| 10/4/2006 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 Oct. 4, 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: As the cooler weather comes, the hybrid and white bass begin schooling and feeding on the surface. It's an exciting time of year for anglers. Shiloh Marina on Greers Ferry Lake offers this tip: When fishing for schooling fish, don't fish right in the middle of the feeding frenzy. Instead, cast to the outside edges first and pick up those fish. If you catch a fish from the middle of the pack, it often scatters the school. CENTRAL ARKANSAS: Lake Conway: Bates Field and Stream said the water is still low and murky. Bream are biting fairly well on crickets. Crappie are biting well on jigs tipped with pink minnows. Bass fishing has been great on top-water lures and buzzbaits fished in the early mornings. Catfishing is good on stinkbait. Little Red River: Lindsey's Resort said the water is clear and generation has been almost nonexistent. Trout have been biting well on wax worms, corn and PowerBait. Greers Ferry: As of Tuesday, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reports the lake's elevation at 454.98 feet MSL. Shiloh Marina said the water is around 72 degrees. Crappie are biting well on jigs fished in the river channels. Bass are biting well in the mornings on crankbaits and spoons fished along creek channels. Walleye are gathering up and biting well on silver spoons and crankbaits. Hybrids are corralling shad against the banks where there is a sharp drop and busting the surface in feeding frenzies. Tommy Cauley of Fish Finder Guide Service < http://greersferry.com/members/fishfinder> said hybrid fishing is great one day and not so good the next. It is on the verge of being fantastic, but they have not gotten in big groups yet. If you do not find them schooling on the top, look in ditches about 43 feet deep. Buckshot spinners vertically jigged in these areas are working pretty well. The bass fishing is good in about 15 feet with Carolina rigs and crankbaits. Also try topwaters and buzzbaits early and late and if it is cloudy throw them all day. Stump flats are producing some good black bass on crankbaits and a jighead worms, some are still deep and can be caught with a football head or a drop-shot rig. Crappie have improved. They are still in the pole timber suspended in about 15 feet over 40-60 feet of water and can be caught on jigs and minnows. Catfishing continues to be good using cut and live bait in about 17 feet of water. A few walleye are being caught with the schooling fish and the others are being caught with a Shad Rap trolled in about 15 feet of water. Bream fishing is slow.Harris Brake Lake: Coffee Creek Landing < http://www.coffeecreeklanding.com/> said the water is cloudy and at normal levels. Bream are biting well in 6 feet of water close to the banks. Find some cover and fish worms and crickets for a few bluegill. Crappie are close to the mouth of the cove and are biting fairly well on small jigs and extra-small minnows. Bass are biting well on finesse worms and spinnerbaits. Catfish are fair on trotlines baited with small minnows.Lake Overcup: Lakeview Landing said the water still has a bit of a green tint, but the clarity is not bad. Bream are fair on crickets. Crappie are 6 to 8 feet deep and biting well on tube jigs and minnows. Bass are biting well on frog-colored top-water lures. Catfishing is good on live and prepared baits. Toad Suck Lock and Dam: Bates Field and Stream said bass are excellent on top-water stick baits like Zara Spooks. Buzzbaits are also working well. The best bass bite has been in the mornings and evenings. Little Maumelle River: River Valley Bait said the water is at normal level and clarity. Bream are biting well on worms and crickets. Crappie are fair on minnows and jigs. Bas are biting well on spinnerbaits. Catfish are fair on live bait fished about 5 feet off the bottom. Lake Maumelle: Jolly Roger's Marina said the lake's elevation has held steady at around 51/2 feet below normal pool. The lake is finished turning over and fishing is improving. Black bass are biting well and are moving to shallow water. Crankbaits and spinnerbaits are working well. Kentucky bass are still in deeper water and hanging on the deep ledges. The best tactic is either a soft-plastic craw or finesse worm. Catfishing is good in 15 to 20 feet of water on prepared baits. Crappie are fair on minnows fished 15 to 20 feet deep. Bream are biting well on crickets and worms. The white bass aren't schooling yet, but many limits are being caught on suspending Rogues trolled around main creek channels. Arkansas River: Charley's Hidden Harbor near Oppelo said largemouth bass are excellent on watermelon seed worms and tubes flipped around jetties in 2 to 6 feet of water. Kentucky bass are holding on the jetty tips a little deeper than the largemouths and are biting well on spinnerbaits and black/white crankbaits. Catfishing is strong on the jetty tips using whole shad. Cast the bait above the jetty and let it drift past the waiting catfish. Stripers are biting well at the power plant in the evenings on 3-inch Sassy Shads and Johnson spoons. White bass are around the mouths of major creeks and biting well on blue/white spintails and blade baits. Crappie are fair in the creeks. Arkansas River (Little Rock area): Outdoor Super Store said bream are biting well on crickets. Crappie are slow. Bass are fair on shad-colored crankbaits. Catfish are fair on chicken liver. Pickthorne Lake: Outdoor Super Store said bream are biting fairly well on crickets. Crappie are fair on minnows. Bass are picking up and biting well on white/chartreuse spinnerbaits and natural-colored soft-plastics. Catfishing is fair using stinkbait. Sunset Lake: Turbyfill's Outdoor Sports said the water is muddy and at normal pool. Bream are biting well on crickets. Crappie and bass are slow. Catfishing is fair on stinkbait. Saline River Access in Benton: Turbyfill's said the water is muddy. Bream are biting well on crickets. Crappie are slow. Bass are biting well on shallow-running crankbaits and 2-inch jerkbaits. Catfishing is slow. Peckerwood Lake: Herman's Landing said the water is low, but the crappie fishing is excellent. Brown/chartreuse jigs are taking many limits on Peckerwood right now. All other fishing is fairly slow. Palarm Creek: McSwain Sports Center said bream are biting well on small jigs and crickets. Crappie are fair on minnows and tube jigs. Catfishing is good on worms fished on trotlines at night. Terry Lock and Dam: McSwain Sports Center said catfishing is good on cut shad and large minnows below the dam. Stripers are biting well on large minnows and jigs. The river is flowing a little, so the bite has improved for all species. NORTH ARKANSAS: White River: Gaston's White River Resort < http://www.gastons.com/> said there have been low-water conditions most of the week with one generator being turned on about 6 a.m. every day. Small artificials such as Mepps spinners, Cleo spoons Buoyant spoons and Floating Rapalas are working well. Yellow Power Eggs, wax worms and red worms are working well for the bait fishermen.Wilderness Trail < http://www.wildernesstrail.com/> said trout fishing has been good. During light generation, Berkley Power Eggs in yellow and white have worked well. With generation, the Buoyant Spoons, Rapala Countdowns and Floaters and Little Cleos are the baits of choice. Fly fishermen have done well with little generation on olive woolly buggers, zebra midges, scuds or sow bugs. Brown trout are being caught on Rapala Countdowns, jointed Rapalas and nightcrawlers.Bull Shoals Lake: As of Tuesday, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reports the lake's elevation at 648.65 feet MSL. Wilderness Trail < http://www.wildernesstrail.com/> said the thermocline starts at 32 feet and runs to 38 feet throughout most of the lake. With the warm weather, we will not see a turn-over for a while. Crappie remain active around deep brush piles in 26 to 28 feet of water. Crappie minnows fished on slip bobbers work well for the first or second crappie out of the brush pile but after that you need to switch to a reaction bait (Bobby Garland Swimming minnow or a crappie tube). Largemouth bass are still good in the mornings on buzzbaits, Zara Spook Jrs., Spit'N Image and Lucky Craft Sammys, although this last week we not only had activity in the back of the creeks we also were able to catch some nice largemouth on the main lake points and in the main lake pockets. During the day, fish Carolina rigs with baby brush hogs or Zoom trick worms around secondary points. Smallmouth bass started to come up on to pea rock banks and points last week, but most of them were small. This week there were some nice 151/2- to 16-inch smallies that have moved in along with the smaller fish. Spider jigs and tubes are the key baits from 28 feet of water to the bank and football jigs or Mojo Rigs are working deeper. Kentucky bass have repositioned themselves on the bottom along channel swings and off chunk rock points. They are in 35 to 45 feet of water and Shakey Heads or football jigs are the best baits at this time. Walleye were caught on the flats again this week, but there are now more walleye showing up around chunk rock points in the creek arms. Their zone is in the thermocline, 33 to 42 feet and most of the walleye are close to the bottom. Trolling with lead core continues to be the technique that is catching the nicer walleye. Best baits this week were Hot'N Tots, jointed Shad Raps, Reef Runners and 30+ deep Tail Dancers. The spooners also had a good week with some nice 6 to 8 pounders. The best spoon was the Binks spoon, in the double shad/white 1 ounce and the 3/4 oz. white.Lake Norfork: As of Tuesday, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reports the lake's elevation at 544.91 feet MSL. Cranfield Junction Quik Stop said the water temperature continues to fall. Bream are very active and biting well on crickets. Crappie are holding in 20 feet of water and biting well on small crappie minnows, chartreuse Buoyant Spoons and Roostertails. Bass are biting well on top-water lures early and late in the day, then on football head jigs dragged on the bottom. Stripers are biting well on swim baits trolled around 20 to 40 feet deep. Walleye, bass and stripers are being found around large balls of shad and are biting excellently on 1-ounce white spoons. Walleye are also being caught on crawler harnesses. NORTHWEST ARKANSAS Beaver Lake: As of Tuesday, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reports the lake's elevation at 1,110.82 feet MSL. Southtown Sporting Goods said the main lake is clear and the water level is about 7 feet low. Bream are biting pretty well on red worms and crickets fished in 4 to 8 feet of water. Crappie are fair in 8 to 15 feet of water on minnows and jigs fished around brush piles. Bass are fair on jigs, spinnerbaits and spoons fished along bluff walls and a variety of finesse worms and techniques. The night bite is fading with the cooler water. White bass are schooling early and late in the day and biting excellently on Roostertails and Kastmaster Spoons. Catfishing is fair on liver and worms Lake Fayetteville: Lake Fayetteville Boat Dock said the water is clear and at normal levels. Bass and catfish are fair. All other species are slow. Lake Sequoyah: Lake Sequoyah Boat Dock said the water is clear and at normal levels. Bream are biting well in 4 to 8 feet of water around mossy areas, brush piles and stumps. Worms and crickets are working well. Crappie are fair on Road Runners and minnows fished around brush piles in 4 to 8 feet of water. Bas are fair in 8 feet of water on soft-plastics and spinnerbaits fished around tree stumps and mossy points. Catfishing is good on chicken liver and live bream fished along mud flats and open water 4 to 8 feet deep. NORTHEAST ARKANSAS Eleven-Point River: Woody's Canoe Rental and Campground said the flooding has kept everyone off the river. Crown Lake: Boxhound Marina said the water is clear and at normal levels. Crappie fishing is excellent on minnows and jigs. Bass fishing is excellent on spinnerbaits and topwaters. Catfishing is excellent on nightcrawlers and stinkbait. SOUTHEAST ARKANSAS Lake Chicot: Koenig Bass Tracker Marine said there hasn't been much action at the lake. The water is low. Catfishing has been good on nightcrawlers. Grand lake: Fishing success has been low with few reports. Mississippi River: The river is down, and anglers still catching catfish close to the Greenville Bridge. SOUTHWEST ARKANSAS Millwood Lake: As of Tuesday, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reports the lake's elevation at 259.34 feet MSL. Millwood Lake Guide Service < http://www.millwoodguideservice.com/> said the surface temperature cooled to 70-75 degrees, depending on location. Much needed rain has continued last week. Little River's clarity improved over the past week, and as of Monday is 14-17 inches. Main lake clarity is stained but improved to 5-8 inches visibility. The activity levels of bass are excellent with the cooler water temps. Best feeding periods still remain early and late in the day, but are generally good and continually improving during the slower periods of mid-day.The colored water and rise in elevation are pushing the larger bass much shallower the past few weeks. You only need to carry three rods, or set ups, out for the last few weeks to catch all the bass you want. Rod 1 is a 5-inch Bass Assassin Shad. Rod 2 is a ¼-oz to ½-oz Rat-L-Trap, and Rod 3 is a spinnerbait or Rocket Shad. The bass remain best along and in any vegetation lines, along Little River's deep channel swings. Transparent or shades of white or clear glitter patterns in the Bass Assassin Shads have been producing dozens of bass/day for last several weeks. The adult size bass (ranging 3-5lbs each) blowing up in lily pads are eating these Bass Assassin Shads with a vengeance. White Bass are roaming Little River in fair numbers and large schools. The whites will bite with some frequency, chrome or white Rat-L-Traps at various locations along Little River. Once you connect with a single fish, there will be a large school with them.. Schools have been located in Little River around the areas of Jack's Isle, Hurricane Creek and Horseshoe Lake last few weeks. Perhaps the semi-annual migration down to the main has begun. Crappie fishermen continue venturing out, over the past few weeks due to improved weather. Crappie catches are decent size, ranging from 12-16 inches (1 to 2.5lbs each), and have also remained slightly shallower the past few weeks. They have been best on shiners the last few days. Try underneath Cypress trees too in 4-9 feet depths. Blue cats and channel cats are fair on trotlines, using Catfish Charlie blood bait and cut shad, along the outside bends of Little River. Lake Greeson: As of Tuesday, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reports the lake's elevation at 536.62 feet MSL. Darryl Morris of Family Fishing Trips < http://www.familyfishingtrips.com/> said water temperatures have risen to the mid-70s. The lake is still well below full pool as can be expected for this time of year. Crappie are still showing signs of a fall pattern. The bite is early and light on brush piles 20 feet deep near primary or secondary channels at 12 to 16 foot deep.Lakeside Grocery, Motel and Bait said the lake is low. Crappie fishing is poor. Bass are biting well on spinnerbaits and top-water lures. Catfishing is good on jugs baited with nightcrawlers. Stripers are biting well on shad and gray hair jigs. DeGray Lake: As of Tuesday, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reports the lake's elevation at 397.06 feet MSL. DeGray One Stop said the water temperature is in the low 70s and the water is still very low. Crappie are biting fairly well on live minnows and light-colored jigs. Catfishing is fair on trotlines and noodles set at 8 to 15 feet of water and baited with live minnows and shad. Hybrids and white bass are schooling on the south end of the lake. Black bass and Kentuckies are in the shallows early in the morning and late in the evening. Floating worms and Horny Toads are working well on the bass. Once the sun is up, go to the deep weed edge and fish Carolina rigs and jighead worms. Little Missouri River: Jeff Guerin of Little Missouri Flyfishing < http://www.littlemissouriflyfishing.com/> said conditions have been dead calm and warm with no major hatches, making the fly-fishing difficult. A light Cahill parachute is about all that's getting the attention of the fish when the surface is this slick.WEST-CENTRAL ARKANSAS Lake Dardanelle: Spadra Marina < http://www.spadramarina.com/> said the water level is still a little lower than normal, but up by about 10 inches. Catfishing has been a lot of fun. Cut shad is the choice bait. Most fishermen have caught their limit within a couple hours of fishing. Crappie are starting to bite on jigs as well as minnows, 5-6 feet deep, near downed treetops. Bass have been slower than usual. Plenty of bream are near the banks.Murphy's Sporting Goods said the water is clear and at 73 degrees. Crappie are biting well around the bridges in 12 to 15 feet of water. Bass are biting well on spinnerbaits and Horny Toads in shallow water. Stripers are biting well below the dam. Catfishing is excellent on stinkbait. Blue Mountain Lake: As of Tuesday, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reports the lake's elevation at 384.48 feet MSL. CNC's End of the Line said the water is 2 feet below normal pool. Crappie are biting very well on minnows and jigs. Bass are fair. Catfishing is good on chicken livers and nightcrawlers. Ozark Pool: Lakeside Food Mart said the water is at normal levels and the clarity is fair. Black bass are biting fair on spinnerbaits and crankbaits worked around the shallows. Catfishing is fair on shrimp and nightcrawlers. All other species are slow. Lake Ouachita: As of Tuesday, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reports the lake's elevation at 569.07 feet MSL. Mountain Harbor Resort < http://www.mountainharborresort.com/> said the water is clear and the surface temperature ranges from 72 to 80 degrees. Largemouth bass are biting well on frog-style lures and grass jigs. Moss flats and points are showing the best results. Kentucky bass are holding in brush 20 to 28 feet deep and are biting very well on live crayfish. Walleye are still biting well near brush on main lake points. Silver jigging spoons are working well in 25 to 35 feet of water. Stripers are fair on live shad and large trotline minnows fished around main lake points and rock bluffs near the river on the eastern end of the lake. There has been some schooling action reported. Bream are slow on secondary points 20 to 28 feet deep. Crappie are biting well over brush piles and standing timber 18 to 35 feet deep on jigging spoons and minnows. Catfishing is fair to good on cut bait, nightcrawlers and punch bait around moss flats in 15 to 25 feet of water.Poorman's Tackle and Guide Service < http://www.poormansguideservice.com/> said bass are very good with a great morning bite. Covering a lot of water with spinnerbaits is working best. Stripers are hit and miss, just look for the shad. Some walleye are being caught on Lindy rigs baited with green finesse worms.Lake Hamilton: Poorman's Tackle and Guide Service < http://www.poormansguideservice.com/> said bass are fair with a lot of small 12- to 14-inch fish being caught on a variety of baits. Shallow crankbaits in lavender shad, drop shots and Carolina rigs are working well. Stripers are fair and night fishing is best below the dam on swim baits. Crappie are being caught on Tennessee shad grubs. Catfish are slow. Bream are fair.Lake Atkins: Lucky Landing said the water is clear and 2 feet below normal pool. Bream are biting well on crickets in 4 feet of water. Crappie are fair on minnows fished under a bobber in 7 to 8 feet of water. Bass are biting well on Rat-L-Traps and crankbaits. Catfishing is good on chicken livers and minnows. Lake Nimrod: As of Tuesday, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reports the lake's elevation at 342.50 feet MSL. Local angler Billy Blankenship said the lake is muddy from the recent rains. Fish are making a move to shallower water and stacking up in creek channels. Crappie are moving into the river channel and creek channels near both sides of the lake. Chartreuse and pink/white jigs are working well. Catfishing is good on live and prepared bait. SOUTH-CENTRAL ARKANSAS Felsenthal: Hale's One Stop said the water is clear and at normal levels. Crappie fishing is good on shiners fished in deep water. All other fishing has been poor. EAST ARKANSAS: Arkansas River (Pine Bluff): The Tackle Box said the current has picked up some, and so has the fishing. Bream are biting well on worms and crickets in the backwaters. Crappie are fair in the mouths of creeks and ditches feeding the main river channel. Bass are fair on spinnerbaits and buzzbaits. Catfishing is excellent on cut shad and worms fished in the current below the dam. Maddox Bay: Maddox Bay Landing said the water is clearing up and the level is rising. Crappie and catfish are improving. Horseshoe Lake: Local fisherman Clyde Gregory said the lake is extremely low, but the fishing has been good. Crappie are biting well on minnows trolled slowly near the middle of the lake. Bass are biting very well on white spinnerbaits fished around balls of shad. Catfishing is good on nightcrawlers.
|
|
| <%server.execute "/bottom.asp"%> | |