Weekly Fishing Report

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 August 9, 2006. If there is a body of water you would like to see included in this report, please call or e-mail us with information on possible sources for that lake or river.

       
        Fishing Tip: Although it may seem strange, wearing a lightweight long-sleeved shirt and lightweight pants during the summer can keep you out on the water longer when the sun is beating down. The extra coverage gives protection from sunburns and keeps your skin out of the heat of direct light.

 
 
CENTRAL ARKANSAS:
        
Lake Conway: Bates Field and Stream said the water is very low, but you can still launch a boat at Adams Lake Landing and Gold Creek Landing. Bream are biting fairly well wherever you can find deep water. Bass are biting fairly well on bloodline, firetiger and camo-colored soft-plastics and light-colored buzzbaits early in the morning. Catfishing is good on stinkbait and dip bait.

 
Little Red River: Lindsey's Resort said the water is running a bit in the afternoons, with most generation kicking in around 2 to 3 p.m. Trout are biting well on chartreuse-colored PowerBait and wax worms.

 
Greers Ferry: As of Tuesday, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reports the lake’s elevation at 457.70 feet MSL.
Shiloh Marina said the heat has kept people off the lake, but next week’s cool down might get everyone interested in the water again.

Tommy Cauley of Fish Finder Guide Service said hybrids are hit and miss if you leave then schooling in one place in the afternoon you can go back and catch some first thing in the morning. After that they may disappear for two days and cannot find them or a bite, some days are just better than others, stay on the water and with the bait and sooner or later you’ll get into the fish. The bass fishing has been tough as well, with the smallmouth biting pretty well at night, most of the fish have been suspended and are hard to catch, try a dropshot, swim a grub or work a jigging spoon. Many black bass have been up shallow chasing the spawning bream, and that has been one reason most have not been catching them, but they are headed out deep now. Crappie are suspended over deep brush piles in about 25 feet of water. Bream have finished their last spawn up and are headed back to deep water again. Catfishing is good using just about any bait you want, anywhere from 5 to 40 feet deep.

 
Harris Brake Lake: Coffee Creek Landing said the water has dropped, but the bream fishing is pretty good in 4 to 6 feet of water on worms and crickets fished near cover. Bass are decent on Redbug-colored finesse worms. Catfishing is fair on stinkbait and small bream.

 
Lake Overcup: Lakeview Landing said the lake is dropping and the fishing is slow. Most of the action is in early morning and late evening. Trotlines baited with minnows and dog food are working well

 
Little Maumelle River: River Valley Bait said fishing is poor. Catfish are about the only species doing anything, and they’re decent on nightcrawlers fished towards the river channel.

 
Lake Maumelle: Jolly Roger’s Marina said black bass activity has continued to be good despite the heat. Fish deep around structure. White bass are fair; trolling around Timber cove seems to be working best. Crappie fishing is slow, fish structure deep with minnows. Bream fishing is excellent. The bigger bream are deep. Catfishing is good about 15 to 20 feet deep with large minnows. Saugeye are biting well; people are actually coming out to fish for them. They are mixed in with the white bass.

 
Arkansas River: Charley’s Hidden Harbor near Oppelo said flow from Lock 9 is at 4,000 cubic feet per second with a headwater of 285.5 and a tailwater of 265.0. Catfishing is good at night on jugs baited with skipjack and chunks of buffalo. White bass are schooling and chasing shad all over the river. Rooster Tails in pearl and black are working well on the whites. Stripers are biting well around jetties, with 3 to 8 pound fish being taken on live shad. Crappie are biting decent on minnows and jigs under floating lights at night near Flagg Lake, Coppers Gap, Petit Jean and Point Remove Creek. Kentucky bass are biting well on watermelon grubs and tubes. Black bass are holding around overhangs and taking frogs and soft-plastics where riprap and brushy cover meet. Bream are biting well on crickets near the overhangs.

 
Arkansas River (Little Rock area): Hatchet Jack’s Sport Shop said bass are biting fairly well around jetty points on medium-running crankbaits, white buzzbaits and 4-inch Carolina rigs. Catfish are biting very well on trotlines baited with live bream or cut shad near channels with current.

Outdoor Super Store said there is no flow. Bream are biting well on crickets fished near rocky areas. Crappie are slow on minnows. Bass are slow on crankbaits near the sandbars. Catfish are fair on cut shad near the channel.

 
Pickthorne Lake: Outdoor Super Store said bream fishing is good on crickets near the brush piles. Crappie are slow, but a few have been caught on minnows fished tight to visible cover. Bass are slow, with a few biting 10-inch red shad worms. Catfish are fair on chicken liver and stinkbait.

Hatchet Jack’s Sport Shop said bream are biting well on crickets and red worms around the center of the lake near stumps. Crappie aren’t biting much. Bass are biting fairly well early and late in the day on buzzbaits and flukes. Catfish are biting well on chicken hearts.

 
Lake Valencia: Hatchet Jack’s Sport Shop said catfish are biting very well on worms, chicken livers and hearts.
       
Sunset Lake: Turbyfill’s Outdoor Sports said the bream are biting well on crickets in 8 to 10 feet of water. Bass are biting well on strawberry-colored plastic worms in 12 to 15 feet of water. Catfishing is good on worms and chicken livers in 12 feet of water.

 
Saline River Access in Benton: Turbyfill’s said the water level is low. Bream are decent on yellow/black Rooster Tails. Crappie are poor. Bass are excellent early and late in the day on brightly colored top-water lures. Catfishing is decent on limb lines.

 
Terry Lock and Dam: McSwain Sports Center said the low flow and hot weather has slowed the fishing. Black bass are biting well around the dam and rock jetties on 4-inch finesse worms. Catfish are biting well on cut shad and nightcrawlers.

 
Clear Lake: McSwain Sports Center said the water is very low and muddy. A few bream are being caught on worms fished 4 to 5 feet deep around any wood cover. Bass are slow, but a few have been caught on buzzbaits. Catfishing is slow, with a few being caught at night on large minnows and goldfish.

 
Peckerwood Lake: Herman’s Landing said the water level is falling and the heat has kept most people off the lake. Despite the heat, crappie are biting well on chartreuse and green jigs with a pink or silver jighead. Fish around any brush, stumps or grass you see in the water. Bass are decent on spinnerbaits. Catfishing is good. 

 
Murray Lock and Dam: McSwain Sports Center said the water is clear and there is little flow to the river. Catfishing is good on chicken hearts fished near the bottom of the main channel behind the dam.

Hatchet Jack’s Sport Shop said bream and crappie aren’t biting much. Catfish are biting well on live bream and shad fillets. Stripers and whites are biting early in the morning on white twin tails and white Bang Tails.

 
Little Maumelle Creek: Hatchet Jack’s Sport Shop said bream are biting well on crickets and red worms around lily pads. Crappie aren’t biting much. Catfish are biting well on chicken livers and hearts, nightcrawlers and white Zoom Flukes.

 
Palarm Creek: Hatchet Jack’s Sport Shop said catfish are biting very well on nightcrawlers and chicken hearts.
 
Big Maumelle Creek: Hatchet Jack’s Sport Shop said bream are biting well on crickets and worms around cypress trees. Crappie and bass aren’t biting much. Stripers and whites are biting on Johnson Bang Tails around the Old Spillway.

 
 
NORTH ARKANSAS:
 
White River: Gaston's White River Resort said generators have been running daily. Trout fishing is excellent. Fly fishermen have been successful using Partridge and Orange soft hackles, Red Butt soft hackles, black parachute ants, bulbous bivisible, olive wooly buggers and sow bugs. Spin fishermen have been successful using Buoyant Spoons and Little Cleos on a slow retrieve, or yellow PowerBait and wax worms or red worms on a no. 6 hook with a no. 9 bell sinker.

McLellan’s Fly Shop said fish the upper river in the morning and the lower river in the evening. Wade fishing on the upper river has been productive with tan and olive McLellan’s hunchback scuds and woven sow bugs. Closer to the dam, try midges. When fishing from a boat, try large scuds, eggs and buckskin wigglers. On the lower river, dead-drift pheasant tails or skip nymphs through the riffles. Be ready to switch to sulphur emerger or adult patterns.

Wilderness Trail said brown trout are biting on Shad Raps, suspending Rogues, Flatfish and nightcrawlers. Fly-fishing is good with olive wooly buggers, zebra midges and sow bugs. During generation, try buoyant spoons, Little Cleos, countdown or floating Rapalas. During little or no generation, try red worms and yellow, white or pink Berkley Power Eggs.

 
Bull Shoals Lake: As of Tuesday, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reports the lake’s elevation at 652.10 feet MSL.
Wilderness Trail said lake temperature is 85.8 degrees this week and by 3 p.m., surface temperature will reach 88.5 degrees. Generation has been steady because of the heat requiring power and the pool level has dropped to 652.33, two feet below normal pool. The thermocline remains between 28 and 38 feet. You can still catch bass, crappie and walleye but you really have to work at it and spend a lot of time on the water for a few bites. White bass are halfway back in the creeks and if you can find them under the shad you can spoon up a few in the mornings. Look in 50 to 60 feet of water. Crappie are around brush piles in the creeks and suspended on pole trees along the bluffs. Crappie minnows, crappie tubes and Bobby Garland Swimming Minnows are baits and lures that they will bite on. Largemouth bass are slow except for a little top-water action in the morning in the back of some creeks and pockets. They don’t want fast-moving baits like buzzbaits or Spooks but they will react to Pop R’s, Chug Bugs and Spit’N Image baits.  After top water shuts down drag a Carolina rig around secondary points with a 7 1/2” worm or a trick worm. Smallmouth are suspended. A few will go nose down and feed on crawdads but the majority won’t react to spoons or drop shot rigs. Fish a tube, a Shakey Head with a finesse worm or a Mojo rig with a Baby Brush Hog. Kentucky bass are easy to find under schools of shad but hard to catch. Spoons will work, drop shots will work and grubs will work, but if you are lucky enough to catch a Kentucky, you can’t get a second strike. Walleye, on the other hand, are catchable and limits of four walleye in the 20 to 26 inch range are not uncommon. The key is pulling leadcore in 28 to 36 feet of water in the creek arms and coves with Hot’N Tots or Reef Runner Rip Shads in purple colors. The bite is the best from 10 a.m. in the morning until 2 p.m.  Spoons are also triggering a few walleye fished vertically to walleye that are on the bottom in 40 to 48 feet of water over flats. 

        Sugar Loaf Harbor said the water is dropping and clarity is good. Crappie are biting well in brush piles fished around 30 feet of water. Catfishing is good on cut bait suspended under jugs or noodles. Walleye are biting well on spoons and crawler harnesses in 35 to 38 feet of water. All other species are slow.

 
 Lake Norfork: As of Tuesday, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reports the lake’s elevation at 547.59 feet MSL.
Cranfield Junction Quik Stop said the water is clear and a little low. Bream are fair on crickets. Crappie are poor. Bass are biting well on tomato and red/gold soft plastic worms and ¾-oz. football head jigs. Stripers and walleye are biting well on spoons fished near the thermocline. Trotlines and jugs baited with live bait are taking quite a few catfish.

 
Norfork Tailwater: Gene’s Trout Dock said the water is clear and the river is running pretty steady from 11 a.m. through the afternoon. Chartreuse PowerBait and red worms are working well.

 
 
NORTHWEST ARKANSAS
 
Beaver Lake: As of Tuesday, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reports the lake’s elevation at 1110.96 feet MSL.
Southtown Sporting Goods said the lake is low and clear. Bream are in 6 to 10 feet of water and biting well on crickets and worms. Crappie are fair trolling 300-series Bandit crankbaits and Hot-n-Tot crankbaits. Catfishing is pretty good on Danny King Punch Bait and live goldfish. Stripers and white bass are slow. Black bass are fair to good on small, natural-colored finesse worms fished deep during the day. At night, bass are biting well on jigs and worms fished around 15 to 20 feet deep.

 
Lake Sequoyah: Lake Sequoyah Boat Dock said the water is about 21/2 feet low. Bream are biting fairly well in 3 to 10 feet of water on worms and crickets fished around brush and stumps. Crappie are fair on crappie tubes and Roadrunners fished around brush in 3 to 12 feet of water. Bass are biting well on spinnerbaits, buzzbaits and soft-plastics fished tight to cover. Catfishing is breaking loose a little, with chicken livers, worms and goldfish being the best bets. 

  
Kings River: Kings River Outfitters said the fishing has been poor because of the lack of water.
  
NORTHEAST ARKANSAS
 
White River: A local fisherman reported fishing is excellent with the most consistent lures being naturally colored soft plastics fished around wood piles and deep bluffs. The vegetation in the river is very abundant, and the fish in the grass are hard to pinpoint. There are some good fish in the grass, but hooking into one is a challenge. Early in the morning, throw topwaters (buzzbaits, moss frogs and spooks) for fast action on top of the grass, but then look for grass ledges where there are breaks in the current, and work plastic craws, jigs and grubs through these areas. The dams have been generating heavily last week, so the water will be high and swift. Check the creeks if the water is flowing too hard in the river and if that doesn't pay off, put on some extra weight and drift fish near the bluffs in about 10-20 feet of water, this is a good way to catch the smallies.

Spring River: Many Islands Camp said the water is clear and at normal levels. Trout are decent on corn and salmon eggs.

 
Eleven-Point River: Woody’s Canoe Rental and Campground said the water is a little low. Gitzits and nightcrawlers are taking a few smallmouth. Other than that the river is quiet.

 
        Crown Lake: Boxhound Marina said the water is clear and low. Bream are biting decently on red worms and crickets. Crappie are biting well on minnows and jigs. Bass are decent early and late in the day on dark-colored worms and deep-diving crankbaits. Catfishing is excellent on stinkbait and chicken livers.

 
 
SOUTHWEST ARKANSAS
 
Millwood Lake: Millwood Lake Guide Service said surface temperature ranges from 86 to 90 degrees, depending on location and time of day. Little River's clarity and main lake is much improved from last week. Clarity in the river is 10-14 inches and the main lake is 7-9 inches of visibility.  As of Monday, the lake level is approx 2.9 inches above normal pool, at 259.44 feet. Current in Little River is slow, with one gate open 0.38 feet, the release at the dam 158CFS as of Monday.  The tailwater elevation below the spillway is 224.08 feet. Largemouth Bass are in summer patterns, with the highest feeding periods early and late in the day and at night. Bass are good early and late in grass, pads and vegetation, on Bass Assassin Shads in salt & pepper silver phantom, Bass Assassin Charms in silver ghost (wacky rigged), Johnson spoons, with white grub trailers in the lily pads and War Eagle Spinnerbaits in aurora or firecracker colors. Try the inside grass and pad lines where you see openings in the back of the lily pads and grass intersections. A few fish are still busting buzzbaits, but a slower presentation is emerging. Between 6-11 a.m., black bass are schooling, chasing and busting the surface, running the shad and bait, in vegetation and lily pads all along Little River and have moved into the oxbow lakes all along Little River with their schooling activities.  Johnson spoons, Bass Assassin Shads and Charms, rigged weedless, Rocket Shads, 1/4 oz to 1/2 oz size Rat-L-Traps, and Little Georges are catching these fish. 

Crappie are still hitting shiners and minnows, and moved back into the lily pads, where they were located in past couple weeks, in less than 9 feet of water along Little River and in the oxbows. Not a lot of Crappie fishermen on the lake in the past few days due to heat after 9 a.m., and bite is pretty much done by 10 a.m.  Blues or channel cats were fair on yo-yos and trotlines using cut shad, shiners and hot dogs. Cottonseed mill cakes were taking some nice chunky channel cats in last few days. White bass remain trying to school with the Black Bass in the mornings in the last few weeks in lily pads, along Little River, especially between White Cliffs and Highway 71 Bridge.  If you can find these large schools of whites chasing bait and shad along the outside edges of the pads, they will hammer a Rocket Shad in white and chartreuse colors, as well as Rat-L-Traps in chrome/black and chrome/green backs, or Little Cleos and Rooster Tails. 

 
Lake Columbia: Steve's Marine said bass are excellent on Stanley Ribbits and other soft-plastic buzzing frogs fished on top of lily pads in the evenings.

 
        Lake Erling: Steve's Marine said catfishing is good on noodles baited with bream.
  
Lake Erling: Charlie’s One Stop said bream and bass were biting well last weekend. Bream are best on crickets fished on stumps along the ledges from shallow to deep. Bass are biting well on live minnows and soft-plastic worms fished slowly along deeper ledges.

 
Lake Greeson: As of Tuesday, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reports the lake’s elevation at 542.41 feet MSL.
Lakeside Grocery, Motel/Bait Shop said the water is dropping and the surface temperature is at 92 degrees. Bass are good at night on green pumpkin jigs and soft plastics around 15 to 20 feet deep near brush piles. Catfishing is good on jugs baited with bream. Walleye are biting well on tubes, spoons and deep crankbaits fished around deep drop offs with woody cover

 
DeGray Lake: As of Tuesday, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reports the lake’s elevation at 400.7 feet MSL.
DeGray One Stop said the water is falling and the surface temperature ranges from high 80s to low 90s. Crappie are biting fairly well on minnows fished off bluffs. They’re biting best at night on live bait. Black and Kentucky bass are in shallow waters in the morning and biting on top-water baits and jerkbaits. They move deeper in the afternoons and bite best on Texas-rigged worms and Carolina-rigged worms. Hybrid and white bass are biting well on Rooster Tails, CC Spoons, Boy Howdies and top-water baits. Catfish are biting fairly well on trotlines and noodles baited with live bait and minnows fished 15 to 25 feet deep. Set noodles at 8 feet deep.

  
 
WEST-CENTRAL ARKANSAS
 
Lake Dardanelle: Early Bird Outfitters said the lake looks good. Bream are biting well on crickets. Crappie are biting fairly well on lightweight jigs baited with Sassy Shads and Lil’ Fishies fished around bridge pilings. Bass fishing was heavy over the weekend because of the Ford Big Bass Bonanza. Hybrid and white bass are schooling early and late and biting well on jigs fished along the bottom and Sassy Shads. Catfish are biting well on stinkbait.

 
Blue Mountain Lake: CNC’s End of the Line said the water is low, but you can still launch a boat at Ashley Creek. Crappie are decent on minnows. Bass are fair on minnows and shad-imitating crankbaits. Catfishing is good on nightcrawlers.

 
Ozark Pool: Lakeside Food Mart said the water is low and clear. Bream are biting fairly well on worms and crickets. Crappie are biting well on minnows in 15 feet of water. Bass are decent, with a few being caught on crankbaits early in the morning. Catfishing is decent when there is a little current.

 
Lake Ouachita: As of Tuesday, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reports the lake’s elevation at 572.12 feet MSL.
Mountain Harbor Resort said the water temperature ranges from 80 to 86 degrees. Largemouth bass are fair on Texas-rigged Old Monster worms and grass jigs. Try moss flats and standing timber around points for best results. Walleye are still biting well around brush on main lake points. Silver jigging spoons are working well in 15 to 30 feet of water. Stripers are slowing, but are still good on live gizzard shad. The linesides are still around main lake points and rock bluffs near or in river channels. Crappie are slow, but a few have been caught around standing timber in 18 to 35 feet of water.  Catfishing is good on cut bait, nightcrawlers and live bait. Pockets and moss flats in 10 to 20 feet of water are working well.

Lake Ouachita State Park marina reports fishing is excellent for bream, bass and catfish. The water temp on the east side of the lake ranges from 84-86 degrees.  Recent rains have stained the water and small schools of shad are beginning to move into the shallows. Striper fishing is good early in the morning with many caught on live bait and jigging spoons. Large concentrations of stripers are in submerged standing timber in water depths of 75 to 100 feet. Bass fishing has been good on white spinnerbaits, plastic worms and Zara Puppies. Many anglers have been successful fishing standing and submerged timber with plastic worms. The bream fishing is excellent with large bluegill caught on crickets and small jigs. Catfishing is excellent on small bream and trotlines baited with minnows. A few walleye are being caught on jigs, Shad Raps and Rat-L-Traps. Surprisingly, anglers are catching a few crappie near the drop offs in wind-blown bays.

Poorman’s Tackle and Guide Service said the lake is dropping and the water is clear. Bream are on the outside edge of the grass and starting to pick up around 25 feet deep. Catfishing is good on bream and crawfish suspended under jugs and noodles. Walleye are biting well and improving in 35 feet of water on spoons jigged off the bottom. Stripers are running deep in the channels around 25 feet deep. Some very good stripers have been caught lately. Bass fishing has been off and on with frogs fished in the mornings working well and large soft plastics like Old Monster worms in green pumpkin and watermelon and ½-ounce spoons working well once the sun comes up. Focus on the outside weed edge during the day.

 
Lake Catherine: Diamondhead Marina said catfishing is good on cut shad and live bait. Walleye are pretty good on the west end of the lake. They are staged between 4 and 8 feet of water and biting decently on black/chartreuse twister tails. 

 
Lake Hamilton: Poorman’s Tackle and Guide Service said a few walleye are showing up on spoons in deeper water. Bass are hitting frogs and Trick worms fished around boat docks during the day. At night, try black spinnerbaits and large worms around the docks. Stripers are hit and miss below the dam.

 
 Lake Hinkle: Bill's Bait Shop said the lake is clear and in good shape. Bream are picking up a bit, but few people are out after 10 in the morning. Crappie are fair to good and are sitting very deep. Minnows and jigs fished closed to deep stumps and brush are working the best. Bass are schooling sporadically throughout the day. Spinnerbaits and topwaters are working well on the schoolers. Catfishing is pretty good on nightcrawlers and chicken livers.

 
        Lake Atkins: Lucky Landing said the water is clear and about 2 feet low. Bream are biting well on red wigglers and crickets. Crappie are poor. Bass are biting well on Zoom Trick Worms and crankbaits fished around shallow water in low-light hours. Catfishing is good with chicken livers and nightcrawlers.

 
        Lake Nimrod: As of Tuesday, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reports the lake’s elevation at 343.63 feet MSL.
        Lake Nimrod Bait ‘n’ More II said bream are fair below the dam on crickets. Crappie moved deeper, but are biting well in the cooler water just off deep ledges. Bass are biting fairly well on green and black spinnerbaits. Catfishing is good on goldfish and bass minnows.

 
 
SOUTH-CENTRAL ARKANSAS
 
        Felsenthal: Hale’s One Stop said bream are biting well on crickets. Crappie are fair on minnows. Bass are biting well on spinnerbaits. Catfishing is good on live minnows and prepared baits.

 
  
EAST ARKANSAS: 
 
Island 40 Chute: Daily’s Boat Dock said the heat is keeping people off the water. Bream are biting decently on crickets in the shallows. Catfishing is pretty good on chicken livers, shrimp, cut bait and nightcrawlers.

 
Arkansas River (Pine Bluff): The Tackle Box said the water is clear and a little low. Bream are biting decently on worms and crickets. Bass are slow, but a few are biting buzzbaits in low-light hours. Catfishing is good on worms and live shad.

River City Sporting Goods said the water is clear and there is no flow. Bream are fair on crickets fished near stumps in the main channel. Bass are biting well on crankbaits and top-water lures. Catfish are fair on cut shad and nightcrawlers in 30 to 40 feet of water. Stripers are biting well on spoons and bucktail jigs just below the dam whenever they open the gates a bit.

 
Maddox Bay: Maddox Bay Landing said the heat has slowed the fishing and kept the anglers off the water.
 
        Bear Creek Lake: Arkansas Outdoors said the lake is turning, with muck from the bottom coming to the surface. Bream are fair on worms and crickets. All other species are slow.

        Six Rivers Sport Center said the water is about 1 foot low. Bream are fair on crickets fished around 3 feet deep near visible cover. Crappie and bass are both slow. Catfishing is decent from the banks on minnows fished on a slip-sinker rig.

 
Horseshoe Lake: Local fisherman Clyde Gregory said the lake is low and the fishing has slowed. Bream are biting decently on red worms and crickets in 3 feet of water. Bass are biting early and late in the day on grape-colored plastic worms and spinnerbaits fished around the lily pads. Catfishing is excellent on nightcrawlers and cut shad.