4/25/2007

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 April 25, 2007. If there is a body of water you would like included in this report, please call or e-mail us with information on possible sources for that lake or river.

Fishing Tip: According to Larry Hurley at Poorman’s Guide Service, the post-spawn period is an excellent time to concentrate on Kentucky bass. The largemouths will still be a little finicky, but an angler can concentrate on the outside edge of the grass with a drop-shot rig and salvage a good day from cooperative Kentuckies.

Arkansas River Levels: According to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, as of Wednesday the Arkansas River stages are:
7.91 feet at Dardanelle (flood stage – 32 feet)
14.61 feet at Morrilton (flood stage – 30 feet)
7.63 feet at Little Rock (flood stage – 23 feet)
31.77 feet at Pine Bluff (flood stage – 42 feet)
26.36 feet at Pendleton (flood stage – 31 feet)

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

11.73 feet at Georgetown (flood stage – 21 feet)
23.11 feet at Augusta (flood stage – 26 feet)
10.58 feet at Newport (flood stage – 26 feet)
7.87 feet at Batesville (flood stage – 15 feet)
3.66 feet at Calico Rock (flood stage – 19 feet)

Statewide Family and Community Fishing Report:  Catfish were stocked into most program ponds last week, and they are biting very well. Nightcrawlers and chicken livers have been the best baits so far, but stinkbait and minnows should also produce fish.  Bream fishing has only been fair on crickets and worms, but should pick up within the next week as the full moon approaches and fish get ready to bed up.  For more information on catfish stockings, call toll-free 1-866-540-FISH (3474).

CENTRAL ARKANSAS:
        
        Lake Conway: Bates Field and Stream (501-470-1846) said the water is clear and at normal level. Bream are fair on crickets fished in the shallows. Crappie are fair on jigs. Bass are fair to good on spinnerbaits and white/chartreuse tube jigs. Catfishing is good on trotlines baited with live bream.

 
Little Red River: Lindsey's Resort (501-302-3139) said the water is clear and low. One generator has been running very sporadically, but that may increase with the warmer weather. Trout fishing is good on Power Eggs and waxworm/marshmallow combinations.

Jed Hollan at the Little Red Fly Shop said trout fishing is great on tan or dark gray sow bugs in sizes 14 and 16. Gold ribbed hare's ears in size 16, red zebra midges (16), March brown nymphs (16) and brown woolly buggers (10-12) are also working well. There are a lot of very small brown trout in the river (about 1-2 inches long) as a result of last year’s spawn. Small brown woolly buggers, yellow head jigs and chili peppers are getting a lot of attention from the trout. Dry flies that are working include March browns (14-16), elk hair caddis (16) and Adams (16).

Greers Ferry: As of Tuesday, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reports the lake’s elevation at 461.65 feet MSL.
Shiloh Marina (501-825-6237) said the water is clear and at normal levels. Crappie are biting well on jig-and-minnow combinations. No report on any other species.

Tommy Cauley of Fish Finder Guide Service said hybrid fishing is good if you get over the shad and stay over them.  The fish are back in deep water and wanting to feed. Fish swim baits and spoons in 40-60 feet of water. The river white bass are back with the hybrids and feeding. The main lake white bass are using the smaller creeks to spawn and can be caught with small grubs, Roadrunners and in-line spinners. The crappie should get back to normal by the end of the week and be shallow with the warm up and rising water. Catfish are biting pretty well as they are eating the carp eggs and are hungry after the late winter. A few walleye are starting to be caught again on postspawn flats in about 40 feet of water. The cold front really hurt the black bass bite. The bass went a little deeper, but can be caught on Rite Bite lizards or Cinkos fished on 1/8-ounce jigheads, also use Texas-rigged centipedes and wacky-rigged floating worms.

Harris Brake Lake: Coffee Creek Landing (501-889-2745) said the water is clearing and at normal levels. Bream are fair on worms and crickets. Crappie are fair on minnows. Bass are fair on soft-plastics and spinnerbaits. Catfishing is fair on green sunfish.

Lake Beaverfork: The City of Conway Parks and Recreation Department said the water is murky and high. Crappie are still out deep. Bass are slow, but a few are being caught in the evenings on spinnerbaits and soft plastics.

Lake Overcup: Lakeview Landing (501-354-1470) said the water is clear and at normal levels. Bream are fair on crickets. Crappie are fair on minnows and red/white, pink/white or chartreuse jigs. Bass are biting well on crankbaits, spinnerbaits and blue lizards. Catfishing is fair on worms and minnows.

Overcup Landing (501-354-9007) said the water is 3 to 4 inches high. Bream are biting well on wax worms and crickets. The bream seem to be coming in to spawn. Crappie are biting well on minnows and salt/pepper, red/chartreuse and white/chartreuse jigs in the shallows. Bass are biting well around the grass on spinnerbaits and flukes. Catfishing is slow on stinkbait and worms.

Lake Brewer: Overcup Landing (501-354-9007) said the water is clear and at normal levels. Bream are biting well on redworms and crickets. Crappie are biting well on small minnows and blue/white, pink/white and chartreuse jigs fished around brush piles. Bass fishing is good. Catfish are slow.

Little Maumelle River: River Valley Bait (501-868-3279) said the water is about 11/2 feet low. Bream are fair on crickets, worms and top-water popping bugs. Crappie are fair to good on jigs and minnows. Bass fishing is slow. Catfishing is fair on live and prepared baits fished on the bottom in the channel.

Lake Maumelle: Jolly Roger’s Marina said the water level is about 3 inches above the spillway and the surface temperature ranges from 63 to 70 degrees. Largemouth bass fishing is excellent. The bass are still spawning in the shallow water from 3 to 5 feet deep. Spinnerbaits, tubes and shallow-running crankbaits are working well along the northern banks. Kentucky bass are mixed in with the largemouths and biting well on the same lures. White bass have been schooling along North Shore and are biting well on Near Nothings and CC Spoons. Crappie are fair on minnows and small jigs in 5 to 10 feet of water. Bream fishing is good anywhere from 5 to 20 feet deep, with most of the larger bream coming from deeper water. Many redear sunfish are showing up on crickets fished deep. Catfishing is good on prepared baits and large minnows.

Sunset Lake: Turbyfill’s Outdoor Sports (501-315-3061) said the water is clear and at normal levels. Bream fishing is excellent on crickets. Crappie are biting very well on Tennessee shad-colored jigs. Bass are biting well on watermelon-colored trick worms. Catfishing is good on stinkbait.

Saline River Access in Benton: Turbyfill’s Outdoor Sports (501-315-3061) said the water is clear and at normal levels. Bream are biting well on crickets. Crappie are fair on minnows and jigs. Bass are biting well on 5-inch green pumpkin lizards. Catfishing is fair on stinkbait.

Arkansas River at Morrilton: Charley’s Hidden Harbor in Oppelo said high water and flow has kept anglers off the main river. Catfishing is good in the backwaters and up the streams where the current has pushed the river flow into the creeks. The mud line is very pronounced. Kentucky bass are biting fairly well along the mud line on firetiger-colored crankbaits. White bass are biting well below Locks 9 and 10, around Flagg Lake Cutoff and Cypress Creek on shad-colored Rapalas. Stripers are biting fair below the dam on large spoons. Bream are in the backwaters and biting excellently on crickets in 2 to 6 feet of water. Crappie are fair in 2 to 6 feet on minnows.

       
Terry Lock and Dam: McSwain Sports Center (501-945-2471) said the water is very high and muddy. Catfishing is excellent from the bank on cut shad. Most boats are staying off the water with the strong current flow.

 
        Clear Lake: McSwain Sports Center (501-945-2471) said the water is a little high and muddy. Bream are biting well on crickets fished in 4 feet of water around brush and stumps. Crappie are fair on pink minnows in 4 to 5 feet of water. Bass are biting well on white/chartreuse spinnerbaits in 3 to 4 feet of water around the grassline. Catfishing is slow.

        Peckerwood Lake: Herman’s Landing (870-241-3731) said the water is slightly dingy. Bream are fair on worms and crickets. Crappie are biting well on minnows and jigs. Bass are fair to good on spinnerbaits and crankbaits. Catfishing is excellent on blood bait and minnows.

        Redbarn Landing (870-255-4315) said the water clarity is good and the water level has dropped a few inches in the last week. Bream are biting fair on worms and crickets. Crappie are excellent on minnows and white jigs. Bass are biting very well on buzzbaits and white Horny Toads fished around the grass and lily pads. Catfishing is good on shrimp.

NORTH ARKANSAS:
 
White River: Wilderness Trail (870-445-2703) said trout fishing has been good on Berkley Power Eggs in yellow and Sunrise along with Belgian redworms. With generation, Little Cleos, Rooster Tails and Original Floating Rapalas are the baits of choice. Fly-anglers have done well with little generation on olive woolly buggers, San Juan worms in bright colors and sow bugs. Brown trout are being caught on Rapala Countdowns, Flat Fish, Rogues and nightcrawlers.  

Bull Shoals Lake: As of Tuesday, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reports the lake’s elevation at 654.01 feet MSL.
Wilderness Trail (870-445-2703) said the surface temperature jumped to 61 degrees with some 62- to 65-degree water in the backs of some creeks and in stained water areas such as the upper Theodosia arm and the upper lake from Horseshoe Bend to the dam. Crappie have moved to the back of the brush piles and docks staging for their spawn. They will move to the banks and migrate to the backs of the coves and pockets throughout the week. Fish Bobby Garland’s Swimming Minnows and crappie grubs or tubes from the bank to the boat with a slow, swimming retrieve. White bass continue to spawn in the backs of the creeks; this will probably be the last week for the whites. Small spoons, Road Runners and Rebel or Rapala jerkbaits will create some fast action. Largemouth bass should start their spawning runs this week and will be in full spawn by next weekend. Senkos and flukes will trigger a lot of strikes from largemouth that are cruising the backs of the pockets and creeks, but on windy days throw spinnerbaits or shallow crankbaits for more strikes. Smallmouth bass are now spawning on northern banks with step ledges. They are spawning in 18 to 24 feet of water, but with the water clarity the beds are very easy to see. The best bite is on lizards, tubes and finesse worms on a shaky head. Other plastic baits that you can try are centipedes, Fish Doctors and hula grubs. Kentuckies will spawn almost anywhere they have large rocks along with some pea gravel. Tubes, spider jigs, Senkos and trick worms will trigger most spawners.  Reaction baits such as spinnerbaits, jerkbaits and crankbaits work well on windy days. 

Walleye are on their postspawn feed, running the banks in the creeks, on the main lake and in the pockets. Some trollers are pulling planer boards along the banks with crawler harnesses and suspending Rogues during the day and doing well. Casting Glass Shad, Shad Raps and spinnerbaits are great with wind around points and down pea rock banks.  Most of the walleye are in 12 to 20 feet of water during daylight hours. At night they are repositioning themselves up on the points and a number of nice walleye are being caught on X-Raps and Suspending Rogues from 7 p.m. until midnight.         

 Lake Norfork: As of Tuesday, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reports the lake’s elevation at 552.00 feet MSL.
Cranfield Junction Bait and Tackle (870-492-5141) said the water is gin clear. Bream are biting well on worms and crickets. Crappie are biting excellently on minnows and jigs fished near shallow brush and beds. Bass are biting excellently on spinnerbaits, crankbaits, soft-plastics and topwaters fished shallow. Catfishing is fair on worms and chicken livers.

 
Norfork Tailwater: Gene’s Trout Dock (870-499-5381) said the water is clear and trout fishing is excellent on nightcrawlers and live crayfish.

Mountain River Fly Shop said things are pretty much the same as last week. The caddis hatch is back in full force. Fishing continues to be good on the Norfork. Start out fishing Zebra Midges in the morning and go to Anna''K" soft hackles and e/c caddis dries in the afternoon.

Table Rock Lake: As of Tuesday, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reports the lake’s elevation at 915.02 feet MSL.
Phillip Stone of Stone’s Guide Service said bass fishing is picking up since the recent warm weather. Most fish have been around spawning areas in 8-12 feet of water using a brown/purple jig. Work the bait slowly on the bottom, especially around any cover. On windy days, try throwing a spinnerbait on the same banks. Most of the bass are starting, or restarting to spawn after the recent cold front passed through. Crappie are really starting to turn back on after the cold front. Most are holding just off spawning banks in 5-10 feet of water, especially around any cover. I am still catching most of them by drift fishing with live minnows on spawning flats. The bigger females are holding on any cover and can be caught with swimming minnows.
 

NORTHWEST ARKANSAS
 
Beaver Lake: As of Tuesday, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reports the lake’s elevation at 1,120.33 feet MSL.
Southtown Sporting Goods (479-443-7148) said the water clarity is good. Crappie are biting well on minnows and Shinneee Hinneee jigs. Bass are biting well in the shallows on trick worms and tubes as well as Carolina-rigged lizards on secondary points. White bass are fair on minnows.

Brad Wiegmann of Wiegmann’s Guide Service said anglers interested in sight fishing for bedding bass have been rewarded this past week with bass moving into shallow water preparing for the spawn.  Expect bass to be in either prespawn or postspawn conditions this week. Anglers have been catching bass in either staging or spawning areas. Popular baits for pre spawn are search lures such as spinnerbaits, crankbaits, lipless crankbaits, buzzbaits or soft jerkbaits. Spawning bass can be caught on tube baits or crawfish shaped baits casting into the bedding area. Anglers fishing for white bass found the fishing slow this past week. Expect warmer water and look for the white bass to start biting again. Areas which should be productive are windswept, long gravel points or banks. Striper fishing has been very productive this past week on top-water baits. Expect the top-water bite to continue to be excellent with water temps ranging from 65 to 70 degrees.

Beaver Tailwater: McLellan’s Fly Shop said there has been very little generation this week. Especially during the weekend, watch for little or no generation, producing some excellent wading opportunities. During low water try patterns like the jujubee midge and the zebra midge. On breezy days, try a Griffith’s Gnats and other midge dry fly pattern.

Lake Fayetteville: Lake Fayetteville Boat Dock (479-444-3476) said the water is clear and at normal level. Bream are fair on worms and crickets. Crappie are fair on minnows and jigs. Bass are fair on soft-plastic worms. Catfishing is fair on nightcrawlers.

Lake Sequoyah: Lake Sequoyah Boat Dock (479-444-3475) said the water is clear and at normal levels. Bream are fair on worms and crickets in 2 to 6 feet of water. Crappie are biting well on minnows and Roadrunner jigs in 2 to 6 feet of water around brush and rocky areas. Bass are biting well on spinnerbaits and soft-plastic worms in 4 to 6 feet of water around mossy points and rocky areas. No report on catfish.
 

NORTHEAST ARKANSAS

        Crown Lake: Boxhound Marina (870-670-4496) said the water is clear and at normal levels. Bream are biting well on crickets fished in the shallows. Crappie are biting well on minnows fished on shallow cover. Bass are biting excellently on spinnerbaits, crankbaits and soft-plastics fished in the shallows. Catfishing is good on large minnows and chicken livers. Some good saugeye have been caught on swimming minnows jigged vertically off the bottom.

        Lake Frierson: Lake Frierson State Park said the water is dingy and at normal levels. Catfishing is good on jugs baited with goldfish. Saugeye are biting well on nightcrawlers.

        Eleven-Point River: Woody’s Canoe Rental and Campground (870-892-9732) said the water is clear and high. Fishing is slow for all species.

        Spring River: Many Islands Camp (870-856-3451) said the water is at normal levels. Trout fishing is excellent on spinners. Bass are biting well on minnows. Walleye are fair on live crayfish.
 

SOUTHEAST ARKANSAS
  
Lake Chicot: Koenig Bass Tracker Marine (870-265-5374) said the water is clear and at normal levels. Bream are biting fairly well on crickets and worms. Crappie are biting well on minnows and black/chartreuse jigs. Bass are fair on spinnerbaits and crankbaits. Catfishing is fair on chicken livers.

        Local anglers report a fair number of crappie and bream being caught close to cypress trees and docks on a jig-and-minnow combination. Catfish and crappie are being caught at night on yo-yos baited with live minnows.

Grand Lake:  Koenig Bass Tracker Marine (870-265-5374) said the water is clear and at normal levels. Bream are fair on worms and crickets. Crappie are fair on minnows and chartreuse/black jigs. Catfishing is fair on chicken livers. Bass are fair on spinnerbaits.

Lake Wilson:  Koenig Bass Tracker Marine (870-265-5374) said the water is clear and at normal levels. Crappie are biting fairly well on chartreuse jigs with a black head. Bass are fair on crankbaits and spinnerbaits. Bream are fair on crickets. Catfishing is fair on chicken livers.

 
Cane Creek Lake: Cane Creek Lake State Park said the water is clear and at normal levels. No report on any fishing activity.

 
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 said surface temperature ranges from 68 to 73 degrees. Up-river water and oxbow surface temps remain slightly warmer than the main lake. Little River's clarity as of Monday is improved from last week, and is 6-9 inches.  Main lake clarity and visibility is reduced to 3-5 inches. Current is at 1,793CFS. Navigation along Little River is fair, but several buoy markers are missing in long runs and in turns along the river. The activity levels of bass and crappie, are post spawn in the majority of the lake. Many bass and crappie have now pulled out of spawning areas to second drops along Little River or the oxbows.  Bream should begin bedding and spawning soon. Twitch Assassins, Senkos, lizards, War Eagle spinnerbaits and jigs are taking some nice bass. The best bite has been on Senkos and Shad Assassins. Buzzbaits are generating some good reactions from decent size bass as well. Good-quality bass have pulled out slightly deeper and remain near deep drops in the 9-11 foot depth range on stumps and creek mouths.  These fish are good on jigs with pork trailers and 3" So Pro Fattbutt tubes in black neon, pumpkinseed, or smoke-red/chartreuse tail colors. Texas-rigged lizards and Hogg Assassins are taking some nice bass. White bass are biting well near White Cliffs, Cemetery Slough and the entrance to McGuire Lake. Small Rat-L-Traps, tail spinners like Rooster Tails, Roadrunners, and Rocket Shads in white or red or chrome/blue are working well. Crappie improved over the past week with lake level and clarity improvements. The best crappie bite was in brush piles in Little River 12-18 feet deep. Channel cats are biting well along outer river bends of Little River on trotlines using cut shad, Charlie, or homemade blood baits.

Lake Columbia: Steve's Marine (870-234-2222) said the water is a little high and relatively clear. Bream are biting well on worms and crickets. Crappie are biting well on shiners.

Lake Erling: Steve's Marine (870-234-2222) said the water is murky and at normal levels. Bream are biting well on worms and crickets. Catfishing is good on live and prepared baits fished around deep water.

White Oak Lake: Charlie’s One Stop (870-685-2753) said the water is clear and at normal levels. Bream are biting well on worms and crickets. Crappie are biting well on minnows and jigs. Bass are fair on spinnerbaits. Catfishing is good on chicken livers.

Lake Greeson: As of Tuesday, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reports the lake’s elevation at 545.18 feet MSL.
 
DeGray Lake: As of Tuesday, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reports the lake’s elevation at 408.11 feet MSL.
 

WEST-CENTRAL ARKANSAS
 
Lake Dardanelle: Murphy’s Sporting Goods (479-229-3200) said the main lake is muddy, but the bays are clearing up. Crappie are biting well in the shallows on minnows and jigs fished around brush. Bass are biting well on top-waters, buzzing frogs and spinnerbaits in the shallows. Catfishing is good on nightcrawlers and stinkbait.

Blue Mountain Lake: As of Tuesday, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reports the lake’s elevation at 387.94 feet MSL.
CNC’s End of the Line (479-947-2398) said the water is clear and at normal level. Bream are fair on crickets and red wigglers. Crappie are biting well on minnows and jigs. Bass are fair on minnows, spinnerbaits and shad-imitating crankbaits. Catfishing is fair on worms and chicken livers.

Ozark Pool: Lakeside Food Mart (479-667-5155) said the water is muddy with the level rising and falling. Bream are fair on worms and crickets. Crappie are fair on minnows. Bass are fair on spinnerbaits and jig-and-pig combinations. Catfishing is good on cut shad and nightcrawlers.

Lake Ouachita: As of Tuesday, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reports the lake’s elevation at 578.61 feet MSL.
Larry Hurley from Poorman’s Guide Service said bass are hit-and-miss. They have finished spawning and are scattered out suspended. Anglers can catch a few if they keep moving and cover a lot of water with spinnerbaits and clear Zara Puppies fished over creek channels and shallow points. Some walleye are actually coming out of the grass to hit trick worms fished along the grass edge. Bream are moving to the backs of coves, looking for spawning areas, but have not bedded up yet. Tennessee shad-colored grubs on 1/16-ounce jigs are catching a few. Stripers are fair on spoons, shad and gray hair jigs. Larger stripers are scattered, but some small stripers are grouped up. Crappie are scattered and poor.

Lake Ouachita State Park said bass and catfish are excellent.  The lake level has stabilized and water temp is ranging from 63 to 65 degrees on the east side of the lake.  Anglers have reported hit-or-miss crappie action with a few caught around the hydrilla lines and drop-offs on Kalin’s Tennessee shad and John Deer grubs. Crappie minnows on slip bobbers have been producing fish as well. Striper fishing is fair in areas where the shad are located and have been caught on gray flukes, spoons and crankbaits imitating the shad. Brood minnows have worked on stripers as well.  Bass fishing has been super on the traditional baits such as finesse worms and spinnerbaits. Jerkbaits and Rogues fished in 8-12 feet of water have been producing nice bass as well. Great catches of catfish have been caught on trotlines with blood baits. The big bluegill are beginning to move into the shallows to create their beds.

Lake Catherine: Diamondhead Marina (501-262-2272) said the water is clear and calm. Bream are biting well in 4 to 6 feet of water on crickets. Crappie are fair on minnows in 4 to 6 feet of water. Bass are fair. Catfishing is good on live and prepared baits in the coves near Diamondhead Marina.

Shane Goodner, owner of Catch’em All Guide Service, reports rainbow trout fishing continues to be excellent. Catches of 50 to 100 trout on guided trips are not uncommon with many of the fish in the 15-inch range. This kind of action will continue through May but will tail off considerably as the hot months of June and July approach. Fly-fishermen are taking advantage of the spring insect hatches and are matching their presentations accordingly. Streamers are still effective, but midges and woolly buggers are taking limits of trout with regularity. Bank fishermen have been very successful using PowerBait presentations, wax worms, redworms and corn. Spin fishermen are doing well casting Rooster Tails and small crankbaits. Walleye fishing is almost at a standstill as the remaining fish migrate downstream after their spawning run. Crappie are still being caught on minnows and jigs, but action is hit and miss due to the weather patterns. Also, the spawn is almost over and – like walleye- the crappie will migrate back to the main lake body as soon as possible. The threadfin shad migration has begun and schools are now visible are Carpenter Dam. This migration will begin the striper run towards the dam as well as increasing the number of hybrid bass in the area. The freshwater drum spawn is in full swing so prepare for action as the hungry females are plentiful in the shallow tailrace waters. Drum in the 20 pound range are common with females over 40 pounds not unheard of. Crawfish, shad, and worms are favorite meals of the drum so any angler after these fish will need to pattern their presentations after them.

Lake Hamilton: Larry Hurley from Poorman’s Guide Service said some bass are schooling and biting well on spinnerbaits, clear Zara Puppies and buzzing frogs. Swimming Senkos and swim baits are taking white bass, black bass and stripers fished around secondary and main lake points. Crappie are biting well on 1/8-ounce jigs in 12 feet of water around brush and boat docks. Bream are looking for spawning areas and are in coves around 4 feet deep. Stripers are fair on topwaters, but smaller topwaters are working the best. No report on walleye or catfish.

Lake Hinkle: Bill's Bait Shop (479-637-4719) said the water is clear and at normal level. Bream are fair on crickets. Crappie are fair on minnows and jigs in 3 to 4 feet of water. Bass are fair on minnows, crappie jigs and soft-plastic worms. Catfishing is fair on worms.

Lake Atkins: Lucky Landing (479-641-7615) said the clarity is good with a slight green tint to the water. Bream are fair on worms and crickets. Crappie are biting well on minnows and jigs in the shallows. Bass are biting well on spinnerbaits and soft-plastics in the shallows. Catfishing is fair on redworms.

Lake Nimrod: As of Tuesday, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reports the lake’s elevation at 345.52 feet MSL.
        Local angler Billy Blankenship said the water is clear and at normal levels. Crappie are biting well on minnows and jigs fished deep. Bass are fair to good on spinnerbaits and crankbaits. No report on bream or catfish.
 

SOUTH-CENTRAL ARKANSAS
 
        Felsenthal: Hale’s One Stop (870-943-2683) said the water is clear and high. Bream are biting well on crickets. Crappie are good on jigs. Bass are biting well on spinnerbaits and shiners. No report on catfish.

 
EAST ARKANSAS: 
  
Arkansas River (Pine Bluff): The Tackle Box (870-534-1498) said the water is high and murky. Bream are biting well on worms and crickets. Crappie are biting well on minnows. Bass are fair on soft-plastics and top-water lures. Catfish are biting well on nightcrawlers.

River City Sporting Goods (870-534-8303) said the water is high and muddy. Bream are biting well on crickets in the backwaters around 2 feet deep. Crappie are biting well on minnows and black/chartreuse jigs fished around stumps in 2-4 feet of water. Bass are biting well on crankbaits and spinnerbaits fished around rocky points. Catfishing is slow.

White River: Triangle Sports (870-793-7122) said crappie are slow. Bass are biting well on Senkos and floating worms fished between locks 1 and 3. Walleye fishing is dead slow. No report on any other species.

I-40 Chute: Daily’s Boat Dock (870-739-3478) said the water is low, but the level is beginning to get back in the woods on the island side of the chute. Fishing is poor for all species.

Maddox Bay: Maddox Bay Landing (870-462-8317) said the water is clear and rising. Bream are biting well on worms and crickets around the docks. Crappie are fair on minnows and jigs. Largemouth bass are biting well on buzzbaits and spinnerbaits. Kentucky bass are biting well on buzzbaits, spinnerbaits and crankbaits fished near the rocks. Catfishing is fair on stinkbait and minnows baited on trotlines.

Bear Creek Lake: Arkansas Outdoors (870-295-4240) said the water is very clear and at normal levels. Bream are biting well on redworms and crickets. Crappie are biting well on minnows and jigs trolled near deeper water. Bass are biting well on soft-plastics.

Six Rivers Sport Center (870-295-3236) said the water is at normal levels. Bream are biting well close to the bank on crickets. Crappie are biting well on minnows and jigs in 4 feet of water. Catfishing is good on jugs baited with sunfish.

Horseshoe Lake: Local fisherman Clyde Gregory said the water is clear, low and the surface temperature is 68 degrees. Bream are biting well in the shallows on wax worms. Crappie are biting well on minnows and black/chartreuse jigs trolled in deep water. Catfishing is good on yo-yos baited with cut bait and nightcrawlers and set in deep creek channels. Bass are slow.

Randy Zellers
Asst. Editor, Arkansas Wildlife
Communications Division
2 Natural Resources Drive
Little Rock, AR  72205
501-223-6406