13.12 feet at Dardanelle (flood stage – 32 feet)
20.34 feet at Morrilton (flood stage – 30 feet)
7.91 feet at Little Rock (flood stage – 23 feet)
32.44 feet at Pine Bluff (flood stage – 42 feet)
26.69 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:

11.48 feet at Georgetown (flood stage – 21 feet)
24.08 feet at Augusta (flood stage – 26 feet)
12.41 feet at Newport (flood stage – 26 feet)
8.21 feet at Batesville (flood stage – 15 feet)
5.59 feet at Calico Rock (flood stage – 19 feet) 

CENTRAL ARKANSAS

Lake Conway: Bates Field and Stream (501-470-1846) said the water is clear and at normal levels. Bream are excellent on wax worms and crickets. Crappie are fair on minnows and jigs. Bass are fair on top-waters and soft-plastics. Catfishing is good on live bream.

Little Red River: Lindsey's Resort (501-302-3139) said the river is at normal flow with generation in the afternoons. Trout fishing is excellent on corn, Power Eggs, wax worms and nightcrawlers. Fly-anglers are doing well on brassies. Spin fishing is good with small Rebel crankbaits.  

Jed Hollan at the Little Red Fly Shop said starting May 1 and continuing until October, the Greers Ferry Power House will be releasing small amounts of water into the Little Red on a daily basis. These small releases help keep the water cool and add to the dissolved oxygen. Larger water releases will also occur as hydroelectric power is required. Caddis fly hatches continue and the flies that worked last week are still attracting fish. One smoky olive bead head sow bug (size no. 14) recently caught 32 trout at the Dripping Springs Shoal in 4 1/2 hours with eight of them measuring longer than 20 inches. Dry flies that are working include the elk hair caddis (no. 14-16 tan with black bodies), sulphurs (no. 18-20), Adams (no. 16 tan), midges (no. 22 cream) and March browns (no. 14-16). Effective sub-surface flies include the smoky olive sow bug (no. 14-16), zebra midge (no. 16-22 red or black), pheasant tail (no. 16), gold-ribbed hare's ear (no. 14-16), prince (no. 16) and woolly buggers (no. 10-12 olive or brown). Lots of aquatic insect hatches mean lots of fly choices for the angler.

Today (5/09/07) is the fifteenth anniversary of the catching of the largest brown trout ever. The 40 pound 4 ounce behemoth was caught in the Little Red River by Howard "Rip" Collins of Heber Springs. A replica can be seen at the Little Red Fly Shop.

Greers Ferry: As of Tuesday, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reports the lake’s elevation at 462.43 feet MSL.

Tommy Cauley of Fish Finder Guide Service said surface temperature ranges from 67 to 72 degrees. Catfish are biting well on trotlines baited with live minnows and bream set in 18 to 24 feet of water near creek channels. Crappie are still spawning and are biting decently on spring craw-colored jigs tipped with a minnow. Bream are biting well on nightcrawlers and crickets anywhere from 1 to 8 feet deep around docks. White bass and hybrids are chasing large gizzard shad along main lake points and creeks. Walleye are grouping up and can be caught dragging nightcrawlers around rocky flats anywhere from 15 to 40 feet deep. Bass can be caught anywhere form the shallows to 15 feet deep on Cinkos, Carolina-rigged lizards, Rite Bite Shaky Hookers and Texas-rigged lizards around woody cover.

Shiloh Marina said the water is clear and at normal level. Crappie are biting well around Middle Fork on small jigs and minnows. Bass are biting well on crankbaits fished around the banks.

Harris Brake Lake: Coffee Creek Landing (501-889-2745) said the water is clearing. Bream are biting well along the banks on crickets. Catfishing is good on trotlines baited with bream. No report on any other species.

Lake Overcup: Lakeview Landing (501-354-1470) said the water is clear and at normal levels. Bream are biting well on worms and crickets in the shallows. Crappie are fair on minnows and jigs. Catfishing is excellent on chicken livers and large minnows.

Overcup Landing (501-354-9007) said the water is clear and about 6 inches high. Bream are biting well on redworms, wax worms and crickets. Crappie are biting well on salt-and-pepper jigs and pink/white/chartreuse jigs. Bass are fair on spinnerbaits and chartreuse/black/crawdad colored jigs fished around the grass. Catfishing is good on stinkbait and nightcrawlers.

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 red/white or blue/white jigs. Bass are fair on spinnerbaits and buzzbaits. Catfishing is good on nightcrawlers and cut bait.

Little Maumelle River: River Valley Bait (501-868-3279) said the water is low and muddy. Fishing has been terrible lately because the high pool and current on the Arkansas River has drawn much of the water out of the Little Maumelle.

Lake Maumelle: Jolly Roger’s Marina said largemouth bass are biting well around secondary and main lake points. Fish areas from 5 to 10 feet deep with spinnerbaits, crankbaits and tubes. White bass are excellent from the spillway all the way to the chimney. They are chasing small shad around the main lake. CC Spoons and Rooster Tails are working well. Bream are excellent on crickets in 15 feet of water. Catfishing is good on nightcrawlers, minnows and prepared baits. Crappie are fair on minnows and red/white jigs in 15 feet of water.

Sunset Lake: Turbyfill’s Outdoor Sports (501-315-3061) said the water is clear and at normal level. Bream fishing is excellent on crickets. Crappie fishing is poor. Bass fishing is good on Zoom trick worms in watermelonseed color. Catfishing is good on stinkbait.

Saline River Access in Benton: Turbyfill’s Outdoor Sports (501-315-3061) said the water is at normal levels and clarity. Bream are biting excellently on crickets. Crappie fishing is poor. Bass are biting well on top-water lures and shad-imitating lures. Catfishing is fair on stinkbait.

Arkansas River at Morrilton: Charley’s Hidden Harbor in Oppelo said the flow from Lock 9 is 114,673 cubic feet per second with a headwater of 284.84 and a tailwater of 278.70. High water and current should continue to the weekend. Catfishing is good around jetty tips on whole shad. Black bass are in 4 to 10 feet of water around the backwaters on motor oil finesse worms. Kentucky bass are biting fairly well on Horny Toads fished around where riprap and grass meet. White bass and stripers are below the dams and biting well on spoons wherever you can find some slack water. Bream are biting well on crickets fished around shallow sandbars.  

Terry Lock and Dam: McSwain Sports Center (501-945-2471) said the water is high and muddy. Bream are biting well on crickets. Catfishing is excellent on cut shad. 

Clear Lake: McSwain Sports Center (501-945-2471) said the water is stained and at normal level. Bream are excellent on crickets. Crappie are fair on minnows and jigs. Catfishing is good on nightcrawlers.

NORTH ARKANSAS

Bull Shoals Lake: As of Tuesday, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reports the lake’s elevation at 656.13 feet MSL.

Lake Norfork: As of Tuesday, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reports the lake’s elevation at 553.76 feet MSL.

Cranfield Junction Bait and Tackle (870-492-5141) said the water is very clear and about 11/2 feet over normal pool. Bream are biting well on worms and crickets. Crappie are fair on minnows and small jigs. Bass are biting well on jerkbaits and soft-plastic worms fished around 12-20 feet deep. Walleye are poor. Stripers are fair on Rogues and Spooks during low-light hours. No report on catfish.

Norfork Tailwater: Gene’s Trout Dock (870-499-5381) said the water is clear and low. Many fly-anglers are doing well on green and black woolly buggers. Bait fishing with frozen shad is working well in the current.

NORTHWEST ARKANSAS

Beaver Lake: As of Tuesday, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reports the lake’s elevation at 1,121.24 feet MSL.

Southtown Sporting Goods (479-443-7148) said the water is clear and at normal levels. Bream are fair on worms and crickets. Crappie are biting well on minnows and jigs in 5 to 15 feet of water. Bass are fair on floating worms, spinnerbaits and shallow-running crankbaits. Hybrids and stripers are moving up to the shallows and will hit shad-imitating baits as well. Catfishing is good on jugs and trotlines baited with live minnows.

Brad Wiegmann of Wiegmann’s Guide Service said anglers can expect bass to continue to be in either pre-spawn or post-spawn conditions this week. The rising water will make spawning bass deeper than a week ago. Look for bass to be in staging and spawning areas. Popular search baits for pre-spawn bass are spinnerbaits, crankbaits, lipless crankbaits, buzzbaits or soft jerkbaits. With muddy water in the river arms, anglers can go armed with flipping sticks and pitch/flip jig-and-pig combinations or spinnerbaits to catch bass. Anglers have been catching some white bass, but the action has slowed down.  Try casting lipless crankbaits on long gravel banks to catch them. Top-water fishing for stripers is good one day and slow the next. Try fishing in front of the mud line with either live bait or big top-water baits.

Sugarloaf Lake: Midland Minimart said the water is murky and at normal levels. Bass fishing is good on soft-plastic worms and bass minnows. Catfishing is good on chicken livers and nightcrawlers. The rain has kept a lot of anglers off the water.

Lake Fayetteville: Lake Fayetteville Boat Dock (479-444-3476) said the water is a little murky and at normal levels. Bream are fair on crickets and worms. Crappie are fair on minnows and jigs. Bass are fair on crankbaits and Carolina-rigged soft plastics. Catfishing is fair on stinkbait, nightcrawlers and chicken livers.

NORTHEAST ARKANSAS

Crown Lake: Boxhound Marina (870-670-4496) said the water is clear and at normal levels. Bream fishing is excellent on crickets and worms. Crappie are excellent on minnows and jigs. Bass are excellent on top-water lures and shallow-running crankbaits. Catfishing is good on stinkbait and chicken livers in the evenings.

Lake Frierson: Lake Frierson State Park said the water is muddy and at normal pool. Bass are biting very well on buzzbaits in the mornings and on soft-plastics as the day goes on. No report on any other fish.

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

SOUTHEAST ARKANSAS

Lake Chicot: Koenig Bass Tracker Marine (870-265-5374) said the water is murky and at normal levels. Bream are biting well on worms and crickets. Crappie are fair on minnows and black/silver jigs. Bass are biting well on chartreuse crankbaits and spinnerbaits. Catfishing is good on nightcrawlers.

SOUTHWEST ARKANSAS

Millwood Lake: As of Tuesday, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reports the lake’s elevation at 259.90 feet MSL.

Millwood Lake Guide Service said main lake and Little River water surface temperature ranges from 68 to 73 degrees. Little River's clarity is much improved from last week and is about 8-9 inches of visibility. Current is decreased at 12,050 cubic feet per second, but navigation is still very dangerous because of missing buoys and floating debris. The fishing is beginning to resemble normal summer patterns again. The bite has improved over the last few days. Largemouth bass are biting fairly well with the best fishing early and late in the day. Almost all of the bass lake-wide have already spawned. Buzzbaits, Horny Toads, Bass Assassin Shads and top-water frogs are creating some good reactions from keeper-sized bass holding in lily pads and vegetation. The vegetation has been filtering out the sediment in the backs of creeks and sloughs, and that is where we are finding the best responses from decent keeper-sized largemouths. Bass Assassin Twitch or Shad Assassins in salt and pepper phantom colors, or pumpkinseed colors; jigs in Texas Craw, and Carolina rigs using lizards and trick worms in cotton candy, watermelon/red, or kiwi are also working well.  White bass are still slow. Crappie are scattered from the water levels, but should return to normal by the weekend. Channel catfish are biting well along Little River on trotlines baited with cut shad, blood bait and chicken livers set in 5 to 8 feet of water. Longnose and spotted gar are still cruising the shallows, making excellent opportunities for bowfishing.

Lake Columbia: Steve's Marine (870-234-2222) said the bream are biting well on worms and crickets in the shallows. Crappie are fair. Bass are fair to good on spinnerbaits, firetiger crankbaits and floating worms. Catfishing is good on live and prepared baits.

Lake Erling: Steve's Marine (870-234-2222) said the bream are biting well on worms and crickets in the shallows. Crappie are fair. Bass are fair to good on spinnerbaits, firetiger crankbaits and floating worms. Catfishing is good on live and prepared baits.

Lake Greeson: As of Tuesday, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reports the lake’s elevation at 547.70 feet MSL.

Lakeside Grocery, Motel and Bait (870-398-5304) said the water is clear and high. Bream are biting well on crickets fished around 4 to 5 feet deep. Crappie are fair on minnows and jigs. Bass are biting well on floating worms and top-water lures in the shallows. Catfishing is good on stinkbait and live shad.

DeGray Lake: As of Tuesday, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reports the lake’s elevation at 407.41 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. Bream are biting well on crickets. Crappie are biting well on minnows and jigs fished around shallow brush from 6 to 8 feet deep. Bass are biting well on spinnerbaits and Horny Toads. The bass are scattered and are mostly post-spawn. Catfishing is excellent on stinkbait, chicken livers and nightcrawlers.

Blue Mountain Lake: As of Tuesday, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reports the lake’s elevation at 387.30 feet MSL.

CNC’s End of the Line (479-947-2398) said the water is clear and at normal level. Bream are fair on worms and crickets. Crappie are biting well on minnows and jigs. Bass are fair on minnows and lures. Catfishing is good on worms and chicken livers.

Ozark Pool: Lakeside Food Mart (479-667-5155) said the water is murky and at normal flow. Bream are biting well on worms and crickets. Crappie are biting well on jigs and minnows. Bass are biting well on crankbaits. Catfishing is good on stinkbait and chicken livers.

Lake Ouachita: As of Tuesday, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reports the lake’s elevation at 578.45 feet MSL.

Lake Ouachita State Park reports the bass and catfish bite are excellent. The lake level has stabilized and water temps are ranging from 70 to 72 degrees on the east side of the lake. Anglers have reported hit-or-miss action on the crappie with a few caught around the hydrilla lines and drop-offs on Kalin’s Tennessee shad jigs and John Deer colors. Crappie minnows on slip bobbers have been producing fish as well.  Striper fishing is good in areas where the shad are located and have been caught on gray flukes, spoons and crankbaits imitating the shad.  Brood minnows and especially gizzard shad 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 to 12 feet of water have been producing nice bass as well. Anglers have reported fair numbers of walleye being caught on jerkbaits and crankbaits in 10 to 15 feet of water off points and the hydrilla lines. Great catches of catfish have been reported on trotlines with blood bait.  The big bluegill are beginning to move into the shallows to create their beds.

Larry Hurley from Poorman’s Guide Service said bass are biting fairly well around the flooded brush and on the inside edge of the aquatic grasses. Albino shad-colored flukes and watermelon/red jighead worms are working the best on these fish. Stripers are fair around deeper timber. Fish gray hair jigs, swim baits and live shad for the best results. Bream are fair in the afternoons and are roaming the shallows, getting ready to spawn. Crappie are hit-and-miss with many of the fish scattered in the grass. 

Lake Catherine: Shane Goodner, owner of Catch’em All Guide Service, reports that Entergy continues to generate water non-stop in an effort to bring Lake Ouachita out of flood pool. The turbines have been turned down somewhat; however, the continuous flow of water has caused a very slow rainbow trout bite. Bank fishermen have caught some trout using PowerBait and nightcrawlers along with boaters who are trolling small crankbaits in the channels. Casting Roostertails and Super Dupers has also been effective in the very slow conditions. The white bass bite has picked up with the water temperature +in the 56 to 59 degree range. Many smaller fish are in the channels from the bridge to the dam. Females in the 2- to 3-pound range are being caught on jigs and live minnows in areas where the current is slower. Even though the crappie and walleye run is over, there are a few of these fish being caught as holdover fish. Now that the threadfin shad run is on, there are large schools of shad migrating to the dam. These schools are visible and will be present for several months. The stripers are beginning to show themselves as they feed on these fish. Top-water baits are the key to getting strikes. Large white jigs are always a killer presentation as these fish are looking to feed. Of course, live bait will be the best method of catching stripers on a regular basis. There is also a nice mixture of hybrid bass in the striper run and these fish feed in the same manner as their larger cousins. While not a glamour fish, the freshwater drum run is in full swing as these fish are everywhere in the tailrace area. If you want to see how strong your arms are, try fishing with shad or nightcrawlers on the bottom. Females in the 20-pound range are common with some over 40 pounds caught in the last two weeks. Trout fishing numbers will improve as soon as there are some periods of slack water.

Lake Hamilton: Larry Hurley from Poorman’s Guide Service said bass fishing is good during the week. Top-water lures and swim baits are working well in the mornings and evenings. Black jig-and-pig combos and worms are working well at night. Stripers are biting well below the dam on trout-colored swim baits. Bream are excellent on crickets in 4 feet of water. Crappie are slow.

Lake Hinkle: Bill's Bait Shop (479-637-4719) 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 jigs. Bass are biting well on crankbaits and soft-plastics. Catfishing is fair on worms, stinkbait and chicken livers.

Lake Atkins: Lucky Landing (479-641-7615) said the water is dingy and at normal levels. Very few anglers were on the lake. Fishing is slow for all species.

Lake Nimrod: As of Tuesday, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reports the lake’s elevation at 345.31 feet MSL.

SOUTH-CENTRAL ARKANSAS

Felsenthal: Hale’s One Stop (870-943-2683) said the water is clear and high with a lot of vegetation in the water. Crappie fishing is good on crickets. Bass are biting well on top-water lures and buzzbaits.

EAST ARKANSAS

Island 40 Chute:  Daily’s Boat Dock said the water is clear and high. Bream are slow. Crappie are fair on minnows and jigs fished on the island side of the chute near the edge of the stump line. Catfishing is fair on chicken livers and nightcrawlers. Bass fishing is poor.

Arkansas River (Pine Bluff): The Tackle Box (870-534-1498) said the water is murky and the current is high. Bream are excellent on wax worms, redworms and crickets. Crappie are fair on jigs and minnows. Bass are fair on soft-plastic worms and topwaters. Catfishing is excellent on cut bait and nightcrawlers.

River City Sporting Goods (870-534-8303) said the water is muddy and the current is heavy. Bream are biting fairly well from the banks out to about 2 feet deep. Worms and crickets are working the best. Crappie are biting well on minnows and jigs fished over deeper water. Bass are biting well on soft-plastic worms and bass jigs fished around rocky areas. Catfishing is fair on cut shad and nightcrawlers fished around backwater bays.

White River: Triangle Sports (870-793-7122) said the water is clear. Crappie fishing is painfully slow. Bass are fair on crankbaits, jigs and floating worms. A few walleye are being caught after dark on jerkbaits.

Maddox Bay: Maddox Bay Landing (870-462-8317) said the water is at normal level and clear. Bream fishing is fair on crickets and redworms. Crappie are fair on tube jigs and minnows. Bass are fair on shallow-running crankbaits. Catfishing is fair on stinkbait.

Bear Creek Lake: Arkansas Outdoors (870-295-4240) said the water is very clear and at normal levels. Shellcrackers are trying to bed up in the shallows and are biting very well on red wigglers and crickets. Crappie are fair in 8-12 feet of water on minnows and jigs. Bass are fair on spinnerbaits and soft-plastic worms. Catfishing is poor.