Central Arkansas
Lake Conway:
Bates Field and Stream (501-470-1846) said the water is stained and at normal level. Bream are slow. Crappie are fair on white Crappie Stingers and chartreuse jigs. Bass are slow. Catfisihing is good on worms and chicken liver.
Dan at Gold Creek Landing (501-607-0590) said crappie have been biting fairly well some days and slow on others. All other species are slow.
Little Red River:
Lindsey’s Resort (501-302-3139) said the water is still running swiftly. The generators are down for about 4 or 5 hours early in the morning. Drift-fishing is about the only way to go. In-line spinners and Power Worms are working well.
Zachary Hoyt at Just Fishing Guides had no report.
Greers Ferry:
As of Tuesday, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reports the lake’s elevation at 462.49 feet MSL (Normal conservation pool – 461 MSL).
Tommy Cauley of Fish Finder Guide Service said the lake level is falling and the temperature is in the high 30s to low 40s. White bass and hybrids are moving around. You have to be over the right school at the right time to get a bite. You can fish 4 hours and maybe pick up a couple out of suspended fish that are lethargic and then get over a school that is even the least bit active and start picking some up. Fish spoons and swim baits extremely slowly for the best luck. Black bass fishing is a slow grind as well; try Wiggle Warts, jerk baits, and slow-rolled spinnerbaits as the shad die off will continue for a while. Crappie are biting fairly well on jigs tipped with minnows and fished 20 feet deep over 60 feet of water. Walleye have been hit pretty hard with the snow and cold. With a few days of sun, they will begin to get active again when the temp gets back to 46 or so. Try jigs tipped with minnows.
Shiloh Marina (501-825-6237) said there are a lot of baitfish flipping at the surface. No anglers have visited the marina lately, so there is no report on the fishing from this location.
Harris Brake Lake:
Coffee Creek Landing (501-889-2745) said the water is cold and clear. Bass are fair on Rebel crankbaits in 4 to 8 feet of water. All other species are slow. A few crappie have been caught on red/white jigs fished around brush.
Greer’s Sporting Goods (501-889-2011) said crappie are biting very well on white Crappie Stinger jigs with orange heads. The water level is beginning to rise.
Lake Overcup:
Overcup Landing (501-354-9007) said the water is 18 inches high and muddy. The surface temperature is 39 degrees. Fishing is slow.
Brewer Lake:
Overcup Landing (501-354-9007) had no report.
Lake Maumelle:
Jolly Roger’s Marina had no report.
Hatchet Jack’s Sport Shop (501-758-4958) said fishing is slow for all species.
Lake Valencia:
Hatchet Jack’s Sport Shop (501-758-4958) said trout are biting fairly well on Power Bait.
Sunset Lake:
Turbyfill’s Outdoor Sports (501-315-3061) said the crappie are fair on 2-inch, lemon meringue grubs. Bass are biting fairly well on finesse worms in 18 feet of water. All other species are slow.
Saline River Access in Benton:
Turbyfill’s Outdoor Sports (501-315-3061) said the water is high and muddy. Fishing is slow for all species.
Arkansas River at Morrilton:
Charley’s Hidden Harbor in Oppelo said the water is flowing around 95,000 cfs. Few people are fishing because of the weather. Catfishing is fair in deep holes below the dams on whole shad. Sauger are fair on chartreuse jigs fished below locks 9 and 10 and around Cypress Creek. Stripers are fair below dams 9 and 10 on whole shad.
Arkansas River (Maumelle Pool):
Hatchet Jack’s Sport Shop (501-758-4958) said crappie are fair on pink minnows fished from yo-yos in the Little Maumelle River. All other species are slow.
Arkansas River (Little Rock Pool):
Vince Miller from Fish N’ Stuff (501-834-5733) said the water and weather are too cold for most anglers. A few sauger are beginning to bite around Terry Lock and Dam.
Hatchet Jack’s Sport Shop (501-758-4958) said crappie are fair on pink minnows fished under a slip-cork rig. Sauger are fair on chartreuse ¼-ounce jigs. All other species are slow.
McSwain Sports Center (501-945-2471) said the water is muddy. Crappie are fair on jigs. Bass are fair on crankbaits. Catfishing is fair on skipjack. Bream fishing is slow.
Clear Lake:
McSwain Sports Center (501-945-2471) said the water is muddy and cold. Bream are slow. Crappie are biting well on minnows and jigs in the deepest parts of the lake. Bass are fair on jigs. Catfishing is slow.
Peckerwood Lake:
Herman’s Landing (870-241-3731) had no report.
Lake Pickthorne:
Hatchet Jack’s Sport Shop (501-758-4958) had no report because of the weather.
North Arkansas
White River:
John Berry from Berry Brothers Guide Service said fairly steady levels of heavy generation have impacted the fishing. The catch-and-release section below Bull Shoals Dam is open. Remember that there are numerous spawning beds (redds) containing freshly laid and fertilized eggs. Please avoid dragging chains through these areas. The redds will appear as clean depressions in the gravel. Some shad are coming through the dam. Be on the lookout for gulls feeding on the shad below the dam. The most effective flies will be white shad patterns. Be sure and have both floating and sinking versions. The hot fly during the past week has been a white marabou jig. The shad have been trickling through a few at a time. Concentrate on the bank or any heavy structure where fish can escape the current.
Sportsman’s White River Resort (870-453-2424) said the water is still running high. Trout fishing is good on Power Bait, frozen shad and white jigs.
Zachary Hoyt at Just Fishing Guides said Bull Shoals is running around the clock with seven units. Drift-fishing nymphs for numbers of fish or streamer fishing for fewer but larger are the two most popular techniques. For high water nymph rigs, use split shot and large indicators and adjust your indicator to maintain the proper depth. Use San Juan worms, scuds, copper Johns and egg patterns. Streamer fishing with integrated shooting taper sinking lines with 3-4 foot 0x-2x leaders and large flies is producing large fish. Try dead-drifting shad patterns with a twitching action near the dam or pound the banks with sculpin patterns further downriver. Fly patterns for streamer fishing should include circus peanuts, zoo cougars, fathead minnows, Arkansas beadheads, Davy’s shads, white zonkers and woolly buggers.
White River (From Shipp’s Ferry to Red’s Landing):
Jim Brentlinger at Linger’s Guide Service and Fishing Lodge (870-499-5185) said fishing has been steady, but not fast-paced. The best fishing is before noon each day. For the artificial bait fisherman, the Rapala still reigns as the best producer. Black/Gold/White is the best color and the best size is No. 7 or 9. There is still plenty of water, as the Buffalo River is still 4 feet above its normal winter range. Combine that input with the six or seven generators coming from Bull Shoals dam. One-quarter ounce White River Zig Jigs will produce a few trout when worked slowly near the bottom.
Buffalo River:
Zachary Hoyt at Just Fishing Guides said the water is too high for fishing pretty much through the entire river.
Crooked Creek:
Zachary Hoyt at Just Fishing Guides said the water level is 13.71 feet, about 11/2 feet over the low-water bridge at Kelly’s Slab. The creek is too high for fishing.
Bull Shoals Lake:
As of Tuesday, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reports the lake’s elevation at 654.16 feet MSL (Normal conservation pool – 654 MSL).
Lake Norfork:
As of Tuesday, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reports the lake’s elevation at 552.11 feet MSL (Normal conservation pool: Sept.-April – 552 MSL, April-Sept. – 554 MSL).
101 Grocery and Bait said cold weather has kept some anglers off the water, but fishing has been good for those who have managed to get out. Live bait and jigging spoons are catching fish well. The surface water temp is in the mid-30s depending on the area of the lake you are in. (Last updated 2-3-2010)
Norfork Tailwater:
John Berry from Berry Brothers Guide Service said there have been several windows of no generation at night. On the high flows, brightly colored San Juan worms (red, cerise and hot fluorescent pink) and egg patterns (peach and orange) have been the go-to flies. Work the banks and submerged weed beds. Dry Run Creek has fished well. The hot fly has been sow bugs in size 14. Worm brown San Juan worms and egg patterns have also done well.
Zachary Hoyt at Just Fishing Guides had no report.
Northwest Arkansas
Beaver Lake:
As of Tuesday, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reports the lake’s elevation at 1,120.63 feet MSL (Normal conservation pool – 1,120 MSL).
Bailey’s Beaver Lake Guide Service (479-366-8664) said fishing has been slow, but there are fish to be caught. Patience and cold-weather fortitude are the keys. There is a shad kill going on at Beaver Lake. The bait is staying near the surface, looking for the warmest water. Watch for birds to determine the best areas. Stripers will start their push upriver for the spawn soon, probably near the end of February. Most fish are suspending 10-30 feet deep. Free-lining shad and fishing them under balloons are the best techniques to use. An umbrella rig also will produce. With the cold front look for the bait and the Stripers to move deeper again. Live bait will be the go to approach. Some fish can be caught on jigs or jigging spoons. You will have to get in their face with whatever you use. The following areas should hold fish, however try to find the clearest water possible. This will most likely be in the Rocky Branch area. You will find a link to the Beaver Lake level and Flow charts for Beaver Lake Here. On the White River from the Highway 12 bridge to Hickory Creek, concentrate efforts near the channel. The water temperature is about 39-40 degrees. In Hickory Creek, the water is dirty and fishing is extremely slow. In Prairie Creek, birds are feeding consistently in the area. Look for fish from the islands to the bridge. Around Copper Mine, points 8 and 9 and 10 are holding some fish. At Rocky Branch, there is a lot of birds and bait in this area. Look near the bluffs by the marina, in front of the marina along the gravel bank across the bay to the “big rock,” and near “Red Bluff” and the road bed extending from the gravel bank to the island. The shad are about 5-20 feet deep and the stripers are scattered from 8-35 feet deep. Several trophy fish have been taken here. Around the Van Hollow Area, Twin Coves and Point 6 are holding fish and bait. On the main lake, try fishing jigging spoons 20-60 feet deep around points 5, 6, 8, 9 and 10.
JT’s Crappie Guide Service (479-640-3980) said bass fishing has been a bit slow. Try a suspending jerk bait or a Wiggle Wart off main lake and secondary points with timber. Fish have been suspending deeper on dark days and shallower on sunny days. Good color choices have been white, clown, crawdad and chrome/silver. Crappie have been biting well on sunny days, but have been poor on cloudy days. Try upstream from Hickory Creek around brush or timber close to the river or any creek channel in 20 to 35 feet of water. A chartreuse Shinneee Hineee tipped with a minnow should do the trick. White bass are hanging out in channel bends and in mouths of coves. Try locating a school of shad or bass with sonar then lower a jigging spoon down to them.
Southtown Sporting Goods (479-443-7148) said the water is clear and at normal level. Bream are slow. Crappie are biting well on minnows and jigs in 4 to 8 feet of water. Bass are fair on jerkbaits and crankbaits fished around rocky areas. Catfishing is slow.
Beaver Tailwaters:
Zachary Hoyt at Just Fishing Guides said generation has been lowered, offering many wading opportunities. The fish are very healthy and eating well. Warmer days will bring about smaller midges, so a zebra midge or cadion midge in a size 16-20 will do the trick. Many scuds and sow bugs have been seen. These flies need to be fished bouncing along the bottom. Larger fish are taking streamers stripped or dead-drifted along river bottom changes. Woolly buggers, Clouser minnows and slump busters in olive or white (when the shad come through) will get the more selective fish. Generation can start at any time, so be aware of the horn. Possible rain events later on in the week might make this low water a short gift. Get out and enjoy.
Kings River:
Just Fishing Guides said the Kings water level is 3.99 feet. This is good floating and fishing level, but the water is cold. Walleye should be staging in Table Rock to come up the Kings and spawn.
Lake Fayetteville:
Lake Fayetteville Boat Dock (479-444-3476) said fishing is slow for all species.
Lake Sequoyah:
Lake Sequoyah Boat Dock (479-444-3475) said the water is muddy and dropping. Bream are fair on crickets. Crappie are biting excellently on minnows and yellow Roadrunner jigs. Bass are fair on crankbaits. Catfishing is slow.
Northeast Arkansas
Crown Lake:
Boxhound Marina ( 870-670-4496) said the water is high, cold and clear. Bream are fair on worms. Crappie are biting well on minnows and jigs. All other species are slow.
Lake Frierson:
Lake Frierson State Park said a few anglers have been out, but fishing has been very slow.
Spring River:
Mark Crawford at Spring River Fly Shop said the weather is finally starting to improve and we had some great fishing over the weekend using Grandma’s Brownie and Cotton Candy. The warm spell brought on some great caddis and mayfly hatches. For daily updates, check out www.springriverflyshop.com. The river looks fantastic. Flows are at 460cfs and clarity is great. Float trips have been the most productive on numbers and bigger fish, but with the many access points are available and walk-in trips can be a blast also.
Southeast Arkansas
Lake Chicot:
Lakeshore Motel and Marina (870-265-9901) had no report.
Lake Monticello:
Fishing guide Greg Gulledge (870-723-3928) of MonticelloBigBass.com said not many anglers are on the lake. Fishing is slow for bass.
Southwest Arkansas
Millwood Lake:
As of Tuesday, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reports the lake’s elevation at 261.54 feet MSL (Normal conservation pool – 259.2 MSL).
Millwood Lake Guide Service said recent cold fronts dropped the surface temperature 8 degrees in five days. The lake level dropped slightly, but is still 2.35 feet above normal pool. Main lake and Little River surface temperatures are 42 to 47 degrees. Discharge at the dam is 13,296 cubic feet/second. The water is muddy in the main lake and heavily stained in the river. Bass have slowed with the recent cold snap. Some male bass were seen roaming flats before the cold and some prespawn females were staging in nearby creek channels. After the cold fronts, the most effective technique has been working a red Rat-L-Trap or threadfin shad-colored crankbait slowly through deep spots in creek channels. Slow-rolled chartreuse/white spinnerbaits are working along flooded creek channel swings and stumps. The Carolina Rig bite died with the cold. As the water begins to warm again, look for the clearest water available, typically upriver oxbows, during the mid-day and fish suspending Rogues and Cordell Red Fins in shallow flats near deep creek channels. The best locations are near remaining dead lily pad stems, hydrilla and pondweed, where the vegetation is growing close to stumps. Southern Pro Flipping Tubes, Magnum gitzits and flipping tubes with rattles, will draw a slow strike or two in remaining flooded grass and stumps in the deeper sections of creek channels. The best colors we have observed working for tubes and gitzits were pumpkinseed/chartreuse tail, black/blue tail or black neon. White bass are scattered but should begin their annual spawning run soon. They will be concentrated up Little River in the next few weeks. Crappie are slow, and the muddy current in Little River has pushed them deeper into planted brush. Not many crappie anglers were out over the past week, due to winter weather conditions. Channel catfish continue to bite well and are loving the increase of current in Little River. Blues and Channel cats are biting well on cut shad, Catfish Charlie and chicken livers along the increased current in Little River between Jack’s Isle and Mud Lake or on yo-yo’s hung from cypress trees in the oxbows over 10-15 feet depths.
White Oak Lake:
Local angler John Tilley said the lake is muddy and the water level is up and down. Fishing is extremely tough for all species. The new ramp and Starnes Landing is in place and open to the public.
Lake Columbia:
Steve’s Outdoor Sports (870-234-2222) said bream are fair on worms and crickets. Crappie are biting well on minnows and jigs. Bass and catfish are slow.
Lake Erling:
Steve’s Outdoor Sports (870-234-2222) the water is at normal level. Catfishing is good on nightcrawlers. All other species are slow.
Lake Greeson:
As of Tuesday, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reports the lake’s elevation was 546.23 MSL (Flood pool – 548 MSL).
Lakeside Grocery and Bait (870-398-5304) said the water is dingy and the surface temperature is 48 to 50 degrees. Bream are slow. Crappie are fair on minnows and jigs in 15 to 20 feet of water. Bass are fair on crankbaits fished in 2 to 5 feet of water. Walleye are fair on jigs and crankbaits. Catfishing is slow.
Cossatot River:
Cossatot River State Park had no report.
DeGray Lake:
As of Tuesday, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reports the lake’s elevation was 406.83 feet MSL (Flood pool – 408 MSL).
Local angler George Graves said the surface temperature is in the mid- to upper 40s. The water is slightly muddy above Point 15 and clear in the lower end of the lake. A few good reports on bass have been coming in between Arlie Moore and Cox Creek. Most bass are being caught deep (20 to 30 feet) on main lake points. On warmer days, some bass have been caught as shallow as 8 to 10 feet. The best lures have been heavy jig-and-pig combos, heavy Texas-rigged worms and Carolina-rigged lizards and Brush Hogs. The best colors are green pumpkin and red shad. Crappie fishing is fair on deep fish shelters, between 25 and 30 feet deep. Live minnows have been the most productive bait, but a few fish have been caught on 1/16-ounce red/chartreuse marabou jigs with a crappie nibble on the hook. The best brush piles have been between Caddo Drive and Point 14. A few nice bream have been mixed in with the crappies and are biting fairly well on redworms and crickets.
West-Central Arkansas
Lake Nimrod:
As of Tuesday, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reports the lake’s elevation was 345.52 feet MSL.
Lake Nimrod Bait and More II (479-272-4025) had no report.
Greer’s Sporting Goods (501-889-2011) had no report.
Lake Dardanelle:
Regina Olson at Spadra Marina said crappie have been biting fairly well. Some limits have been reported from morning fishermen using minnows and orange/chartreuse jigs close to the bottom. Catfishing is excellent on shad, worms and stinkbait. Not many bass anglers are on the water, and the bass fishing has been slow.
Blue Mountain Lake:
As of Tuesday, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reports the lake’s elevation was 387.62 feet MSL.
Teresa at CD’s Quick Stop (479-947-2178) had no report.
Lake Ouachita:
As of Tuesday, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reports the lake’s elevation was 578.06 MSL (Flood pool – 578 MSL).
Larry Hurley from Poorman’s Guide Service said Lake Ouachita had a large shad kill, and fishing is a bit tough because fish are feeding on the dead shad. Bass fishing is slow. Jerk baits, Rat-L-Traps and jigs fished around the grass are your best bet, but it’s a grind. Stripers are fair on spoons and shad-colored crankbaits at the far west side of the lake.
Mountain Harbor Resort said the water is 40 to 44 degrees and clearing. Largemouth bass are fair on jigs fished in brush piles on points or humps in 18 to 25 feet of water. Lipless crankbaits are working well fished near drop-offs, ledges and moss. Walleye are fair on jigging spoons or fluorescent jigs tipped with minnows on main lake points or humps in the river channels in 20-30 feet of water. These fish are slowly making their way upstream to spawn. Stripers are fair on live shad and trotline minnows. Main lake points near creek channels or open water humps are the best areas. Jigging spoons are working for these fish in 20 to 30 feet of water. Bream are slow on worms or crickets in water 20 to 25 feet deep. Crappie are biting well near brush in water 12 to 20 feet deep. Minnows or crappie grubs are still working best. Tennessee shad and Arkansas shad are the best colors for artificial baits. Catfish are still slow and being caught on cut bait and live bait hung from on jug lines and trotlines.
Lake Hamilton:
Daryl Morris of Family Fishing Trips said a lot of water is passing through Lake Hamilton as Lake Ouachita is being lowered. The lake will be allowed to rise to normal pool on March 4. Fishing is slow right now, but should improve with some warmer weather.
Lake Catherine:
Shane Goodner, owner of Catch’em All Guide Service, (501-624-8757) said the Carpenter Dam tailwater is very fast and treacherous to navigate by boat or foot. Water temperature has fallen to 44 degrees. Rainbow trout are present in very good numbers, but are hard to catch from boat or bank as swift currents make fishing difficult. Bank anglers must find areas that are out of the main flow and concentrate on live bait presentations. Nightcrawlers and redworms fished just off the bottom with marshmallows offer trout a tasty meal as opposed to the thousands of injured threadfin shad that are scattered throughout the tailrace from generation. Fly fishermen using a variety of egg patterns have taken fish this week despite the conditions. Power Bait has accounted for several limits of quality fish in the heavy current. Until the flows slow, fishing for any species will be difficult. Walleye are spawning, but very little fishing is taking place. Crappie will move to the dam in March along with white bass. April brings freshwater drum and roaming stripers.
Lake Hinkle:
Bill’s Bait Shop (479-637-4719) said the water is clear and at normal levels. Fishing is slow for all species.
Lake Atkins:
Ken Vinson at Lucky Landing (479-641-7615) said fishing is still slow, but looking better each week. A few bass were caught late Saturday, with one 81/4-pound fish being caught. Crappie and catfish are still slow. The water temperature is 41 degrees and slowly climbing.
South Central Arkansas
Moro Bay:
Moro Bay State Park at the junction of the Ouachita River, Raymond Lake and Moro Bay said the Ouachita River is at 82.00 feet and dropping. No anglers are out with the bad weather.
Tri-County Lake:
Bass are hitting fairly well on slow-running, medium-diving crankbaits and black/blue jigs. The fish caught are small, but they are beginning to bite.
East Arkansas
Arkansas River at Pine Bluff:
The Tackle Box (870-534-1498) said the water is high and murky. Bream are biting well on wax worms. Crappie are biting well on pink/chartreuse jigs and wax worms. Bass are biting well on chartreuse/blue crankbaits. Catfishing is good on large nightcrawlers and stinkbait.
White River:
Triangle Sports (870-793-7122) said the water is cold and high. Fishing is terrible.
Maddox Bay:
Maddox Bay Landing (870-462-8317) said the water is clear and at normal level. Crappie are slow on minnows fished from yo-yos set in 1 to 2 feet of water. All other species are slow.
Island 40 Chute:
Daily’s Boat Dock (870-739-3478) said the water is high and rising. Fishing is bad for all species.
Horseshoe Lake:
Local angler Clyde Gregory said the water is cold and slightly high. Crappie are biting well on minnows and black/chartreuse jigs slowly trolled in deep water. All other species are slow.