Arkansas Game and Fish Commission
Keith Stephens (501) 223-6342,
e-mail: kastephens@agfc.state.ar.us

This is the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission's fishing report for Nov. 2, 2005. If there is a body of water you would like to see included in this report, please e-mail us with information on possible sources for that lake or river.

Fishing Tip: Many of the lakes in Arkansas are running very low right now. It's time to do some scouting. Take a day or two to look for brush piles revealed by the low water. A GPS unit is a great way to keep tabs on these fish-holding structures, but you can also line up objects high on the banks in three different directions and write down your next year's honey hole.

CENTRAL ARKANSAS: Lake Conway: Bates Field and Stream said the lake is stained and about 7 inches low. Bream are fair on worms, waxworks and crickets fished around the cypress. Crappie fishing is good on pink minnows, regular shiners, white-and-chartreuse jigs and pearl pepper jigs fished around logjams in 21/2 to 6 feet of water around Gold Creek, Caney Creek and the Hwy. 89 bridge. Bass are fair on white spinnerbaits, Horny Toads and blue-and-chrome Rat-L-Traps. Catfishing is fair on yo-yos baited with minnows and "Magic Bait."

Little Red River: Lindsey's Resort said the river is running low and clear with very little generation last week. Bait fishermen are catching plenty of trout on wax worms with marshmallows and chartreuse and pink Power Eggs. Spin-casters are catching some trout on gold Little Cleos and orange-and-black Rooster Tails. Fly-fishermen are doing well on the browns lately using sow bugs and egg patterns.

Greers Ferry: As of Wednesday, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reports the lake's elevation at 452.00 feet MSL. Tommy Cauley of Fish Finder Guide Service <http://greersferry.com/fishfinder> said the water level at Greers Ferry is a little lower than 9 feet below normal pool and falling. The walleye are biting pretty well on jigging spoons and leeches in 30 to 40 feet on the main lake flats and main and secondary points. Hybrid fishing will stabilize again with a little constant weather. Hog Sticks, Chug Bugs, jigging spoons and inline spinners will be hot wherever you can find the baitfish. Crappie are doing very well with many anglers catching limits. Jigs and minnows from 5 to 15 feet around standing pole timber and man-made brush piles are holding all the panfish. Bass have made a major move shallow and are pretty easy to catch when the water isn't being pulled. But some fish are still around the deeper baitfish pods. Smallmouth are around 12 to 15 feet deep and are biting Carolina-rigs, top-water lures, spinnerbaits and Rat-L-Traps. Quite a few Kentuckies and largemouths are being taken the same ways. Catfishing is great all over the lake.

Harris Brake Lake: Coffee Creek Landing said the lake is clear and low. Crappie fishing has been good on pink minnows and pearl-colored jigs around stumps in 2 to 3 feet of water. Bass fishing is fair on white or silver spoons, soft-plastics and buzzbaits fished around brush and rocks. Catfishing is good on stinkbait and worms.

Lake Overcup: Lakeview Landing said the lake is extremely low. Crappie fishing is off and on using minnows and jigs. When the bite is tough, it's always best to go to live bait. Bass are fair on small white spinnerbaits during the day and small black spinnerbaits in low-light hours. Catfishing has been slow.

Little Maumelle River: River Valley Bait said the river is at normal levels. Bream are biting fair on crickets and worms right against the edge of the bank and in the shallows. Crappie fishing has been fair to good with most fish coming from 5 to 18 feet of water on minnows and jigs. Bass fishing was poor last week. Catfish are biting well on live and prepared baits fished on the bottom in the main channel.

Lake Cargile: Beeson's Grocery said the lake is low. Dry conditions have really hit Cargile hard.

Lake Maumelle: Jolly Roger's Marina said largemouth fishing is good in the back of the coves right now. Fish areas 3 to 5 feet deep with spinnerbaits and top-water lures for the best action. Kentucky bass are biting well around 10 to 15 feet deep on 3-inch pumpkin grubs and Gitzits. The white bass are in the shallows from 2 to 5 feet deep and are biting excellently on top-water lures like Spooks, on shallow divers like Rattlin' Rogues and on Rooster Tails. Catfish are biting well in about 10 to 15 feet of water on large minnows and prepared baits. Crappie and bream are fair with most of the panfish holding around 20 feet deep and biting small jigs or live-bait offerings.

Arkansas River: Charley's Hidden Harbor near Oppelo said the flow from Lock 9 is 2,000 cubic feet per second with a headwater of 285.05 and a tailwater of 264.64. Black bass are biting well around Rock Island near the bank and on the narrows near the Petit Jean River. The best lure has been a shallow-diving 4-inch crankbait in baby bass color. Kentucky bass are on the rocks near the banks and are biting well on pumpkin-colored worms and grubs fished extremely slowly. Stripers are cruising on the upriver side of jetties. Live shad have brought in some 12 to 20 pound stripers around 6 to 10 feet deep. White bass are mixed in with the stripers and are being caught on spoons jigged through the schools. Channel catfish are in 6 to 10 feet of water and are biting on stinkbait. Blues and flatheads are on the jetty tips. Fish the swirls with whole live shad for the best action.

Pickthorne Lake: Outdoor Super Store said the lake is low. Crappie fishing is fair in 3 feet of water on minnows. Bass are schooling and chasing baitfish up to the shallows. Crankbaits are catching the schoolers pretty well. All other species are slow.

Sunset Lake: Turbyfill's said the lake is at normal levels. Bream and crappie fishing has been poor lately. Some bass have been caught on white and chartreuse spinnerbaits in 4 to 6 feet of water. Catfishing has been fair on stinkbait.

Saline River Access in Benton: Turbyfill's said the river is low, but visibility is good. Bream and crappie are biting well on white Rooster Tails fished slowly in 2 to 4 feet of water. Bass are biting well on ¼-ounce spinnerbaits in firecracker or spot remover colors. Catfishing has been poor.

Terry Lock and Dam: McSwain Sports Center said the river is clear with only a couple of gates open. Stripers are biting well on white Twistertails, hair jigs and no. 12 minnows. All other species are slow.

Clear Lake: McSwain Sports Center said the lake is clear and at normal pool. With the recent cold front, bream have slowed down, but are still biting fair on crickets in the shallows. Crappie are biting well in 3 to 4 feet of water on minnows. All other species are slow.

NORTH ARKANSAS:

White River: McLellan's Fly Shop said generation slacked off some this week with the cooler temperatures. One or two generators usually are coming online in the early morning, but only running for a couple hours, and then shutting off for the rest of the day, providing plenty of wading on the upper river. Wade-fishing the upper river has been very productive with tan and olive McLellan's Hunchback Scuds and Woven Sow Bugs. Fishing high water out of a boat has also been very productive using large scuds, eggs, and San Juan worms. Roundhouse and Rim Shoals have been fishing very well lately with some small caddis hatches still coming off, so be sure to have plenty of size 16-18 Elk Hair Caddis (the Pearl and Elk has been working well) as well as E-Z Caddis. Soft hackles are also working well, swinging them through the riffles and the heads of pools. Fall is a great time to trigger a strike from an aggressive brown by swinging a streamer like the Zoo Cougar or Platte River Spider through a pool. Egg patterns are starting to hook several fish as more and more trout start their pre-spawn activities. Some of our favorite egg patterns are the Flashtail Mini Egg, the Unreal Egg, and the Micro Egg. For the health of the fishery, remember to leave actively spawning fish alone. The best flies have been: zebra and black/olive rubber-leg copper john (14-18), McLellan's woven V-rib sow bug (14-16), McLellan's hunchback scud tan, olive and gray (12-16), elk hair caddis (14-18), E-Z Caddis (14-18), San Juan Worms, flashtail Mini Egg (14-16), Unreal Egg and Micro Egg. Wilderness Trail said fishing for trout on the White River has been good on Berkley Power Eggs in yellow-and-white and Sunrise. Buoyant Spoons, Panther Martins, and Blue Fox spinners are the bait of choice lately. Fly-fishermen did well on olive woolly buggers, olive scud, zebra midges and San Juan worms. The Brown trout are being caught on nightcrawlers and Rapala Countdowns and Rogues.

North Fork River: McLellan's Fly Shop said generation on the Norfork has been very sporadic lately, but it has slacked off some with the cooler temperatures, sometimes not even coming online during the daylight hours. The wading has been very good lately, and fishing high water from a boat has been productive as well. Scuds, sow bugs, midges, and eggs in low water, and eggs, San Juan worms, and big streamers like the articulated zoo cougar in high water have been producing plenty of hook-ups. Egg patterns are starting to hook several fish as more and more trout start their pre-spawn activities. Some of our favorite egg patterns are the flashtail mini egg, the unreal egg, and the micro egg. For the health of the fishery, remember to leave actively spawning fish alone. Best flies have been: McLellan's hunchback scud tan, olive and gray (14-16), flashback scud tan, olive and gray (12-16), McLellan's woven sow bug (14-16), flashtail mini egg (14-16) and micro egg.

Bull Shoals Lake: As of Wednesday, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reports the lake's elevation at 646.36 feet MSL. Wilderness Trail said fog and temperatures in the mid-30's in the morning, warming to the lower 60's throughout the day has been the norm this week. Water temperature dropped to 65.4 degrees. The lake has started to turn over and the process should be completed early this week. The Lead Hill area and above turned last week and the good fall bite should start up in the next week or so. As for the rest of the lake, we will have to wait out the time needed to stabilize the lake before we see the fall bite come into play. Crappie are back on the brush piles and are holding close to the bottom. The best baits are still crappie minnows with a slip bobber or Bobby Garland Swimming Minnows. The bite will remain slow for at least another week, so jump around from brush pile to brush pile and catch one here and there. Largemouth bass are slow. A few small bass can be caught in the backs of the creeks on the banks but the keeper largemouth aren't there. Key in on secondary points halfway back into the creeks for the keeper largemouth. Spider jigs, Carolina rigs with lizards or Baby Brush Hogs or slow-rolled spinnerbaits will trigger a few bites. Smallmouth bass have gone deep and are staging in 36 to 40 feet of water off elongated points or points with deep drop offs on one side. Spider jigs or football jigs seem to be the best baits. You need to play with color and trailer combinations, as they seem to change almost every day. Kentucky bass are also deep, traveling with their food source (shad). Spoons and drop-shot rigs are the key techniques under the shad. The best depth was 38 to 43 feet. Walleye are scattered this week with some bass anglers catching walleye in 12 to 20 feet of water on spinnerbaits and walleye anglers catching fish in deep water. Dragging a bottom bouncer and crawler harness in 30 feet of water, spooning in 40 to 55 feet of water, and trolling with lead core in 36 to 42 feet of water are all catching walleye. Sugar Loaf Harbor said crappie are biting fair on live minnows. Bass are still coming up for top-water lures in the shallows early in the morning. Walleye fishing is good on drifted nightcrawlers and vertically jigged spoons.

Lake Norfork: As of Wednesday, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reports the lake's elevation at 541.65 feet MSL. Cranfield Junction Quik Stop said the lake is low. Not many anglers are coming through lately. The lake seems to be ready to turn over, so most of the species are scattered and slow. Crappie fishing is picking up on minnows. Stripers are starting to pick up at night.

NORTHWEST ARKANSAS

Beaver Lake: As of Wednesday, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reports the lake's elevation at 1107.18 feet MSL. Southtown Sporting Goods said the lake is very low and very dangerous. Bream fishing is fair in 3 feet of water or less on crickets. Crappie are holding in 8 to 10 feet of water and are biting minnows fished in any visible brush. Bass anglers are doing fair on Carolina-rigs, drop shots and spinnerbaits during the day. The bass will come up to take a surface lure in the early morning and late evening. White bass and stripers are schooling around the No. 12 Bridge.

Lake Fayetteville: Lake Fayetteville Boat Dock said the water is murky and at normal pool. Crappie fishing is good on minnows. Bass fishing has been good recently on many lures, including spinnerbaits, crankbaits and shad-colored tubes. Catfishing is good on chicken livers. Two blue cats were caught last week that topped 40 pounds each.

Lake Sequoyah: Lake Sequoyah Boat Dock said the lake is 3 feet low. Bream are biting fair on worms and crickets. Crappie fishing is fair on minnows and jigs fished around brush piles, stumps and weeds in 4 to 8 feet of water. Bass are fair in 4 to 8 feet of water on spinnerbaits and soft plastics fished around mossy points. Catfishing has been good lately on goldfish and chicken livers around the main channel where it drops from 4 feet to 10 feet of water. A 37-pound flathead and 37-pound blue cat were caught last week near the main channel.

Beaver Tailwaters: McLellan's Fly Shop said generation has been sporadic. If generators come online at all, it's usually been between 3 and 5 a.m., providing plenty of wade-fishing opportunities. Of course, scuds and sow bugs as well as midge pupa patterns have been very productive; however, egg patterns are starting to hook several fish as more and more trout start their pre-spawn activities. Some of our favorite egg patterns are the flashtail mini egg, the unreal egg, and the micro egg. For the health of the fishery, remember to leave actively spawning fish alone. Best flies have been: McLellan's hunchback scud gray and olive (14-16), McLellan's woven sow bug (14-16), lightning bug (16), flashtail mini egg (14-16), unreal egg and Micro Egg.

NORTHEAST ARKANSAS

Lake Charles: Powhatan Landing said the lake is being drained to flood hunting areas. Crappie are fair on minnows. Bass anglers are doing fair on jigs.

Black River: Powhatan Landing said the river is low and running clear. Crappie angers are doing fair using minnows. Smallmouth and Kentucky bass are biting decent on jigs. Catfishing is good in the main channel on chicken livers and nightcrawlers.

SOUTHEAST ARKANSAS

Lake Chicot: Lake Chicot State Park said the lake is clear and at normal pool. Crappie fishing has been good on wax worms fished near the brush piles and stumps in the lake. Catfishing is good on dog food and nightcrawlers around the cypress trees on the north end of the lake.

Lake Monticello: Outdoor Super Store said the lake is low and clear. All species have been slow lately. A few crappie have been caught on deep points, but that's about all that's been biting with any regularity.

SOUTHWEST ARKANSAS

Millwood Lake: As of Wednesday, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reports the lake's elevation at 259.36 feet MSL. Millwood Lake Guide Service <http://www.millwoodguideservice.com/> said the water temperature ranges from 64 to 70 degrees and the discharge at the dam is around 178 cubic feet per second. Largemouth bass from 4 to 6 pounds are fair to good on ¼- to ¾-ounce Rat-L-Traps in white; chrome/black or blue, Zoom Horny Toads, Southern Pro Fattbutt tubes, buzzbaits and War Eagle spinnerbaits in spot remover color in Little River. Yearling bass are excellent and are schooling in creeks and the oxbows up Little River. White Heddon Dying Flutters, clear Baby Torpedoes, and Johnson spoons are catching the schoolers. Five-inch Bass Assassin Shads and Johnson spoons with white grub trailers are taking good size bass in the pads and vegetation. White bass are still randomly schooling in Little River near the Hwy 71 bridge and Cossatot inflow ditch, and are hitting 1/4 to 1/2 oz Rat-L-Traps in chrome/chartreuse, and Rocket Shads. Throw the Rat-L-Traps or Rocket Shads all around the edges of the bait schools. Kentuckies (Spotted Bass) are good up to 21/2 pounds along the river on small spinnerbaits, live shiners and Rocket Shads around laydowns and brush piles. Crappie are biting well, suspended 6-10 feet deep. The best bite is on white-and-chartreuse grubs or jigs and shiners in contact with planted brush piles and tops. The best bite has shifted to later in the day. Channel cats are still biting fair to good on chicken livers and cut shad along Little River on trot lines 10-15 feet deep, and under cypress trees on yo-yos using live shiners, 8-9 feet deep.

Lake Columbia: Steve's Marine said the lake is a little low and clear. Bream have moved deep, but will still bite worms fished right off the bottom. Crappie fishing has been good on jigs and shiners. Bass fishing is fair with crankbaits being the best producers.

Lake Erling: Steve's Marine said the lake is low and murky. Bream have moved deep. The crappie are biting well on shiners and jigs. Bass are fair, with only a few being caught on crankbaits and spinnerbaits.

White Oak Lake: Charlie's One Stop said the lake has been dropped to 6 feet below normal pool for maintenance. Bream are biting well on micro jigs and crickets throughout the lake. Crappie are biting well on minnows and jigs. The bass have moved off the banks and are biting well on soft-plastics. Catfishing is good on nightcrawlers.

Lake Greeson: As of Wednesday, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reports the lake's elevation at 533.85 feet MSL. Lakeside Grocery, Motel/Bait Shop said the lake is extremely low and stained. Bass fishing is good in 1 to 10 feet of water on spinnerbaits, crankbaits and soft plastics fished around brush piles in the coves. All other species are slow.

DeGray Lake: As of Wednesday, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reports the lake's elevation at 395.53 feet MSL. Point Cedar Bait Shop said catfishing is good on nightcrawlers. DeGray One Stop said the lake is falling and clear. Bream are biting fair in 25 to 35 feet of water on worms and crickets. Crappie are making a move to shallower water and are biting well on minnows fished near brush piles and rocky points. Bass fishing is fair on Boy Howdies and buzzbaits during low-light hours. Catfishing is good on live minnows and worms. Hybrids and white bass are schooling randomly during the day. If you can be on them when they start, you can catch a few quickly.

WEST-CENTRAL ARKANSAS

Lake Dardanelle: Early Bird Outfitters said the lake is at normal pool. Crappie fishermen did well under the bridges and over brush piles in 8 to 14 feet of water. Red-and-chartreuse jigs and minnows were the best baits for the crappie. Shad have scattered all over the lake, making catfish angling good practically anywhere you care to wet a line. The best baits are live minnows and shad. Bream and bass were both poor last week.

Ozark Pool: Lakeside Food Mart said the river is at normal levels and the water is fairly clear. Bream are poor in the pool this week. Crappie anglers are doing well in 8 feet of water on minnows and jigs fished on the edges of the creeks. Bass are biting fairly well on spinnerbaits. A recent tournament averaged about two bass per boat at weigh-in. Catfish are fair to good below the dam on goldfish and live shad.

Lake Ouachita: As of Wednesday, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reports the lake's elevation at 567.58 feet MSL. Mountain Harbor Resort said the water is clear and the surface temperature ranges from 70 to 76 degrees. Largemouth bass are very good early and late. Bass can be caught with top-water frogs fished over the moss or with a jig-and-pig in the moss. The floating worm bite is improving; try orange and watermelonseed trick worms. Spotted bass are excellent on live crawfish in 18-25 feet of water near or in brush piles. Walleye are still good with reports of these fish being caught on main lake points in brush piles. Silver spoons are the most effective. Try water 25-40 feet deep. Stripers are good on live bait, spoons or hair jigs. They are being caught on all areas of the lake. White bass are starting to school on the west end of the lake. Bream are fair on crickets or worms. These fish are best in water depths of 15-22 feet. Crappie are very good. The best locations are still around brush piles and moss flats using feather jigs, 2-inch grubs and minnows. Try main lake points and large moss flats 15-35 feet deep. Catfish are good and still being caught on live bait or cut bait in water 10-20 feet deep. Lake Ouachita State Park Marina said not many people are fishing lately. The action should start picking up soon.

Lake Catherine: Trader Bill's Sport Shop said the lake is clear and at normal pool. Crappie fishing has been good in brush piles planted 7 to 9 feet deep. Bass fishing has been good on clear Zara Spooks and other top-water lures during low-light hours.

Lake Hamilton: Trader Bill's Sport Shop said the lake is clear and at normal pool, but will begin to fall about 5 feet on Saturday. Bream are biting fair in 5 to 7 feet of water on worms and crickets fished around brush piles. Crappie are biting well on minnows and jigs fished in planted brush about 9 feet deep. Bass are biting well on crayfish-colored crankbaits and white spinnerbaits.

Lake Hinkle: Bill's Bait Shop said the lake is clear and at normal pool. The bream bite has shut down. Some nice-sized crappie are being caught on minnows and jigs in 10 to 15 feet of water. Bass fishing remains good on top-waters fished early in the day and soft-plastics fished on the first drop-off once the sun is up. Catfishing is good using worms and chicken livers.

Lake Atkins: Lucky Landing said the lake is at normal pool and the water is clear. Bream and bass were both slow last week. Catfishing is excellent on worms fished in the deepest parts of the lake. Crappie are excellent on the brush piles. Small tube jigs and feather jigs produced the best on crappie last week.

Lake Nimrod: As of Wednesday, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reports the lake's elevation at 341.89 feet MSL. Lake Nimrod Bait 'n' More II said the lake is down but fishing well. Bass are doing well in the early morning and late evening on plastic worms and spinnerbaits. Many crappie are being caught in 10 to 13 feet of water over brush on jigs or minnows. Catfish are biting well on worms and minnows. Many cats are also being caught on yo-yos baited with goldfish.

Arkansas River: Tackle Box said the river is at normal levels and fair clarity. Bream are biting fair on crickets and worms in 6 feet of water on area lakes. Crappie are biting fair on jigs and minnows in area lakes. Bass fishermen are doing well casting crankbaits and spinnerbaits near large schools of shad and working the lures underneath the school.

SOUTH-CENTRAL ARKANSAS

Felsenthal: Benson's Grocery and Bait said the water level is low for this time of year. Bream and bass were biting fair last week. Some crappie anglers had good success on minnows.

EAST ARKANSAS:

Arkansas River (Pine Bluff): River City Sporting Goods said the river is a little low, with very little current. Crappie fishing is good around boat docks and harbor structures in 5 to 8 feet of water. Minnows and jigs have been the best bet for the crappie. The Tackle Box said the river is low and there is hardly any current. Bream are fair on worms and crickets. Crappie fishing has been good on minnows and jigs. Stripers and white bass are biting well whenever the water is running. Try a jig or spoon for the stripers in the current. Catfish are good on shad and large shiners.

Maddox Bay: Maddox Bay Landing said the lake is low and clear. Bream are biting well around the docks and submerged treetops. Crickets fished under a bobber are still working well. Crappie are biting well on minnows and jigs fished 4 to 6 feet deep around planted brush piles. Bass are fair on spinnerbaits and crankbaits fished in 2 to 4 feet of water.

Bear Creek Lake: Arkansas Outdoors said the lake is clear and at normal pool. Bream are biting fair in 6 feet of water on worms and crickets. Crappie are biting well around brush piles and treetops in 12 feet of water. Bass and catfish have both been poor lately.

Horseshoe Lake: Local fisherman Clyde Gregory said the lake lost some water last week, but is still in good shape. Crappie are biting fair to good on minnows and jigs. Red-and-chartreuse tube jigs seem to be the hot setup for crappie right now. Bass anglers are catching some good limits of fish on spinnerbaits fished around the cypress and lily pads. Catfishing is good on nightcrawlers and stinkbait. Yo-yos around the cypress trees are bringing in quite a few good cats, too. Bream fishing is poor.

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