The main thing I want to pay attention to is the spool tension, which is usually on the handle side of the reel. To set the spool tension properly, hold the rod out level and release the line with the lure tied on. You want the lure to go all the way to the floor quickly, but the spool should stop on its own when the lure hits the ground. If the tension is tighter than this, you lose distance on your cast; if the tension is looser than this, backlashes will become a problem.

Trimble Lock and Dam (Lock and Dam 13):   Headwater – 391.12 feet, Tailwater – 379.83 feet, Flow – 66,409 cubic feet per second

Ozark Lock and Dam (Lock and Dam 12):   Headwater – 371.72 feet, Tailwater – 346.96 feet

Dardanelle Lock and Dam (Lock and Dam 10):   Headwater – 337.67 feet, Tailwater – 294.85 feet

Ormond Lock and Dam (Lock and Dam 9):   Headwater – 284.40 feet, Tailwater – 273.30 feet, Flow – NO READING AVAILABLE

Toad Suck Lock and Dam (Lock and Dam 8):   Headwater – 264.39 feet, Tailwater – 260.12 feet

Murray Lock and Dam (Lock and Dam 7):   Headwater – 248.86 feet, Tailwater – 233.40 feet, Flow – 75,443

Terry Lock and Dam (Lock and Dam 6):   Headwater – 230.77 feet, Tailwater – 219.06 feet, Flow – 82,494 cubic feet per second

Sanders Lock and Dam (Lock and Dam 4):   Headwater – 195.71 feet, Tailwater – 186.41 feet

Hardin Lock and Dam (Lock and Dam 3):   Headwater – 181.62 feet, Tailwater – 173.02 feet

Mills Dam (Dam 2):   Headwater – 161.65 feet, Tailwater – 141.53 feet, Flow – 73,685 cubic feet per second

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

12.4 feet at Calico Rock (flood stage – 19 feet)
12 feet at Batesville (flood stage – 15 feet)
23.5 feet at Newport (flood stage – 26 feet)
32.2 feet at Augusta (flood stage – 26 feet)
22.1 feet at Georgetown (flood stage – 21 feet)
27.9 feet at Clarendon (flood stage – 26 feet)  

CENTRAL ARKANSAS

Little Red River:  Lindsey's Resort (501-302-3139) said the water is low with little generation. Trout fishing is very good on live bait, Power Bait, and wax worms with marshmallows.

Jed Hollan at the Little Red Fly Shop said the Greers Ferry Power House shut down to prevent excess flooding in the White River Basin. When the heavy rain in the watershed ends, large water releases will resume to lower the Greers Ferry lake levels. If you are looking for a trout stream to wade that has steady water levels, try the Spring River near Mammoth Springs in north Arkansas. Sylamore Creek near Allison, Arkansas is holding trout but you must have a boat to fish it these days. Midges and caddis flies are the most active aquatic insects on the river. I expect to see March browns and sulphurs joining the buzzing armada in the next week or so. The dry flies of choice include midge (size 22; cream or black), Adams (size 18-20) and caddis (size 16; tan). Below the surface, tie on a sowbug (size 14-16; peacock, light gray or UV tan), zebra midge (size 16-22; red, black or chartreuse), red butt emerger (size 14-16), pheasant tail (size 16), copper john (size 14-16; red, green or copper) or woolly bugger (size 10-12; olive or brown).

Greers Ferry:  As of Tuesday, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reports the lake’s elevation at 470.65 feet MSL.

Tommy Cauley of Fish Finder Guide Service said the water continues to rise as generation has been shut down and rain is still falling. The water temperature ranges from 47 in the rivers to 52 degrees in the backs of some creeks. The walleye spawn upriver is over. A few can be caught coming back down and now is the time to start catching them in the lake as the lake run fish will start to spawn and the post spawn fish will get gathered on the rocky flats and feed. Drift a nightcrawlers or troll a crankbait over rocky flats for the best results. A few white bass are spawning, but most have not made the run upstream yet. Both white bass and hybrids have scattered and are hard to find. Bass are moving to the bank and scattering out. Spinnerbaits and jigs fished and flipped around bushes near shore will work well. Recently flooded mail boxes, satellite dishes and other strange new cover will also attract some bass in the high water. Crappie are scattered and hard to find.

Harris Brake Lake:  Coffee Creek Landing (501-889-2745) said the water is murky and high. Crappie are biting well on minnows and jigs. Bass are fair on soft-plastic baits. Catfish are fair on trotlines.

Lake Overcup:  Lakeview Landing (501-354-1470) said crappie are biting fairly well on minnows.

Overcup Landing (501-354-9007) said the water is dingy and high. Crappie are biting well on minnows and jigs around the banks. Catfishing is good on minnows and nightcrawlers.

Brewer Lake:  Overcup Landing (501-354-9007) said the water is dingy and high. Crappie are biting well on minnows and jigs around the banks. Catfishing is good on minnows and nightcrawlers.

Lake Maumelle:  Jolly Rogers Marina said the water is about 1.6 feet above the spillway and rising. White bass are excellent on Storm Wildeye Shad and Vibra Rooster Tails on both sides of the west Highway 10 bridge. The best time to fish is in the afternoons after the water has had a chance to warm. Largemouths have started moving to the banks on the north end of the lake, and are hitting top-water baits, spinnerbaits and Rooster Tails. Crappie are fair on minnows and small jigs. They are staging in deep water next to spawning areas along the banks.

Sunset Lake:  Turbyfill’s Outdoor Sports (501-315-3061) said the water is high. Bass are fair on watermelon seed lizards. Catfish are fair on blood bait.

Saline River Access in Benton:  Turbyfill’s Outdoor Sports (501-315-3061) said the water is high and all species are slow.

Arkansas River at Little Rock:  Vince Miller from Fish N’ Stuff (501-834-5733) said the water is high. Bass are fair in the backwater areas.

Little Maumelle River:  River Valley Bait (501-868-3279) said the water is clear and low. Bream are fair on crickets and redworms. Crappie are biting well on minnows and assorted jigs in 3 to 8 feet of water. Catfishing is good on trotlines.

NORTH ARKANSAS

Sportsman’s White River Resort said the water is very muddy and all species are slow.

Mountain River Fly Shop said it’s been a case of grab a boat or go without for the last week, with four or more units running daily. The shad have been coming through in the afternoons, bringing up some good fish. Large jigs or flies with many split shot pinched to the leader are the only way to effectively fish the current. Pink Ladies and deep drifted San Juan worms are working well, particularly over flooded grass beds.

Bull Shoals Lake:  As of Tuesday, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reports the lake’s elevation at 658.37 feet MSL.

Bull Shoals Lake Boat Dock (870-445-4424) said the water temperature is in the mid-40s around the lake. Fish are still in their winter patterns. Bass are biting fairly well on crankbaits and soft plastics in 10 to 15 feet of water. Kentucky bass are biting fairly well on live nightcrawlers and spoons in 35 to 60 feet of water. A deep suspending Rogue or X-Rap will take a few bass in 10 to 25 feet of water around channel swings in the backs of creeks.

Lake Norfork:  As of Tuesday, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reports the lake’s elevation at 563.38 feet MSL.

101 Grocery and Bait said the water temperature varies from the upper 40s to the low 50s. Stripers are hitting live bait and Rogues in less than 30 feet of water. Crappie fishing has been fair in less than 15 feet of water around brush piles. Bream are fair using small minnows fished around 10-15 feet in 20 feet of water. White bass are fair. Try jigging in 40 feet of water or casting in-line spinners in the mouths of the coves and the creeks. Bass fishing is fair using jigs and deep-diving crankbaits around 20 feet deep. Walleye fishing has been very slow in the lake. We have heard of a few walleye being caught in the creeks and rivers.

Cranfield Junction Bait and Tackle (870-492-5141) said stripers are biting well on live brood minnows and shad.

Norfork Tailwater:  Gene’s Trout Dock (870-499-5381) said water conditions are normal with heavy generation. Trout are biting very well on a Power Egg and nightcrawler combination. Fly-fisherman are doing well on olive and black wooly buggers.

Mountain River Fly Shop said the water is remaining high and swift. San Juan’s are a good bet on the Norfork in high water, but you need a boat to access most of the fishing waters.

John Berry of Berry Brothers Guides said few anglers have taken advantage of the good fishing on the high water days. The hot bite has been on Y2Ks and San Juan worms. The fishing in the Catch and Release area has been a bit slower and has been mostly midges. Try brown zebra midges with copper wire and copper bead and Dan’s turkey tail emergers. Dry Run Creek fished particularly well last week. The hot action was on Y2Ks and egg patterns. Also try olive woolly buggers, San Juan worms or sowbugs fished below a large strike indicator.

NORTHWEST ARKANSAS

JT’s Crappie Guide Service (479-640-3980) said bass fishing has been slow lately. The best places to fish have been up either river arm where the water clears and in the Prairie Creek arm. The best baits have been crayfish-colored crankbaits worked along chunk rock banks and spinnerbaits worked along timber. Crappie fishing has been tough as well. Most crappie have been caught up either river arm where the water is warmer and clearer. Fish minnows under a float 6-feet deep around isolated timber and laydowns. White bass have been up either river arm and have been biting well. Whites have been caught upstream as far as the Highway 45 Bridge and just below the mill on anything that resembles a minnow. Stripers have been scattered and hard to find. Try up the White River upstream from Blue Springs or War Eagle upstream from the Sidewalk Hole. Live minnows or shad have worked best fished 10 feet down. Catfishing has been good from the bank at Hickory Creek Park on liver and worms.

Southtown Sporting Goods (479-443-7148) said the water is stained and high. Crappie are fair on minnows. White bass are starting to pick up on crankbaits. Walleye are being caught on minnows.

Lake SWEPCO:  JT’s Crappie Guide Service (479-640-3980) said bass are still biting well on minnows fished under a float or tightlined in the mouths of coves and along the dam in 10 to 15 feet of water. Anglers have also had some luck drop-shotting a watermelon finesse worm along the dam.

Lake Fayetteville:  Lake Fayetteville Boat Dock (479-444-3476) had no report.

NORTHEAST ARKANSAS

SOUTHEAST ARKANSAS

Grand Lake:  Bass Tracker Marine (870-265-5374) said fishing is slow for all species.

SOUTHWEST ARKANSAS

Millwood Lake Guide Service said main lake and Little River surface temperature is 55 to 64 degrees, jumping almost 8 degrees in most places. Main lake clarity and visibility is at 3-5 inches with 5- to 8-inch visibility in Little River because of rising water and wind. Current is 11,657 cubic feet per second. Largemouth bass are biting well throughout the day. The bass are definitely pre-spawn and are fattening up. Ten- to 12-inch worms, Rat-L-Traps, spinnerbaits and jigs are the ticket to catch nice chunky bass. Bass Assassins and Twitch Assassins are beginning to work well. The males have moved up and are looking for spawning areas. Some large females have been taken a bit deeper, staging and waiting to spawn. The most consistent bite is pitching and flipping Texas-rigged Southern Pro Flipping Tubes in black/red flake, pumpkinseed/chartreuse tail, or bulky magnum 8-inch lizards or 12-inch worms, Hog Assassins and Brush Hogs in blackberry close to deep water. Wacky-rigged, or dead-sticked Twitch Assassins, Senkos and Salty Rat Tails are taking some decent keeper bass in the backs of clear-water areas like Horseshoe, Mud Lake and McGuire Lake oxbows. ¾- to 1-oz. Rat-L-Traps in Red/Brown Craw or Red Chrome are taking some keepers when deflected off stumps in 9 to 11 feet of water. Texas Craw and black/blue jigs are working well along creek and river channel bends near spawning areas. Schools of whites bass have been found upstream in Little River, between the Highway 71 bridge and Patterson Shoals. These fish were actively feeding on any available shad, and ¼-oz Rat-L-Traps in chrome, Little Georges, Rooster Tails, and white Rocket Shads were catching good sizes of large pre-spawn white bass. The crappie bite is slow at best. The influx of fresh muddy water has tapered off their bite and pre-spawn movements another week. The channel cat bite remains consistent using cottonseed meal cakes, cut bait or chicken livers on trotlines and yo-yo's along the river and in oxbows hung from cypress trees in approx 8-12 feet water. Longnose gar are also thinking of spawning activities, and have been seen in huge numbers in shallow water, making excellent opportunities for bow fishermen. Clusters of 2-4 fish swimming together in 1-3 feet of water are everywhere.

Lake Columbia:  Steve's Marine (870-234-2222) said water conditions are normal. A few bream have been caught on redworms and crickets. Crappie are biting well on shiners.

Lake Erling:  Steve's Marine (870-234-2222) said water conditions are normal. Crappie are fair on orange shiners. Catfish are good on shiners.

White Oak Lake:  White Oak Lake State Park said fishing continues to get better. Crappie and bream are excellent on jigs. Catfishing is good on minnows. Bass are biting well on soft-plastics.

Lake Greeson:  As of Tuesday, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reports the lake’s elevation at 549.71 feet MSL.

Lakeside Grocery said the water is high and murky. Crappie are fair on minnows and jigs. Bass are scattered and are biting decently on centipedes.

DeGray Lake:  As of Tuesday, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reports the lake’s elevation at 408.45 feet MSL.

WEST-CENTRAL ARKANSAS

Bill’s Bait and Tackle (479-754-6354) said the water is high. Bream are fair on crickets. Crappie are good in the creeks on jigs and worms. Bass are fair on crankbaits and jigs. Stripers can be caught on spinnerbaits and top-water lures. Catfish are biting well on shad and punch bait.

Blue Mountain Lake:  As of Tuesday, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reports the lake’s elevation at 412.00 feet MSL.

CNC’s End of the Line (479-947-2398) reported that the water is high and muddy. Crappie fishing is fair on minnows and jigs. Catfishing is fair on worms and minnows. A few bass have been caught.

Ozark Pool:  Lakeside Food Mart (479-667-5155) said the water is muddy and high. Bream are fair on crickets. Bass are fair around the docks on black/blue jigs and spinnerbaits. A few catfish have been caught on worms and liver.

Lake Ouachita:  As of Tuesday, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reports the lake’s elevation at 579.48 feet MSL.

Dave Lindhag of Striped Bass Adventures said the muddy runoff is still present in the west end of the lake in the rivers. Some stripers are being caught from Shangri-La Resort to Point 17 on free-lined hair jigs and small-to medium-sized shad. From Point 19 and the surrounding bay some stripers are being caught on medium to large shad. The Avant area is hit-and-miss working the points with free-lined shad. From Point 35 to the east, shallow points off deep water are producing well on smaller live bait sinkered down and free-lined large shad. Big Blakely is producing well, but it’s sporadic with very few breaking fish. The dam is not producing much at all lately. The State Park area is hit-or-miss and most of the stripers being caught here are smaller than the west end of the lake..

Mountain Harbor Resort said the water is clear and the surface temperature is 46 to 54 degrees. Largemouth bass are biting well on Deep Little N’s and lipless crankbaits on main-lake points and secondary points. Walleye are fair on spoons fished over humps and main-lake points with brush. Some walleye have been caught on jerkbaits near spawning areas upstream. Stripers are biting well on live brood minnows and gizzard shad. Bream are fair on crickets and worms in 18 to 25 feet of water. Crappie are biting well over grass and brush in 15 to 25 feet of water on minnows and crappie grubs in Arkansas shad and white colors.

Larry Hurley from Poorman’s Guide Service said the high water has scattered the fish, but they are pulling shallow in preparation for the spawn. Flipping jigs and lizards to the backside of the brush is producing good numbers of fish, as is a weightless Zoom Trick Worm. Berkley Swimbaits in gizzard shad color fished over the deep grass is catching larger fish. Spinnerbaits are working well on the inside edge of the grass on windy days. Stripers are a little slow. Crappie are extremely tough with the high water. Some white bass are beginning to run up the creeks. A few bream are beginning to bite well around boat docks in the Crystal Springs area.

Lake Catherine:  Shane Goodner, owner of Catch’em All Guide Service, reports that Entergy has dropped both Lake Hamilton and Lake Catherine 2 feet below normal pool in anticipation of the heavy rainfall forecasted this week. Extremely heavy generation has been the norm below Carpenter Dam as Lake Ouachita is still at flood pool level and has to be returned to normal. Muddy water has adversely affected the fishing – especially for rainbow trout. Trout hate muddy water, much more so than other fish, and are extremely hard to catch under those circumstances. As conditions return to normal, rainbows will be caught in good numbers as many fish have been stocked in the tailrace. Fly-fishermen are still be able to cast to areas that hold trout. San Juan worms and micro-jigs fished under a strike indicator will target fish that forage close to shore. Bank anglers can catch limits of fish by sticking to a marshmallow/wax worm combination, which floats off the bottom. Moss growth is not a problem yet, so presentations fished on the bottom are very effective. Boaters can troll the channels with small crankbaits that imitate threadfin shad or crayfish. Areas below the bridge are producing the best results. The walleye spawn is in full swing with females in the 5-pound range being caught on silver spoons and black/silver Shad Raps. Stripers in the 20-pound class have been spotted chasing trout and can be hooked on C-10 Redfins and Super Spooks in rainbow trout colors. Crappie have begun migrating toward the dam as they look to spawn in late March and early April. White bass will also spawn soon, adding to the menu of great fishing available to Hot Springs anglers.

Diamond Head Marina reported that water is low and walleye are fair on minnows. According to Entergy, the gates will be open at the dam, producing some heavy current, until Lake Ouachita drops to power pool elevation.

Lake Hamilton:  Larry Hurley from Poorman’s Guide Service said white bass are running up in the creeks. The flats in the backs of the creeks are producing many white bass on twister-tail grubs and Rooster Tails. Spotted bass are moving up on the flats and can be caught on jerkbaits, spinnerbaits and small crankbaits. Main-lake points and creek bends with brush in 12 to 15 feet of water are producing some good largemouth bass on large jigs and worms.

Lake Hinkle:  Bill's Bait Shop (479-637-4719) said water conditions are about normal. Crappie are biting well on minnows and jigs. Bass fishing is good on crankbaits. A few catfish have been caught on liver and worms.

SOUTH-CENTRAL ARKANSAS

EAST ARKANSAS

White River:  Triangle Sports (870-793-7122) said the water is very high. All species are slow.

Maddox Bay:  Maddox Bay Landing (870-462-8317) said the water is high and all species are slow.

Bear Creek Lake:  Arkansas Outdoors (870-295-4240) said the water is high. Crappie are the best thing going on minnows and jigs.