Once the sun gets up, a lot of fish will move out over deep water. You can follow them out there and try a drop-shot Robo Worm or shad shape worm or Tater Shad. Or just go home and let the ‘look at me’s’ have it.
“If we get rain, I’ll powerfish covering water. Try a buzzbait if it’s windy and cloudy, or a frog/toad if it’s sunny, over submerged flooded bushes. You can still catch ’em on points with a small Jewel Peewee Jig in green pumpkin orange or a tube or a shaky head at 10-20 feet. Keep the boat out deep, especially in the clear water, and you can hit the old shoreline. There is a lot of activity in the 15 feet range. You can also go up there with a Beaver or Salt Craw early or late. Some shallower brush piles closer to deep water in less than 25 feet are holding some fish.
“Overall, summer patterns are here. Suspended fish in large groups are roaming if you can find them with the front looker.”
Del regularly posts new YouTube videos. Visit his YouTube site (Bull Shoals Lake Fishing Report) for more information and tips on fishing Bull Shoals Lake.

(updated 6-20-2024) Southernwalleye Guide Service (501-365-1606) says that pulling crawler harnesses 25-30 feet with 2-ounce bottom bouncers on primary and secondary points with gold or fluorescent orange blades and orange bead patterns seems to be good right now.
If contour trolling, try shad-style baits in 25-30 feet of water.
If open water trolling for suspended fish, they are still getting a little tougher to catch and are going a little deeper — down as deep as 60-70 feet. Troll early morning for a few hours, then switch over to crawler harnesses. Find shad and try trolling with snap weights from 50-70 feet deep over flooded forests over 100 feet-plus of water while using any type of deep-diving crankbait trolled over the old river channel at 1.5-1.8 mph. That should put some fish in the boat. Jigging spoon fishing has also been another tactic that is working. Casting a half-ounce spoon into 25 feet and hopping it off the bottom back into about 35 feet might also get you a few fish.

(updated 6-20-2024) Crappie 101 Guide Service (870-577-2045) reports that crappie are scattered in creeks in brush at 10-25 feet. They seem to be in smaller groups mostly and you will still have to cover a lot of brush and structure to find the quality. The jig bite is pretty slow, so minnows have been better lately.

Norfork Lake
For the Army Corps of Engineers’ real-time outflow report from Norfork Dam, visit the Corps’ Little Rock office website.

(updated 6-20-2024) Lou Gabric at Hummingbird Hideaway Resort (870-492-5113) said Wednesday, “I started out fishing around 4 a.m. this morning. My first spot was a bust even though I brought in some bait by dropping my green light. Very few fish showed up, so I moved to a main lake point in 100 feet or more of water. Dropped my green light again and the bait showed up. There were some small fry on the surface, but the bigger-sized bait were 15-25 feet down. It wasn’t long until I started seeing a few big arcs cruising under the bait 30-50 feet down. I landed my first striper about 15 minutes after arriving and then it started to get a little light out, but the bait stuck around and a few more fish showed up. I got to land another two stripers by about 5:15.
“By then it was getting light enough that other fishermen started showing up. I had caught three nice stripers and all swam away easily so I decided to look around and fish some new spots for possibly my outing tomorrow. I found one area back in a small creek that was holding a few fish. I fished for them a brief time, but they seemed to be just window shopping. I did manage to catch a couple of nice largemouth by casting out my Kastmaster and letting it sink about 4 seconds. They wanted a steady slow retrieval today. For the striped bass I was using a Tater Bait Tater Shad in a copper rose color pattern. It has been working well for me lately. I headed back to the resort early since I needed to get back and wait for the delivery of a new refrigerator for one of our cabins.
“The lake surface temp was about 83 degrees this morning on the main lake. The water level is fairly stable and sits at 560.65 feet msl. There is a thermocline formed around 25 feet deep. The water is clear on the main lake and slightly stained in the creeks.

“Come make some everlasting memories on Norfork Lake in the Arkansas Ozark.”

Lou posts fishing reports nearly every day to his blog on the Hummingbird Hideaway Resort webpage.

Northwest Arkansas

Beaver Lake
For the Army Corps of Engineers’ real-time outflow report from Beaver Lake Dam, visit the Corps’ Little Rock office website.

(updated 6-13-2024) Jon Conklin with FishOn Guide Service (479-233-3474) said Beaver Lake is coming down some and the water is heating up. Water temperature is in the low to mid-80s and the level is around 1,123.40 feet msl, which is near 2 feet above normal. Fishing is still in fair to good range.

Stripers are being caught from Horseshoe to Point 5 as of this week. It is an early morning bite. You need to be out at sun-up ready to go. As soon as the sun rises and wake boats arrive, the bite shuts off.

Crappie are starting to be caught on trolled crankbaits. Look for flats adjacent to main river channels — areas such as Point 12, Nelson’s Hollow, Friendship Creek and the U.S. Highway 412 bridge area. “Lately the cranks I am having the best luck with are anything with pink on it or just straight bubblegum Bandits and Picos.

Walleye are still slow but should pick up as the thermocline sets up. It is starting to show and will get stronger daily. That will set the stage for bottom bouncers /crawler rigs. Find some humps or a point and look in 20-30 feet of water.

Catfish are spawning, and noodles and jugs set in coves are working well.

Bluegill can always be caught shallow on crickets and or worms and make a great dinner and some good fun on top of that. Panfish are an underused resource on Beaver.

“Good luck and stay safe out there!”

Visit Jon’s Facebook page for the latest updates, FishOn Guide Service Goshen AR.

Beaver Tailwater
(updated 6-20-2024) Guide Austin Kennedy (479-244-0039) says, “Fishing these past two weeks has been pretty good. You may have to move around a bit, but the bite does pick up as you do so. Most fish have been caught between Houseman Access and the (U.S.) Highway 62 bridge. The trout have been very responsive to Pautzke Fire Worms, fished on bottom, with slight movement. This is also the bait and presentation of choice when drift-fishing. Also Fire Bait with light terminal tackle has also produced nice numbers. You can also try pulling crankbaits in the deeper water for some bigger fish.
“The water temperature has been up and down, but the Corps of Engineers is releasing water to keep the tailwater cool. There are still some here-and-there walleye being caught — most are being caught in the deeper hole, jigging with soft plastics.
“As summer starts to approach, remember to stay hydrated, wear loose, cool clothing and protect yourself from the sun. Hope you all able to get out and catch some fish!”

Follow Austin’s fishing Facebook page (Busch Mountain Fishing Guide Service) for regular updates.

Lake Fayetteville
(updated 6-13-2024) Lake Fayetteville Boat Dock (479-444-3476) says anglers are still having success catching bluegill on worms. Channel cats are blue catfish are being brought in with crickets and minnows; they’re being caught near the dam and off boats as well as off the shoreline.

Bass are being caught, but anglers aren’t revealing their techniques or baits.

The lake’s clarity is murky.

Northeast Arkansas

Lake Charles
(updated 6-20-2024) Shelly Jeffrey at Lake Charles State Park (870-878-6595) said fishing is good for all species now and black bass have made a solid reappearance in the past week. Bream are relating to the brush piles, stumps and rocky points. Use redworms or crickets. Remember that Saturday is the peak of the full moon, so bream should be at their peak activity for the month.
Crappie are good on jigs of all colors, as well as minnows. Anglers report crappie most active around 10 feet and relating to the same areas as bream: brush piles, stumps and rocky points.

Surface water temperature earlier this week was 80.5 degrees. The water is high and murky.

Lake Poinsett
(updated 6-6-2024) Jonathan Wagner at Lake Poinsett State Park said Lake Poinsett has been buzzing with activity this last week. Anglers have been using things like the Booyah Buzzbaits for bass and continue to predominantly use crickets for the bream. Bream have been the most prevalent fish caught both from the bank as well as from a boat and are currently spawning. Recently, Chuck Long caught some nice ones on a trip to the lake.

Bass and crappie continue to be catch-and-release. Bream and catfish may be kept at state limits.

Spring River
(updated 6-6-2024) Mark Crawford with springriverfliesandguides.com (870-955-8300) said the water level is running at 480 cfs, while the water clarity is good but can get murked up with storms moving through. The last few forecasts have been wrong and we have been dry this week. “Really don’t need any more rain.
“The rainbows are biting great on about everything lately when the water is right. Definitely hitting cicadas on top with a Woolly dropper can be super-hot. Dark Woollies have been hot, but (Wednesday) Y2Ks and Mega Worms were hot.
“The bad weather has kept the pressure off the river. Easy fishing for a while with weekly stocking. This time of year, stocking numbers are up.

“Smallies are biting with clearer water conditions; it should be good once things dry out. Had a few really nice smallies on a Woolly dropper below cicada, but not many. Always got to fish the bottom, real slow with Clousers or my fav, the big Woollies with heavy bead head.
“The summer is upon us and the canoe hatch is on. Saturdays on the Spring River can be very busy with floaters from Dam 3 downriver. Through the week can be very nice and Sundays are usually quiet and the time to fish during the summer. Also, areas in town will be free of floaters, like Lassiter walk-in.
“It’s hot out, they are just trying to cool off, but be aware most are inexperienced.
“The river is swift and the bottom is slick, so be safe and have fun! The Spring River is a cool 58 degrees!”

Always check Mark’s blog for the latest river conditions on the Spring River on his website linked above.

Southeast Arkansas

(updated 6-13-2024) The University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff Bass Fishing Team reported water temps are around 80 degrees. The main channel is muddy with less than 4-5 inches visibility and up to 8-10 inches visibility in parts of Lake Langhofer. Black bass have been biting fairly well in Lake Langhofer around flooded vegetation on shore, but dropping water levels are drawing them away from those areas. Begin looking at the first sand drops from shore and especially artificial brush piles to start holding bass more as the water returns to normal level.

The main channel has been flowing too hard for the past several days for the jetties to be holding bass well, but they will improve quickly as flow rates continue to decline. Shad-colored crankbaits, bladed baits and swim jigs have been doing very well near shallow cover. Light jigs and large worms should start producing more as the fish transition into their summer patterns and cover use.

Cane Creek Lake
(updated 6-20-2024) Claire Humes at Cane Creek State Park (870-628-4714) said anglers were fishing with minnows and redworms bream at the exterior pier last Friday, while others reported fishing with minnows or nightcrawlers for any bite that evening. An angler was fishing with nightcrawlers and catching small bream Saturday, and minnows were also being used by others. At the camper dock on Monday, redworms were working for bream and anything else that would give a nibble, and the same was reported on Tuesday. Crickets were attracting crappie and bream by the pier on Tuesday, too. Another angler reported catching bluegill and drum with worms the same day.

Lake Monticello
(updated 6-20-2024) Anglers are reminded that if they venture out for some fishing on Lake Monticello now while the lake continues to refill after being renovated, that all fish caught must be released immediately.
The Hunger Run Access is now to open to boat traffic.

Southwest Arkansas

Millwood Lake
For the Army Corps of Engineers’ real-time lake level and outflow report from Millwood Lake Dam, visit the Corps Little Rock office website.

(updated 6-20-2024) Mike Siefert at Millwood Lake Guide Service said the AGFC Tournament Courtesy Dock construction was completed last week. Millwood elevation is almost back to normal pool; the lake elevation Wednesday was near 2 inches above normal at 259.4 feet msl and stable. Millwood Lake Dam was releasing about 3,100 cfs and tailwater was holding near 233 feet and falling.
Check the most recent lake level of Millwood Lake on the guide service’s website linked above, or at the Army Corps of Engineers website linked under “Millwood Lake” above, for updated gate release changes and inflow rates with rising and falling lake levels. Watch for random floaters and broken timber during any navigation on Little River and Millwood Lake. Lake elevation and discharge at Millwood Dam can change dramatically in mere hours with thunderstorms and fresh water influx.

Surface temps have been stable this week, ranging in 79 degrees early to 88 degrees later in the day along Little River. Clarity along Little River is much improved this week with decreased river current. Normal to moderate stain is found in most locations; some areas further up Little River are heaviest stain, with river clarity ranging 5-10 inches visibility depending on location. Clarity of oxbows will vary widely from normal stained to good visibility from 10-20 inches, and we observed around fair visibility in a few wind- and current-protected areas like McGuire Oxbow up to 3 feet clarity, away from river current depending on location. Further up Little River from White Cliffs to Cossatot inflow at Wilton Landing remains more stained, and with higher flow rates with more current.
Mike had this species-specific highlights about Millwood fishing in the past week:
* Largemouth bass activity has improved now that the lake’s flash flooding (over 3 feet) has subsided and returned to near normal conditions. Bass have been fairly consistent the last couple of weeks, and the best bite is early on cloudy days, with the topwater bite consistent. In recent bass tournaments on Millwood Lake over last few weeks, anglers have weighed-in several bass over 9 pounds, including a few in the 10-and 11-pound class.

Best activity continues being seen in early mornings near flats of 3-8 feet deep, where a creek meanders through the flat. Fresh lily pad blooms, stumps and vegetation are holding fish. Various topwater baits will get a reaction early, including frogs, Spit’n Images, Dying Flutters, soft plastic jerkbaits, 5-inch Bass Assassin Shads and buzzbaits and drawing reactions from 2- to 4 -pounders from 1-8 feet of depth at dawn and dusk.
Once the sun gets up above the treeline, switch over to a Brazalo Stutterbait Chatterbait with a 3.5-inch Bass Assassin Lit’L Boss swimbait trailer in Spot Remover, white/chartreuse, or Millwood Mayhem Bream to draw a reaction near stumps. For deeper sections of the creek after the sun gets high, a Bill Lewis crankbait like the ATV, MR-6, and SB-57 MDJ crankbait square bills will continue getting random reaction bites from active roaming bass in the creek channels or near drops from the flats into 8- to 10-feet depth structure.
Fat, jumbo Southern Indiana Bait Company’s 4.25-inch Monster Bass Tubes on a light wire jig head or Texas rig in black/blue or green pumpkin/purple, Brush Hogs in watermelon magic, 10-inch Power Worms in blue fleck or black, fished near stumps, lily pads, buckbrush and cypress trees, will draw a reaction from 3- to 5-pound largemouth bass. The best water clarity continues to be more reliable in the oxbows of McGuire Oxbow and Clear Lake, and the bass activity levels are drastically better. Water clarity in Mud Lake and Horseshoe Lake oxbows continues to improve over the past couple weeks. Bang Skunk Apes, Woopah Craws, Salty Rat Tail baits, jumbo magnum 8-inch lizards and Brush Hogs continue taking some decent 14- to 17-inch bass roaming flats in the back of the oxbows near stumps, cypress knees and lily pads. In and near shallow stumps, cypress knees, and cover around 5-8 foot depth flats with vegetation like fresh lily pad blooms, you can get a reaction to a topwater frog or jerkbait at daylight.
* Little River has improved clarity and the white bass bite over the past couple weeks and the reduced current has clarity much improved on primary or secondary points. White bass are roaming back down Little River to their summer spots in the main lake, but pausing on these points in the process, and roaming in and out of creek dumps, too.

The deeper running Fat Free Guppy crankbaits in Tennessee Shad or Citrus Shad, or the Bill Lewis MR-6 Crankbaits in Tennessee Shad and Millwood Magic, also along with Little George’s, little Rocket Shads and red/white Rooster Tails, continued working last week. Random and broken schools are pausing their annual migration back down river and stopping in Little River where primary or secondary points intersect with creek mouths dumping into the river, and with reduced current their activity level, have improved reacting to crankbaits and spoons.
* Crappie continue to improve over the past few weeks with water clarity improving in many locations. Locating planted brush piles in Pugh Slough, Horseshoe, Bee Lake, Millwood State Park or Saratoga continue to hold nice 12- to 15-inch crappie, and gave up some nice 2-pound slabs over the past few weeks. The crappie are best using minnows one day and jigs the next, or jigs tipped with a minnow, in planted brush piles 10-16 feet of depth. Best color jig over the past week was Monkey Milk one day, Electric Chicken the next, while smoke-colored grubs with a chartreuse tip tail on a light wire jighead would pick up a few extra bites.
* We are getting reports from bream anglers along the river that they are having good success from bream in a spawning frame of mind near Jack’s Isle and Hurricane Creek over the past few weeks. We spoke with several bream fishermen and they were having fair results using red worms, grasshoppers and crickets around cypress trees near Jack’s Isle.
* No reports on catfish.

(updated 6-6-2024) Philip Kastner of Trader Bill’s Outdoors in Little Rock and Hot Springs noted on the weekly “Wild Side Show” on KABZ-FM, 103.7 The Buzz this week noted that the two-day Mr. Bass of Arkansas Championship Classic on Millwood June 1-2 produced some impressive totals of black bass. Jeffrey Grappe won the event with a two-day stringer of 29.09 pounds. Fifteen anglers caught more than 20 pounds over the two days. Cole Lamb was second with 27.33 pounds. The average fish weighed among the competitors was 2.05 pounds. There were 355 bass released out of the 360 caught.
Grappe caught a 9.31-pound fish as part of his winning catch, this coming on Saturday when his five-bass stringer led the way with 16.40 pounds. Five-bass limits were caught by 37 of the 56 anglers participating on Saturday.

Lake Columbia
No reports.

Lake Erling
(updated 6-6-2024) Lake Erling Guide Service (870-904-8546) said anglers in recent weeks have been catching lots of crappie, bream and catfish, and they’re hauling in some black bass, too. Lots of good-sized bream and a lot of redear, some ranging a pound to a pound and a half., were being caught.
The crappie are around structure, and most recently they were being caught in 6-16 feet depth. Use hand-tied jigs.

Many flathead catfish were being caught on limblines.

Lake Greeson Tailwater
For the most updated Narrows Dam generation schedule from SWEPCO, click here.

Lake Greeson
For the most updated lake level at Lake Greeson, click here.

No reports.

DeGray Lake
For the most updated lake level at DeGray Lake, click here.

“I think the ‘big bite’ that we have been experiencing on crappie on the brush piles seems to be over. My experience tells me that when the water gets this hot, the crappie begin to move. They are in the standing timber now. That means forward-facing sonar and casting jigs or one-poling for them. Jig profile comes into a great effect this time of year. Think small. There are suspended crappie in the open water and on the sides of some piles.

“There are still bream, bass and catfish in the brush piles for the kids.

“Getting hot. Hydrate, watch for others who need help.”

De Queen Lake
For the Army Corps of Engineers’ real-time lake level and outflow report from De Queen Lake, visit the Corps’ Little Rock office website.

Dierks Lake
For the Army Corps of Engineers’ real-time lake level and outflow report from Dierks Lake, visit the Corps’ Little Rock office website.

South-Central Arkansas

White Oak Lake Area
No reports.

West-Central Arkansas

Lake Catherine Tailwater (Below Carpenter Dam)
For weekly flow releases from Carpenter Dam, visit www.entergy.com/hydro

(updated 6-20-2024) Shane Goodner, owner of Catch’em All Guide Service, reports that water temperature below Carpenter Dam is 64 degrees with clear conditions in the tailrace. Both lakes Hamilton and Catherine are at normal summertime pool. Before fishing below a hydroelectric dam, it is a good idea to check the weekly generation schedules and plan your outings accordingly. The Entergy website features a hydroelectric page for the general public to view current lake levels and conditions. This website has been down for several weeks for upgrades to be installed, but should be back online soon.

Conditions are favorable now for trolling to be effective against the current. Catching a limit of rainbow trout as the middle of June commences should be considered a good day on the water, as the bite is very inconsistent and short in duration.
The walleye spawn is long complete on Lake Catherine, but numbers of male and female walleye remain to rest and feed before making the move downstream to the main body of Lake Catherine. These fish can be caught by trolling shallow-running crankbaits against the current on both sides of the river below the dam. Shad or crayfish imitations work best, as both of these are present in large numbers in the lake and offer game fish a solid food source all throughout the year.

Lake Dardanelle
For the Army Corps of Engineers’ outflow and gauge level reports from Dardanelle, visit the Corps’ Little Rock office website.

No reports.

“Stay safe on the water. Start early because summertime pleasure boating on Hamilton is upon us anglers.”

Lake Nimrod
For the Army Corps of Engineers’ real-time lake level and outflow reports from Nimrod Lake, visit the Corps’ Little Rock office website.

A catfish angler had six or seven flathead catfish in the boat, one of which was 52 pounds measured at the dock. Try goldfish or other live bait for the catfish.

Carter Cove has a Facebook page, and the email address is cartercovebaitnmore@gmail.com, with updates and photos. Stop in for live bait, tackle, cabin rentals, pizza, burgers, sandwiches and more.

Lake Ouachita
For the current lake level at Blakely Dam, click here.

(updated 6-20-2024) Todd Gadberry at Mountain Harbor Resort and Spa (870-867-2191/800-832-2276 out-of-state) said black bass are good. Try a topwater bait near main lake and secondary points or a Texas- rigged Ole Monster near brush. Walleye are still very good and being caught on nightcrawlers near structure with a drop-shot rig. Stripers are very good. These fish are being caught in the central and eastern portion of the lake and can be caught on umbrella rigs or live bait. Bream are very good and being caught on crickets and worms in the 15-25 foot range. Crappie are still fair. Try minnows or small jigs over structure in the 15-20 foot range. For catfish try stink bait or cut bait on a rod and reel set up in the 10- to 20-feet range, especially near structure and brush.
Water temperature is ranging 80-86 degrees. The clarity is clear. Lake level at midweek was 577.34, still less than a foot below normal conservation pool. Call the Mountain Harbor fishing guides (Mike Wurm, 501-622-7717, or Chris Darby, 870-867-7822) for more information.

(updated 6-6-2024) Philip Kastner of Trader Bill’s Outdoors in Little Rock and Hot Springs noted earlier this week on “The Wild Side” on KABZ, 103.7 The Buzz, the amazing stringers of bass caught on Ouachita last week in the Trader Bill’s Team Trail senior high tournament. Grayson Goss and Wally Wilcox caught a two-day total of 27.27 pounds. “That’s an incredible stringer,” Kastner said. Hunter Sanders and Zane Cox edged out Cole McNeely and Cole Martin for second, 22.98 pounds over two days to 22.29 pounds.

Kastner recently noted that for best success, anglers should “pay close attention to lake levels. With all the rain and storms we’re getting, you’ve got a lot of things to deal with. And, for the most part, all of Arkansas’s central lakes are at full pool. It’s rare to see this many lakes where they are right now. Ouachita, DeGray…. are all at full pool.”

For Free Fishing Weekend, Kastner says, “It’s all about bream fishing — whether you’re using crickets, nightcrawlers or whatever, as long as the kids are having fun.”

Blue Mountain Lake
For the Army Corps of Engineers’ real-time lake level and outflow reports from Blue Mountain Lake, visit the Corps’ Little Rock office website.

East Arkansas

White River/Clarendon Area
For the Army Corps of Engineers’ real-time gauge level and flow from Clarendon, visit the Corps’ Little Rock office website.

Kent had no reports on black bass or catfish. Bream are slow. “We used a small one-sixteenth-ounce jig with a waxworm and only caught about 15, and they were small.”

Cook’s Lake
(updated 6-20-2024) The AGFC’s Wil Hafner at Cook’s Lake Nature Center (501-404-2321) reports that the water level has fallen drastically in the last week fishing remains poor at best. He is hearing this trend for White River lakes from Newport all the way south of Cook’s Lake, though he’s not sure what’s going on.

Note: msl is mean sea level; cfs is cubic feet per second.

The post Arkansas Wildlife Weekly Fishing Report appeared first on Arkansas Game & Fish Commission.

Arkansas Wildlife Weekly Fishing Report

Jim Harris — Thu, 13 Jun 2024 22:10:20 +0000

June 13, 2024

Jim Harris

Managing Editor Arkansas Wildlife Magazine

Tim Keeble of the Kansas City area returned to the White River and Cotter Trout Dock recently, and this time landed a tiger by the mouth: a tiger trout. Tim was fishing with guide Eric Beecher. Tiger trout are a hybrid of brown trout and brook trout, and are noted for their feistiness. They are capable of growing much larger than their brook trout lineage. The AGFC has stocked small batches of the hybrid in the White River below Bull Shoals Dam since 2020.

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Reports are updated weekly, although some reports may be published for two weeks if updates are not received promptly or if reporters say conditions haven’t changed. Contact the reporter listed for the lake or stream you plan to fish for current news.

Arkansas River 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

Download the Fish Brain app and follow AGFC at: https://join.fishbrain.com/agfc-page

Quick links to regions:

Central Arkansas
North Arkansas
Northwest Arkansas
Northeast Arkansas
Southeast Arkansas
Southwest Arkansas
South-Central Arkansas
West-Central Arkansas
East Arkansas

Central Arkansas

Craig D. Campbell Lake Conway Reservoir

For the most up-to-date lake level, visit the U.S. Geological Survey’s Lake Conway water level site.

NOTE: The last of three planned public cleanups of the Lake Conway shoreline by the AGFC and its partners in the lake renovation is underway through Saturday, June 15. The hours for the cleanup will be 8 a.m.-4 p.m. each day. For more information, call 501-604-0492 or email nicholas.feltz@agfc.ar.gov.

(updated 6-13-2024) Bates Field and Stream (501-470-1846) said that anglers are still doing well on all species. Bream are biting on redworms (full moon is coming, June 22, and they should be back on the beds). Crappie can be caught with minnows. Black bass will hit topwater lures and soft plastics. Catfish are being caught on about anything being thrown at them now. White bass are back in the picture, biting on Rooster Tails and white jigs.

At the dam this week, water was murky coming through, but elsewhere the water is fine, they say.

Little Red River

For the Army Corps of Engineers’ real-time outflow report from Greers Ferry Dam, visit the Corps’ Little Rock office website or by calling (501) 362-5150. Also check the Southwestern Power Administration website to see forecast generation schedule.

For those fishing from boats during low flows, launching from Lobo Landing access has been effective. Targeting deeper waters around moss beds and areas with current has yielded good results.

“Enjoy your time on the water and tight lines!”

Greers Ferry Lake
For the Army Corps of Engineers’ real-time lake level and outflow report from Greers Ferry Dam, visit the Corps’ Little Rock office website.

(updated 6-13-2024) Tommy Cauley of Fishfinder Guide Service (501-940-1318) said the water level at Greers Ferry Lake is at 462.07 feet msl — that’s 0.03 feet above normal pool of 462.04 feet msl. Not much else has changed other than more and more fish are coming up on top schooling in different parts of the lake and rivers. Power generation has been slim at best — just a couple of hours a day, or none at all. All species of game fish are biting on and off all day. Now, most species are staying out where they will summer and are staying on structure where you can really work on them.

For crappie, try super shallow and out to 30 feet, and use jigs, minnows or crankbaits. Walleye are eating in the main lake. The few walleye that are left up rivers, drag a crawler or crankbait in 10-22 feet. Some are following under big schools of white bass and hybrid bass — use a spoon for those.

Hybrid and white bass are trying to get set up in the main lake for the summer. A lot are still traveling, but the ones that are set, use spoons, inline spinners, grubs and swimbaits in 25-60 feet. A shad spawn is still going on in various places around the lake and rivers; when you find the shad, stay with them for good catches of all species.
Catfish are starting to show up more regularly, and the usual stuff is working in the lake and rivers. Some bream are shallow but most are still around 8-15 feet; crickets and crawlers are working fine as well as inline spinners. Some loner black bass are shallow, but most are out or roaming shallow and schooling — use C-rigs, topwater lures, wake baits, drop-shots, crankbaits and spinnerbaits for the best action. There are really too many baits that will work right now to mention, and fish what you have super shallow out to 60 feet.
“Be safe and wear your life jacket.”

Harris Brake Lake

(updated 6-13-2024) Harris Brake Lake Resort (501-889-2745) said a man passed the big island on the lake and caught some big largemouth bass around 4-5 pounds. Also, he caught some nice crappie, including one that was 15.5 inches in length.

Catfish and bream are being caught around the shoreline. Bream are doing really well on crickets and redworms.

A trotline user on the lake caught a 43-pound blue catfish using bream as bait. Catfish are doing well for bank anglers and boat users alike, they report.

Crappie are biting for boat anglers but nothing is being reported from the shoreline.

The water is clear enough to see minnows (and turtles) in shallow water. Water temperature Thursday at midday was 88.5 degrees. The water level is good.

Lake Overcup
(updated 6-13-2024) John “Catfish” Banks at Overcup Landing off Arkansas Highway 9 had nothing new this week, but crappie recently were being caught in 5-10 feet of water using jigs and minnows. Also, bass were doing well on buzzbaits and plastic frogs since their spawn. Bream were starting to get on their beds and doing well before the recent full moon. Catfish were being caught on jugs using nightcrawlers and bass minnows, and John said he was starting to run his trotlines.

Lake Maumelle

(updated 6-13-2024) WestRock Landing in Roland (501-658-5598) reported that water temperature is consistent, ranging 80-82 degrees. The largemouth bass bite remains fair. There are reports of the bass schooling on the east end of the lake. They’re biting shallow in the mornings and evenings, 2-4 feet, and others being found deeper to 15-20 feet. Try points and drop-offs. Try using drop-shots, Texas-rigged worms, and crankbaits. Spotted bass (Kentucky bass) also remain fair this week. Anglers report them being found on points in 15-20 feet mixed in with the largemouths, as well as being found on drop-offs. Jigs work best. The overall black bass bite picked up for the anglers in the weekly Tuesday night tournament here this week, with Cameron Nesterenko and Andrew Wooley hauling in a 5-bass stringer of 14.97 pounds, more than pound better than runner-up Vaughn Greenway and Daniel Romine’s 13.88. Cody Bryant and Brad Lequieu landed the Big Bass of 5.27 pounds.

There haven’t been any white bass reports in a while. A twister tail still might pick some off, though. Crappie are fair, with some reports of them being found suspended on brush anywhere from 12-14 feet and 16-21 feet. Jigs and minnows are best now. Bream are good (full moon is coming up June 22). They can be found around 6-10 feet as well as shallow in 3-5 feet of water. Crickets, worms and drop-shots are all working. No catfish catches have been reported lately, like the white bass. But they should bite bream, liver and worms now.

Arkansas River at Morrilton

For the real-time water flow at the Ormond Lock and Dam and Morrilton stage level, visit the Corps’ Little Rock office website.

Little Maumelle River

(update 6-13-2024) Ray Hudson at River Valley Marina (501-517-1250) said the water is in a lot better shape this week but it still has a little stain to it. Water temperature Thursday morning as reported by one of the anglers was 78 degrees. “It’s getting up there,” Ray said.

Black bass continue to do very well. Crankbaits and soft plastic worms are the favored presentations with some topwater also working. Ray says he’s heard some good reports on crappie this week, with minnows being all they are biting and at a 5-feet depth.

Bream are still on the banks and betting, and anglers are catching them on worms and crickets. Ray said he hasn’t heard a lot this week on catfish but they were biting well recently and he expects the same will be true this week — liver and hot dogs fished around the boats seem to be their preferred tastes now. “Liver and Oscar Meyer,” Ray said with a laugh.

There has been some schooling activity with the bass, he reports, even during the heat of the afternoon Sunday when he was on the water.

Arkansas River (Maumelle Pool)
For the real-time water flow at the Toad Suck Lock and Dam, visit the Corps’ Little Rock office website.

Arkansas River (Little Rock Area Pools)

For the real-time water flow at the Murray Lock and Dam and David D. Terry Lock and Dam, as well as the Little Rock pool stage level, visit the Corps’ Little Rock office website.

(updated 6-13-2024) Fish ’N Stuff (501-834-5733) reports that the bass fishing has been pretty good; lots of black bass are being caught. Anglers are catching fish on a crankbait or Rat-L-Trap, as they’re finding hot spots on the main river, around jetties and the like. Fish are also getting around the chasing baitfish on sandbars. Most successful crankbaits seem to be in a Firetiger or black color. For the Rat-L-Trap, go with a chrome and blue or chrome and black.
Fishing tends to slow during the day, but anglers are fishing a Texas rig or jigs around main river grass. Black and blue is always a good color of jig, and green pumpkin and orange has also been a good color of late.

Water clarity is muddy. It depends on whether we get any rain as to it clearing out. The Water level was normal on Thursday with a good flow of about 50,000 cfs, falling a bit from earlier in the week.

Catfish are biting below the dam on nightcrawlers, stink bait and cut shad.

Peckerwood Lake

(updated 6-13-2024) Donna Mulherin at Herman’s Landing (501-626-6899) said anglers “are wearing the catfish and bass out.” As for crappie, some are trolling and some are spider-rigging for catches.

Catfish are biting hot dogs and liver.

Topwater is working now for the black bass. Donna noticed some anglers with some nice bass stringers. A few bream are still being caught, mainly on crickets.

“We’re level full and a little dingy, but not that bad. About normal for Peckerwood,” she said of the water conditions.

North Arkansas

White River
(updated 6-13-2024) Cotter Trout Dock (870-435-6525) said Bull Shoals Lake elevation measured 667.51 feet msl Wednesday with generation varying from minimum flows in the morning to midafternoon releases of over 12,000 cfs (four generators).

Browns have been hiding in the deep holes and biting on sculpin and crawdad tails. The rainbows are hitting silver spinners and pink PowerBait worms topped with white (mouse tails), with the ever-popular red/gold hammered Thomas Buoyant Spoon adding to the count. There’s been a late afternoon surge in the brown bite during this past week, which is a little uncommon but might be attributed to changes in pressure systems. A cup of nightcrawlers or redworms is a must during the higher water in the afternoon; play them close to the banks just a foot or so below the surface.
“Summertime is heating up, but the mornings here in Cotter are refreshing and cool enough to require a sweatshirt. Few things remain the same in this ever-changing world, but here’s something that has remained constant: Trout fishing on the White River in the beautiful Arkansas Ozarks provides a great catch of fish and as much action as you could ask for. Come see us.”

(updated 6-13-2024) Dave McCulley, owner of Jenkins Fishing Service in Calico Rock, said water generation from the dams on the White River has been inconsistent over the last week. “We have seen depths as low as 3 feet and as high as 8.5 feet with water flows as low as 2,500cfs to as high as 19,000-plus cfs. As a result, we have had days of low and clear water to days of high and dingy water in the mornings with lower depths and clearer water in the afternoon. During the low and clear water we saw a lot of success with quarter-ounce Thompson Colorado Spoons in nickel/gold and Rapala Countdowns CD7 in rainbow trout colors, resulting in several 16-inch-plus rainbow trout and a few 20-inch-plus brown trout with one 24-inch brown trout. During the higher and dingier water, we saw success using Uncommon Baits UV eggs, with or without an inline spinner, tipping the hook off with corn or shrimp.

“I’m not aware of Calico Rock receiving a trout stocking this last week.

“I’ve had a few people ask how I track and predict water conditions in Calico Rock. Mainly I use the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Little Rock app. When the app first opens it shows “Releases” from the different dams, which are updated every hour. Here I watch the releases for both Bull Shoals Dam and Norfork Dam. The water releases at Bull Shoals Dam (60 river miles upriver) take approximately 15 hours to affect Calico Rock, and releases from Norfork Dam (18 river miles) take approximately 5 hours to affect Calico Rock. If either dam has low generation and then rapidly increases generation, we can expect some dingy water with some debris washing off the banks and then clearer water once the initial water moves through.

“Additionally on the app, there is a USGS tab. From that tab you can see hourly updates on river water levels. During a normal day, I watch the water levels at Calico Rock (which is measured from the corner of our dock) and Norfork (rule of thumb I use to predict water levels at Calico Rock is whatever water level Norfork is at, we will be that level minus 2 feet in about 4-5 hours).

“When we receive a lot of rain I also watch the water levels on the Buffalo River, which flows into the White River about 30 river miles above Calico Rock. Since the Buffalo River is a natural river with no flood control when it rises, it is the biggest cause of muddy water and debris we receive. I like to use the Rivercast app to watch the levels at St. Joe (the only place on the Buffalo that Rivercast reports) and use the USGS app to watch the levels at Harriet. Rivercast gives a predicted water level (at both St. Joe and Calico Rock), which gives me a better idea of what the river may do, and Harriet is the last reading before the water flows into the White River. A general rule of thumb I use when the Buffalo is flooding is I take the reading at Harriet and halve it and that gives a general idea of what the water levels may reach at Calico Rock.”

Bull Shoals Lake

For the Army Corps of Engineers’ real-time outflow report from Bull Shoals Dam, visit the Corps’ Little Rock office website.

(updated 6-13-2024) Fishing guide Del Colvin at Bull Shoals Lake (815-592-4302) said Wednesday the lake level was still around 667 feet msl. Parking and boat ramp can be limited with the high water. Water temperature is around 78 degrees, give or take, with warmer temperature in the stained water. Bass are set up on summer areas and patterns. Shad are spread out off deeper water points, ledges, drop-offs and channel swings. “Get up early, or if it’s cloudy, rainy and windy hit the surface with topwater!” he said.

“Zara Spook, a popper, Lucky Craft Gunfish and shad patters are working for me,” he added. As the sun gets up, try a 2.8 swimbait or Flutter Spoon; that will keep the bite going. Once the sun gets up, a lot of the fish will move deep. You can follow them out there and try a drop-shot Robo Worm or shad-shaped worm or Tater Shad. Or just go home and let the look-at-me’s have at it.
“If we get rain, I’ll powerfish covering water with a square bill, spinnerbaits and Chatterbaits in the stained backs, drains or runoff. Try a buzzbait if it’s windy and cloudy, or a frog/toad if it’s summer over submerged flooded bushes.

“You can still catch them on points with a Ned rig or tube or a shaky head in 10-20 feet. Keep the boat out deep, especially in the clear water, and you can hit the old shoreline. There is a lot of activity in the 15-feet range. You can go up there with a Beaver-style bait or Jewel football jig. Green pumpkin variants are best colors, and also a Texas-rigged Big Worm. Some shallower brush piles closer to deep water in less than 25 feet are holding some fish.

Del regularly posts new YouTube videos. Visit his YouTube site (Bull Shoals Lake Fishing Report) for more information and tips on fishing Bull Shoals Lake.

(updated 6-13-2024) Southernwalleye Guide Service (501-365-1606) says that pulling crawler harnesses in 15-20 feet early will get some fish. Fish a little deeper, 25-30 feet, later after sunrise. If contour trolling, try shad-style baits in 20-25 feet of water. Slide out to deeper water, 30-40 feet, after daylight.

If you’re open-water trolling for suspended fish, they are getting a little tougher to catch and are going a little deeper — down as deep as 60-70 feet. Troll early morning for a few hours, then switch over to crawler harnesses later. Find shad and try trolling with snap weights from 50-70 feet deep over flooded forest over 100 feet or more of water while using any type of deep-diving crankbait. Trolling the crank over the old river channel at 1.5 to 1.8 mph will put some fish in the boat.
Jigging spoon fishing has also been another tactic that is working. Casting a half-ounce spoon into 15 feet and hopping it off bottom back into about 35 feet might also get you a few fish.

(updated 6-13-2024) Crappie 101 Guide Service (870-577-2045) reports crappie are definitely more scattered and finding some on the brush and structure in about 15-25 feet. “Quality is still kind of mixed up and we are having to really work at it to catch good numbers. Jig bite has definitely slowed down, but still catching a few on the Tater Baits Tater Shad Jr. with a one-sixteenth-ounce head and, of course, minnows. Stay patient as conditions stabilize — it should really get good.”

Norfork Lake

For the Army Corps of Engineers’ real-time outflow report from Norfork Dam, visit the Corps’ Little Rock office website.

(updated 6-13-2024) Lou Gabric at Hummingbird Hideaway Resort (870-492-5113) said Wednesday, “There are many memories and great times to be experienced on Norfork Lake, whether you are fishing, boating, swimming or playing on your favorite lake toy. I had another fun morning fishing on Norfork Lake, but being on the lake is always fun no matter what you are doing. The lake is warm and inviting.
“I fished two different areas this morning. I was in 100-plus feet of water in both locations. I started fishing in the first spot at about 4:15 a.m. with my green light. Bait was still in the area and was 25 feet thick starting on the surface. Whites were inside of the bait and the bigger fish were below the bait from around 40 feet down to 70 feet. I ended up landing three striped bass and one hybrid. The fish either hit my Tater Shad on a very slow fall or on a very slow reel-up. I only had about an hour in this area, since when it got light out (5-5:15 a.m.) the bait and fish started to disperse. At about 5:30 I headed to the second area along a bluff wall. There was bait on the surface and scattered stripers 30-90 feet deep. They would not take my Tater Shad, so I switched to a 1-ounce green-with-white-belly Binks Spoon. When there were three or four fish under me, they all would chase the spoon up when I quickly raised the bait as high as I could, then let it free fall back down. One fish would hit the spoon on the fall. These fish were larger than at my first spot. The first area the fish I landed were in the 8- to 10-pound range, which is the average size you can expect to catch. The first fish caught in the second area was in the 13- to 14-pound range. What a great battle. I ended up landing six stripers/hybrids in total along with a few white bass. The second area was one of the areas I scouted out yesterday. Oh, by the way, all of my fish today were released on-site to be caught another day.

“The surface water temperature this morning was around 78-79 degrees. The lake level is 560.62 feet msl. The water is clear on the main lake and slightly stained in the creeks and coves. The water level is rising very slowly. Be careful out on the lake as there may be some floating debris due to the rise in water. I did not notice much floating this morning.

“Hummingbird Hideaway Resort still has cabins available during June and July. Summer fishing and family vacation fun time is here. Give us a call with any questions or for reservations. If you have not been to Norfork Lake before, you will absolutely fall in love with it! If you have visited in the past, it’s time to come back! Enjoy Norfork Lake in the Arkansas Ozark.”

Lou posts fishing reports nearly every day to his blog on the Hummingbird Hideaway Resort webpage.

Northwest Arkansas

Beaver Lake

For the Army Corps of Engineers’ real-time outflow report from Beaver Lake Dam, visit the Corps’ Little Rock office website.

Stripers are being caught from Horseshoe to Point 5 as of this week. It is an early morning bite. You need to be out at sunup ready to go. As soon as the sun rises and wake boats arrive, the bite shuts off.

Catfish are spawning, and noodles and jugs set in coves are working well.

Bluegill can always be caught shallow on crickets and or worms and make a great dinner and some good fun on top of that. Panfish are an underused resource on Beaver.

“Good luck and stay safe out there!”

Visit Jon’s Facebook page for the latest updates, FishOn Guide Service Goshen AR.

Beaver Tailwater

(updated 6-6-2024) Guide Austin Kennedy (479-244-0039) says, “This past week has been up and down on the tailwater. The Army Corps of Engineers has been flowing water pretty steady from the dam, causing swifter and higher water. This has made the bite a little trickier; most trout have been caught with Pautzke Fire Eggs and Fire Bait, fished with light terminal tackle. The majority of the trout have been caught between Houseman Access and U.S. Highway 62 bridge.
“There are still a few walleye in the system, with most being caught in the deeper waters. Jigging soft plastics or tossing jerkbaits with Walleye Fire Gel have produced nice numbers. The white bass are still around, but most have retreated. Tossing crankbaits and Alabama rigs have done the trick with these guys.
“With all the rain we have been getting, try to match the hatch as much as possible. Try to hit the coves early in the morning and fish the main channel later in the morning to afternoon. I hope you’re all able to get out and fish!”

Follow Austin’s fishing Facebook page (Busch Mountain Fishing Guide Service) for regular updates.

Lake Fayetteville
(updated 6-6-2024) Lake Fayetteville Boat Dock (479-444-3476) says anglers are still having success catching bluegill on worms. Channel cats are blue catfish are being brought in with crickets and minnows; they’re being caught near the dam and off boats as well as off the shoreline.

Bass are being caught, but anglers aren’t revealing their techniques or baits.

The lake’s clarity is murky.

Northeast Arkansas

Lake Charles

(updated 6-13-2024) Shelly Jeffrey at Lake Charles State Park (870-878-6595) said a guest at Lake Charles caught a 30-pound flathead on a jug line baited with beef liver. The catfish had a bluegill in his mouth. Anglers looking for cats are dipping meat in garlic and/or Kool-Aid.

Overall, fishing for catfish and bream remains good, she said. Bream are biting on worms and crickets as well as jigs — some of the favored colors appear to be Gill Candy and Shinee Hinee, but she said all colors seem to be working. Besides the beef liver, catfish are hungry for hot dogs, worms and blood bait. Shelly also reported that anglers picked up a good amount of white bass in the past few days. Black bass still aren’t being reported, she said, and crappie have disappeared in the past week.
Water temperature was 74.1 degrees on Sunday.

Lake Poinsett

(updated 6-6-2024) Jonathan Wagner at Lake Poinsett State Park said Lake Poinsett has been buzzing with activity this last week. Anglers have been using things like the Booyah Buzzbaits for bass and continue to predominantly use crickets for the bream. Bream have been the most prevalent fish caught both from the bank as well as from a boat and are currently spawning. Recently, Chuck Long caught some nice ones on a trip to the lake.

Bass and crappie continue to be catch-and-release. Bream and catfish may be kept at state limits.

Spring River

(updated 6-6-2024) Mark Crawford with springriverfliesandguides.com (870-955-8300) said the water level is running at 480 cfs, while the water clarity is good but can get murked up with storms moving through. The last few forecasts have been wrong and we have been dry this week. “Really don’t need any more rain.
“The rainbows are biting great on about everything lately when the water is right. Definitely hitting cicadas on top with a Woolly dropper can be super-hot. Dark Woollies have been hot, but (Wednesday) Y2Ks and Mega Worms were hot.
“The bad weather has kept the pressure off the river. Easy fishing for a while with weekly stocking. This time of year, stocking numbers are up.

Always check Mark’s blog for the latest river conditions on the Spring River on his website linked above.

White River

For the Army Corps of Engineers’ real-time gauge level and flow from the White River stages at Batesville, Newport and Augusta and all other sites within the White River basin in Arkansas, visit the Corps’ Little Rock office website.

Southeast Arkansas

Arkansas River (Pine Bluff Pool)

For the real-time water flow at the Emmett Sanders Lock and Dam and Maynard Lock and Dam, as well as the Pine Bluff pool stage level, visit the Corps’ Little Rock office website.

(updated 5-23-2024) The University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff Bass Fishing Team reported water temps are around 80 degrees. The main channel is muddy with less than 4-5 inches visibility and up to 8-10 inches visibility in parts of Lake Langhofer. Black bass have been biting fairly well in Lake Langhofer around flooded vegetation on shore, but dropping water levels are drawing them away from those areas. Begin looking at the first sand drops from shore and especially artificial brush piles to start holding bass more as the water returns to normal level.

Cane Creek Lake

(updated 6-13-2024) Teresa Atchley at Cane Creek State Park (870-628-4714) said this week was a slower fishing week for them. One angler reported catching bream on crickets and worms on the exterior pier last Thursday. Reports on Saturday included fishing for bream using crickets at the interior pier, while nightcrawlers and liver were being used on trotlines for catfish. One lone angler went the minnow route for anything that would bite while fishing the interior pier. Another used minnows and redworms from a boat for anything as well. On Tuesday of this week, there were reports of redworms being fished for bream at the interior pier and nightcrawlers for catfish at the courtesy dock, as well as nightcrawlers being fished around the lake for whatever would bite.

Lake Monticello
(updated 6-13-2024) Anglers are reminded that if they venture out for some fishing on Lake Monticello now while the lake continues to refill after being renovated, that all fish caught must be released immediately.
The city of Monticello has opened Hunger Run Access to boat traffic as of May 31.

Southwest Arkansas

Millwood Lake
For the Army Corps of Engineers’ real-time lake level and outflow report from Millwood Lake Dam, visit the Corps Little Rock office website.

(updated 6-13-2024) Mike Siefert at Millwood Lake Guide Service said the lake level is almost back to normal Thursday after recent heavy storms sent it high, and is about 5 inches high now. River current has slowed to 9,200 cfs. There is still heavy stain from recent flash flooding. Water temperature has been reaching the mid-80s lately.
Check with the guide service’s website for any updates, or see the Army Corps of Engineers real-time lake level and outflow report linked above under “Millwood Lake” before heading out on the lake. Use caution in navigating the lake.
Fishing has been fairly consistent when the weather calms down. Here is how Mike has seen the different species fishing lately:

* The best bite from largemouth bass is early on cloudy days, while the topwater bite is consistent. Recent bass tournaments on Millwood Lake in the last few several have weighed several bass over 9 pounds, including a few in the 10- and 11-pound class, in post-spawn condition. Many large female bass between 7-9 pounds each have been caught and released in recent weeks. Best activity is being seen early mornings near flats of 1-6 feet deep, where fresh lily pad blooms, stumps and vegetation are holding fish. Topwater frogs, Spit’n Images, Dying Flutters, soft plastic jerkbaits, Senkos, Trick Worms, 5-inch Bass Assassin Shads and buzzbaits continue drawing reactions from 3- to 8-pound largemouths from 1-8 feet of depth at dawn and dusk.

Once the sun gets up above the tree line, switch over to a Brazalo Spinnerbait in Spot Remover, or a Bill Lewis crankbait like the MR-6 or Echo 1.75, and SB-57 MDJ crankbaits for random reaction bites from active roaming bass (and white bass, too) in the deeper sections of creek channels and near drops from the flats into 8-10 feet depth structure. In Little River, the current has muddied up the primary points, and white bass are roaming these points in and out of creek dumps, too. Fat jumbo 4-inch tube jigs, Brush Hogs, 10-inch Power Worms and lizards — fished near stumps, lily pads and buckbrush and cypress trees — will draw a reaction from 2- to 4-pound largemouth bass.

The best water clarity continues to be more reliable in the oxbows of McGuire and Clear Lake, and was drastically better in recent days. The water clarity in Mud Lake and Horseshoe Lake oxbows blew out with muddy influx over the past week and current pushing mudlines into those areas. The further away from river current you could get was best. Bang Skunk Apes, Woopah Craws, Salty Rat Tail baits, jumbo magnum 8-inch lizards and Brush Hogs continue taking some decent 14- to 17-inch largemouths roaming flats in the back of the oxbows near stumps and lily pads. You can get a reaction to a topwater frog or jerk bait in and near shallow stumps, cypress knees and cover around 5-8 foot depth flats with vegetation like fresh lily pad blooms.
Millwood State Park muddied up over the past week with the increase in discharge at the dam, and a rapid 2- to 3-foot rise in lake pool elevation, which has now begun a slow fall. Those areas should settle out in a few days provided we don’t get additional rainfall this week.
Best reaction colors for Chatterbaits and spinnerbaits where active bass are holding have been Spot Remover, Millwood Mayhem Bream and black/blue. Target cypress tree knees from 4-9 feet with 12-15 feet of depth nearby. Lizards in sizes from 6-8 inches in Blackberry, Blue Fleck, Grape and Junebug have been picking up random-cruising bass near stumps, on 5-7 feet drops near 10 feet deep structure.
* The white bass continue scattering back down Little River and there has been nothing consistent to report lately with the muddy current. However, when the lake was not stirred up as badly, Bomber Fat Free Shads, or Fingerlings, and Bill Lewis MR-6 Crankbaits in Tennessee Shad were working behind points along Little River, and we caught some decent 2- to 3-pound whites there that ranged from 7-12 feet deep on and behind those primary points. Vertical-jigging a chrome three-quarter-ounce Cordell Hammered Spoon with a red/white hair bucktail behind primary points, near the bottom where stumps were located on the backside of points, worked for us, with a few nice sized 2- to 3-pound whites. Swimming a hair jig with a heavy-thumping tail swimbait trailer picked up a few white bass in 10-14 feet, swimming and dropping the bait.

The deeper-running Fat Free Guppy crankbaits in Tennessee Shad or Citrus Shad, Bill Lewis MR-6 Crankbaits in Tennessee Shad and Millwood Magic, Little George’s, little Rocket Shads and red/white Rooster Tails continued working earlier this month. Random and broken schools of white bass were found again over the past couple of weeks between Brown’s Slough and Cemetery Slough along Little River where points intersect with creek mouths dumping into the river, although the water was heavily stained or muddy with current.

* The crappie bite was improving just before the lake got very muddy from the flash floods. Go with either a Monkey Milk or Electric Chicken and see what the crappie are favoring. Also, we like smoke-colored grubs with a chartreuse tip tail on a light wire jighead for a few bites.
* We saw bream beds in Hurricane Creek earlier this month and near Jack’s Isle. We spoke with several bream fishermen then who were having fair results using crickets around cypress trees not far from the floating fishing dock near Jack’s Isle. We have not seen any bream guys out with the muddy current in Little River, though.
* Catfish improved with increase of river current along Little River and in Mud Lake on trotlines, yo-yos, noodles and limb lines. King’s Punch Bait, spoiled chicken livers and gizzards were getting bit early and late, if you can get the fish before the alligators do.

Lake Columbia

No reports.

Lake Erling

(updated 6-13-2024) Lake Erling Guide Service (870-904-8546) said anglers in recent weeks have been catching lots of crappie, bream and catfish, and they’re hauling in some black bass, too. Lots of good-sized bream and a lot of redear, some ranging a pound to a pound and a half, were being caught.
The crappie are around structure, and most recently they were being caught in 6-16 feet depth. Use hand-tied jigs.

Many flathead catfish were being caught on limblines.

Lake Greeson Tailwater

For the most updated Narrows Dam generation schedule from SWEPCO, click here.

Lake Greeson

For the most updated lake level at Lake Greeson, click here.

(updated 5-30-2024) Philip Kastner of Trader Bill’s Outdoors in Little Rock and Hot Springs noted on the May 21 “Wild Side Show” on KABZ-FM, 103.7 The Buzz that Greeson was a great host for the wrap up to the Trader Bill’s Team Trail schedule with a good bass bite for all the entrants, and the top three teams May 18 on Greeson were separated by just half a pound. Nathan Hall, who caught a 5-pounder just moments before the fishing was to cease and weigh-in begin, teamed with Matthew Hamby for a winning 14.5 pounds of bass. They won a $54,000 Vexus boat and motor for finishing first.

DeGray Lake

For the most updated lake level at DeGray Lake, click here.

(updated 6-13-2024) John Duncan of YoYo Guide Service (870-942-6291 or yoyoguideservice@gmail.com) at Iron Mountain Marina says, “Hello fisher people. All good news for the bite today. Water level is 407.59 feet msl and the water temperature is in the 80s by midday. Fishing is good all over the lake.”

John says crappie are “in the brush piles big time. Use your electronics to locate piles out of the thermocline (around 20 feet). Either stay away and cast jigs to the fish on top or use minnows. However, these fish are sensitive to shadows and the sound of the trolling motor after you catch the ones at your starter depth (usually 10-12 feet). Deepen up 2 feet and go again. Continue this process until you begin to get hung up. If you throw jigs, I throw one-eighth-ounce because I like the fall rate and control. Smaller is better, usually, but harder to throw.

“We are all watching the moon for the next bream bedding cycle. June 22 is the day for the full moon. Locate bream beds with side imaging or perspective view with forward-facing sonar. Back off and throw crickets or worms to the beds.
“Surface action for the bass is increasing daily. They are showing up from Brushy to Shouse Ford. Look for the action or a group of boats and go get them. Spoons for the non-surface ones and baits like the Whopper Plopper for the ones on the surface.

“Good fishing, and HYDRATE!”

De Queen Lake

For the Army Corps of Engineers’ real-time lake level and outflow report from De Queen Lake, visit the Corps’ Little Rock office website.

Dierks Lake

For the Army Corps of Engineers’ real-time lake level and outflow report from Dierks Lake, visit the Corps’ Little Rock office website.

South-Central Arkansas

White Oak Lake Area
No reports.

West-Central Arkansas

Lake Catherine Tailwater (Below Carpenter Dam)

For weekly flow releases from Carpenter Dam, visit www.entergy.com/hydro

(updated 6-13-2024) Shane Goodner, owner of Catch’em All Guide Service, reports that water temperature below Carpenter Dam is 64 degrees with clear conditions in the tailrace. Both lakes Hamilton and Catherine are at summertime pool. Overall, it has been another terrible year for fishing in the tailrace. Constant flooding and bad weather consumed the majority of the rainbow trout season and kept many anglers off the water during the peak spawning times of area game fish. Bad weather forces Entergy to run huge amounts of water from area dams to control lake levels and this process creates dangerous boating and fishing conditions. The last three years have been very unproductive for catching rainbow trout on Lake Catherine due to these circumstances.

Below Carpenter Dam, fly-fishermen can still wade to areas that have numbers of trout and can have had some success casting micro-jigs in white or black under a strike indicator. This presentation perfectly matches the injured shad drawn through the turbines from Lake Hamilton. San Juan Worms offer feeding trout a different look and will often work equally well when fished in the same manner. Trout Magnets should not be overlooked by fly-anglers and often make the difference between a successful outing and an unsuccessful one. Bank fishermen using waxworms or mealworms cast with a small bobber or fished just off the bottom with a marshmallow floater can catch rainbows. Boaters can anchor in and around sandbars and rock structure and catch trout using small inline spinners such as a Rooster Tail or Mepps Spinner in brown or silver colors.

Conditions are favorable now for trolling to be effective against the current. Catching a limit of rainbow trout as June commences should be considered a good day on the water as the bite is very inconsistent and short in duration. The walleye spawn is long complete on Lake Catherine but numbers of male and female walleye remain to rest and feed before making the move downstream to the main body of Lake Catherine. These fish can be caught by trolling shallow-running crankbaits against the current on both sides of the river below the dam. Shad or crayfish imitations work best as both of these are present in large numbers in the lake and offer game fish a solid food source throughout the year.

Catfish are spawning in the tailrace from the bridge to the dam and can be caught on cut bait fished on the bottom. These fish will be in the tailrace the entire month of June and offer anglers a hearty fight and some wonderful table fare. The heat of summer also brings striper action closer to Carpenter Dam as these large predator fish search for prey and cooler temperatures. Alabama rigs and large topwater lures work well when the turbines are running, which is a key ingredient for success when attempting to catch these wary predators.

Despite the safer conditions and warmer weather, it is extremely important to remember that fish in the tailrace have proven difficult to catch this entire year. Trout can be caught but not in the numbers expected in past years. Normal pool levels will bring a more consistent bite from the rainbow trout population. Patience is a must this year for anglers to have success due to the flooding and heavy flows the lake has experienced. Always wear a life jacket when on the water and remember to follow all park and boating regulations. Pick up after yourself as the number of trash cans are limited in this area. Always cooperate with all wildlife officials and law enforcement.

Lake Dardanelle

For the Army Corps of Engineers’ outflow and gauge level reports from Dardanelle, visit the Corps’ Little Rock office website.

No reports.

Lake Hamilton

(updated 6-6-2024) Capt. Darryl Morris of Family Fishing Trips (501-844-5418) said that at both lakes Ouachita and Hamilton, where he has been fishing mostly of late, the crappie have thinned out on the shallow brush piles and moved deeper onto cover on points where primary and secondary channels are close by. Bream are ample everywhere.
He says that now is the time to be transitioning into early morning bass and walleye. Casting topwater baits, spoons and spy baits at first-light gets the bass. Vertical jigging spoons on points near the bottom can produce walleye.
“Stay safe on the water. Start early because summertime pleasure boating is upon us anglers,” he says.

Lake Nimrod

For the Army Corps of Engineers’ real-time lake level and outflow reports from Nimrod Lake, visit the Corps’ Little Rock office website.

A catfish angler had six or seven flathead catfish in the boat, one of which was 52 pounds measured at the dock. Try goldfish or other live bait for the catfish.

Carter Cove has a Facebook page, and the email address is cartercovebaitnmore@gmail.com, with updates and photos. Stop in for live bait, tackle, cabin rentals, pizza, burgers, sandwiches and more.

Lake Ouachita

For the current lake level at Blakely Dam, click here.

(updated 6-13-2024) Todd Gadberry at Mountain Harbor Resort and Spa (870-867-2191/800-832-2276 out-of-state) said black bass are a little picky but still biting. Try a topwater bait near main lake and secondary points or a Texas-rigged Ole Monster near brush. Walleye are still very good and being caught on shad-style baits or nightcrawlers near structure. Stripers are good. These fish are being caught in the central and eastern portions of the lake and can be caught on C-10 Redfins or live bait. Bream are good and are being caught on crickets and worms in the 6- to 15-foot range. Crappie are fair. Try minnows or small jigs over structure in the 15-20 foot range. For catfish, try stink bait or cut bait on a rod-and-reel set up in the 10-20 feet range; especially near structure and brush. Enjoy your favorite cold beverage for a fun and hydrated trip.
Water temperature is ranging 78-84 degrees. The water clarity is clear. Lake level on Wednesday was 577.54 feet msl. Call the Mountain Harbor fishing guides (Mike Wurm, 501-622-7717, or Chris Darby, 870-867-7822) for more information.

(updated 6-6-2024) Capt. Darryl Morris of Family Fishing Trips (501-844-5418) said that at both lakes Ouachita and Hamilton, where he has been fishing lately, the crappie have thinned out on the shallow brush piles and moved deeper onto cover on points where primary and secondary channels are close by. Bream are ample everywhere. Now is the time to be transitioning into early morning bass and walleye. Casting topwater baits, spoons and spy baits at first light gets the bass. Vertical jigging spoons on points near the bottom can produce walleye.

Stay safe on the water. Start early because summertime pleasure boating is upon us anglers.

For Free Fishing Weekend, Kastner says, “It’s all about bream fishing — whether you’re using crickets, nightcrawlers or whatever, as long as the kids are having fun.”

Blue Mountain Lake

For the Army Corps of Engineers’ real-time lake level and outflow reports from Blue Mountain Lake, visit the Corps’ Little Rock office website.

East Arkansas

White River/Clarendon Area
For the Army Corps of Engineers’ real-time gauge level and flow from Clarendon, visit the Corps’ Little Rock office website.

Cook’s Lake
(updated 6-6-2024) The AGFC’s Wil Hafner at Cook’s Lake Nature Center (501-404-2321) reports that Cook’s Lake is still high and starting to flood into the woods. He adds that no one has even been getting a bite!

Horseshoe Lake

(updated 6-13-2024) Kent Williams of Oxbow Guide Service (870-278-7978) had no new reports. Most recently, he reported that crappie were getting into a post-spawn pattern and feeding heavily. Fish were scattered in the lake with plenty of fish still shallow but also enough for those that like to fish the deeper water. Jig color has not changed much — orange, silver and Electric Chicken get plenty of attention to catch fish.

Note: msl is mean sea level; cfs is cubic feet per second.

The post Arkansas Wildlife Weekly Fishing Report appeared first on Arkansas Game & Fish Commission.

Greenbrier’s Matthews Park Puts Out Welcome Mat for Family Fishing Saturday

Jim Harris — Thu, 13 Jun 2024 15:44:50 +0000

GREENBRIER — Anglers who may have missed out or didn’t get enough of Free Fishing Weekend last week will have an opportunity Saturday, June 15, to help celebrate a fledgling pond in Central Arkansas and enjoy catching some stocked catfish that are ready for the dining table.

Unlike a few days ago, it’s not all free this week — anglers 16 and older will need to have a valid Arkansas fishing license — but there will be a free fishing derby and prizes, a kids’ zone, free hotdogs for the first 100 anglers, water, a fish cleaning and cooking demonstration, local vendors, music and a dance competition in a party atmosphere thanks to the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission’s Family and Community Fishing Program when the Matthews Park pond is officially welcomed into the FCFP roster.

The event will run from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Maurice Jackson, the FCFP coordinator, said the “grand opening” of the park and pond is a long time coming. The program has held events at Matthews Park in recent years, but because of the COVID-19 pandemic, when the park and pond were built, there was never a proper opening. Saturday’s event will serve that purpose with invited local dignitaries led by Greenbrier Mayor Sammy Hartwick.

“Our park has been open a couple of years and it’s being used for many things,” Mayor Hartwick said. “So many people are up there now using the splash pad, and we’ll see folks under the pavilion with birthday parties for kids. A circus based out of Springfield (about 10 miles from Greenbrier) is up there doing horse riding training for kids … It’s what we were hoping for when we build the park and pond, having people come out and have a good time.

“It looks like Mr. Jackson has quite an agenda” for Saturday’s event, the mayor added.

The park, which is 55 acres with a pond taking up a small portion of that, was named for Percy “P.B.” Matthews, who served as the town’s mayor and recorder-treasurer five times in the 1950s and ’60s. The Matthews family owned the land, off Ivy Street and east of U.S. Highway 65 (South Broadview Street), and it sat idle and for sale for about 20 years, Hartwick said. Hartwick saw an opportunity to develop the land for city use, and the two children of the late Matthews who live out of state agreed to the city’s offer, allowing the city of Greenbrier to pay the sale amount over two years.

“Our citizens, they are great people and they saw the need,” Hartwick said, noting the half-cent sales tax that Greenbrier voters approved for the park and a new fire station. When the bond is paid off, two-thirds of the half-cent tax sunsets and the remainder will provide for operation and maintenance, he said.

Also, a timely matching grant of $250,000 from the Arkansas Parks and Tourism’s Outdoors Recreation Grants Program helped fund the park and amenities.
“Man, it’s just a blessing,” Hartwick said.

The AGFC’s Jackson continues growing the FCFP, providing family fishing opportunities with special events at several communities throughout Faulkner and White counties, as well as in northeastern Arkansas. To be a part of the FCFP lineup, a town must be in a county of at least 25,000 people. Vilonia’s Weaver Family Community Pond recently was added to the roster, and Beebe’s Community Pond in White County came on board at the same time as Matthews Park during the waning days of the pandemic. The program’s 50th pond, now being built in Osceola, should come online by the fall, Jackson said. Marion opened an FCFP location at its Recreation Complex in recent years, just after West Memphis’s Tilden Rodgers Park Pond joined the roster.

Greenbrier city officials anticipate up to 500 people attending Saturday’s fishing derby. All ages are welcome. Advanced registration is urged; visit https://register-ed.com/events/view/214185 to register. Participants should bring their own fishing gear.

For a full list of FCFP ponds around the state and an interactive map to find them, visit https://www.agfc.com/fishing/where-to-fish/family-and-community-fishing-program-stocked-ponds/.

Also, 22 catfish derbies are scheduled throughout the state through the month of June with stocking by the AGFC’s fishing derby program. For a list of derbies, see https://www.agfc.com/education/fishing-derby-program/.

####

CUTLINES:

TWO YOUNG ANGLERS:
June 15 marks the “grand opening” celebration of Matthews Park Pond in Greenbrier being added to the AGFC’s Family and Community Fishing Program.

COMPLETED POND:
The AGFC will stock hundreds of catchable-sized channel catfish for anglers to enjoy, and the park will be buzzing with a party atmosphere Saturday from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

CONSTRUCTION:
The 55 acres where Matthews Park now sits once sat vacant for more than 20 years before residents of Greenbrier approved a half-cent sales tax increase to help purchase and transform the property.

The post Greenbrier’s Matthews Park Puts Out Welcome Mat for Family Fishing Saturday appeared first on Arkansas Game & Fish Commission.

Arkansas Wildlife Weekly Fishing Report

Jim Harris — Thu, 06 Jun 2024 21:02:34 +0000

June 6, 2024

Jim Harris

Managing Editor Arkansas Wildlife Magazine

Young Slade McRae lassoed this massive catfish last Friday while fishing the Arkansas River. The catfish measured 14 pounds, 5 ounces. He was using a rod and reel.

Subscribe to the Weekly Fishing Report Emails for Exclusive Content

Reports are updated weekly, although some reports may be published for two weeks if updates are not received promptly or if reporters say conditions haven’t changed. Contact the reporter listed for the lake or stream you plan to fish for current news.

Arkansas River 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

Download the Fish Brain app and follow AGFC at: https://join.fishbrain.com/agfc-page

Quick links to regions:

Central Arkansas
North Arkansas
Northwest Arkansas
Northeast Arkansas
Southeast Arkansas
Southwest Arkansas
South-Central Arkansas
West-Central Arkansas
East Arkansas

Central Arkansas

Craig D. Campbell Lake Conway Reservoir
For the most up-to-date lake level, visit the U.S. Geological Survey’s Lake Conway water level site.

NOTE: The last of three planned public cleanups of the Lake Conway shoreline by the AGFC and its partners in the lake renovation is scheduled for next Thursday through Saturday, June 13-15. The hours for the cleanup will be 8 a.m.-4 p.m. each day. For more information, call 501-604-0492 or email nicholas.feltz@agfc.ar.gov.

(updated 5-30-2024) Bates Field and Stream (501-470-1846) said “the fish are biting!” The water is falling back out, they report, after last week’s rains pushed the level back up. Crappie are biting on minnows and on chartreuse/black jigs. Bream and catfish are both fighting for the same baits: red wigglers and nightcrawlers. Catfish are also going for the trotline minnows.

Black bass are hitting topwater lures and crankbaits.

The lake is murky looking in clarity.

(updated 6-6-2024) Fish ’N Stuff (501-834-5733) in Sherwood said Thursday that trout fishing has been good of late. A lot of anglers have had good success in the running water and the higher water conditions. They’re using gold jerkbaits with an orange belly for a great response. Also, No. 7 Rapala Countdowns in brown trout color are a good bet. Rooster Tails in Fire Tiger or rainbow trout colors and Trout Magnets mostly pink or a black/green look have worked very well.

(updated 5-30-2024) Mike Winkler of Little Red River Fly Fishing Trips/Little Red River Fly Guides (501-507-3688) said, “Just got back from a few days on the water, and let me tell you, it’s been quite the adventure out there! The Southwestern Power Administration has been keeping us on our toes with their water release schedule. They’ve been running two units of water through the turbines consistently, although the start and stop times have been a bit unpredictable.
“With that said, I’ve been having some solid luck fishing near the dam using a deep-water nymph rig set between 9-12 feet deep. Those deep pockets have been holding some nice surprises. And, for a change of pace, I’ve been trying my luck around the docks, casting a pink San Juan Worm about 6-7 feet deep into the moss beds. It’s been paying off, especially in the slower deep-water sections. Hot flies have been pink San Juan Worms, Pheasant Tail soft hackle and caddis flies.
“Oh, and if you’re into streamer fishing, now’s the time to be out there. The high-water release has really got those streamer bites going strong. So, grab your gear, check the schedule and let’s hit the water!”

Greers Ferry Lake
For the Army Corps of Engineers’ real-time lake level and outflow report from Greers Ferry Dam, visit the Corps’ Little Rock office website.

(updated 6-6-2024) Tommy Cauley of Fishfinder Guide Service (501-940-1318) said the water level at Greers Ferry Lake is at 462.23 feet msl, or 0.19 feet above normal pool of 462.04 feet msl. Little has changed other than still more fish are coming up on top schooling in different parts of the lake and rivers. Southwestern Power Administration and the Army Corps of Engineers have been generation pretty hard getting the lake down recently, and all species of game fish are biting on and off all day, as all these weather fronts — and sometimes four or five pressure changes throughout the day and wind changes as well — have them really confused. You just have to stay the course and if so, bites will come.

Crappie still seem somewhat confused, as do other species. Try super shallow out to 30 feet and use jigs, minnows or crankbaits. Many walleye are eating in the main lake. For the few that are left up the rivers, drag a crawler or crankbait in 10-22 feet. Also, some walleye are following under big schools of white bass and hybrids; use a spoon for those.

Hybrid bass and white bass are trying to get set up in main lake for the summer. A lot are still traveling, but for the ones that are set, use spoons, inline spinners, grubs and swimbaits in 15-35 feet.

A shad spawn has been going on in various places around the lake and rivers, and when you find them, stay with them for good catches of all species. Catfish are starting to show up more regularly. The usual catfish baits are working in the main lake and rivers. Some bream are shallow but most are still around 8-15 feet; crickets and crawlers are working fine as well as inline spinners.
Some black bass are spawning and many have finished. Use Carolina rigs, topwater lures, wake baits, drop-shots, crankbaits and spinnerbaits for the best action from super shallow out to 30 feet. Be safe and wear your life jacket.

(updated 6-6-2024) Fish ’N Stuff (501-834-5733) in Sherwood said the anglers will find the bass schooling and can catch a lot of fish now. The ticket is topwater early in the morning before all the pleasure boat traffic gets on the lake. Look for breaking fishing blowing up on the baitfish. Late in the evening, anglers are back to catching them schooling by throwing jigging spoons or a clear topwater.

The walleye bite has been good lately, too. A chartreuse or white jighead with nightcrawler is a great approach, as is a drop-shot with nightcrawler. Anglers have been catching the walleye anywhere from 15 to 25 feet of water depending on the location on the lake.

The lake level is a little bit up. Some of the rivers are stained, but the lower end is clear.

Harris Brake Lake
(updated 5-30-2024) Harris Brake Lake Resort (501-889-2745) said anglers are catching a lot of bass, catfish and bream in recent days. Bream were active during and after the full moon, biting on crickets and redworms. Smaller bream, bass minnows, goldfish and more were all working for a good catfish, which they report were biting very well over the weekend. One group staying at the resort was fishing with trotlines and pulled in several cats, including a 15-pound flathead along with some nice channel catfish. A crappie even bit into a goldfish and was hooked by the group.

Black bass were biting both early in the morning and late in the evening. One angler reported having a lot of success with a white buzzbait.

Water temperature was 84.7 degrees on Thursday, with wind whipping on the lake.

Water looks a little low, they say, and water clarity is somewhat clear with just a smidgen of green coloration.

Lake Overcup
(updated 6-6-2024) John “Catfish” Banks at Overcup Landing off Arkansas Highway 9 had nothing new this week, but crappie recently were being caught in 5-10 feet of water using jigs and minnows. Also, bass were doing well on buzzbaits and plastic frogs since their spawn. Bream were starting to get on their beds and doing well before the recent full moon. Catfish were being caught on jugs using nightcrawlers and bass minnows, and John said he was starting to run his trotlines.

Lake Maumelle
(updated 6-6-2024) WestRock Landing in Roland (501-658-5598) reported that water temperature is ranging 80-82 degrees. The largemouth bass bite remains fair. Angler reports say bass are biting shallow in the mornings and evenings in 2-4 feet, while others are being found deeper in 8-20 feet. They are also schooling in some areas in the mornings and evenings. Try points and drop-offs. Best baits have been drop-shots, Texas-rigged worms and crankbaits. Spotted bass are fair. The Kentuckies are being found on points in 8-20 feet of water as well as drop-offs and are biting jigs. The tougher bass bite seemed to show up in this past Tuesday night’s black bass tournament. Cameron Nesterenko and Andrew Wooley took top honors with a 12.27 stringers. Lee Brizzolara and Wes Louder had a stringer of 10.82 pounds and the Big Bass of 3.91 pounds.
White bass are still slow with no reports of schooling bass this week. They will bite twister tails at this time of year. Crappie are fair. Some reports have the crappie being found suspended on brush anywhere from 12-14 feet and 16-21 feet. Use jigs and minnows.

Bream are good. They can be found around 6-10 feet as well as shallower, at 3-5 feet. Use crickets, worms or drop-shots.

Flathead catfish are spawning but there have been no reported catches. It’s been a tough year for catfish overall so far, and the bite of all species are slow. Try using bream, liver or worms.

Arkansas River at Morrilton
For the real-time water flow at the Ormond Lock and Dam and Morrilton stage level, visit the Corps’ Little Rock office website.

Little Maumelle River
(update 6-6-2024) Ray Hudson at River Valley Marina (501-517-1250) said fishing had been slow with the water “messed and muddied” from three or so days of rain, but it’s starting to come around. The water is at the normal pool, but it has “kind of a stained color.”

Nevertheless, anglers who are getting out are catching fish, especially lots of bass and lots of catfish. The bream are bedded, he said, and anglers catching them were getting them to bite right up on the bank. He says there is not a whole lot going on with the crappie; one angler who was fishing with minnows caught four or five crappie along with several bass earlier this week before the heavy rain came.

For bass, a crankbait, spinnerbait or soft plastic worms will catch them around the timber. The depth of the water is anywhere from 2-8 feet, and these bass are typically around the cypress in 4 feet of water, he said.

Catfish are biting mainly at night on “just about everything”: cut bait, hot dogs, liver. Catfish appear to be spawning, hence they will bite about anything tossed their way in that condition.

Bream are favoring crickets over worms, but will take to both.

Ray expects the river to be “fishable good” by the weekend.

Arkansas River (Maumelle Pool)
For the real-time water flow at the Toad Suck Lock and Dam, visit the Corps’ Little Rock office website.

(updated 6-6-2024) Fish ’N Stuff (501-834-5733) reports that the water flow is over 70,000 cfs as of Thursday, but should begin falling out through the weekend. Expect a small craft advisory on the river into the weekend (check out the flows on the COE link above) but there can be good fishing in certain areas of the pool.

Bass fishing has been good; “you can go out and catch a bunch of fish right now,” they say. Early in the morning or late in the evening, a frog or a buzzbait is the call. During the day, anglers have been catching bass on a chartreuse and black back crankbait, or an all-black crankbait, fished around the rock jetties on the main river. Also on the main river, anglers are working around wood and flipping a jig or a Texas-rigged worm and are doing well with that approach.
Expect to find the water level up, and it will be dirty out there.

Peckerwood Lake
(updated 5-23-2024) Donna Mulherin at Herman’s Landing (501-626-6899) says the fishing is good for bream and catfish. Anglers are still catching some crappie on minnows and jigs. Crickets are best for bream now. Catfish will bite hot dogs, minnows and about everything else.

Nobody has been saying anything about bass.

North Arkansas

White River
(updated 6-6-2024) Cotter Trout Dock (870-435-6525) said the White River that flows past Cotter in the north-central Arkansas Ozarks, 18 river miles below Bull Shoals Dam, is a perfect blend of peace and lots of fishing action.

Bull Shoals Lake elevation at midweek was 667.57 feet msl, 5 feet above normal power pool. The White River water level has been variable with minimum flows (670 cfs) in the morning to midafternoon, rising to almost four units (12,000 cfs) in the late afternoon/early evening.

“We’ve been catching the tar out of the rainbows, mostly lured in with sunrise or orange PowerBait tipped with shrimp (don’t use anything much bigger than a size 8 hook). Our favorite spinners and spoons were making a splash, too. The copper/gold quarter-ounce Colorado and the red/gold Thomas Buoyant hooked a fair share of trout. Time to tie on a Vibrax Blue Fox spinner, silver or gold. Perfect water for jiggling a

jig, too. Experiment with the new D2 colors offered by Trout Magnet or

go with the tried and true brown and black marabou jigs.

“As expected, the browns are pooled up in the deeper holes and might be a little finicky, but if you can anchor near a deep spot, or drift across one with a sculpin, you’ll have success. The mighty midge has been working for fly-anglers all week.

“A family fishing adventure offers time together in an outdoor arena, watching nature ‘happen’ in real time in a digital-free environment (or as much as you desire it to be.) Go catching and enjoy Arkansas’s natural resources.”

(updated 6-6-2024) Dave McCulley, owner of Jenkins Fishing Service in Calico Rock, said the last few days the river has been averaging between 3-7 feet. “We are seeing rising and dingy water in the mornings with clearer water as the river drops starting late morning. Bull Shoals Lake is still about 5 feet above the normal power pool level and Norfork is about 2 feet above the normal power pool level. With the expected power generation schedule for both lakes, I expect they should slowly reach the desired levels without spilling extra water. Once they reach the power pool levels, expect the river level to drop and the fishing to improve.

“With the slightly higher water levels, fishing was steady throughout the week. In the mornings, fishing with or without silver inline spinners with Uncommon Baits UV eggs and corn worked best, with shrimp also working well. Dragging sculpins worked well for bigger rainbows and browns.

“The river levels in the mornings were a little high for lures to be very effective, but as the water drops, lures start working well. The lures that worked best during the high water were the Rapala Shad Raps in shad coloring or purple descent, which dive deeper. As the water drops, quarter-ounce Thompson Colorado spoons in nickel/gold worked well as well as Rapala CD7 in rainbow trout or silver.”
There was one trout stocking this week at the Calico Rock boat ramp with 1,100 rainbow trout from the Norfork Hatchery and another 1,100 rainbows were stocked just upriver at the Chessmond Ferry boat ramp.

Bull Shoals Lake
For the Army Corps of Engineers’ real-time outflow report from Bull Shoals Dam, visit the Corps’ Little Rock office website.

(updated 6-6-2024) Fishing guide Del Colvin at Bull Shoals Lake (815-592-4302) said Wednesday the lake level was holding around 667 feet msl. Parking and boat ramp access is being affected. Water temperature is around 77 degrees, give or take, with warmer water in the dirty areas. Bass are setting up toward summer areas and patterns. Fishing will be good early or before the storm front. There are large groups of schooling fish setting up off ledges. If it’s cloudy, rainy and windy, fish topwater early! Or you can powerfish covering water with a square bill, spinnerbait and Chatterbaits in the stain or dirty runoff. Try a buzzbait if it’s windy and cloudy, or use a frog/toad if it’s sunny, over submerged flooded grass bushes. You can still catch them on points with green pumpkin or puke Ned rigs, or tube or shaky head in 10-20 feet. Keep the boat out deep, especially in the clear water where you can hit the old shoreline. A lot of activity is being seen in the 15-feet range. You can go up there with a Beaver-style bait. A Jewel Football Jig in green pumping orange variants is good until the sun gets up.

Some shallower brush piles closer to deep water in less than 25 feet are holding some fish. The Ole Big Worm is starting to get a few. The shad balls are spread out deep in the old creek channel, way off the points, or the backs of creeks and swings. So, if you’re fishing open water you’re going to have to pay attention to find the shad, but when you do try a flutter spoon, wake baits or something like a Lucky Craft Gunfish, as all are working if they’re all in white or shad patterns. Post any weather front, try a Robo Worm drop-shot on suspended fish.

Del regularly posts new YouTube videos. Visit his YouTube site (Bull Shoals Lake Fishing Report) for more information and tips on fishing Bull Shoals Lake.

(updated 6-6-2024) Southernwalleye Guide Service (501-365-1606) says it is getting some reports that fish are starting to set up in traditional spots and water depths, which indicates the thermocline is setting up. Pulling crawler harnesses in 15-20 feet early will get some fish. Fish a little deeper later after sunrise on bluebird days.
If contour trolling, try shad-style baits in 15-25 feet water. Slide out to deeper water, 30 to 40 feet, after daylight.

If open water trolling for suspended fish, they are getting a little tougher to catch. Troll during the early morning for a few hours, then switch over to crawler harnesses. Find shad and try trolling with snap weights from 45-55 feet deep over 100 or more feet of water while using Berkley No. 9 Flicker Minnows or No. 7 Flicker Shads. Rapala Deep Husky Jerks and Reef Runner 800, or Bandit Deep-Diver Series trolled over the old river channel at 1.5 to 1.8 mph should put some fish in the boat.
They have also heard reports that jigging spoon fishing has also been another tactic that’s working. Casting half-ounce spoons into 15 feet and hopping it off bottom back in to about 30 feet might also get you a few fish.

(updated 6-6-2024) Crappie 101 Guide Service (870-577-2045) reports crappie are definitely more scattered and finding some on the brush and structure. “Quality is still kind of mixed up and we are having to really work at it to catch good numbers. Jig bite has definitely slowed down, but still catching a few on the Tater Baits Tater Shad Jr. with a one-sixteenth-ounce head and, of course, minnows. Stay patient as conditions stabilize — it should really get good.”

Norfork Lake
For the Army Corps of Engineers’ real-time outflow report from Norfork Dam, visit the Corps’ Little Rock office website.

(updated 5-29-2024) Lou Gabric at Hummingbird Hideaway Resort (870-492-5113) said Wednesday, “A couple of us at Hummingbird Hideaway Resort had a great day fishing for striped bass. I was on the lake around 4:30 a.m. I set out my green light on a main lake bluff wall point to draw in bait. A small school of bait came to the boat, but not the number that I found Tuesday. I landed several baby striped bass in the dark. As it started to get light out, I moved from this point since the stripers seemed to have vacated this area and moved into the back of a main lake creek.
“At a channel swing in about 70 feet of water, I marked several big arcs. The fish were coming under me from 20 feet down to the bottom. I saw a big arc lying on the bottom and dropped my white trash Tater Shad with half-ounce white big eye jig head right onto the striper’s head and he hit it immediately. He gave two great runs and all the time coming up to the surface. I saw him surface about 100 feet away from the boat.

“After his photo shoot he was released to swim away. After this battle I saw some fish surfacing and casted out my Kastmaster with a white feather trailer. One of the two hybrids I caught hammered the bait and circled the boat three times during the battle. What fun! The second hybrid came off the bottom and met my sinking bait at 40 and the game was on again. By this time, it was around 7 a.m. and the fish were scattering out, so I left this creek to check out another area as I headed back toward the resort.
“Of course, I stopped and looked at three other areas along the route. I met one of my friends who was trolling big umbrella rigs, and he told me he had landed nine stripers so far in the area I planned to check out. I set up in 74 feet of water off of a main lake big round point. A deep-water channel also swings into this point on two sides. I was in the middle of the point and started marking scattered fish. These fish were suspended from 30 feet down to the bottom. I got to land two more striped bass and both fish hit the Tater Shad on the fall.

“It was time to head back to the resort, so I left feeding fish. Brett and his son Logan had a great first morning of fishing after arriving late Tuesday. They caught some threadfin shad and then headed back into a creek I had told them about. They proceeded to land five really nice striped bass along with some big largemouth and spotted bass. To say the least they were excited. ”
The surface water temperature at midweek ranged from 77 to a little over 78 degrees. The lake level is 557.68 feet msl.
“Hummingbird Hideaway Resort still has cabins available during June and July and a few still open for the remainder of May. Summer family vacation fun is just around the corner. Give us a call. If you have not been to Norfork Lake before, you will absolutely fall in love with it!”

Lou posts fishing reports almost every day to his blog on the Hummingbird Hideaway Resort webpage.

Northwest Arkansas

Beaver Lake
For the Army Corps of Engineers’ real-time outflow report from Beaver Lake Dam, visit the Corps’ Little Rock office website.

(updated 6-6-2024) Jon Conklin with FishOn Guide Service (479-233-3474) said Beaver Lake water level is at 1,124.15 feet msl, 3 feet above normal pool level. Water temperature is in the mid-70s. After a huge amount of severe weather, the lake settled down. Water clarity is stained from Hickory up to Twin Bridges. From Hickory it gets progressively clearer as you head north. The thermocline Tuesday was starting to show up on the south end at 24 feet.

“Stripers are mainly located from Horseshoe down to Point 6. Early morning and live bait is the ticket. Lots of smaller stripers and a few extra-extra-large thrown in for good measure. Walleye are starting to establish on main flats and points in 20-25 feet of water. Crawler harnesses will be the best choice in the coming months. Crappie are suspended and can be caught trolling cranks — Picos or Bandits. Lately anything pink or with pink in it will work. Bass are starting to set up in their summer pattern.
“Still lots of hazards out there, so stay aware of what’s ahead of you when moving. Stay safe and good luck.”

Visit Jon’s Facebook page for the latest updates, FishOn Guide Service Goshen AR.

Beaver Tailwater
(updated 6-6-2024) Guide Austin Kennedy (479-244-0039) says, “This past week has been up and down on the tailwater. The Army Corps of Engineers has been flowing water pretty steady from the dam, causing swifter and higher water. This has made the bite a little trickier; most trout have been caught with Pautzke Fire Eggs and Fire Bait, fished with light terminal tackle. The majority of the trout have been caught between Houseman Access and U.S. Highway 62 bridge.
“There are still a few walleye in the system, with most being caught in the deeper waters. Jigging soft plastics or tossing jerkbaits with Walleye Fire Gel have produced nice numbers. The white bass are still around, but most have retreated. Tossing crankbaits and Alabama rigs have done the trick with these guys.
“With all the rain we have been getting, try to match the hatch as much as possible. Try to hit the coves early in the morning and fish the main channel later in the morning to afternoon. I hope you’re all able to get out and fish!”

Follow Austin’s fishing Facebook page (Busch Mountain Fishing Guide Service) for regular updates.

Bass are being caught, but anglers aren’t revealing their techniques or baits.

The lake’s clarity is murky.

Northeast Arkansas

Lake Charles
(updated 6-6-2024) Shelly Jeffrey at Lake Charles State Park (870-878-6595) said the fishing is steady as it goes at Lake Charles, with bream, crappie and catfish continuing their patterns and overall bite. Bream are biting well on the usual crickets and worms, and recently they’ve been biting jigs. Crappie are fair on jigs. Catfish continue to bite well, and lately the favored bait has been worms. Bass still aren’t being reported. The water is the usual murky and the surface temperature earlier this week was up almost 3 degrees from last week, at 76.4 degrees. The water remains high.

Shelly says the “moon times” call for best fishing through June 9, with good days forecast for June 18-24. Looking ahead to July, she says July 2-8 are the predicted best days based on the “moon times,” and July 18-24 being good days.

Lake Charles’ plans for Free Fishing Weekend include a free fishing derby from 9-11 a.m. Participants should bring their own bait, tackle and any other equipment. Live bait and tackle will be available for purchase at the visitor center as well as a limited number of loaner fishing poles. Registration is required from 9-10 a.m. at the day-use area pavilion. State fishing regulations apply. Prizes will be awarded for different categories. Contact Jeffrey or the park at the phone number above.

Bass and crappie continue to be catch-and-release. Bream and catfish may be kept at state limits.

Spring River
(updated 6-6-2024) Mark Crawford with springriverfliesandguides.com (870-955-8300) said the water level is running at 480 cfs, while the water clarity is good but can get murky’d up with storms moving through. The last few forecasts have been wrong and we have been dry this week. “Really don’t need any more rain.
“The rainbows are biting great on about everything lately when the water is right. Definitely hitting cicadas on top with a Woolly dropper can be super-hot. Dark Woollies have been hot, but (Wednesday) Y2Ks and Mega Worms were hot.
“The bad weather has kept the pressure off the river. Easy fishing for a while with weekly stocking. This time of year, stocking numbers are up.

“Smallies are biting with clearer water conditions; it should be good once things dry out. Had a few really nice smallies on a Woolly dropper below cicada, but not many. Always got to fish the bottom, real slow with Clousers or my fav, the big woollies with heavy beadhead.
“The summer is upon us and the canoe hatch is on. Saturdays on the Spring River can be very busy with floaters from Dam 3 downriver. Through the week can be very nice and Sundays are usually quiet and the time to fish during the summer. Also, areas in town will be free of floaters, like Lassiter walk-in.
“It’s hot out, they are just trying to cool off, but be aware most are inexperienced.
“The river is swift and the bottom is slick, so be safe and have fun! The Spring River is a cool 58 degrees!”

Always check Mark’s blog for the latest river conditions on the Spring River on his website linked above.

Southeast Arkansas

Cane Creek Lake
(updated 6-6-2024) Teresa Atchley at Cane Creek State Park (870-628-4714) said there has been a lot of fishing there around the storms, and they have been full at their campsites on weekends. One angler reported last Friday that he had been catching lots of large catfish over the past few days on trotlines using live bait, while another fisherman that day reported catching bream with worms. Anglers were fishing with crickets on Saturday from the interior pier for anything, and a few others were targeting crappie and bream with the crickets. A boating angler on Monday was using minnows to catch bream and also hooked a 6-pound catfish around the interior pier. Bream were biting crickets and redworms on Tuesday around the exterior pier and caper dock.

Lake Monticello
(updated 6-6-2024) Anglers are reminded that if they venture out for some fishing on Lake Monticello now while the lake continues to refill after being renovated, that all fish caught must be released immediately.
The city of Monticello has opened Hunger Run Access to boat traffic as of Friday, May 31.

Lake Chicot
No reports.

Southwest Arkansas

Millwood Lake
For the Army Corps of Engineers’ real-time lake level and outflow report from Millwood Lake Dam, visit the Corps Little Rock office website.

(updated 6-6-2024) Mike Siefert at Millwood Lake Guide Service said the rash of thunderstorms (and even worse weather) earlier this week kept him and the guide service off the lake and work has mostly been getting clients rescheduled around the flash flooding conditions in the area. He reports that the lake is so muddy “and jacked up and down; it’s a train wreck.”
There is increased current, and some areas are hazardous for navigation because of downed trees, logs and wide debris fields — that’s according to one of his crappie guides who lives on the lake.
Water temperature is running 75-85 degrees, and lake elevation on Wednesday was 23 inches above normal pool. The release at the dam, according to the Army Corps of Engineers, was about 20,400 cfs. “It’s a muddy mess, and navigation is hazardous/cautioned on Little River,” he said. “Hope to have something new to add next week.”

In the meantime, here is how Mike saw the Millwood fishing before this latest spate of bad weather:
* Largemouth bass activity has been fairly consistent with last week. The best bite is early on cloudy days, while the topwater bite is consistent. Recent bass tournaments on Millwood Lake in the last few weeks have weighed several bass over 9 pounds, including a few in the 10- and 11-pound class, in post-spawn condition. Many large female bass between 7-9 pounds each have been caught and released over the past few weeks. Best activity is being seen early mornings near flats of 1-6 feet deep, where fresh lily pad blooms, stumps and vegetation are holding fish. Topwater frogs, Spit’n Images, Dying Flutters, soft plastic jerkbaits, Senkos, Trick Worms, 5-inch Bass Assassin Shads and buzzbaits continue drawing reactions from 3- to 8-pound largemouths from 1-8 feet of depth at dawn and dusk.

Once the sun gets up above the tree line, switch over to a Brazalo Spinnerbait in Spot Remover, or a Bill Lewis crankbait like the MR-6 or Echo 1.75, and SB-57 MDJ crankbait for random reaction bites from active roaming bass (and white bass, too) in the deeper sections of creek channels and near drops from the flats into 8-10 feet depth structure. In Little River, the current has muddied up the primary points, and white bass are roaming these points in and out of creek dumps, too. Fat jumbo 4-inch tube jigs, Brush Hogs, 10-inch Power Worms and lizards — fished near stumps, lily pads and buckbrush and cypress trees — will draw a reaction from 2- to 4-pound largemouth bass.

The best water clarity continues to be more reliable in the oxbows of McGuire and Clear Lake, and was drastically better in recent days. The water clarity in Mud Lake and Horseshoe Lake oxbows blew out with muddy influx over the past week and current pushing mudlines into those areas. The further away from river current you could get was best. Bang Skunk Apes, Woopah Craws, Salty Rat Tail baits, jumbo magnum 8-inch lizards and Brush Hogs continue taking some decent 14- to 17-inch largemouths roaming flats in the back of the oxbows near stumps and lily pads. You can get a reaction to a topwater frog or jerk bait in and near shallow stumps, cypress knees and cover around 5-8 foot depth flats with vegetation like fresh lily pad blooms.
Millwood State Park muddied up over the past week with the increase in discharge at the dam, and a rapid 2- to 3-foot rise in lake pool elevation, which has now begun a slow fall. Those areas should settle out in a few days provided we don’t get additional rainfall this week.
Best reaction colors for Chatterbaits and spinnerbaits where active bass are holding have been Spot Remover, Millwood Mayhem Bream and black/blue. Target cypress tree knees from 4-9 feet with 12-15 feet of depth nearby. Lizards in sizes from 6-8 inches in Blackberry, Blue Fleck, Grape and Junebug have been picking up random-cruising bass near stumps, on 5-7 feet drops near 10 feet deep structure.
* The white bass continue scattering back down Little River and there has been nothing consistent to report this week with the muddy current. However, last week and the week prior, Bomber Fat Free Shads, or Fingerlings, and Bill Lewis MR-6 Crankbaits in Tennessee Shad were working behind points along Little River, and we caught some decent 2- to 3-pound whites there that ranged from 7-12 feet deep on and behind those primary points. Vertical-jigging a chrome three-quarter-ounce Cordell Hammered Spoon with a red/white hair bucktail behind primary points, near the bottom where stumps were located on the backside of points, were working for us, with a few nice sized 2- to 3-pound whites over the past several weeks. Swimming a hair jig with a heavy-thumping tail swimbait trailer picked up a few white bass in 10-14 feet, swimming and dropping the bait.

The deeper-running Fat Free Guppy crankbaits in Tennessee Shad or Citrus Shad, Bill Lewis MR-6 Crankbaits in Tennessee Shad and Millwood Magic, Little George’s, little Rocket Shads and red/white Rooster Tails continued working last week. Random, and broken schools of white bass were found again over the past couple of weeks between Brown’s Slough and Cemetery Slough along Little River where points intersect with creek mouths dumping into the river, although the water was heavily stained or muddy with current.

* The crappie bite has improved over the past few weeks with water clarity improving in many locations, but it’s been muddy this week. Best color jig recently was using Monkey Milk one day, Electric Chicken the next, while smoke-colored grubs with a chartreuse tip tail on a light wire jighead would pick up a few extra bites.
* We did see bream beds in Hurricane Creek last week and near Jack’s Isle. We spoke with several bream fishermen and they were having fair results using crickets around cypress trees not far from the floating fishing dock near Jack’s Isle, but we have not seen any bream guys out this week with the muddy current in Little River.
* Catfish improved with increase of river current along Little River and in Mud Lake on trotlines, yo-yos, noodles and limb lines. King’s Punch Bait, spoiled chicken livers and gizzards were getting bit early and late, if you can get the fish before the alligators do.

Lake Columbia
No reports.

Lake Erling
(updated 6-6-2024) Lake Erling Guide Service (870-904-8546) said anglers are in recent weeks have been catching lots of crappie, bream and catfish, and they’re hauling in some black bass, too. Lots of good-sized bream and a lot of redear, some ranging a pound to a pound and a half, were being caught.
The crappie are around structure, and most recently they were being caught in 6-16 feet depth. Use hand-tied jigs.

Many flathead catfish were being caught on limblines.

Lake Greeson Tailwater
For the most updated Narrows Dam generation schedule from SWEPCO, click here.

Lake Greeson
For the most updated lake level at Lake Greeson, click here.

DeGray Lake
For the most updated lake level at DeGray Lake, click here.

(updated 6-6-2024) John Duncan of YoYo Guide Service (870-942-6291 or yoyoguideservice@gmail.com) at Iron Mountain Marina says it’s time to get after those crappie if you are a brush pile angler. They are stacking up on the piles all over the lake. Find the ones in the water depth of low 20s. Use your electronics to determine the depth of the fish. You can either throw jigs over them or pull up over them with minnows. The technique you use is your choice.
“They are holding close to cover. Once you get the ones on top, just drop down and get another layer. One-eighth-ounce jigs seem to be the best weight for me with 6-pound line. Reports are that they are stacking up from Arlie Moore to Point Cedar.
“Bedding bream are on the decline now with the moon cycle. However, the brush piles have lots of males that are still ‘leaking’ when caught.
“Lots of ‘noodles’ are out for the catfishing. With the water up as it is, the catfish will be feeding on the new forage opportunities of the shallow water.
“Minimal surface activity for the white bass and hybrids. There are a few individuals that are trolling for them with some success, using shad-colored baits and Alabama rigs. Black bass are in the summer patterns for the most part.”

De Queen Lake
For the Army Corps of Engineers’ real-time lake level and outflow report from De Queen Lake, visit the Corps’ Little Rock office website.

Dierks Lake
For the Army Corps of Engineers’ real-time lake level and outflow report from Dierks Lake, visit the Corps’ Little Rock office website.

South-Central Arkansas

White Oak Lake Area
No reports.

West-Central Arkansas

Lake Catherine Tailwater (Below Carpenter Dam)
For weekly flow releases from Carpenter Dam, visit www.entergy.com/hydro

(updated 6-6-2024) Shane Goodner, owner of Catch’em All Guide Service, reports that water temperature below Carpenter Dam is 63 degrees with clear conditions in the tailrace. Both lakes Hamilton and Catherine are at normal summertime pool. Overall, it has been another terrible year for fishing in the tailrace. Constant flooding and bad weather consumed the majority of the rainbow trout season and kept many anglers off the water during the peak spawning times of area game fish. Bad weather forces Entergy to run huge amounts of water from area dams to control lake levels, and this process creates dangerous boating and fishing conditions. The last three years have been very unproductive for catching rainbow trout on Lake Catherine due to these circumstances.

Before fishing below a hydroelectric dam, it is a good idea to check the weekly generation schedule and plan your outings accordingly. The Entergy website features a hydroelectric page for the general public to view current lake levels and conditions. This website has been down for several weeks for upgrades, but, hopefully, it should be back online soon.

Below Carpenter Dam, fly-fishermen can still wade to areas that have numbers of trout, and they have had some success casting micro-jigs in white or black under a strike indicator. This presentation perfectly matches the injured shad drawn through the turbines from Lake Hamilton. San Juan Worms offer feeding trout a different look and will often work equally well when fished in the same manner. Trout Magnets should not be overlooked by fly-anglers and often make the difference between a successful outing and an unsuccessful one. Bank fishermen using waxworms or mealworms cast with a small bobber or fished just off the bottom with a marshmallow floater can catch rainbows. Boaters can anchor in and around sandbars and rock structure and catch trout using small inline spinners such as a Rooster Tail or Mepps Spinner in brown or silver colors. Conditions are favorable now for trolling to be effective against the current. Catching a limit of rainbow trout as June commences should be considered a good day on the water, as the bite is very inconsistent and short in duration.

The walleye spawn is long complete on Lake Catherine but numbers of male and female walleye remain to rest and feed before making the move downstream to the main body of Lake Catherine. These fish can be caught by trolling shallow-running crankbaits against the current on both sides of the river below the dam. Shad or crayfish imitations work best as both of these are present in large numbers in the lake and offer game fish a solid food source all throughout the year. Small jigs and live minnows are a best bed when targeting these post-spawn fish.

Catfish are presently spawning in the tailrace from the bridge to the dam and can be caught on cut bait fished on the bottom. These fish will be in the tailrace the entire month of June and offer anglers a hearty fight and some wonderful table fare. The heat of summer brings striper action closer to Carpenter Dam as these large predator fish search for prey and cooler temperatures. Alabama rigs and large topwater lures work well when the turbines are running, which is a key ingredient for success when attempting to catch these wary predators.

Always wear a life jacket when on the water and remember to follow all park and boating regulations. Pick up after yourself, as the number of trash cans are limited in this area. Always cooperate with all wildlife officials and law enforcement.

Lake Dardanelle
For the Army Corps of Engineers’ outflow and gauge level reports from Dardanelle, visit the Corps’ Little Rock office website.

No reports.

Lake Hamilton
(updated 6-6-2024) Capt. Darryl Morris of Family Fishing Trips (501-844-5418) said that at both lakes Ouachita and Hamilton, where he has been fishing mostly of late, the crappie have thinned out on the shallow brush piles and moved deeper onto cover on points where primary and secondary channels are close by. Bream are ample everywhere.
He says that now is the time to be transitioning into early morning bass and walleye. Casting topwater baits, spoons and spy baits at first-light gets the bass. Vertical jigging spoons on points near the bottom can produce walleye.
“Stay safe on the water. Start early because summertime pleasure boating is upon us anglers,” he says.

Lake Nimrod
For the Army Corps of Engineers’ real-time lake level and outflow reports from Nimrod Lake, visit the Corps’ Little Rock office website.

(updated 6-6-2024) Carter Cove Bait-N-More (479-272-4025) reports that a lot of catfish are being caught. Quite a few anglers are out trying for crappie. Some who know the spots are having good luck (one angler caught 16 crappie in the brush); others are not — the lake is in a drawdown until October. Anglers are buying pounds and pounds of No. 6 crappie minnows.

A catfish angler had six or seven flathead catfish in the boat, one of which was 52 pounds measured at the dock. Try goldfish or other live bait for the catfish.

Carter Cove has a Facebook page, and the email address is cartercovebaitnmore@gmail.com, with updates and photos. Stop in for live bait, tackle, cabin rentals, pizza, burgers, sandwiches and more.

Lake Ouachita
For the current lake level at Blakely Dam, click here.

Stay safe on the water. Start early because summertime pleasure boating is upon us anglers.

(updated 6-6-2024) Todd Gadberry at Mountain Harbor Resort and Spa (870-867-2191/800-832-2276 out-of-state) said black bass are still good. Try a topwater bait near main lake and secondary points or a Texas-rigged Ole Monster near brush. Walleye are very good and are being caught on shad-style baits or nightcrawlers near structure. Stripers are still very good. These fish are being caught in the central portion of the lake and can be caught on C-10 Redfins or live bait. Bream are excellent and are being caught on crickets and worms in the 6- to 15-foot range. Crappie are good. These fish can still be targeted on structure with minnows or small jigs. Jugs and trotlines continue to produce quality catches of catfish over main lake points with live or cut bait.

Water temperature is ranging 76-80 degrees. Water clarity is stained on the western portion and clearing in the east. The lake level earlier this week was 577.29 feet msl. Call the Mountain Harbor fishing guides (Mike Wurm, 501-622-7717, or Chris Darby, 870-867-7822) for more information.

For Free Fishing Weekend, Kastner says, “It’s all about bream fishing — whether you’re using crickets, nightcrawlers or whatever, as long as the kids are having fun.”

Blue Mountain Lake
For the Army Corps of Engineers’ real-time lake level and outflow reports from Blue Mountain Lake, visit the Corps’ Little Rock office website.

East Arkansas

White River/Clarendon Area
For the Army Corps of Engineers’ real-time gauge level and flow from Clarendon, visit the Corps’ Little Rock office website.

Horseshoe Lake
(updated 6-6-2024) Kent Williams of Oxbow Guide Service (870-278-7978) had no new reports. Most recently, he reported that crappie were getting into a post-spawn pattern and feeding heavily. Fish were scattered in the lake with plenty of fish still shallow but also enough for those that like to fish the deeper water. Jig color has not changed much — orange, silver and Electric Chicken get plenty of attention to catch fish.

White River/Arkansas River (Pool 2)
(updated 6-6-2024) Webb’s Sporting Goods (870-946-0347) in DeWitt had no new reports.

Bear Creek Lake/Storm Creek Lake
(updated 8-3-2022) Mississippi River State Park (870-295-4040) had no new reports.

Note: msl is mean sea level; cfs is cubic feet per second.

The post Arkansas Wildlife Weekly Fishing Report appeared first on Arkansas Game & Fish Commission.

Westside claims title and scholarships in YSS Senior State tourney; Corning’s junior dynasty grows

Jim Harris — Wed, 05 Jun 2024 17:17:05 +0000

JACKSONVILLE — Jonesboro Westside Red was looking up at four of its neighboring rivals at the Youth Shooting Sports’ Senior East Regional earlier in May, but Westside’s five shooters all peaked at the right moment on Saturday, June 1, to bring home a Senior Division State Championship for a third time.

Both the junior event, held Friday, May 31, and won for the second-straight year by Corning, and the senior division tourney finals were staged at the Arkansas Game and Fish Foundation Shooting Sports Complex here and sponsored by Fiocchi. YSS is a program within the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission’s Recreational Shooting Division.

Westside Red defeated Cabot Red 121-118, with Jackson Parks and Hayden James both hitting all 25 of their shots and no one on Westside missing more than two clays. Cabot, which finished in a three-way tie at the top for East Region but lost out on the regional championship by a card-off among the teams’ top shooters to Corning, and Westside had won five matches Saturday in head-to-head bracket competition to reach the final. The YSS title match is conducted differently from the rest of the 64-team state tournament, with the final two teams shooting on the same field, one squad followed by the other, but with the same 125 shots per squad. Westside won a coin flip and chose to shoot first, and after three misses in its first 50 shots, was nearly perfect in finishing its hot round. Meanwhile, Cabot duplicated its score from the semifinals, when it edged Shiloh Christian by one hit target to move on.

“After the first round, we got to shooting like we’re capable of,” first-year coach Danny Price said of Westside Red. “The first round was bad, but we got the nerves out of our system and shot the way we normally do.” Westside reached 121 twice in six matches, and all five shooters — Parks, James, Cole Cureton, James Smith and Sam Sloan — produced clean cards throughout the day. Cureton had a stretch of 99 straight hits, Parks said, and Cureton and Parks later competed in the Champion of Champions shootoff, having recorded 50 out of 50 targets during regional action.

Westside is a consolidated school district with students from Bono, Cash and Egypt, three towns outside of Jonesboro. The team has two trap fields near the school where it practices twice a week, Price said, and the squad sees Corning, Harrisburg, Jonesboro and other top teams regularly in scheduled trap shoots during the spring.

Parks and Cureton also went deep in a long Champion of Champions shoot-off in which it seemed for a while that no one among 10 shooters would give in. Eventually, though, Jordan Miller from Harrisburg was the last shooter standing. He and Parks reached the last shooting spot on the trap field, from 27 yards — and the many spectators watching wondered where the pair would shoot from next. Miller hit his 12th straight target, and Parks came next. Suddenly, it was over.

“I was kind of, like, shocked,” Miller said of his win. “(Parks) had been crushing targets the whole time and I was expecting him to crush that one. I think he shot just over it and all I felt was shock. Then it was overwhelming happiness.”
The Champion of Champions winner receives a $2,500 scholarship from the Doyne and Nancy Williams Endowment with the Arkansas Game and Fish Foundation.

“I’m going to heat and air (conditioning) school this fall at Arkansas State University-Newport and Marked Tree, and this will help pay for it,” Miller said.

Miller, whose Harrisburg Hornet Team 2 was the fourth seed from the East, had a lot longer to sit around on a hot, sunny Saturday than his Westside rivals, Parks and Cureton. “We got eliminated in the first box,” he said of Harrisburg’s upset loss. “We scored 119 and got beat by 1.”

Miller, an avid hunter and outdoorsman, according to his dad, credited the coaching he’s gotten from A.W. Curtis from Cross County the past four years. He said that while he doesn’t practice shooting at a clay pigeon from 27 feet, in handicap trap shooting events he has to shoot from 25 feet. The shot weight and velocity of YSS shells is lighter than what he uses in Amateur Trap Association events, too, he said. Juniors and seniors in YSS during competition shoot from one of five shooting positions at 16 yards behind the trap house.

Westside’s team won $7,500 in scholarship money from the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission. Cabot, for finishing second, was awarded $5,000. Berryville’s Road Kill Grillers took third over Shiloh Christian and received $2,500 in scholarship money.

Corning, coming in with two YSS junior state championships over the past four years, made it a third but needed a perfect 25 from Bryson Murray to win a card-off with Bald Knob in the final on Friday.

Unlike the senior division, which saw No. 1 seeds fall right and left before the tournament reached the quarterfinals, the junior division’s top seeds dominated.

Corning and Bald Knob, top seed from the North Region, tied with 114 clays out of a possible 125, forcing the decision to the scorecards and individual results. Murray’s 25 bettered any score from Bald Knob, handing the crown back to Corning.

Jonesboro Trap Team’s Craighead Crushers finished third, defeating Ozark 116-98.

In the junior division Champion of Champions, Corning’s Christopher Scrogin was the last shooter standing among eight participants, all who had recorded perfect rounds of 25 out of 25 during their respective regional tournaments.

More than 5,400 students participated in the Youth Shooting Sports Program this season. Jimmy Self, the YSS program coordinator, said this was the wettest tournament yet with heavy rains throughout the past month, but Saturday was perfect weather.

Video features by the Arkansas Wildlife Television crew of both the junior and senior division championships are available on the AGFC Facebook page along with more photos from the weekend.

####

CUTLINES:

TOP SHOOTERS: Jonesboro Westside’s Cole Cureton connects on a clay pigeon during the final match of the YSS Senior State Championship June 1, while teammate Jackson Parks and line judge Trent Whitehead look on. Cureton and Parks helped lead Westside to the state championship and both also competed in the Champion of Champions shoot-off.

CHAMPS AGAIN: The fifth-seeded Jonesboro Westside Warriors Red put it all together June 1 to win the program’s second senior state championship, beating second-seeded Cabot. Both teams came out of the same East Region.

SOLE SURVIVOR: Jordan Miller of Harrisburg was the last shooter standing in a competitive Senior Champion of Champions shoot-out.

BIG CROWD: Shooters, parents and supporters crowded into the AGFF Shooting Sports Complex in Jacksonville on a bright Saturday, June 1, for the YSS Senior State Championship.

STILL THE CHAMPS: The latest version of the Corning shooting sports’ No. 1 team won the program’s third YSS Junior State Championship in the past four years.

SPLISH SPLASH: A week of heavy rains through early Friday morning left ample puddles around the AGFF Shooting Sports Complex for kids to enjoy during a hot and dry Saturday.

The post Westside claims title and scholarships in YSS Senior State tourney; Corning’s junior dynasty grows appeared first on Arkansas Game & Fish Commission.

Arkansas Wildlife Weekly Fishing Report

Jim Harris — Thu, 30 May 2024 21:26:37 +0000

May 30, 2024

Jim Harris

Managing Editor Arkansas Wildlife Magazine

John Stevens enjoyed the smallmouth bass fishing on the Spring River recently while fishing with guide Mark Crawford. In his report this week, Crawford says smallmouth are hitting great when water clarity is good. Fish deep on the bottom with very slow retrieves, a pattern that also works for walleye hanging in the deep pools below waterfalls on the bottom. Not only is the fishing success up, as well as the river current, but the cicadas are also prevalent and great for trout fishing. “We have been using big brown and black cicadas as the top dry fly and small (Woolly Buggers) as droppers. With heavy stocking this time of year, we are getting tons of action and having so much fun!” Crawford said.

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Reports are updated weekly, although some reports may be published for two weeks if updates are not received promptly or if reporters say conditions haven’t changed. Contact the reporter listed for the lake or stream you plan to fish for current news.

Arkansas River 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

Download the Fish Brain app and follow AGFC at: https://join.fishbrain.com/agfc-page

Quick links to regions:

Central Arkansas
North Arkansas
Northwest Arkansas
Northeast Arkansas
Southeast Arkansas
Southwest Arkansas
South-Central Arkansas
West-Central Arkansas
East Arkansas

Central Arkansas

Craig D. Campbell Lake Conway Reservoir
For the most up-to-date lake level, visit the U.S. Geological Survey’s Lake Conway water level site.

NOTE: The last of three planned public cleanups of the Lake Conway shoreline by the AGFC and its partners in the lake renovation is scheduled for June 13-15. The hours for the cleanup will be 8 a.m.-4 p.m. each day. For more information, call 501-604-0492 or email nicholas.feltz@agfc.ar.gov.

(updated 5-30-2024) Bates Field and Stream (501-470-1846) said “the fish are biting!” The water is falling back out, they report, after last week’s rains pushed the level back up. Crappie are biting on minnows and on chartreuse/black jigs. Bream and catfish are both fight for the same baits: red wigglers and nightcrawlers. Catfish are also going for the trotline minnows.

Black bass are hitting topwater lures and crankbaits.

The lake is murky looking in clarity.

(updated 5-30-2024) Fish ’N Stuff (501-834-5733) in Sherwood said Thursday that trout anglers are doing pretty well on the tailwater. They care catching a lot of trout on Rapala Countdowns and Rooster Tails. The preferred colors have been brown trout or rainbow trout lately, and successful anglers are targeting the shoals or a laydown log, any visible cover.

Greers Ferry Lake
For the Army Corps of Engineers’ real-time lake level and outflow report from Greers Ferry Dam, visit the Corps’ Little Rock office website.

(updated 5-30-2024) Tommy Cauley of Fishfinder Guide Service (501-940-1318) said the water level at Greers Ferry Lake is at 462.23 feet msl, slightly above (0.19 feet) normal pool of 462.04 feet msl. Not much else has changed other than more and more fish coming up on top schooling in different parts of the lake and rivers. Southwestern Power Administration and the Corps of Engineers have been generating pretty hard trying to get the lake down. All species of game fish are biting on and off all day — all these weather fronts and sometimes four or five pressure changes throughout the day, plus the wind changes, have the fish really confused. But you just have to stay course, and if so, bites will come.

Crappie still seem somewhat confused, like other species. Try super shallow and out to 30 feet, and use jigs, minnows or crankbaits. Walleye are eating in the main lake, and for the few that are left up rivers, drag crawler or crankbait in 10-22 feet. Some walleye are following under big schools of white bass and hybrids; use spoon for those.

Hybrid bass and white bass are trying to set up for summer in the main lake, though a lot are still traveling. For the ones that are set, use spoons, inline spinners, grubs and swimbaits in 15-35 feet. The shad spawn is going on in various places around the lake and rivers; when you find them, stay with them for good catches of all species.

Catfish are starting to show up more regularly, and the usual stuff is working in the lake and rivers. Some bream are shallow but most are still around 8-15 feet — crickets and crawlers are working fine as well as inline spinners. Some black bass are still spawning, more appear on their way to spawn and some have finished. Use Carolina rigs, topwater lures, wake baits, drop-shots, crankbaits and spinnerbaits for best action, super shallow out to 30 feet. Be safe and wear your life jacket.

(updated 5-30-2024) Fish ’N Stuff (501-834-5733) in Sherwood said that with all the pleasure boat traffic on the lake in the past few days (over the holiday), that had kept a lot of their usual bass angler sources away. Instead, anglers have been crappie fishing and trolling for white bass and walleye. They’ve been doing well throwing trolling crankbaits (look for a crankbait that will get to 15-20 feet or water) for the fish, which are being seen at 20-25 feet depth.

It’s not that you can’t fish for bass now, it’s just that the lake will be less busy and more conducive to bass early in the morning or late in the evening. A bone-colored Zara Spook is a good choice for lure, as well as a buzzbait you can work up shallow late in the afternoon for the improving topwater bite.
The lake is close to normal level now with water being run regularly from the dam, and the clarity is clear.

Black bass were biting both early in the morning and late in the evening. One angler reported having a lot of success with a white buzzbait.

Water temperature was 84.7 degrees on Thursday, with wind whipping on the lake.

Water looks a little low, they say, and water clarity is somewhat clear with just a smidgen of green coloration.

Lake Overcup
(updated 5-23-2024) John “Catfish” Banks at Overcup Landing off Arkansas Highway 9 had no new reports this week, but most recently he said crappie were being caught in 5-10 feet of water using jigs and minnows. Also, bass were doing well on buzzbaits and plastic frogs since the spawn. Bream were starting to get on their beds and doing well. Catfish were being caught on jugs using nightcrawlers and bass minnows, and he was starting to run trotlines again.

“Come see us at Overcup Landing off Highway 9, Morrilton.”

Lake Maumelle
(updated 5-30-2024) WestRock Landing in Roland (501-658-5598) reported that water temperature was ranging 80-82 degrees, a slight drop from last week. The largemouth bass bite remains fair. Reports of the bass biting shallow in the mornings and evenings in 2-4 feet and others being found deeper to 8-20 feet. They are also schooling in some areas in the evenings. Try points and drop-offs. Drop-shots, Texas rig worms and crankbaits are working best. Spotted bass (Kentuckies) are also fair. Reports of them being found on points in 8-20 feet as well as around drop-offs, and they are biting jigs.

Eric Wallace and Mike Hammett netted a 5.27-pound Big Bass in Tuesday night’s black bass tourney, while Daniel Romine and Vaughn Greenway landed a 5-bass stringer of 15.38 pounds to win the event, with Randall Clark and Ben Burke catching 14.09 pounds for second.

Still no reports heard lately on white bass after their run subsided. A twister tail might coax one to the hook, though. Crappie are slow these days, though some reports have them being found suspended on brush anywhere from 12-14 feet as well as 16-21 feet. Use jigs or minnows.

Bream are good, particularly after last week’s full moon. They’re being caught in 6-10 feet of water as well as shallower, in 3-5 feet. Crickets, worms and drop-shots are bringing them in.

No reports still on catfish, but anglers seeking them might want to use little bream, liver or worms, like nightcrawlers.

Arkansas River at Morrilton
For the real-time water flow at the Ormond Lock and Dam and Morrilton stage level, visit the Corps’ Little Rock office website.

Little Maumelle River
(update 5-30-2024) Ray Hudson at River Valley Marina (501-517-1250) said the black bass are “biting like crazy,” and they’ve been biting well for a few weeks now. Use a spinnerbait, topwater lure or plastic worm for best success.

One angler caught a mess of crappie this past week, all on minnows, Ray said, noting it was the first sign of crappie activity since their spawn. Also, a few others caught a lot of catfish, with one angler catching mainly flatheads fishing with bream.

The bream are bedded and are being caught on crickets and any kind of live worm.

The water is clear and normal.

Arkansas River (Maumelle Pool)
For the real-time water flow at the Toad Suck Lock and Dam, visit the Corps’ Little Rock office website.

(updated 5-30-2024) Fish ’N Stuff (501-834-5733) reports than anglers are catching “a bunch of fish” out on the Little Rock Pool now, and they are using a lot of different approaches to do that. Some are hitting the early morning or late evening wave of black bass with such lures as a Whopper Plopper, a frog or a buzzbait and working in the backwaters or around shoreline grass. On the main river, a bone-colored Zara Spook has started picking up bass there, also both early in the morning and later in the day.

During the day, they recommend using a jig or a Texas-rigged ribbon tail worm, as well as a shaky head. Around jetties, you might also try a crankbait, while anglers also report catching some bass in the main river on a white Chatterbait, fishing it around the jetties. Don’t forget to give the spinnerbait a few throws, too.

Water clarity is strained to muddy, but they expect the river to be clearing soon. The water level is about normal for the pool.

Nobody has been saying anything about bass.

North Arkansas

White River
(updated 5-30-2024) Cotter Trout Dock (870-435-6525) said the trout bite this week has brought excitement to kids of every age — children, parents, grandparents, every angler on the White River. The water level has been lower during morning and early afternoon hours, with late afternoon releases bringing a rush of cold, clear water for a whole different fishing adventure. Bull Shoals Lake level is slowly rising, and was sitting Wednesday at 666.39 feet msl, with nicely managed releases.

Lots of success with spinners and spoons on the low water, best in the morning. The sparkle from gold or silver Cleos is attracting really nice-sized rainbows, and the nickel/gold Colorado or a one-sixth-ounce Rooster Tail with a gold blade is hard for the trout to resist, too. You can experiment with shrimp or with various colors of floating eggs and you’ll bag a bunch, but the action will be faster when you use them together.

Brown trout catches continue to delight the anglers around Cotter, mostly with live bait taken from the river (minnows, crawdads, sculpins), but we heard that more than one brown was hooked with shrimp and PowerBait. Heard, too, that the browns liked the peach-colored D2 jig during the slight rise midday.

“Enjoy the best of spring with the best The Natural State has to offer: trout-catching on the White River in the Arkansas Ozarks. Come visit.”

(updated 5-30-2024) Dave McCulley, owner of Jenkins Fishing Service in Calico Rock, said the storms Sunday morning caused a lot of damage across the northern part of the state. “Fortunately, Calico Rock didn’t receive any damage, but around Norfork and Mountain Home there was a lot of damage from the wind and rain. So much rain in such a short time flooded many of the area creeks. As a result, by Sunday afternoon we had high and very muddy water with large trees, etc., coming down the river creating unsafe conditions.

“Conditions remained high and muddy into Monday, but finally started to clear up late Monday afternoon. Tuesday the river was dingy but fishable. Before the storm and since Tuesday the fishing has been great. We continue to have a lot of success with Uncommon Bait UV eggs and corn catching some nice limits of rainbows to include several over 15 inches.
“With the clearer and lower water Wednesday the bite was fast and furious. Quarter-ounce Thompson Colorado spoons worked well for rainbows and smaller browns with Rapala Countdowns CD2 in silver working well for larger rainbows and some nicer browns.
“We did receive one trout stocking of over 1,000 rainbow trout late last week.”

Bull Shoals Lake
For the Army Corps of Engineers’ real-time outflow report from Bull Shoals Dam, visit the Corps’ Little Rock office website.

(updated 5-30-2024) Fishing guide Del Colvin at Bull Shoals Lake (815-592-4302) said the lake level is holding around 666 feet msl. Parking and boat ramp access is starting to be affected. Water temperature around 76 degrees, give or take, and warmer in the dirty areas. Bass are setting up toward summer areas; some are up chasing sunfish but the water rise has slowed everything.

Fishing has been good but it will definitely be tough after a storm front. There are large groups of schooling fish setting up on ledges. If it’s cloudy, rainy and/or windy you can powerfish covering water with a square bill, spinnerbait or Chatterbait in the stain or dirty runoff. Try a frog/toad over submerged flooded grass. If it’s flat and sunny target swings, points and secondary points. Try green pumpkin or puke Ned rig, tube or a shaky head. Keep the boat out deep in the clear water; you can hit the old shoreline. Fish off points in 15-25 feet of water. There is a lot of activity in the 15 feet range. You can go up there with a Beaver-style bait or Jewel Flippin Jig. Green pumpkin orange/red variants are best.

Some shallower brush piles closer to deep water in less than 25 feet are holding some fish. The shad balls are spread out deep off the points, backs of creeks and swings. So, if you’re fishing open water you’re going to have to pay attention to find shad. Try a 2.8 swimbait or flutter spoon. Topwaters have been hit or miss. Wake baits and a Lucky Craft Gunfish are starting to produce, all in white or shad patterns. Del says he has been catching some on the Robo Worm drop-shot with suspended fish.

Del regularly posts new YouTube videos. Visit his YouTube site (Bull Shoals Lake Fishing Report) for more information and tips on fishing Bull Shoals Lake.

(updated 5-30-2024) Southernwalleye Guide Service (501-365-1606) reports fishing has been pretty much the same as last week. Some fishing methods have changed over the last week. Some report that fish are starting to set up in traditional spots and water depths, which is indicating the thermocline is setting up. Pulling crawler harnesses in 20-25 feet early will get some fish. A little deeper later after sunrise.

If contour trolling, try shad-style baits or small Banada-style baits in 15-25 feet water. Slide out to deeper water, 30-40 feet, after daylight. If open water trolling for suspended fish, they are still the same as last week but just a little deeper. Find shad and try trolling with snap weights from 45-55 feet depth over 100 feet of more of water while using Berkley No. 9 Flicker Minnows or No. 7 Flicker Shads. Rapala Deep Husky Jerks and Reef Runner 800, as well as Bandit deep-divers series, trolled over the old river channel at 1.5-1.8 mph should put some fish in the boat. Have also had reports that jigging spoon fishing has also been another tactic that’s working. Casting a half-ounce spoon into 15 feet and hopping it off the bottom back into about 30 feet might also get you a few fish.

(updated 5-30-2024) Crappie 101 Guide Service (870-577-2045) reports crappie are definitely more scattered and they are finding some on the brush and structure. Quality is still kind of mixed up and they are having to really work at it to catch good numbers. The jig bite has definitely slowed down but still catching a few on the Tater Baits Tater Shad Jr. with a sixteenth-ounce head and, of course, minnows. Stay patient; as conditions stabilize it should really get good.

Norfork Lake
For the Army Corps of Engineers’ real-time outflow report from Norfork Dam, visit the Corps’ Little Rock office website.

(updated 5-24-2024) Lou Gabric at Hummingbird Hideaway Resort (870-492-5113)

said Wednesday, “A couple of us at Hummingbird Hideaway Resort had a great day fishing for striped bass. I was on the lake around 4:30 a.m. I set out my green light on a main lake bluff wall point to draw in bait. A small school of bait came to the boat, but not the number that I found Tuesday. I landed several baby striped bass in the dark. As it started to get light out, I moved from this point since the stripers seemed to have vacated this area and moved into the back of a main lake creek.
“At a channel swing in about 70 feet of water, I marked several big arcs. The fish were coming under me from 20 feet down to the bottom. I saw a big arc lying on the bottom and dropped my white trash Tater Shad with half-ounce white big eye jig head right onto the striper’s head and he hit it immediately. He gave two great runs and all the time coming up to the surface. I saw him surface about 100 feet away from the boat.
“After his photo shoot he was released to swim away. After this battle I saw some fish surfacing and casted out my Kastmaster with a white feather trailer. One of the two hybrids I caught hammered the bait and circled the boat three times during the battle. What fun! The second hybrid came off the bottom and met my sinking bait at 40 and the game was on again. By this time, it was around 7 a.m. and the fish were scattering out, so I left this creek to check out another area as I headed back toward the resort.
“Of course, I stopped and looked at three other areas along the route. I met one of my friends who was trolling big umbrella rigs, and he told me he had landed nine stripers so far in the area I planned to check out. I set up in 74 feet of water off of a main lake big round point. A deep-water channel also swings into this point on two sides. I was in the middle of the point and started marking scattered fish. These fish were suspended from 30 feet down to the bottom. I got to land two more striped bass and both fish hit the Tater Shad on the fall.

Lou posts fishing reports almost every day to his blog on the Hummingbird Hideaway Resort webpage.

Northwest Arkansas

Beaver Lake
For the Army Corps of Engineers’ real-time outflow report from Beaver Lake Dam, visit the Corps’ Little Rock office website.

(updated 5-30-2024) Jon Conklin with FishOn Guide Service (479-233-3474) said there was not much to report on. “As you may know, we had a tornado that damages a big swath from Prairie Creek to the dam. There are massive cleanups going on. So I have not been out this week much. I will have more on fishing next week.

“Lots of areas on mid-lake to dam are hard to get to with lots of downed trees. I hope everybody is doing well as cleanup is in full swing. In another week we will be back to normal, I believe. Good luck and stay safe.”

Visit Jon’s Facebook page for the latest updates, FishOn Guide Service Goshen AR.

Beaver Tailwater
(updated 5-23-2024) Guide Austin Kennedy (479-244-0039) says, “This past week has been pretty good in the tailwater. The Army Corps of Engineers has been flowing water consistently, which has kept the river levels high, but we’re seeing some consistently to the bite. Most trout have been caught with Pautzke Fire Eggs and Fire Bait fished with light terminal tackle. The majority of the trout have been caught between Houseman and the U.S. Highway 62 bridge.
“There are still a few walleye in the system, with most being caught in the deeper waters. Jigging soft plastics or tossing jerkbaits with Walleye Fire Gel have produced nice numbers. The white bass have been toward Holiday Island and Beaver town. Tossing crankbaits and Alabama rigs have done the trick with these guys.

“With the warmer water entering the system, this has brought up some alligator gar, as well as crappie and nice sunfish. They should hang around for a few weeks, or until the water cools down. Try to hit the coves early in the morning and fish the main channel later in the morning to afternoon. I hope you’re all able to get out and fish!”

Follow Austin’s fishing Facebook page (Busch Mountain Fishing Guide Service) for updates.

Lake Fayetteville
(updated 5-16-2024) Lake Fayetteville Boat Dock (479-444-3476) says anglers have been catching a lot of crappie and bluegill. Crappie are biting jigs and minnows. Try one with a pink head that they sell at the boat dock. Bluegill are biting crickets.

Nothing has been reported to them on bass or catfish. Water clarity was clear.

Northeast Arkansas

Lake Charles
(updated 5-30-2024) Shelly Jeffrey at Lake Charles State Park (870-878-6595) said the fishing has remained consistent over the past two weeks, with bream, crappie and catfish all biting well. Bream were aggressive toward worms, crickets and jigs. Crappie are going for the usual minnows and jigs now as they are post-spawn. Catfishing is good on worms, and specifically green worms, Shelly notes. No reports still on bass; they’ve gone into hiding. The water is the usual murky and the surface temperature earlier this week was 73.5 degrees. The water remains high.

Lake Hogue
(updated 5-16-2024) Angler Tracy Rolfe said that last Friday morning there were huge fish everywhere by the pier. He noted hundreds of rainbows, bass, catfish and alligator gar, from 2 feet out to 40 feet from the shoreline. All of them were at least 12 inches or bigger. “It was incredible.”

Lake Poinsett
(updated 5-23-2024) Jonathan Wagner at Lake Poinsett State Park said the bluegill have been biting at Lake Poinsett this last week, according to locals who have stopped by the park’s visitor center. Crickets and worms, in particular nightcrawlers, were the favorite bait of anglers for the bream. There have been reports of bream spawn beds just out from the bank. A few people reported catching 5- to 6-pound catfish using hotdogs from set lines, but we have been selling a lot of goldfish for the same reason as well. Many people are bank fishing and having luck. The rain moving in may dampen your catch chances, though. Bass and crappie continue to be catch-and-release on Lake Poinsett.

Bream and catfish may be kept at state limits.

Spring River
(updated 5-30-2024) Mark Crawford with springriverfliesandguides.com (870-955-8300) said water levels are flowing at 450 cfs and water clarity is clear. “Recent storms have made the river murky at times, but at the time of this writing the river looks great and flowing with little above-average flows. Be safe wading; with the heat the water feels great when wet wading. Keep an eye on the forecast with dangerous storms moving through the area.

“The cicada hatch is on! We have been using big brown and black cicadas as the top dry fly and small Woollies as droppers. With heavy stocking this time of year, we are getting tons of action and having so much fun! Running the dropper about 2 feet down from the top fly, you may have to run it deeper in deeper holes. I had a client catch a smallmouth recently using a yellow Woolly Dropper.

“The smallies are hitting great when water clarity is good. Fish deep on the bottom with very slow retrieves. It’s also a popular technique for walleye hanging in the deep pools below waterfalls on the bottom. If you’re in a trout stocked area, go big with your fly or lure to avoid catching the hatchery trout. Big Woollies are still my favorite, or hair jigs like the D2 by Trout Magnet. Olive, brown and yellow were the hot colors.
“The canoe hatch is on! Saturdays and holiday weekends can get busy with floaters on the river. Fish early or late to beat the crowd. Through the week is the time to fish during the summer if possible. Be safe and have fun. The river bottom is very slick!”

Always check Mark’s blog for the latest river conditions on the Spring River on his website linked above.

Southeast Arkansas

Cane Creek Lake
(updated 5-30-2024) Teresa Atchley at Cane Creek State Park (870-628-4714) said Cane Creek Lake was busy with anglers over the Memorial Day weekend. One angler reportedly caught a 53-pound catfish on a trotline last week.
Anglers were using nightcrawlers last Friday on the exterior pier, fishing for anything. Some boaters on Saturday were using crickets, minnows for crappie and using nightcrawlers for catfish while fishing from the interior pier. Several reports surfaced from Monday’s holiday of anglers using minnows to catch crappie and bream, as well as throwing some redworms toward the bream or anything else that might bite. The exterior pier was getting some use from anglers looking for bream.
One boating angler caught some crappie Tuesday fishing with minnows from his boat.

Lake Monticello
(updated 5-30-2024) Anglers are reminded that if they venture out for some fishing on Lake Monticello now while the lake refills after being renovated, that all fish caught must be released immediately.
The city of Monticello is opening the Hunger Run access to boat traffic beginning Friday, May 31.

Southwest Arkansas

Millwood Lake
For the Army Corps of Engineers’ real-time lake level and outflow report from Millwood Lake Dam, visit the Corps Little Rock office website.

(updated 5-30-2024) Mike Siefert at Millwood Lake Guide Service said lake elevation is on a slow fall, about 5 inches above normal pool at 259.6 feet msl. Millwood Lake Dam is releasing about 10,000 cfs Thursday, and the tailwater is holding near 239 feet msl and falling. Check the most recent lake level of Millwood Lake on the guide service’s website linked above, or the Army Corps of Engineers website linked under “Millwood Lake” above, for updated gate release changes and inflow rates with rising and falling lake levels.
Surface temperature is stable, ranging 75-84 degrees depending on location and the time of day. Use caution in navigation on main lake river channels where river buoys may be out of channel from recent high wind, or not yet replaced. Clarity along Little River is heavy stained and/or muddy this week with increased river current. Heavy to moderate stain is found in most locations; some areas further up Little River are heaviest stain, with river clarity ranging 3-5 inches visibility depending on location. Clarity of oxbows will vary widely from heavy stained to fair visibility from 10-20 inches, and we observed around fair visibility in a few wind and current protected areas like McGuire Oxbow earlier this week, away from river current.

The Yarborough Landing Project’s additional lighting in the parking lot is complete, while work on the AGFC tournament courtesy dock, handrails and walkway are closer to being completed, Mike says.

Mike had these specifics on fishing this week at Millwood:
* Largemouth bass activity has been fairly consistent with last week. The best bite is early on cloudy days, while the topwater bite is consistent. Recent bass tournaments on Millwood Lake in the last few weeks have weighed several bass over 9 pounds, including a few in the 10- and 11-pound class, in post-spawn condition. Many large female bass between 7-9 pounds each have been caught and released over the past few weeks. Best activity is being seen early mornings near flats of 1-6 feet deep, where fresh lily pad blooms, stumps and vegetation are holding fish. Topwater frogs, Spit’n Images, Dying Flutters, soft plastic jerkbaits, Senkos, Trick Worms, 5-inch Bass Assassin Shads and buzzbaits continue drawing reactions from 3- to 8-pound largemouths from 1-8 feet of depth at dawn and dusk.

Once the sun gets up above the treeline, switch over to a Brazalo Spinnerbait in Spot Remover, or a Bill Lewis crankbait like the MR-6 or Echo 1.75, and SB-57 MDJ crankbait for random reaction bites from active roaming bass (and white bass, too) in the deeper sections of creek channels and near drops from the flats into 8-10 feet depth structure. In Little River, the current has muddied up the primary points, and white bass are roaming these points in and out of creek dumps, too. Fat jumbo 4-inch tube jigs, Brush Hogs, 10-inch Power Worms and lizards — fished near stumps, lily pads and buckbrush and cypress trees — will draw a reaction from 2- to 4-pound largemouth bass.

The best water clarity continues to be more reliable in the oxbows of McGuire and Clear Lake, and was drastically better in recent days. The water clarity in Mud Lake and Horseshoe Lake oxbows blew out with muddy influx over the past week and current pushing mudlines into those areas. The further away from river current you could get was best. Bang Skunk Apes, Woopah Craws, Salty Rat Tail baits, jumbo magnum 8-inch lizards and Brush Hogs continue taking some decent 14- to 17-inch largemouths roaming flats in the back of the oxbows near stumps and lily pads. You can get a reaction to a topwater frog or jerk bait in and near shallow stumps, cypress knees and cover around 5-8 foot depth flats with vegetation like fresh lily pad blooms.
Millwood State Park muddied up over the past week with the increase in discharge at the dam, and a rapid 2- to 3-foot rise in lake pool elevation, which has now begun a slow fall. Those areas should settle out in a few days provided we don’t get additional rainfall this week.
Best reaction colors for Chatterbaits and spinnerbaits where active bass are holding have been Spot Remover, Millwood Mayhem Bream and black/blue. Target cypress tree knees from 4-9 feet with 12-15 feet of depth nearby. Lizards in sizes from 6-8 inches in Blackberry, Blue Fleck, Grape and Junebug have been picking up random-cruising bass near stumps, on 5-7 feet drops near 10 feet deep structure.
* The white bass continue scattering back down Little River and there has been nothing consistent to report this week with the muddy current. However, last week and the week prior, Bomber Fat Free Shads, or Fingerlings, and Bill Lewis MR-6 Crankbaits in Tennessee Shad were working behind points along Little River, and we caught some decent 2- to 3-pound whites there that ranged from 7-12 feet deep on and behind those primary points. Vertical-jigging a chrome three-quarter-ounce Cordell Hammered Spoon with a red/white hair bucktail behind primary points, near the bottom where stumps were located on the backside of points, were working for us, with a few nice sized 2- to 3-pound whites over the past several weeks. Swimming a hair jig with a heavy-thumping tail swimbait trailer picked up a few white bass in 10-14 feet, swimming and dropping the bait.

The deeper-running Fat Free Guppy crankbaits in Tennessee Shad or Citrus Shad, Bill Lewis MR-6 Crankbaits in Tennessee Shad and Millwood Magic, Little George’s, little Rocket Shads and red/white Rooster Tails continued working last week. Random, and broken schools of white bass were found again over the past couple of weeks between Brown’s Slough and Cemetery Slough along Little River where points intersect with creek mouths dumping into the river, although the water was heavily stained or muddy with current.

* The crappie bite had improved over the past few weeks with water clarity improving in many locations, but it’s been muddy this week. Best color jig recently was using Monkey Milk one day, Electric Chicken the next, while smoke-colored grubs with a chartreuse tip tail on a light wire jighead would pick up a few extra bites.
* We did see bream beds in Hurricane Creek last week and near Jack’s Isle. We spoke with several bream fishermen and they were having fair results using crickets around cypress trees not far from the floating fishing dock near Jack’s Isle, but we have not seen any bream guys out this week with the muddy current in Little River.
* Catfish improved with increase of river current along Little River and in Mud Lake on trotlines, yo-yos, noodles and limb lines. King’s Punch Bait, spoiled chicken livers and gizzards were getting bit early and late, if you can get the fish before the alligators do.

(updated 5-30-2024) Philip Kastner of Trader Bill’s Outdoors in Little Rock and Hot Springs noted on the weekly “Wild Side Show” on KABZ-FM, 103.7 The Buzz this week that “the big tournament that’s coming up this weekend is Trader Bill’s Mr. Bass of Arkansas on Millwood, and Millwood is basically at full pool. You would expect Millwood to be high with all the rains that western Arkansas has gotten. Yeah, there is a lot of flow; yeah there is a lot of current — but it’s still only half a foot above full pool so they are managing it. We expect 80 boats, and there will be $10,000 going to one guy, that one guy in that boat. It’s a two-day tournament with the championship weigh-in (at Yarborough Landing) on Sunday. Mr. Bass has been around a long time. My over-under number of winning weight, because of all the rain, the flow that they are dealing with, probably 32 pounds, or 16 pounds per day.

“My three favorite ways to fish Millwood now: a jig; you need some kind of half-ounce structure jig, you’ve got to be able to fish wood in Millwood. Next, the topwater bite. The first couple of hours will be critical. You’re going to have to have a couple of good thumps the first couple of hours. The wildcard, with all the flow, never, ever discount a spinnerbait.”

Lake Columbia
(updated 5-16-2024) Lake Erling Guide Service (870-904-8546) says lots of bream and redear are being caught. Crickets and worms are working best.

Big black crappie are being caught on jigs. They tell us they’re sure black bass are being caught as well, but they haven’t personally heard any recent reports.

Lake Erling
(updated 5-16-2024) Lake Erling Guide Service (870-904-8546) said anglers are catching lots of crappie, bream and catfish, and they’re hauling in some black bass, too. Lots of bream are showing up, a lot of good-sized bream and a lot of redear, some ranging a pound to a pound and a half.
The crappie are around structure a little more now; for most of the recent weeks they had been scattered. Anglers are catching them from 6 feet deep to 16 feet deep. Hand-tied jigs are the go-to for fishing for crappie on Erling now.

Reports also of a lot of flathead catfish being caught on limblines.

“The water temperature doesn’t even matter now for the fish, they’re coming off the shoreline and are hungry,” they tell us.

Check out Friends of Lake Erling on Facebook for more fishing information on the lake and photos, too.

Lake Greeson Tailwater
For the most updated Narrows Dam generation schedule from SWEPCO, click here.

Lake Greeson
For the most updated lake level at Lake Greeson, click here.

(updated 5-30-2024) Philip Kastner of Trader Bill’s Outdoors in Little Rock and Hot Springs noted on the May 21 “Wild Side Show” on KABZ-FM, 103.7 The Buzz that Greeson was a great host for the wrap up to the Trader Bill’s Team Trail schedule with a good bass bite for all the entrants, and the top three teams May 18 on Greeson were separated by just half a pound. Nathan Hall, who caught a 5-pounder just moments before the fishing was to cease and weight-in begin, teamed with Matthew Hamby for a winning 14.5 pounds of bass. They won a $54,000 Vexus boat and motor for finishing first.

DeGray Lake
For the most updated lake level at DeGray Lake, click here.

(updated 5-23-2024) John Duncan of YoYo Guide Service (870-942-6291 or yoyoguideservice@gmail.com) at Iron Mountain Marina says water level is 405.1 feet msl. Water temperature is in the low 80s mostly. Water clarity is great.
Crappie are still stacking up on the brush piles. Start out by picking off the aggressive fish by throwing a small jig over the piles and working it in as close as possible, and eighth-ounce jig or smaller if possible. Profile size is a big thing with crappie. Open water fishing with front-facing radar is still an option but requires a specific type of electronics. There are some fold trolling with planer boards and having some good luck.

The full moon is upon us again, so that means bream fishing is going to get good again. Side imaging or perspective mode of front-facing radar. Look for the “waffle.’ Anchor off or spot lock and work on them. Slip bobbers, drop-shot or other types of presentations work. Yancey and Alpine are good areas to look for the beds. Worms, crickets, maggots or tiny jigs all work on the bedding bream.

John said he had nothing to report on the black bass, white bass or hybrids “except if you are trolling, hold on because the hybrids and whites will find you.”

He added, “Holiday days are here. Water safety and courtesy should be at the top of your priorities.

“This is the time to get after them.”

De Queen Lake
For the Army Corps of Engineers’ real-time lake level and outflow report from De Queen Lake, visit the Corps’ Little Rock office website.

Dierks Lake
For the Army Corps of Engineers’ real-time lake level and outflow report from Dierks Lake, visit the Corps’ Little Rock office website.

South-Central Arkansas

White Oak Lake Area
No reports.

West-Central Arkansas

Lake Catherine Tailwater (Below Carpenter Dam)
For weekly flow releases from Carpenter Dam, visit www.entergy.com/hydro.

(updated 5-30-2024) Shane Goodner, owner of Catch’em All Guide Service, reports that water temperature below Carpenter Dam is 61 degrees with clear conditions in the tailrace. Both lakes Hamilton and Catherine are at normal summertime pool.

Overall, it has been another terrible year for fishing in the tailrace. Constant flooding and bad weather consumed the majority of the rainbow trout season and kept many anglers off the water during the peak spawning times of area game fish. Bad weather forces Entergy to run huge amounts of water from area dams to control lake levels, and this process creates dangerous boating and fishing conditions. The last three years have been very unproductive for catching rainbow trout on Lake Catherine due to these circumstances.

Below Carpenter Dam, fly-fishermen can still wade to areas that have numbers of trout and can have some success casting micro-jigs in white or black under a strike indicator. This presentation perfectly matches the injured shad drawn through the turbines from Lake Hamilton. San Juan Worms offer feeding trout a different look and will often work equally well when fished in the same manner. Trout Magnets should not be overlooked by fly-anglers and often make the difference between a successful outing and an unsuccessful one. Bank fishermen using waxworms or mealworms cast with a small bobber or fished just off the bottom with a marshmallow floater can catch rainbows. Boaters can anchor in and around sandbars and rock structure and catch trout using small inline spinners such as a Rooster Tail or Mepps Spinner in brown or silver colors.

Conditions are favorable now for trolling to be effective against the current. Catching a limit of rainbow trout as the beginning of June approaches should be considered a good day on the water, as the bite is very inconsistent and short in duration. The walleye spawn is long complete on Lake Catherine but numbers of male and female walleye remain to rest and feed before making the move downstream to the main body of Lake Catherine. These fish can be caught by trolling shallow-running crankbaits against the current on both sides of the river below the dam. Shad or crayfish imitations work best as both of these are present in large numbers in the lake and offer game fish a solid food source all throughout the year. Trout will be scarce where spawning walleye were established as rainbow trout are known egg eaters and are attacked by walleye when crossing over into bedding areas. In a cold water situation like Carpenter Dam, spawning times are much later than occur in main lake bodies. Small jigs and live minnows are a best bet when targeting these post-spawn fish. As temperatures warm and threadfin shad aren’t stunned by cold temperatures, there will be a dramatic decrease in the amount of prey for fish to feed on. Several days of this reduction in food will force fish to actively search for prey, which will create a good situation for anglers to be successful.

Always wear a life jacket when on the water and remember to follow all park and boating regulations. Pick up after yourself as the number of trash cans are limited in this area. Always cooperate with all wildlife officials and law enforcement.

Lake Dardanelle
For the Army Corps of Engineers’ outflow and gauge level reports from Dardanelle, visit the Corps’ Little Rock office website.

No reports.

Lake Hamilton
No reports.

Lake Nimrod
For the Army Corps of Engineers’ real-time lake level and outflow reports from Nimrod Lake, visit the Corps’ Little Rock office website.

(updated 5-30-2024) Sheila Ferrebee, owner of Carter Cove Bait-N-More (479-272-4025), had no new reports. Carter Cove has a Facebook page, and the email address is cartercovebaitnmore@gmail.com, with updates and photos. Stop in for live bait, tackle, cabin rentals, pizza, burgers, sandwiches and more.

Lake Ouachita

For the current lake level at Blakely Dam, click here.

(updated 5-30-2024) Capt. Darryl Morris of Family Fishing Trips (501-844-5418) said, “Well, now we’re in transition from post-spawn to a summer pattern on most fish species. Water temperature is near 80 degrees, if not already there. Crappie are slowly starting to move toward deeper water and can be caught 15-18 feet deep on brush piles. Start early and finish early to avoid the pleasure boating traffic.

(updated 5-30-2024) Philip Kastner of Trader Bill’s Outdoors in Little Rock and Hot Springs said earlier this week on “The Wild Side” on KABZ, 103.7 The Buzz, “This time of year you’ve got to pay close attention to lake levels. With all the rain and storms we’re getting, you’ve got a lot of things to deal with. And, for the most part, all of Arkansas’s central lakes are at full pool. It’s rare to see this many lakes where they are right now. Ouachita, DeGray…. are all at full pool.”

(updated 5-23-2024) Todd Gadberry at Mountain Harbor Resort and Spa (870-867-2191/800-832-2276 out-of-state) said black bass are good. Try a topwater bait near main lake and secondary points or a jighead worm.
Walleye are good and being caught on shad-style baits or nightcrawlers. Stripers are very good. These fish are being caught in the central position of the lake and can be caught on C-10 Redfins or live bait.

Bream are still excellent and being caught on crickets and worms in the 6- to 15-foot range; these fish are shallow. Crappie are still good. These fish can still be targeted on structure with minnows or small jigs. Jugs and trotlines are producing quality catches of catfish over main lake points with live or cut bait.
Water temperature is ranging 72-78 degrees. Water clarity is clear. The lake level Wednesday was 577.03 feet msl. Call the Mountain Harbor fishing guides (Mike Wurm, 501-622-7717, or Chris Darby, 870-867-7822) for more information.

Blue Mountain Lake

For the Army Corps of Engineers’ real-time lake level and outflow reports from Blue Mountain Lake, visit the Corps’ Little Rock office website.

East Arkansas

White River/Clarendon Area
For the Army Corps of Engineers’ real-time gauge level and flow from Clarendon, visit the Corps’ Little Rock office website.

Cook’s Lake
(updated 5-23-2024) The AGFC’s Wil Hafner at Cook’s Lake Nature Center (501-404-2321) reports that they had a few anglers last weekend but ”they were tight-lipped and didn’t share a report with us, so not much to report other than the lake has remained relatively stable for the last 10 days and has begun to clear up. Not sure how long we will stay that way with the predicted rain and storms over the next few days.”
Cook’s Lake will be open for fishing this Friday and Saturday from 8 a.m. until 4:30, for anglers making holiday weekend plans.
Wil usually does a bit of fishing in the region, so the Fishing Report editor did ask how some of the other oxbows might be fishing near or off of the White River. He said, “I haven’t been out much anywhere lately, to be honest with you. Looking at Cook’s, though, I would say bream real shallow along the banks near vines or laydown trees and … limb lines and trotlines for catfish. The water level over here is perfect for that.”

Horseshoe Lake
(updated 5-16-2024) Kent Williams of Oxbow Guide Service (870-278-7978) said that this week, the water is clear and still low. Surface temperatures have been in the mid-70s. Crappie are getting into a post-spawn pattern and are feeding heavily. Fish are scattered in the lake with plenty of fish still shallow but also enough for those that like to fish the deeper water. One of our boats caught a lot of short fish but came out with a nice mess. Jig color has not changed much — orange, silver and Electric Chicken get plenty of attention to catch fish.

He’s heard no reports on bass, bream or catfish.

White River/Arkansas River (Pool 2)
(updated 5-16-2024) Webb’s Sporting Goods (870-946-0347) in DeWitt said flathead and channel catfish are biting on all rivers, spawning is in the midst and they have moved to shallow brushtops. Limb lining and trotlining is excellent right now! Reports from the Dale Bumpers White River National Wildlife Refuge say bream are biting in the cypress knees on live bait.

“Look for us on Highway 1 on the south end of town.”

Note: msl is mean sea level; cfs is cubic feet per second.

The post Arkansas Wildlife Weekly Fishing Report appeared first on Arkansas Game & Fish Commission.

Tourney anglers catch a couple of whopper bass in Lake Hamilton

Jim Harris — Wed, 29 May 2024 18:36:51 +0000

HOT SPRINGS — Brady Fite was headed back to the midnight weigh-in for Lake Hamilton’s Friday Night Bass Club event May 17 with what would turn out to be a winning stringer of 5-bass totaling just over 17 pounds for he and his father. Among those fish was a 9.02-pounder, which from any lake, but especially from Lake Hamilton, would figure to be the tourney’s big bass catch.

Only on this night, Fite’s friend Ricky Williams had a surprise waiting to pull from his bag: an 11-pound largemouth bass.

Two fish over 9 pounds, with one measuring 11 pounds, is something special in one night on Lake Hamilton.

“Yeah, it was pretty hefty,” Williams said of his catch as he drove May 24 from his hometown of Benton back to Lake Hamilton for the next tourney on the lake. “ I think last year, the big bass for the club was 10.7 pounds, maybe. There are usually one or two big ones caught each tournament. Once they move out to the brush piles (after the spawn), regularly somebody will weigh in a 7- to 9-pounder. But while it’s a pretty regular occurrence, it’s not all the time.”

Williams says this big girl was post-spawn — her tail was just starting to heal and the back end was a little skinny. “I’d guess (the bass would weigh) 12-plus had she been at peak weight full of eggs.”

Williams was fishing with a friend from Benton, Ty Marshall, and while they had a whopper of a big bass, it was just one of two fish they managed to catch while fishing near the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission’s Andrew Hulsey State Fish Hatchery. Marshall hooked a 2.83-pounder just five minutes before Williams brought in his 11-pounder, and even with just the two fish for their stringer, they finished in second place overall in the tourney out of 35 boats.

“That will probably never happen again in my life,” Williams said. “We caught a bunch of dinks early in the night, fish that were about 10-12 inches long, and were tossing them back. (Marshall) had never fished in a tournament before, he was green to the whole deal and was wondering why I was throwing them back. I told him, ‘If we’re keeping 12-inch fish, we’re going to be way back in the pack.’

“I was the only boat that weighed in that didn’t weigh five fish. Everybody else kept their dinks,” Williams said.

Williams was using a Texas rig with a Zoom Speed Craw in Green Pumpkin Magic color.

Williams said he grew up fishing mostly crappie from region lakes such as Nimrod and Winona, but in recent years has begun focusing on bass.

“I’ve only been fishing this tournament series the last two years and I’ve only really been bass fishing for four or five years. I’m just getting in this game,” the 30-year-old Williams said. He credits Wes Roberts of Benton for getting him into bass fishing and the Lake Hamilton tournaments, as well as the Trader Bill’s fishing tournaments in the area.

“Lake Hamilton is not a lake where I fish a whole lot,” he said. “The only reason I fished it is because of these Friday night tournaments. It’s a great group of guys to fish with and I’ve just tried to make it a point to fish them regularly.”

A few weeks earlier, Williams and Roberts had finished in third place despite a night of threatening weather. Flash-forward to May 24, and Williams and a new fishing partner and family friend, John Butler of Lonoke, would be facing similar conditions.

“Wes is my normal partner but he’s had some other stuff going, so I’ve been picking up stragglers to make sure I have a net man. Ty’s been my best friend for 20 years,” Williams said.

He’s also buddies with Fite, who brought in the 9.02-pounder, but Fite teams up regularly with his father in the Lake Hamilton events. “He and I have never fished together,” Williams said. “We share some mutual friends and we’ve hunted together a little bit. He and his dad are serious about fishing that tournament together.”

The double-digit fish “didn’t even fight that hard,” he said. “I was really surprised. I set the hook and thought, ‘This is probably a 5- or 6-pounder’ and told Ty, ‘You’d better get the net!’ Once he put the net in and got her in there and I saw that big mouth, I felt like I was fixin’ to pass out. ‘That’s a 10- to 12-pounder any way of the week,’ I thought. I got weak in the knees, shaking and I couldn’t handle myself.”

Before bringing in that monster bass, though, Williams said he had struggled to break beyond the 2.5-3-pound weight this season But, “I’ve caught more numbers this year than any year since I’ve been bass fishing,” he said.

Word of his big bass has spread fast. “I’ve got people coming out of the woodwork wanting to fish now. I tell them, ‘If you think I can repeat that, you’ve got a lot more faith in my fishing than I’ve got.’”

####

CUTLINES

TWO ANGLERS WITH BASS
Brady Fite (left) brought in his best bass of the day, a 9.02 beast, but was 2 pounds short of the behemoth Ricky Williams produced at weigh-in.

ONE ANGLER WITH BASS

Ricky Williams’ 11-pounder was one of only two fish he and his partner weighed in on May 17 at Lake Hamilton, but it was enough to take second place in the 35-boat derby.

The post Tourney anglers catch a couple of whopper bass in Lake Hamilton appeared first on Arkansas Game & Fish Commission.