Weekly Fishing Report
Arkansas Game and Fish Commission
Keith Stephens (501) 223-6342

This is the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission’s fishing report for Nov. 29, 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 winter, crappie are often found holding in large schools out in deep water. They will be close to the same ledges and points they held close to in the fall, but will be on the deeper side of the structure. The best tactic for these deep-water crappie is vertically jigging a small spoon or jig with a 1/4-ounce jig head suspended just off the bottom. Don’t be afraid to start in water as deep as 40 feet.

Arkansas River Levels: According to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, as of Monday the Arkansas River stages are:
6.47 feet at Dardanelle (flood stage – 32 feet)
9.58 feet at Morrilton (flood stage – 30 feet)
7.59 feet at Little Rock (flood stage – 23 feet)
31.38 feet at Pine Bluff (flood stage – 42 feet)
26.13 feet at Pendleton (flood stage – 31 feet)

White River Levels: According to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, as of Monday the White River stages are:

10.07 feet at Georgetown (flood stage – 21 feet)
20.90 feet at Augusta (flood stage – 26 feet)
7.52 feet at Newport (flood stage – 26 feet)
7.42 feet at Batesville (flood stage – 15 feet)
2.84 feet at Calico Rock (flood stage – 19 feet)

Statewide Family and Community Fishing Program Report: Urban trout stockings are beginning across the state, and the fishing should be excellent. The rains are keeping the water of Family and Community Fishing Program ponds murky, so brightly colored lures are working the best. Hybrid striped bass are biting on 2-inch white/green Mister Twister grubs on a 1/16-ounce jighead. White and silver Roostertails are still catching fish. Use a slow to medium retrieve with occasional pauses. Trout fishing has been good in Lake Atalanta, Murphy Lake, Wells Lake and Craighead Forest Youth and Senior’s Pond. Bright green, yellow or hot pink PowerBait are the colors giving the most success. Corn is also working. Call 1-866-540-FISH (3474) toll-free for stocking information.

CENTRAL ARKANSAS:
 
Lake Conway: Bates Field and Stream said the water is still very low and murky, but has risen slightly from the recent rains. Crappie are biting well on silver minnows and orange/chartreuse jigs. Bass are biting well on chartreuse spinnerbaits and other artificials.
 
Little Red River: Lindsey's Resort said the water is clear with one to two generators running in the mornings. Trout fishing has been good on pink PowerBait, wax worms with marshmallows and nightcrawlers.
Mark Owner at The Little Red Fly Shop in Heber Springs said the brown trout spawn has begun. Cool weather has kept hydroelectric generation to a minimum. There had been very little power needed for air conditioning or heating. The primary flies that are working are: Tan bead head sow bugs (no. 14), red or black zebra midges (no. 16), red butt emergers (no. 16-18), copper johns (no. 16), pheasant tails and prince nymphs (no. 16), olive woolly buggers (no. 10-12) and egg patterns (no. 8 to 14) At this time of year, you may see large male brown trout doing aerial leaps and displays. This is part of the spawning ritual and should not be confused with surface feeding. Look for flashes of light reflecting off the female brown trout's sides as she makes her redd (areas of the stream bottom cleared of debris by the mama brown trout prior to laying her eggs).

Greers Ferry: As of Tuesday, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reports the lake’s elevation at 457.77 feet MSL.
Shiloh Marina had no report due to low angler numbers.
Tommy Cauley of Fish Finder Guide Service said the water temperature ranges in the mid- to low 50s and should drop even more with the approaching front. Walleye fishing improved. They are starting their early pre-staging efforts around bridge pilings and the main mouths of major creeks. Troll deep-diving Spoonbill Rebels and Wally Divers with line weights to get down to the fish in about 50 feet of water. Bass are still scattered but are starting to grouped up in schools. They can be caught with spinnerbaits, jigs and crankbaits shallow. There is always a jigging spoon bite and Carolina-rig bite lately. Crappie are suspended in pole timber about 20 feet deep in 40 feet of water near creek bends. Bream are biting decently around 40 feet deep. The hybrid and white bass action is getting better now that the water has settled. Some can be caught on jigging spoons and in-line spinners near the rock piles in the ditches of Cove Creek and the ditches in Salt Creek.

Harris Brake Lake: Coffee Creek Landing said the water is low and clear. Bream are biting poorly on wax worms and crickets. Crappie are biting well on minnows and pearl-colored stingers in shallow coves. Bass are fair on white spinnerbaits and minnows. Catfishing is fair on trotlines baited with shad and large minnows.
 
Lake Overcup: Lakeview Landing said the water is at normal level and is clear. Bream are biting fair to well on red worms. Crappie are biting well on minnows, red/white/chartreuse jigs and white/pink Crappie Stingers. Bass and catfish are both slow.

Toad Suck Lock and Dam: Bates Field and Stream said the water is murky. Bream are biting well with the red-eared sunfish moving shallow. The best bite has been on red worms and crickets. Catfishing is excellent on trotlines baited with large minnows.

Little Maumelle River: River Valley Bait said the warm front has slowed the fishing and the rains have kept anglers off the water.

Lake Maumelle: Jolly Roger’s Marina said the water level is 4.6 feet below the spillway. Getting in and out of the lake is easy at the marina ramp. Largemouth bass and Kentucky bass are in about 6 feet of water near the channels and are hitting almost anything – crankbaits, spinnerbaits and soft-plastics are all working well. Crappie are biting well in 15 to 20 feet of water on red/white jigs and pink minnows. Catfishing is good on large minnows and prepared baits fished on slip-sinker rigs in about 20 feet of water. White bass fishing is slow. The white bass are in the coves and are moving west.

Arkansas River (Little Rock area): McSwain Sports Center said the current is picking up and so is the fishing. Stripers are biting well on white/chartreuse grubs and spoons. Catfish are biting well on cut shad and large minnows below the dams.
Hatchet Jack’s Sport Shop said stripers are biting very well on chartreuse split-tailed trailers fished on a jighead below the dam. Catfishing is good on large minnows below the dam. Crappie are biting on pink minnows.
 
Sunset Lake: Turbyfill’s Outdoor Sports said the water is clear and at normal levels. Bream fishing is fair on crickets. Bass fishing is fair on green pumpkin lizards. All other species are slow.

Saline River Access in Benton: Turbyfill’s said the water is clear and low. Crappie fishing is good on pink minnows. Bass are biting well on Bandit crankbaits in 10 to 12 feet of water. Catfishing and bream fishing are both poor.
 
Clear Lake: McSwain Sports Center said the water is at normal elevation and is clear. Crappie are biting well on minnows and tube jigs. Catfish are fair on nightcrawlers and large minnows.


NORTH ARKANSAS:
 
White River: Gaston's White River Resort said many large browns are being caught on white, brown and green jigs, Rapala Countdowns and Rattlin’ Rogues. The browns are making their move to their spawning grounds, so if you do fish for them please release them as soon as possible. Keep a few rainbows for the frying pan if you’re looking for supper. Plenty of fish can still be caught on Power Eggs and worms. Fly-anglers are doing the best with red San Juan worms, egg patterns and pink/white micro jigs.
Wilderness Trail said the area in front of the state park is now a seasonal catch-and-release area, all brown trout must be released immediately, no Power Bait or live bait may be used and you must use barbless hooks. The regular catch-and-release area is now closed. Further downriver Berkley Power Eggs in yellow, Sunrise, and pink have worked well.  During generation, Buoyant spoons, Mepps spinners and Little Cleos are the baits of choice. Fly-anglers have done well during light generation on olive woolly buggers, zebra midges, scuds or sow bugs. Brown trout further downriver outside of the catch and release areas are being caught on Flat Fish, jointed Rapalas and nightcrawlers.  
 
Bull Shoals Lake: As of Tuesday, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reports the lake’s elevation at 648.21 feet MSL.
Wilderness Trail said the water clarity is at 12 feet of visibility, and the surface water temperature varies from 54.6 degrees in the upper lake to 55.8 degrees in the mid to lower lake. Crappie like the cooler water and have been very active in the mornings and then again in the late afternoons around docks with brush, pole trees along the bluffs, brush piles and in watersheds. Crappie minnows tight-lined or on a slip bobber are the best live-bait rigs. Tubes, grubs and Bobby Garland’s Swimming Minnow or Split Tail are the best artificial baits.  Most of the crappie are suspended between 14 and 20 feet of water.  Largemouth showed some activity in the backs of the creeks. Spinnerbaits and top-water lures triggered some feeding largemouth in the mornings, but the window of opportunity is short – from dawn until 8 a.m. After the morning bite, move out onto the channel swings and points with football jigs or spoons. Smallmouth bass are still using pea rock banks to feed, but there are also a lot of smallies showing up on main lake chunk rock points and along bluff walls. Spider jigs and tubes are key baits in 35 to 45 feet of water. Outside of 45 feet, switch to football jigs or drop-shot rigs. On breezy days fish the main lake banks with Wiggle Warts and spinnerbaits.  Kentucky bass can be found almost everywhere as they are feeding on crawdads instead of shad.  The guides at Bull Shoals Lake Boat Dock have been having great success this week fishing secondary points in the creek arms dropping nightcrawlers weighted with a split shot in 30 to 40 feet of water.  We have also been catching Kentuckies on bluff walls, along channel swings and around docks on spider jigs and hair jigs. Walleye are both shallow and deep, you just have to decide which ones to fish for. The shallow walleye are at bluff ends, channel swing entrances and banks that have shelves. Slow trolling crawler harnesses with bottom bouncers and long-lining Glass Shad or Rogues on lead-core line are working well. Work water from 24 to 38 feet deep. The deep walleye are outside of feeding flats and suspended over flooded timber that tops out at about 50 feet.  The best bait this time of year is a spoon fished vertically down to the walleye. 
Sugarloaf Harbor said the water is clear and low. Crappie are biting well in 20 feet of water on minnows. Bass are biting well on hula grubs fished on rocky ledges.

 Lake Norfork: As of Tuesday, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reports the lake’s elevation at 548.31 feet MSL.
Cranfield Junction Quik Stop said the water is clear, with about 12 feet of visibility in places. Crappie are fair on minnows and jigs. Bass are fair on spinnerbaits and crankbaits in the mornings and a jig-and-pig combo at night. White bass are biting on in-line spinners early in the morning upstream where the river and lake meet. Catfish are fair to poor on cut bait and shiners. Bluegill are fair on crickets and red worms. Stripers are biting well on shiners and spoons fished in 50 to 60 feet of water.

Norfork Tailwater: Gene’s Trout Dock said the water is clear and running at normal levels. Rainbow trout and brown trout are both biting well on black sow bug-patterned flies and red worms.
McLellan’s Fly Shop said generation has been very sporadic lately, and the extremely low dissolved oxygen levels the Norfork has been experiencing for the last several weeks still persist, suffocating hundreds of quality trout. If you fish Norfork, be sure to land fish as quickly as possible and take extra time reviving them before release. Fall is the best time of year to fish egg patterns as the brown trout leave the deeper water for the shallow gravel flats during their annual spawning run.  However, for the health of the fishery, be sure to avoid actively spawning fish and their spawning redds (clean oval depressions in the gravel). When the water level is wadable, the Norfork has been experiencing a nice blue-winged olive mayfly hatch, producing some exciting dry-fly fishing in the afternoons. Blue-winged olive parachutes work well for the dries, and beaded little mayflies and olive micro mayflies are good imitations of the nymphs.


NORTHWEST ARKANSAS
 
Beaver Lake: As of Tuesday, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reports the lake’s elevation at 1,113.32 feet MSL.
Southtown Sporting Goods said the water is low and clear. Crappie are biting well on minnows and Shinee Hinee Jigs in brush piles 6 to 12 feet deep. Bass are poor to fair in the shallows on spinnerbaits and crankbaits. Jigs and spoons are working fairly well in deeper water. Stripers are fair in 8 to 20 feet of water where the river arms meet points and ledges from shore.

Beaver Tailwater: McLellan’s Fly Shop said there has been very little generation during the last few days, providing plenty of wade-fishing opportunities.  Of course, scuds and sow bugs as well as midge pupa patterns have been very productive; however, cream midge adult patterns have hooked several trout. Fall and winter are also great times to fish egg patterns as the brown trout make their annual spawning run.  However, for the health of the fishery, be sure to avoid actively spawning fish and their spawning redds (clean oval depressions in the gravel).

Lake Fayetteville: Lake Fayetteville Boat Dock said the water is clear and at normal elevation. Crappie are fair on jigs fished 15 to 20 feet deep in 30 feet of water. Bluegill are biting micro jigs fished on the bottom in 15 to 20 feet of water.

Lake Sequoyah: Lake Sequoyah Boat Dock said the water is clear and at normal pool. Crappie are biting well in 10 to 12 feet of water on minnows and tube jigs fished close to the pier. Bass are fair on soft-plastic crayfish imitations fished around any visible cover. Bream and catfish are slow.

 
NORTHEAST ARKANSAS
  
Spring River: No Report.

Eleven-Point River: Woody’s Canoe Rental and Campground had no report due to low angler numbers.

Crown Lake: Boxhound Marina said the water is clear and at normal elevation. Crappie are fair on minnows bass are fair on spinnerbaits. Overall, the fishing is slow.


SOUTHEAST ARKANSAS
  
Lake Chicot: Koenig Bass Tracker Marine said the water is clear and at 29 feet. Crappie are biting well on jigs tipped with a live minnow. Bass are fair trolling cranks in open water. Bream are biting well on wax worms and crickets.
 
Grand lake:  Fishing success has been low with few reports.
 
Cane Creek Lake: Cane Creek State Park said the water is clear and at normal levels. Crappie are biting excellently on minnows fished in 7 to 8 feet of water out in the middle of the lake. Catfishing is excellent on chicken liver and stinkbait.

 
SOUTHWEST ARKANSAS
 
Millwood Lake: As of Tuesday, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reports the lake’s elevation at 259.39 feet MSL.
Millwood Lake Guide Service said main lake and Little River water surface temperatures range from 55 to 58 degrees. Large bass were venturing shallow during the heat of the day last week and could be caught on Bass Assassin Shads in baby bass and gizzard shad colors and on Rat-L-Traps in silver, white, and diamond dust colors.  The return of the lake level to normal improved most activity levels, as has the clarity improvement. Largemouth bass are still feeding on shad in relatively shallow water close to deep drops, around grass beds and vegetation. Bass continue hitting well, but feeding periods are becoming shorter. Half-ounce Rat-L-Traps continue taking lots of small bass around creek mouths and in creek channels. Larger, ¾-oz. Rat-L-Traps tend to catch the larger bass underneath the small fish. Work the heavier lure slowly around stumps and make repeated casts, as the larger fish are a little pickier. Cordell Big O's and Excalibur Fat Free Shad crankbaits fished parallel to the river channel and in creek mouths dumping into the river channel is working well. Shad-patterned spinnerbaits are working around the edges of vegetation as well. The jig bite continues to improve. These bass are relating to the base of cypress knees and trees. Black/blue and black/chartreuse are the best colors to try. No report for White Bass. Crappie have improved on shiners fished 17 to 25 feet in deep river holes with planted brush piles along Little River. No report for Channel Cats.

Lake Columbia: Steve's Marine said bream are biting fairly well on worms and crickets fished right on the bottom. Crappie are biting decently on a jig-and-minnow combination. Catfishing is slow. Bass fishing is slow.  

Lake Erling: Steve's Marine said bream are biting fairly well on worms and crickets fished right on the bottom. Crappie are biting decently on a jig-and-minnow combination. Catfishing is slow. Bass fishing is slow.

White Oak Lake: Charlie’s One Stop said the upper lake is being drained into the lower lake. Bream and bass are biting well in the lower lake. Concentrate on main points and ledges.

Lake Greeson: As of Tuesday, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reports the lake’s elevation at 538.08 feet MSL.
Lakeside Grocery, Motel and Bait said the water is murky and low. Bass are biting well on crankbaits and centipedes in 2 to 10 feet of water. Smallmouth are good in the channels on small swim baits. Stripers are schooling and can be caught on top-water lures as well as spoons. Walleye are fair on jigs and crankbaits trolled slowly over deep water.
 
DeGray Lake: As of Tuesday, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reports the lake’s elevation at 397.60 feet MSL.
DeGray One Stop said the water is in the low 60s and stable. Water clarity is excellent. Bream are biting poorly, but a few have been caught in 20 to 30 feet of water. Crappie are scattered around 15 to 20 feet deep and biting decently on crappie minnows and small multicolored jigs. Catfish are slow and holding in 20 to 30 feet of water. Hybrids and white bass are schooling and moving upriver. The best bite has been on Roostertails and spoons. Black bass are in 8 feet of water during the mornings and move out to 20 feet by 10. Slow-rolled spinnerbaits and deep-diving crankbaits are working the best on the bass.

Little Missouri River:  Jeff Guerin of Little Missouri Flyfishing said fishing has been very tough lately, with the fish in the catch-and-release area being very picky about their diet. Any time a fresh stocking of fish comes to the river, the fishing is excellent, so keep an eye out for the AGFC trucks.


WEST-CENTRAL ARKANSAS
 
Lake Dardanelle: Murphy’s Sporting Goods said the water is clear and at normal pool. Crappie are biting well on minnows fished in 12 to 15 feet of water near the creek channels. Bass are biting well on spinnerbaits and Rat-L-Traps fished around the edges of the moss. Catfishing is good below the dam on large bass minnows and shad.
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 clear and at normal pool. Bream are biting well on small minnows and worms. Crappie are excellent on large minnows and jigs. Bass are fair. Catfish are good on nightcrawlers and minnows fished on the bottom.

Ozark Pool: Lakeside Food Mart said the water is clear and at normal pool. Crappie are fair to good on minnows fished in 8 feet of water in the creeks. Black bass are fair on spinnerbaits fished along the shallows in the backs of creeks. Catfishing is fair on shad, shrimp and nightcrawlers.

Lake Ouachita: As of Tuesday, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reports the lake’s elevation at 572.79 feet MSL.
Poorman’s Tackle and Guide Service said bass are biting excellently on top-water lures in the first 3 to 4 hours of the morning. They are holding in deep water around main channels where points meet the deep water. Flukes and spoons are working well on the bass in open water as well and the larger fish are near the bottom of the schools. Stripers are biting very well on spoons and spinners fished deep and top-water lures during feeding frenzies. Seagulls are back on Ouachita and if you find them circling, chances are good that the stripers will be near. Crappie are fair to slow. Fish twister tail grubs in chartreuse/white or Tennessee shad in 6 to 8 feet of water over the grass. You have to cover a lot of water to catch the crappie. No report on bream and catfish.
 
Lake Catherine: Diamondhead Marina said the water is at winter pool and murky. Bass are biting well on small soft-plastic worms fished in 3 to 4 feet of water along the shoreline. No report on any other species.

Lake Hamilton: Poorman’s Tackle and Guide Service said the fishing is good, but it’s mainly small fish. Small largemouth and Kentucky bass, white bass and stripers are all running together and can be caught on Roostertails, grubs, small spinnerbaits and spoons. Crappie are hit-and-miss. They’re stacked in 8 to 12 feet of water. If you find the few spots they’ve congregated, you can load the boat. Otherwise, you’re in for a long day. Large stripers are slow, but a few have been caught in 30 feet of water, about 10 feet deep. Catfish are fair to slow on nightcrawlers.

Lake Hinkle: Bill's Bait Shop said the water is clear and at normal pool. Bream are biting well on red worms. Crappie are biting well on minnows and jigs. Bass are fair on top-water lures in the mornings. Catfishing is good on trotlines baited with live or prepared bait.

Lake Atkins: Lucky Landing said the water is clear and at normal pool. Bream fishing is excellent on red worms and crickets. Crappie fishing is excellent on chartreuse jigs and minnows fished in 8 feet of water. Bass are slow. Catfishing is fair on chicken livers and whole, live shad.

Lake Nimrod: As of Tuesday, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reports the lake’s elevation at 342.47 feet MSL.
Local angler Billy Blankenship said the water is clear and at normal pool. Crappie are biting well on minnows and small shad-colored crankbaits trolled around the main river channel.

SOUTH-CENTRAL ARKANSAS
 
Felsenthal: Hale’s One Stop said most of the folks headed to the water are after ducks. Crappie are biting well on shiners.


EAST ARKANSAS: 

White River: Triangle Sports said the water temperature is 56 degrees. Crappie are poor. Bass are fair on jigs and tubes. Walleye are fair on large minnows and bream in the main current.

Island 40 Chute: Daily’s Boat Dock said Crappie are biting well on jigs fished 31/2- to 4 feet deep. Catfish are fair on trotlines baited with skipjack herring. 

Arkansas River (Pine Bluff): The Tackle Box said the water is clear and at normal levels. Bream fishing is excellent on crickets fished shallow around the harbor. Crappie are excellent with many large crappie being caught on rosy red minnows in Cane Creek. Catfishing is excellent on frozen shad and worms.
River City Sporting Goods said the water is clear and at normal levels. Bream are fair on crickets and red wigglers. Crappie are fair on black/chartreuse jigs and minnows in 8 feet of water. Bass are fair on crankbaits and spinnerbaits fished along the jetties. Catfishing is poor. Stripers are biting well below the dam on white bucktail jigs.

Maddox Bay: Maddox Bay Landing said the water is stained and at a little over 22 feet. Crappie are biting well on yo-yos baited with minnows near the channel. Catfishing is fair on trotlines baited with minnows.

Bear Creek Lake: Arkansas Outdoors said the water is clear and at normal pool. Crappie fishing is fair trolling minnows in 6 feet of water.
 
Horseshoe Lake: Local fisherman Clyde Gregory said the water is low and clear. Bream are fair on crickets fished shallow. Crappie are biting well in the middle of the lake on trolled minnows. Bass are poor to fair on white spinnerbaits in the shallows. Catfishing is excellent on cut bait and nightcrawlers. Some large hybrids have been spotted busting the surface in the mornings – some up to 12 pounds.