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 23, 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: During the heat of summer, many anglers fish the shallows early and late in the day and call it quits while the sun is up. Here’s a tip from Hugh Albright Guide Service that may keep you on the water longer at Ouachita:

        When fish are schooling during summer, they’re usually chasing 1- to 2-inch baitfish. Head to the mouths of creeks and flats where creek channels run by and keep a sharp lookout for surface activity. When you see baitfish running at the surface, cast a 1/8-oz. white Rooster Tail or smoke-colored grub past the activity. Reel fast as soon as the lure hits the water and then pause it for a second where the activity was. Start reeling again and be ready. Although many anglers think only yearling bass are mixed up in these schools, you can catch anything from white bass and stripers to 4-pound largemouths using this technique.

  
 
CENTRAL ARKANSAS:
        
Lake Conway: Bates Field and Stream said the fish are biting well if you can get to them. With the lake drawn down, that’s easier said than done. Wilhelmina Cove and Gold Creek are some good places to start your search for bass, as is Adam’s Lake. Flip jigs and fish spinnerbaits along the stumps near the creek channels for best success.

 
Little Red River: Lindsey's Resort said the water is clear and the generation has been pretty steady for about 3 to 4 hours every afternoon. Trout are biting well on chartreuse or pink PowerBait, nightcrawlers and light green or black Rooster Tails.

 
Greers Ferry: As of Tuesday, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reports the lake’s elevation at 456.92 feet MSL.
Shiloh Marina said the water is clear and a little low. Hybrids are biting well in 30 feet of water on large chartreuse Rooster Tails.

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 drop shot, 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 is a little cloudy, but not bad. Bream are biting well on worms and crickets fished around structure. Crappie are slow. Bass fishing is fair on spinnerbaits worked along shallow cover. Catfishing is good on stinkbait.

 
Lake Overcup: Lakeview Landing said the water clarity is fair. Crappie are fair on minnows and worms. All other species are slow.

 
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 that the flow at Lock #9 is 5,000 cubic feet per second with a headwater level of 285.37 and tailwater level at 265.20. Fishing for catfish since the evening thunderstorms has picked up dramtically. The wind has put shad on the windward side of the river and live bait after the storms has worked very well. Kentucky bass are still on jetties. Try fishing the downstream tips using crawfish-colored spinners. White bass are schooling in the later afternoon hours near areas of shad schools. Rooster tails and Hawg Traps in white are working well. Bream are good on red worms around areas where water is running off from the day's showers. Crappie may be found in 6 to 8 feet of water around wood structure using minnows.

 
Arkansas River (Little Rock area): Hatchet Jack’s Sport Shop said bass are biting fairly well on Carolina-rigged finesse worms, citrus-shad colored Bandit crankbaits and buzzbaits fished early in the day. The best fishing has been around jetty points near the main channel. Catfishing is good on jugs baited with live shad, cut shad and bream fished near any current breaks when there is any flow.

Outdoor Super Store said there is currently no flow on the river. Bream fishing is good using worms and crickets. Crappie fishing is slow. Bass are biting fair on plastics in deep water. Catfishing is good using cut shad and chicken liver.

 
Pickthorne Lake: Outdoor Super Store said the water is muddy. Bream fishing with live worms or crickets about 2-feet deep. Crappie fishing is slow, but bass are biting fair on topwater lures early in the morning. Catfishing is good using stink bait and chicken liver.

 
Lake Valencia: Hatchet Jack’s Sport Shop said catfishing is fair to good on nightcrawlers, chicken livers and chicken hearts.

 
Lake Wilistine: Hatchet Jack’s Sport Shop said bream are fair on wax worms. Crappie are biting fairly well on minnows and jigs fished under a slip-cork rig in the main channel. Catfish are biting well on chicken livers, hearts and nightcrawlers.

       
Sunset Lake: Turbyfill’s Outdoor Sports said the bream are biting excellently on crickets in 15 feet of water. Bass are biting very well on top-water lures in the early morning. 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 stripers are biting fair to excellent, depending on the flow. When the gates open, the stripers are biting well on grubs and hair jigs. Catfish are biting well on cut shad just below the dam.

 
Clear Lake: McSwain Sports Center said the water is at normal levels. Bluegill are biting well in the deeper water on crickets and small jigs. Catfishing is fair on nightcrawlers around the banks.

 
Peckerwood Lake: Herman’s Landing said the water is 21/2 to 3 feet low, and the stumps are showing up at the surface. Bream are slow. Crappie are biting well on jigs, with some good slabs being pulled from the cover. Bass are fair on spinnerbaits and minnows. A few catfish have been picked up by crappie anglers using jig-and-minnow combinations.

 
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.

 
NORTH ARKANSAS:
 
White River: Wilderness Trail said fishing for trout has been good. With light generation Berkley Power Eggs in yellow, white and pink have worked well along with Berkley Power Wigglers in pink. During generation the Buoyant Spoons, Rapala Countdowns or Deep Rogue Jrs. are the baits of choice. The fly fishermen have done extremely well with little generation on olive woolly buggers, zebra midges, San Juan worms and scuds or sow bugs. Brown trout are being caught on Rapala Countdowns, Deep Rogue Jrs. and nightcrawlers.

 
Bull Shoals Lake: As of Tuesday, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reports the lake’s elevation at 651.22 feet MSL.
Wilderness Trail said lake temperature is hanging around the upper 80s throughout most of the lake and the thermocline is resting between 28 and 38 feet. Generation has been high again this week; the lake is down to 651.07, three feet below normal pool.  That is not too bad considering the hot summer. Catfish were biting this week on jugs with 18 to 25 foot drop lines. The middle of the pockets and backs of the creeks produced the nicer catfish. The best baits have been Magic Bait and hot dogs along with chicken liver.  Crappie have been active in the mornings over deep brush piles in 35 feet of water and pole trees along the bluffs. Crappie grubs and Bobby Garland Swimming Minnows have been the key baits fished vertically around the structure. White bass are holding in 40 to 55 feet of water in the creeks and main lake coves under balls of shad.  Best baits in the mornings are chartreuse or white spoons. Largemouth bass can still be caught in the morning on top-water lures in the creeks and off some main lake pints. The bite is from dawn until 7:30 or so and shady banks are the best. After the sun is up move out to the thermocline and look for shad; that is where you will find the largemouth. White spoons and drop shot rigs are triggering a few feeders. After dark brush piles are the key along with bluff walls.  Fish brush piles with 8 to 12 inch worms or Jig and Pigs and fish the bluff walls with single spins and Spider Jigs. Smallmouth bass remain scattered.  They should be feeding on crawdads and football jigs should be the “go to” bait but not right now.  The best bite is in the 36 to 40 foot range on chunk rock points and creek channel swings. Best baits vary – one day Shaker Heads will catch a few, then that shuts down and they want a Spider Jig.  Try a variety of baits but stay in deep water.  Kentucky bass are in their normal summer pattern following balls of shad that are down in the comfort zone of 38 to 50 feet of water. Drop shot rigs with a 4-inch finesse worm and spoons are the key baits. Walleye continue to feed in the heat of the day.  They are in the thermocline holding between 32 to 38 feet mostly in the creek arms and on the drop offs of the main lake flats. Trolling leadcore line is the best technique using Hot’N Tots, #5 Jointed Shad Raps, #5 Glass Shad, Rip Shads and Deep Little Rippers.  When the walleye are on the bottom, jigging a spoon is creating some action.

Sugarloaf Harbor said the water level is dropping. Crappie are biting fairly well on minnows in 30 to 35 feet of water around brush piles. Kentucky bass are biting well in 28 to 32 feet of water on deep-diving Rapalas and Berkley Blade Dancers. Catfish are fair on jugs baited with live shad. Walleye are biting well on crawler harnesses and crankbaits trolled slowly around 33 to 40 feet deep.

 
 Lake Norfork: As of Tuesday, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reports the lake’s elevation at 546.90 feet MSL.
Cranfield Junction Quik Stop said fishing picked up last weekend. Bream are biting excellently about 18 to 25 feet deep in brush piles around the lake. Crickets and worms are both working well suspended under a slip-cork. Crappie are slow, but a few have been caught on minnows fished in brush piles 25 feet deep. Bass are biting fairly well in the early morning and evening hours on top-water lures such as Heddon Spooks, Rebel Pop R’s and Lucky Craft Sammy’s. During the day, look for the bass around 30 to 45 feet deep around gravel bottoms. Fish football head jigs with hula grubs or twin-tail trailers. Catfishing is fair on nightcrawlers, cut bait and Catfish Charlie. Walleye are biting well with many limits being taken on Reef Runners, Hot-N-Tots, Shad Raps and crawler harnesses trolled in 30 to 40 feet of water. Stripers are biting well from mid-lake down to the dam. Fish spoons, Roadrunners and curly-tailed grubs or troll Shad Raps and Reef Runners in 40 to 65 feet of water.

 
Norfork Tailwater: Cranfield Junction Quik Stop said fishing is excellent when the water is running. Many large brown trout are being pulled from the current on nymph patterns. The rainbow bite seems to come on strong when the current decreases. 

Gene’s Trout Dock said the trout fishing has been excellent the last few weeks on red worms and chartreuse and yellow PowerBait. 

 
NORTHWEST ARKANSAS
 
Beaver Lake: As of Tuesday, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reports the lake’s elevation at 1,110.57 feet MSL.
Southtown Sporting Goods said the heat has been tough on anglers lately. The water is clear and a little low. Bluegills are biting fairly well on red worms and crickets fished in 4 to 12 feet of water. Crappie are biting well on 300-series Bandit crankbaits and Hot-N-Tots trolled in open water near creek mouths. Catfishing is good on chicken livers and trotlines baited with goldfish or live bluegill. Night fishing for bass is good from 2 to 3 a.m. in the shallows on spinnerbaits, black worms and jigs. During the day, fish drop-shot rigs and Carolina rigs off deeper structure.

 
Lake Fayetteville: Lake Fayetteville Boat Dock said the surface temperature has been in the high 80s and very few anglers have been visiting the lake due to the heat.

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

 
Eleven-Point River: Woody’s Canoe Rental and Campground said the river is in good shape for floating and fishing. The smallmouth have moved to the deeper river channel areas and are hard to catch. Largemouth are biting well on crawfish imitations. Bream are biting well along cover near the shoreline. Some good walleye are being caught on crankbaits.

 
        Crown Lake: Boxhound Marina said the water is clear and at normal levels. Bream are excellent on crickets. Crappie are picking up on minnows and jigheads baited with 2-inch Bass Assassins. Bass are biting decently on shallow-running crankbaits fished along the shoreline in the early morning. Catfishing is excellent on stinkbait and chicken livers. A few sauger have been picked up on minnows by crappie anglers.

 
SOUTHEAST ARKANSAS
 
 
Lake Chicot:  Anglers are catching bream on red worms close to the bank.  Bass fishermen reporting moderate to low success.

 
Grand Lake:  Bream fishermen reporting moderate success with red worms and crickets.
 
Mississippi River:  Catfish are biting moderately well to very good with cut bait, and trotlines producing good catches of big blues.

 
Cane Creek Lake: Cane Creek State Park said the fishing is about average for this time of year. Most of the action has come from the south shore of the lake. Bream are biting very well on crickets. Bass are biting well on top-water lures fished in 3 to 4 feet of water on the shallow end of ledges.

 
 
SOUTHWEST ARKANSAS
 
Millwood Lake: Millwood Lake Guide Service said the water surface temperature ranges from 88 to 93 degrees. Water clarity is about 12 to 18 inches in Little River and 6 to 10 inches in the main lake. The lake level has risen from last week, and is approx 3 inches above normal pool, at 259.45 feet. Current in Little River slow, with 1 gate open 0.39 feet. Bass are in typical summer patterns with best feeding periods early and late in the day. The best bite remains from daylight to 9 a.m. and from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. Yearling black bass continue schooling and chasing shad and baitfish in Little River along the edges of lily pads, and in the oxbows all along Little River. The best locations to find schooling bass have been along Little River between Snake Creek and Pugh Slough, between Jack's Isle and Mud Lake and between Hurricane Creek and Horseshoe Lake.  Wacky rigged Bass Assassin Charm Assassins in silver ghost color are still taking chunky Millwood Bass by dead sticking. Allow the Charm to fall along pad edges to approx 7-10 feet, watch your line. Any slight movement or jump of the line, set the hook. Once the sun gets up and more direct, Eager Beavers in watermelon red or black/blue, are taking keepers around cypress trees. The best bite on the Eager Beaver has been on cypress tree knees (5-6 feet off the base of the tree) in 8-10 feet of water. The slow fall of the bait seems to be a trigger to bite.  Fattbutt Gitzits are working sporadically around same stumps and cypress knees. No report for Crappie this week, not many Crappie fishermen out due to heat. Blue Cats and Channel Cats this week were fair on yo-yos and trotlines using cut shad, homemade stink baits, and shiners.  White Bass remain trying to school with the black bass in the mornings 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. 

 
White Oak Lake: Charlie’s One Stop said the water is low and clear. Bream are biting well on worms and crickets. Bass are biting well on soft-plastic worms.

 
Lake Columbia: Steve's Marine said bass are biting fair to good using plastic worms. All other species are biting fair.

Lake Erling: Steve's Marine said bream fishing is fair using worms and crickets. A few crappie are being taken at night on shiners. Catfish are being caught noodles and trotlines baited with liver or shiners.

  
Lake Greeson: As of Tuesday, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reports the lake’s elevation at 541.12 feet MSL.
Lakeside Grocery, Motel/Bait Shop said fishing has been spotty lately. Bream are biting well around grass and wood cover in 10 feet of water on crickets. Bass are biting decently on top-water lures fished over the grass early and late in the day. Catfish are biting well on jugs baited with nightcrawlers or chicken livers. Stripers are up around Chimney Rock and are holding in 30-40 feet of water. Umbrella rigs and live shad are catching the stripers.

 
DeGray Lake: As of Tuesday, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reports the lake’s elevation at 399.27 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: Low current and water levels have kept the fishing slow for most species. Grass and weeds are growing well along the edges of the shoreline and the water clarity is very good. Bass are holding in the grass, especially during the heat of the day. The trick is getting to them. Fishing along the edge of the grass with a tube or jig will produce a few fish, as will working a Pop R or Horny Toad over areas of thin vegetation in the mornings. During the day, find the ledges on the sides of the main river channel and cast deep-diving crankbaits and Carolina-rigged Zoom Centipedes and Fish Doctors.

 
Blue Mountain Lake: CNC’s End of the Line said the lake is dropping between ½-inch and 1 inch per day. Catfishing has been good on nightcrawlers and minnows near the first drop to deep water. All other species are fair.

 
Ozark Pool: Lakeside Food Mart said the water is clear and there has been no flow on the river lately. Bream are slow on nightcrawlers and crickets fished along the shoreline near the main channel. Crappie are biting fairly well on minnows slowly trolled in 15 feet of water. Largemouth bass are fair on crankbaits. Catfishing is fair on nightcrawlers, cut bait and minnows.

 
Lake Ouachita: As of Tuesday, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reports the lake’s elevation at 571.13 feet MSL.
Mountain Harbor Resort said largemouth bass are fair and can be caught with frog-style baits and grass jigs. Try moss flats and points for best results. Texas-rigged worms in grape, strawberry and red bug colors are still working well fished after dark on main lake and secondary points. Walleye are fair with reports of these fish still being caught near brush piles on main lake points. Silver jigging spoons are working best 25 to 35 feet deep. Stripers are fair on live bait, gizzard shad or big trotline minnows. These fish are still around main lake points and rock bluffs near or in the river channels on all sections of the lake. Bream are still very good and are being caught around structure with crickets or worms. Try main lake and secondary points 20 to 28 feet deep. Crappie are very slow and being caught over brush piles. Try deep pockets and standing timber 18 to 35 feet deep.  Minnows or jigging spoons seem to work best. Catfish are good and being caught on cut bait, nightcrawlers and live bait around pockets and moss flats 15 to 25 feet deep.

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.  The water has cleared from recent rains. 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 with the striper staging at the 30 feet deep. 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.  The crappie fishing is slow.

Poorman’s Tackle and Guide Service said stripers are fair with some good fish being boated on ½-oz. spoons. Some bass have been caught early on top-water lures and flukes in albino shad and shad-colored spinnerbaits. Bream are slow. Catfish have slowed a little but are still good on trotlines and jug lines. It’s not a great time of year for walleye but fish a spoon at 25 to 35 foot next to some timber and you should catch a few. Crappie fishing is poor.

 
Lake Catherine: Diamondhead Marina said the fishing is decent around the grass beds. Black bass and stripers are being caught around the edges of the main channel on crankbaits and top-water lures. Bream are biting well on crickets and small worms fished along the edges of the grass.

 
Lake Hamilton: Poorman’s Tackle and Guide Service said stripers are hitting large topwaters such as Pencil Poppers early north of the 270 Bridge. The bass bite is best in late evening and at night on black spinnerbaits and black worms on a 1/16-oz Texas rig. Crappie are slow with best results on crappie minnows around brush piles 12 to 15 ft. deep. Bream are decent around boat docks and brush about 15 feet deep with crickets. Catfish are fair on livers and nightcrawlers.

 
 Lake Hinkle: Bill's Bait Shop said the rain and winds cooled the water temperature a bit over the weekend. Bream are biting fairly well on worms and crickets Crappie are biting well on minnows and jigs fished deep. Bass are schooling and biting excellently on spinnerbaits, top-water lures and other small shad imitations. Catfishing is good on nightcrawlers.

 
Lake Atkins: Lucky Landing said the water is stained and about 3 feet low. Bream are biting well in 4 feet of water on red worms and crickets. Bass are biting well on soft-plastics fished around stumps in 7 feet of water. Catfishing is excellent on yo-yos and trotlines baited with minnows.

 
 
SOUTH-CENTRAL ARKANSAS
 
        Felsenthal: Hale’s One Stop said bream are slow, but a few have been caught on red worms and crickets. Crappie are biting well in deep water on shiners fished under a slip-cork. Bass are biting fairly well in deeper water. Catfish are fair to good on trotlines baited with live shad and shiners.

 
EAST ARKANSAS: 
 
Island 40 Chute: Daily’s Boat Dock said the water is low and the weather is hot. Not many anglers are visiting the water. Catfishing is decent on nightcrawlers, stinkbait and chicken livers.

 
Arkansas River (Pine Bluff): The Tackle Box said anglers are doing fairly well when there is water running, but current has been low. Bream are biting well on worms and crickets next to the bank just below the locks.

 
Maddox Bay: Maddox Bay Landing said the water is low and clear. Bream are biting fairly well on crickets. Bass are fair in 4 to 6 feet of water on shallow-diving crankbaits and soft-plastic worms.

 
        Bear Creek Lake: Arkansas Outdoors said the water temperature is 92 degrees and there haven’t been any anglers visiting the lake lately.

         
Horseshoe Lake: Local fisherman Clyde Gregory said the lake has good clarity, but the water level is still dropping. Bream are biting well in 3 feet of water on red wigglers and crickets. A few crappie have been caught around piers, but it has been slow. Bass are biting well in the shallows on spinnerbaits and soft-plastics from 5 p.m. until dark. Catfishing is very good on nightcrawlers and cut bait.

Bond’s said the bream are biting well on wax worms and crickets. No report on any other species.

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