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 Sept. 13, 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: Fishing with a bass jig is a mystery to many anglers. Larry Hurley from Poorman’s Guide Service offers this tip:

“Always trim the jig’s skirt to ¼-inch below the bend of the hook. Also trim the weed guard down until it is 1/4 inch off the hook point. A trimmed weed guard allows for better hook sets while remaining weedless. The shorter skirt lets you use a heavier jig for better feel and still keep a small profile for stubborn bass.

 
 
CENTRAL ARKANSAS:
        
Lake Conway: Bates Field and Stream said the water is low, but if you can launch a boat, you can catch some fish. Bream have been biting well around Gold Creek and Adams Lake on wax worms, crickets and brown/black Tinsel Teasers. Crappie are biting well on medium-sized minnows and chartreuse Trout Magnets. Bass are biting well on dark-colored soft-plastics and Rat-L-Traps. Catfish are biting fairly well on live minnows and cut shad.

 
Little Red River: Lindsey's Resort said the generators are running a little in the afternoons, usually coming online by about 1 p.m. Trout fishing is good on nightcrawlers, corn and spinners as well as sow bug and scud pattern flies.

 
Greers Ferry: Shiloh Marina said the water is low and clear. Hybrids are schooling in Salt Creek early. Most of the activity is around 8:30 a.m. Fishing is great on top-water lures, but the fish are picky about size. Lures longer than 3 inches are being ignored.

Tommy Cauley of Fish Finder Guide Service said the water level is 455.42 and the surface temperature is 79 to 82 degrees. The hybrid fishing is great some days and lackluster the next. If you can stay on the bait, you can usually catch them with a Buckshot spinner, top-water lure or a spoon. The thermocline is receding and the first gulls have arrived. The fishing will be fantastic very soon, watch your electronics. Bass fishing has improved with the cooler nights. Bass can be caught shallow on spinnerbaits and crankbaits as well as a jighead worm; the better fish are coming on a Right Bite frog in sparkle shad color. Deeper fish can be caught with on a drop-shot rig or Carolina rig in 20 to 45 feet of water. Crappie fishing is good at night using a fishing light in pole timber over 60 feet of water. The fish are suspended about 15 feet deep. Bream are still guarding their beds and are hard to catch, but some can be caught around docks and over brush piles in about 15 feet of water. The catfishing continues to be good in about 17 feet of water on trotlines and jugs baited with live or cut bait. Walleye have picked up in some spots dragging night crawlers in 31 feet of water with a rocky bottom or trolling a gold Shad Rap 7 feet deep over 15 feet of water.

 
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 is dingy. Bream are biting well on crickets. Crappie are slow. Bass fishing is good on frogs and Junebug soft-plastic worms. Catfishing is good on trotlines baited with live minnows.

  
Toad Suck Lock and Dam: Bates Field and Stream said the bass fishing is excellent in the backwater areas on Rat-L-Traps and top-water lures. White bass are holding on the jetties and biting excellently on Rooster Tails and white Rat-L-Traps.

 
Little Maumelle River: River Valley Bait said bream are biting well in 2 feet of water on panfish worms and crickets. Crappie are fair on minnows and jigs. Bass fishing is poor. Catfishing is fair on live or prepared bait fished on the bottom.

 
Lake Maumelle: Jolly Roger’s Marina said the water is about 5.5 feet below normal pool and the lake just completed its annual turn over. Black bass are biting well on crankbaits and spinnerbaits, with many fish being caught in the slot limit. White bass are biting well on trolled Rogues and stick baits fished around Timber Cove on the east end of the lake. Crappie are biting fairly well on minnows fished about 15 feet deep. Catfishing is fair on Catfish Charlie and other prepared baits around 20 to 25 feet deep.

 
Arkansas River: Charley’s Hidden Harbor near Oppelo said flow from Lock 9 is 900 cubic feet per second with a headwater of 285.85 and a tailwater of 265.07. The fishing has picked up with the rain. Spotted bass are schooling over the tops of and around breaks in the jetties. Brown in-line spinners are working well in the mornings, and tubes and finesse worms seem to be working the best later in the day. Largemouth bass are biting well on brown spinnerbaits and chatterbaits fished around woody cover in 4 to 8 feet of water. White bass are schooling around Flagg Lake Cutoff, Rock Island and the pole jetty downstream of the Petit Jean River. The best luck has been with pearl or shad-colored crankbaits. Crappie are in 6 to 10 feet of water around Flagg Lake, Copper’s Gap and Point Remove Creek. They are biting well on live minnows. Stripers are schooling with the white bass, but are holding underneath them. Use a 1-ounce spoon to get down to them before the white bass get your lure. Some large drum are being caught around the jetties by bass anglers. Although it’s not what they’re after, a 15-lb. drum can be a lot of fun.

 
Arkansas River (Little Rock area): Outdoor Super Store said bream are biting well on red worms and crickets. Bass fishing is fair on soft-plastics. Catfishing is fair on chicken livers. Crappie fishing is slow.

 
Pickthorne Lake: Outdoor Super Store said the water is muddy. Bream are biting well on crickets. Crappie are poor, but a few have been caught on minnows. Bass fishing is slow, with the only success coming from red shad soft-plastic worms. Catfishing is good at night on chicken livers.

       
Sunset Lake: Turbyfill’s Outdoor Sports said the water is clear and low. Bream are biting fairly well on crickets. Bass are fair to good on red or strawberry-colored soft-plastics fished in brush 4 to 6 feet deep. Catfish and crappie are poor.

 
Saline River Access in Benton: Turbyfill’s said the water is clear and low. Bream are fair on crickets. Bass are biting well on small jerkbaits. Catfish and crappie are poor.

 
Clear Lake: McSwain Sports Center said the water is clear and at normal levels. Bream are biting well on crickets. Crappie are biting well on minnows.

 
Peckerwood Lake: Herman’s Landing said the water is low and clear with many stumps above the surface. Crappie fishing has picked up on minnows fished on a tight-lined jighead. Catfishing is slow.

 
Murray Lock and Dam: McSwain Sports Center said catfishing is good on cut shad when there is some current. Stripers are also biting well when the water is flowing. Gray hair jigs and white grubs are working the best.

 
 
NORTH ARKANSAS:
 
White River: Gaston's White River Resort said the water has been low for most of the week; power demand has apparently been down. The low water has made for some excellent fly-fishing and bait fishing.  Bait fishing with wax worms, night crawlers and Power Eggs is working well. The best colors are yellow, orange and rainbow. Light line, particularly 4-lb. green Berkley Trilene, is hard to beat this time of year as the trout can see larger lines in the clear water. The best flies are still olive green, brown or black woolly buggers, rocky nymphs and soft hackles. If you're a die-hard artificial fisherman, try a No. 7 or 9 Floating Rapala in gold or silver.

Wilderness Trail said trout fishing has been good. With light generation Berkley Power Eggs in yellow and pink have worked well along with Berkley Power Wigglers in pink. Fly fishermen have done well with little generation on Olive Woolly Buggers, Zebra midges and scuds or sow bugs. Brown trout are being caught on Rapala Countdowns, Flat Fish and nightcrawlers.  

 
Bull Shoals Lake: As of Tuesday, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reports the lake’s elevation at 649.38 feet MSL.
Wilderness Trail said the surface temperature is 78 degrees and the thermocline is ranging from 35 to 45 feet. The algae bloom is starting to dissipate with less “junk” floating on the top.  Crappie are active around deeper (28 feet) brush piles. Crappie minnows and live grubs worked well for live bait and Bink’s spoons, Bobby Garland Swimming Minnows and crappie tubes worked the best for artificial baits. Largemouth bass continue to cruise the banks in the mornings but one morning they are feeding and the next they are just swimming along enjoying the sunrise. Buzzbaits caught a few nice bass this week, so that is a start toward an aggressive bite. Zara Spook Jrs., Spit’N Images and Lucky Craft Sammys or any swimming bait seem to be triggering morning strikes.  After the sun is up fish docks or brush piles with jigs or Texas-rigged Brush Hogs.  Smallmouth bass are finally starting to show themselves on pea rock points that have some ledges around them. They are in the 25- to 35-foot range and tubes or Carolina rigs are your best bet. With the thermocline settling down and cleaning up, we should see a football jig bite soon. Kentucky bass are with the balls of shad but they are not very active. Walleye slowed and have moved to deep flats instead of points and channel swings. Long liners are pulling 30+ Tail Dancers and DD22s, catching a few quality walleye, but the numbers are coming on lead core with smaller baits. A few walleye are still reacting to spoons on the flats, white and gray are the best colors. The 2006 Mercury Marine Women’s Bassmaster Tour is being held on Bull Shoals next weekend.  There is a lot of talent with these lady anglers. The weigh-ins will be held at Theodosia Marina.  We wish all the ladies luck. 

        Sugarloaf Harbor said the water is low and the surface temperature is cooling. Bream are biting well on worms and crickets around any docks in the water. Crappie are in 10-20 feet of water and biting well on minnows and jigs near the piers. Bass are biting well on top-water lures in the mornings and white or watermelon/red hula grubs later in the day. Walleye are biting well in 32 to 36 feet of water on trolled chartreuse spoons.

 
 Lake Norfork: As of Tuesday, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reports the lake’s elevation at 545.30 feet MSL.
Cranfield Junction Quik Stop said crappie are biting well at night underneath fishing lights. Bass fishing has been decent. The top-water bite is improving, with more fish holding in the shallows. Smallmouth bass are biting well on ¾-ounce brown/purple football head jigs in the middle of the day crawled slowly over pea gravel points and ledges.

 
Norfork Tailwater: Gene’s Trout Dock said the generators have been running in the afternoons, leaving some excellent wading opportunities every morning. The fish have been very active and some great catches have been reported. Red worms and nightcrawlers are working well, drifted behind a Colorado spinner. Fly anglers are doing well on wooly buggers in brown or olive.

 
 
NORTHWEST ARKANSAS
 
Beaver Lake: As of Tuesday, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reports the lake’s elevation at 1,110.28 feet MSL.
Southtown Sporting Goods said crappie fishing is good on minnows and jigs, with fish moving towards cover in 5 to 15 feet of water. Trolling for the crappie is not producing as well as jigging and using slip-corks now. Catfishing is fair drifting live goldfish near the river channel. White bass and hybrids are biting very well on vertically jigged spoons in white or silver. Black bass are in brush piles around points and biting well on vertically jigged spoons, drop-shot rigs and shaky heads with finesse worms.

 
Lake Fayetteville: Lake Fayetteville Boat Dock said hardly any anglers are on the water. Bream are biting fair on crickets. Crappie anglers are doing fairly well on minnows fished near woody cover.

 
Lake Sequoyah: Lake Sequoyah Boat Dock said the water level is normal and the clarity is good. Bream are biting fair in 4 feet of water on worms and crickets fished near brush piles. Crappie are fair on minnows, Road Runners and tube jigs slowly trolled around brush piles. Bass are slow, but a few have been caught on spinnerbaits and buzzbaits. Catfishing is fair on chicken livers, goldfish and bass minnows in 4 to 15 feet of water.

 
 
NORTHEAST ARKANSAS
  
Spring River: Many Islands Camp said trout fishing was very good last weekend with chartreuse PowerBait being the best lure.

 
Eleven-Point River: Woody’s Canoe Rental and Campground said there have been many bass caught on the main channel lately. The best bite has been on worms and artificial crawfish imitations.

 
        Crown Lake: Boxhound Marina said the water is clear and at normal levels. Some very nice bream have been taken on crickets and the action has been great. Crappie are biting well on minnows drifted in 15 feet of water. Bass fishing is improving, and many bass are being caught early and late on top-water lures and spinnerbaits. Catfishing is slow.

 
SOUTHEAST ARKANSAS
  
Lake Chicot: Fishing success has been slow to moderate. Most anglers are still going after bream with red worms and crickets. Bass fishermen are catching a few nice fish close to docks.

 
Grand lake:  Fishing success has been slow with few reports.
 
Mississippi River:  The river is down, and anglers still catching catfish close to the Greenville Bridge.
 
Lake Monticello: The Tackle Box said crappie are biting well on jigs.
 
Cane Creek Lake: Cane Creek State Park said the water is clear and 11/2 feet low. Crappie are biting well on red minnows and jigs. Catfishing is good on live and prepared baits.

 
 
SOUTHWEST ARKANSAS
 
Millwood Lake: Millwood Lake Guide Service said as of Monday, the water surface temperature ranges from 80 to 85 degrees, depending on location and time of day. Clarity in Little River has improved, and is about 24-36 inches. Main lake water clarity is 18 to 20 inches. The Corps of Engineers recently reworked all Little River markers and navigation is much improved. The water level has fallen from last week, and is approx 1 inch above normal pool, at 259.28 feet.  Current in Little River decreased, with release at the dam of 159 cubic feet per second. The bass bite is improving with the cooler temperatures. The best feeding periods are still early and late in the day, but are generally improving during the slower periods. Small black bass continue randomly schooling, and are chasing shad and baitfish in Little River along the edges of lily pads, and in the oxbows all along Little River. Several large schools were breaking the surface again in Mud and Horseshoe oxbow lakes over the last several weeks. Some of these schools had a few 2-4 pound bass mixed in with the juveniles. Cast a Rat-L-Trap beyond the school and let it sink to about 8-12 feet, then rip it back through the lower quadrant of the school. The best bite on the edge of the vegetation has been on Bass Assassin Shads in salt & pepper silver phantom; crystal shad; or gizzard shad colors, and Charm Assassins-wacky rigged, in silver ghost color.  These fish are 2-7 feet deep, remaining close to the vegetation, early and late in the day.

The buzzbait bite has died except for using a ¼-oz. pearl or purple glimmer buzzbait with an oversized blade worked extremely slowly.  Eager Beavers in watermelon/red are catching bass from 2-3lbs, 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.  White Bass are still schooling up Little River this week. Throw a clear Rat-L-Trap or Baby Torpedo when you see the top water frenzy start. Action is short-lived, and lasts for 2-3 minutes at a time, but catches are common of 20-40 fish, from different schools, in just a few hours. A few more crappie fishermen are venturing out again, over the past few days due to improved weather.  They have been catching crappie ranging from 12-14 inches long, at 10-18 feet deep on jigs in white or smoke, and on smoke Cordell paddle tail grubs using a 1/8-oz. jighead, in contact with planted brush piles. Blue cats and channel cats are fair on yo-yos and trotlines using chicken livers and Catfish Charlie blood bait hung from cypress tree limbs in 8-12 feet, and along the outside bends of Little River. Channel cats and bream are both biting well on catalpa worms and crickets around the Millwood State Park and up Little River at Jack's Isle.

 
Lake Columbia: Steve's Marine said bass are biting well around the creek channel early and late in the day on Ribbits and other top-water frogs.

 
Lake Erling: Steve's Marine said catfishing is very good on stinkbait, worms and chicken livers.
 
Lake Greeson: As of Tuesday, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reports the lake’s elevation at 538.48 feet MSL.
Darryl Morris of Family Fishing Trips said the lake is approximately 8 feet low. The mild weather and cool nights have dropped the water temperature to the upper 70s and low 80s. The bass and the crappie are showing signs of moving into shallower water. Actively feeding bass can be caught with spoons or live crawfish suspended over rocky points. Don't be surprised if you land a few catfish when using live bait. Crappie are on the move and can be caught with jigs or minnows shallow early and deeper later in the day. 

  
DeGray Lake: As of Tuesday, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reports the lake’s elevation at 397.73 feet MSL.
 
Little Missouri River:  Jeff Guerin of Little Missouri Flyfishing said fishing has been pretty good lately, with most of the fish needing a few casts over their heads before they’re finally tempted to strike. The trout are growing pretty well, with a few even touching the 15-inch class. 

 
WEST-CENTRAL ARKANSAS
 
Lake Dardanelle: Spadra Marina said the water has cooled with the weather but is still holding around 80 degrees. The water level is slightly lower than normal. Crappie anglers are doing pretty well on minnows fished 5 to 6 feet deep. A good morning’s fishing is producing 10 to 15 good crappie. White bass and stripers are running. The best luck has been on white jigs and spoons. Lots of white bass are being taken. If you hit the right spots, you're tired before the fish are. Small stripers, around 3 lbs. are in the mix.

Catfish are slower than usual, bass minnows and punch bait working better than livers and hearts. The shad are starting to come back in, so catfishing should start picking up.

Murphy’s Sporting Goods said bream and crappie fishing are poor. Bass are biting decently on worms flipped to the edges of the moss and spinnerbaits. Horny Toads are working well in the shallows and the bite is getting better everyday. Catfishing is very good, especially when there is a little current. The best bite has been on shad and stinkbait. Stripers are biting well below the dam when the water is running. Try a white twin-tail grub.

 
Blue Mountain Lake: CNC’s End of the Line said the water level has dropped slightly. Many crappie and bream anglers are heading to the water, but no one has given any good reports.

 
Ozark Pool: Lakeside Food Mart said catfishing has picked up with the best bite coming on worms and chicken livers.
 
Lake Ouachita: As of Tuesday, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reports the lake’s elevation at 569.69 feet MSL.
Mountain Harbor Resort said the water temperature ranges from 80 to 84 degrees. Largemouth bass are getting better and can be caught on frog-style baits and grass jigs. Try moss flats and points for best results.  Spotted bass are good on live crawfish fished near brush 20-28 feet deep. Walleye are still good with reports of these fish still being caught near brush piles on main lake points. Silver jigging spoons are working best in water 25-35 feet deep. Stripers are fair on live gizzard shad or big trotline minnows. The stripers are around main lake points and rock bluffs near or in the river channels on the eastern end of the lake. Bream are good and are being caught around structure with crickets or worms. Try main lake and secondary points 20-28 feet deep. Crappie are picking up some and being caught over brush piles. Try deep pockets and standing timber 18-35 feet deep. Minnows or jigging spoons seem to work best. Catfish are good and being caught on cut bait, nightcrawlers and live bait.  Try pockets and moss flats 15-25 feet deep.

Poorman’s Tackle and Guide Service said bass are biting well about 6 hours a day, with some great top-water action early in the morning. Don’t waste the early bite; if you don’t see them busting keep looking. We caught a 28-inch walleye last week on a watermelon zoom finesse worm about 35 feet deep while fishing for bass. Stripers are cooling off a little but look for the trees about 25 feet below the surface and you will find them. Bream fishing is poor.

 
Lake Catherine: Diamondhead Marina said the fishing has been quiet lately. Hybrids and white bass are biting fairly well on white spinnerbaits worked quickly over shallow sandbars near the main channel.

 
Lake Hamilton: Poorman’s Tackle and Guide Service said many small bass are still being caught with bigger bass few and far between. Try ledges and bridges with drop-shot rigs and jighead worms. Stripers are still above the 270 Bridge with the baitfish being the key to finding them. Throw top-water lures and spoons to get them once you find them. Walleye are picking up on crankbaits and spinners at night. Bream are fair around boat docks.   

 
 Lake Hinkle: Bill's Bait Shop said fishing has been pretty slow. Bream are biting well on crickets near brush in the mornings. Crappie are still deep, but a few are coming shallow and biting. Bass fishing has been decent on top-water lures. Early in the morning, bass are schooling and being caught on the surface. A few larger bass are holding underneath the schools. Catfishing is good on chicken livers and worms.

 
Lake Atkins: Lucky Landing said crappie are biting fairly well on jigs tipped with a minnow and fished slowly around brush tops.

 
Lake Nimrod: As of Tuesday, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reports the lake’s elevation at 343.05 feet MSL.
        Local angler Billy Blankenship said crappie have moved up to the mouths of creek channels and holding on the edges. Bass are hitting crankbaits, soft-plastic lures and jigs very well around points. It took 171/2 pounds to win last week’s Tuesday night bass tournament, and nearly 16 pounds to come in third.

 
SOUTH-CENTRAL ARKANSAS
 
        Felsenthal: Hale’s One Stop said the water is murky. Crappie are biting well on shiners. Bass fishing is good throughout the day on white frogs and Horny Toads. Fish the thick cover with the toads in the mornings and work a frog slowly around the same cover once the sun comes up.

 
  
EAST ARKANSAS: 
  
Arkansas River (Pine Bluff): The Tackle Box said bream are biting well on worms and crickets in the harbor. Catfishing is very good on worms, chicken liver and turkey liver. 

 
Maddox Bay: Maddox Bay Landing said bass and stripers were biting well on spoons near the main channel.
  
        Bear Creek Lake: Arkansas Outdoors said the water is very low and has a green tint to it. Bass fishing is decent on soft-plastic worms.

 
Horseshoe Lake: Local fisherman Clyde Gregory said the water is very low and clear. Bream are biting well on wax worms and crickets fished around the piers. The crappie fishing is excellent around the piers with black/chartreuse jigs and live minnows. Catfishing is very good on cut bait and stinkbait. The new water system should be in place by January, which will help with the low water levels.