Northeast Arkansas
Lake Poinsett –Lake Poinsett State Park said the lake looks good. Crappie are good on minnows. Catfish are good. Bass are good on redworms and jigs.
Crown Lake –Boxhound Marina (870-670-4496) said the water is clear and about one foot low. Bream are biting well on crickets. Bass are biting well early and late in the day. Catfishing is good on worms and chicken livers.
Lake Frierson-Lake Frierson State Park said the water is stained and is getting low. Bream are biting well on pieces of nightcrawler. Bass are biting well on live minnows and some artificial lures. Catfishing is good on nightcrawlers and chicken liver.
Spring River- Mark Crawford with Spring River Flies and Guides said water levels are at 360 cfs at the spring and water clarity has been clear. With cooler temps the trout fishing has been excellent. New age emergers and black heads have been the hot flies. Pink and green/white Trout Magnets have been hot also. We have been catching several cutthroat trout on natural imitations.
North Arkansas
White River
Sportsman’s White River Resort (870-453-2424) said the water is clear and high with seven generators running. Trout fishing is good from a boat on drifted pink or red Power Bait and on trout worms. The larger brown trout have been very hard to come by in the last week.
Randy Oliver at www.randyoliverguide.com (901-832-1903) said fishing with black/gold Countdown Rapalas from 7 to 11 a.m. has worked well for trout lately.
Guide Davy Wotton said there’s been some welcome rain the last week. Fishing is as good as you can get with many trophy browns and rainbows being caught daily. Overall fishing pressure has been moderate. The constant high water has kept the river clean and clear, making it necessary to fish with small, very realistic flies. Sowbugs, white tail and prism midges, scuds, worms, hares ear, and many other nymph-type flies are doing very well. Streamer fishing may be productive during low light. There are a lot of hoppers and crickets around this year, so be prepared for some excellent dry fly action soon. The best time to try hopper imitations will be on windy days near brushy shorelines and grassy banks.
Jim Brentlinger at Linger’s Guide Service and Fishing Lodge (870-499-5185) said fishing has continued to get better as the fish are getting used to the ups and downs of the water due to the generation schedule. Still the fishing slows when fresh water arrives. Rapalas, Zig Jigs and Woolly Buggers have been producing very well
Bull Shoals Lake
As of Tuesday, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reports the lake’s elevation at 675.76 feet MSL (Normal conservation pool – 654 MSL).
Mike Worley’s Guide Service said the lake is 22 feet above power pool and is dropping several inches per day. Water temperature is about 85 degrees and walleye are biting well at about 30 feet deep on crawler rigs and bottom bouncers, and on crankbaits trolled on lead-core line. Striped bass are active on the upper section of the lake and are biting the same baits as the walleye. Many monster bluegills are also being caught in deep water on the crawler rigs. Black bass are biting well at night on soft-plastic worms, jigs and spinnerbaits.
Bull Shoals Tailwater
Just Fishing Guides said water releases are continuous at 10,000 cfs with releases ramping up to 20,000 cfs for about 10-12 hours. Drift fishing is very good now. Nymphing, terrestrials and streamers should all be used. San Juan worms, eggs, scuds, sow bugs, BH Pheasant Tails, Copper Johns, Hare n’ Copper, hoppers, ants, beetles, Zoo Cougars, Woolly Buggers and large articulated streamers are suggested patterns to use
Lake Norfork
As of Tuesday, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reports the lake’s elevation at 563.8 feet MSL (Normal conservation pool: Sept.-April – 552 MSL, April-Sept. – 554 MSL).
101 Grocery and Bait said the water temperature is dropping. Fishing is beginning to pick up, and mornings and late evenings are the best times for fishing. Bream are biting excellently on crickets and worms in coves and along bluff walls. Bass are fair, but are scattered. Stripers are fair in deep water on live shad and on trolled or cast ¼-oz. jigs with a curly tailed grub fished along main lake points. Walleye are biting well on worms dragged along the bottom in 25 to 35 feet of water. White bass are fair. Catfishing is fair.
Hummingbird Hideaway Resort said stripers are near the bottom in 52 to 60 feet of water and are biting fairly well on live shad from the Robinson area to the dam. Spoons are also working very well, as are crankbaits trolled on lead-core line. Largemouth, smallmouth and spotted bass are biting topwater lures early and late in the day. Walleye, white bass, crappie and black bass all can be found in 15 to 25 feet of water. The lake’s thermocline is in the 20- to 25-foot range. All these fish are hanging around main lake points and sunken brush piles at the thermocline.
Guide Steve Olomon said watch for bass chasing baitfish early in the mornings to the surface on points in the creeks with deep water on one side. They will hit a Zara Spook, Pop-R, Bass Assassin or a small prop-bait like a Torpedo. After they stop hitting top water throw a jig (green pumpkin or peanut butter and jelly) in 25-35 feet, or try drop-shotting a small 4-inch worm. Look for stripers suspended 40-60 feet deep and get your bait down to that depth.
Randy Oliver at www.randyoliverguide.com (901-832-1903) had no report.
Norfork Tailwater
Jim Brentlinger at Linger’s Guide Service and Fishing Lodge (870-499-5185) said after generation has run for a couple of hours, the Norfork has been producing nice fish on a Rapala. Be sure the barbs on your hook have been removed if you are going to fish the Catch-and-Release area.
Randy Oliver at www.randyoliverguide.com (901-832-1903) said generation has started around 9 a.m. with two units on the rest of the day. Fish shrimp on the bottom in the deep holes downriver from the dam.
Just Fishing Guides said generation has been off from midnight until 10 a.m. and running 6,000 cfs for 12 hours. Wade fishers can squeeze in a couple of hours in the morning. Drift fishing for the rest of the day. Scuds, sow bugs, zebra midges, San Juan worms, eggs, hoppers, ants, beetles and streamers should be in your arsenal now.