CENTRAL ARKANSAS:
Lake Conway: Water is stained and at normal level. Bream are biting well around lily pads on worms and crickets. Crappie fishing is good in 6 to 8 feet of water on minnows. Bass are biting well on plastic worms and buzz toads. Catfishing is also good on trotlines with bream or minnows.
Crappie are still being caught on cypress trees 3-7 ft deep. Readears are biting redworms and crickets on the flats. Bass are fair on flukes and spinnerbaits. Catfishing is fair on trotlines and yo-yos overnight. The water temperature is 68 to 72 degrees and the clarity is fair.
Little Red River: Water is clear and high, with heavy generation. Fishing for trout is very good on Power Bait, corn, spinnerbaits, Rapalas and wax worms.
Jed Hollan at the Little Red Fly Shop said the big news remains water, water, everywhere. All five White River impoundments are releasing copious amounts of water in an effort to lower lake levels. If you take your boat out on the river looking for trout, try casting a midge (22 or smaller in cream or black), Adams (18-20), elk hair caddis (14-16) or March brown (14) during hatches. To improve the odds of catching a trout in this high water, go deep instead of surface fishing. You could try a sowbug (14-16 in gray or tan with a bead head), zebra midge (16-22 red, black or chartreuse), San Juan worm (16-18 red or pink), copper John (14-16) or any streamer, such as a wooly bugger, in sizes 4-12 olive, brown or black. Choose a fly that has lots of flash or sparkle. If you elect to fish sub-surface in high water, you will need to use split shot or sink putty to get your fly down quickly.
Greers Ferry: As of Tuesday, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reports the lake's elevation at 485.12 feet MSL.
Water is stained and 25 feet high. Walleye are biting well around the trees on minnows. Hybrids are biting early in the morning on spinnerbaits and Rogues.
Water level fell off a bit and is down to 485.88 this morning and falling slow. White bass and hybrid fishing is good now that the water has cleared; try grubs and in-line spinners. Bass fishing is picking back up after some cold nights. Weightless Rite Bite Cinkos and other Senko-type lures are working well in the shallows, as are Chatterbaits, Shakey Hookers and spinnerbaits. A few walleye have been caught dragging nightcrawlers across flats in 17 feet of water. Crappie are biting well on Road Runners and minnows. Bream are moving to the shallows. Catfishing is good all over the lake on live and prepared baits.
Harris Brake Lake: Water is stained and is still dropping. Bream are biting well on crickets. Crappie are hit or miss but can usually be caught on minnows or jigs. Catfishing is fair on minnows and worms.
Lake Beaverfork: The City of Conway Parks and Recreation Department said all species are slow right now.
Lake Overcup: Water conditions are normal. Bream fishing is good on worms and crickets. Crappie are biting very well on minnows and jigs. Catfish are being caught on worms, goldfish, and crawfish.
Water is clear and is almost back to normal level. Bream fishing is fair on red worms, wax worms, and crickets. Crappie are biting well in 5 to 7 feet of water on minnows and brown jigs. Bass fishing is good on spinnerbaits and plastic worms. Catfishing is good on cut bait and nightcrawlers.
Sunset Lake: Water conditions are normal. Bream are good on crickets. Crappie are biting well in shallow water on 2-inch lemon-colored grubs. Bass are excellent on watermelonseed lizards and floating worms. A few catfish have been caught on liver.
Saline River Access in Benton: River is normal. Crappie are biting well on red/chartreuse Road Runners around brush piles. Bass are biting well on crankbaits and pumpkinseed finesse worms.
Arkansas River at Morrilton: Current is still strong. Backwater fishing is really heating up. Fishing along flooded grasslines and overhangs has been the best bet for most game fish. Some nice largemouth are being caught on buzzing toads flipped up in flooded grass and under overhangs and twitched erratically on the retrieve. White bass are in the creek mouths and jetty tips early and late in the day. White or pearl-colored Shad Raps are working well. Catfish are cruising flooded areas and biting well on worms. Gar are in the shallows and will bite a free-floating hook baited with a minnow or bream. Be sure to let the gar run with the bait a little while before setting the hook. Crappie are biting well around flooded timber and laydowns on live minnows.
Lake Maumelle: Water is 0.3 feet above the spillway. Black bass are biting excellently in 3 to 7 feet of water. Spinnerbaits, tubes and crankbaits are all working well. There are still some fish spawning on the south bank. Kentucky bass are mixed in with the largemouths. Crappie are biting well but the spawn is a little behind. There are several reports of crappie being caught 20 feet deep on small jigs and minnows. Bream are moving to the shallows and biting well on crickets and redworms. Catfishing is fair on live and prepared bait in 5 to 15 feet of water.
Brewer Lake: Water is still very high and dingy. All species are slow right now.
Arkansas River in Little Rock: Water is still high and in bad condition. All species are slow.
Little Maumelle River: Bream are fair on crickets. Crappie are fair on minnows. Bass are biting well on spinnerbaits. Catfishing is good on trotlines with cut bait.
Big Maumelle River: Bream are biting well on red worms and crickets. Crappie fishing is good on pink minnows. Catfish are biting very well on cut bait and chicken hearts.
Palarm Creek: Crappie are biting well on minnows. Bass are fair on spinnerbaits. Catfishing is good cut bait and chicken hearts.
Murray Lock and Dam: Crappie are good on minnows and red or chartreuse jigs. White bass are biting well on chartreuse twister tails. Catfishing is excellent on cut shad and nightcrawlers.
Pickthorne Lake: Bream are biting well on red worms and crickets. Crappie are fair on minnows. Catfish are good on stink bait or cut bait.
Terry Lock and Dam: Catfish are the best thing going on large minnows.
Clear Lake: Water conditions are normal. Bream are the best thing going on worms and crickets.
Peckerwood Lake: Water is stained and at normal level. Bream are fair on worms and crickets. Crappie fishing is good on minnows and jigs. Catfish are biting well on cut bait and nightcrawlers.
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NORTH ARKANSAS:
White River: Bass have been biting well on spinnerbaits and crankbaits in the flooded timber all over the lake. Crappie have been biting well under the logs. Try a minnow fished 1 to 2 feet under a float. White bass are still going strong upstream from the 45 bridge in 4 to 6 feet of water on Shineee Hineee's. Stripers have been scattered all over the lake. Good places to look have been in Prairie creek, Indian Creek and up either river arm. Best bait has been live minnows or shad.
Catfishing is outstanding both for bank fisherman and limb liners on goldfish and cut bait.
Reservoirs on the White River system have fallen a bit. They remain precariously close to the top of flood pool. It has been very windy and there were lake wind advisories on several days. The lake level at Bull Shoals Dam rose fell six tenths of a foot to rest at forty and two tenths feet above power pool of 654.00 feet. This is eight tenths of a foot below the top of flood pool. Up stream, Table Rock Lake remained steady at fifteen and five tenths of a foot above power pool or five tenths of a foot below the top of flood pool. Beaver Lake rose six tenths of a foot to settle at nine and two tenths feet above pool or four tenths of a foot below the top of flood pool. The flood gates at Bull Shoals have been closed. The pattern on the White is to run all eight generators around the clock. The fishing on the upper White has been excellent, particularly the Catch and Release section below Bull Shoals dam.. Large brightly colored San Juan worms (red, hot pink, cerise and fire orange have all been productive) and brightly colored egg patterns. They must be fished with a lot of lead and, of course, a really big strike indicator to float it all. I would recommend at least 4X to handle the larger flies and additional weight. Make sure that your indicator is set on the leader to enable the fly to tick the bottom of the water column. Other generally hot spots on the river have not fished as well as the upper river. Rim shoals and the Cotter area, in particular, have not been producing well.
The fishing had been different but very good all week. White River trout are going to be stacking on the weight courtesy of the floodgates. As the water receded down the eight units level, and below, the fishing was still pretty damn good up and down the river. The Corp has been fluctuating the water significantly. Virtually every day this week flows were cut back to two units around midnight before gradually returning to 8 unit flows by "work hours". This had opened up some small windows of wadable water downstream. One angler led the way last Saturday with a 22" brown. Best flies remain the San Juan Worm or Dynamite Worm. Other anglers picked up fish early on Shad patterns, but went back to the reliable San Juans (red, pink, and hot orange) and of course Kev's Pink Lady. With recent rain, we are hearing reports that both the Table Rock and Beaver spillways have opened in response. Just what impact that will have on this section of the river remains to be seen.
Water is still high with the flood gates open. Trout are biting on plastic worms, Rapalas, and Rogues.
Bull Shoals Lake: As of Tuesday, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reports the lake's elevation at 694.04 feet MSL.
Lake Norfork: As of Tuesday, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reports the lake's elevation at 578.96 feet MSL.
Walleye fishing has been good this week on the points and in the coves with running creeks. Most walleye have been caught on live bait. White bass are still biting well. Striper fishing is good on live bait and some are doing well using Rogues fished in less than 30 feet of water. Crappie fishing is picking up using a minnow/jig combo around 20-30 feet deep. The water temperature has been in the high 50s to mid-60s. Catfishing has been good using limb lines and rod-and-reel with live bait. Bass fishing has been fair on trick worms, lizards and flukes in the grassy areas and around the trees and brush.
Norfork Tailwater: Water conditions are normal with 2 generators on around the clock. Trout fishing is excellent on corn, nightcrawlers, salmon eggs, and olive or black wooly buggers.
Quarry Park is closed because he Corps of Engineers opened the flood gates to drop the water level on Norfork Lake because it was well over the top of flood pool. This means that the water flow (the equivalent of thirty generators) was fifteen times the level we had previously considered the maximum. If you want to boat, you must use the ramp at the confluence and motor up. There has been a lot of high water and the same high water tactics suggested for the White should also work here. During a recent fishing trip, I saw a three foot gar and a thirty pound striper. The tales of fish being washed into the river when the flood gates were open are true. It should make for some very interesting fishing this year. There were a couple of brief periods of wadable water. The fishing during these was spectacular. There were literally millions of scuds in the water and the nymphing action was non stop. The biggest fish were an eighteen inch rainbow and a wild brown the same size. The river has changed but it is still a great place to fish. Dry Run Creek is back in business and fishing very well. After the recent flooding, the hot fly has been the worm brown San Juan worm in smaller sizes. Other hot flies have been sowbugs, olive woolly buggers, egg patterns and Y2Ks. Make sure that you mash down all barbs.
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NORTHWEST ARKANSAS:
Beaver Lake: As of Tuesday, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reports the lake's elevation at 1,128.85 feet MSL.
Bass have been biting well on spinnerbaits and crankbaits in the flooded timber all over the lake. Crappie have been biting well up near the bank under logs. Try a minnow fished 1 to 2 feet under a float. White bass are still going strong upstream from the 45 bridge in 4 to 6 feet of water. Shineee Hineee's have been the best bait. Stripers have been scattered all over the lake. Good places to look have been in Prairie creek, Indian Creek and up either river arm. Best bait has been live minnows or shad. Catfishing is outstanding both for bank fisherman and limb liners on goldfish and cut bait.
Water is muddy and high. Bream are biting fairly well on redworms and crickets. Crappie are biting well in 4 to 10 feet of water on minnows and tube jigs. Bass are fair in shallow water on spinnerbaits and soft-plastic worms. White bass are fair on minnows and crawdads. Stripers are fair on live bait.
Lake Fayetteville: Water is dingy and at normal level. Bream are biting well on crickets. Crappie are scattered but can be caught on minnows. Black bass are biting well on crankbaits and buzzbaits.
Lake Sequoyah: Water is stained and a little high. Crappie are biting well below the spillway on minnows and jigs. Bass fishing is good on buzzbaits and spinnerbaits. Catfish are fair on worms.
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NORTHEAST ARKANSAS:
Water is a little dingy and at normal level. Bream are fair on crickets. Crappie are biting well on minnows and small jigs. Bass fishing is good on buzzbaits and flukes.
Water is dingy and very high. All species are slow.
Water clarity is fair, but most importantly, the water levels are coming down. Fishing conditions could not be better. Mayfly emergers have been very productive this week. Brown and black caddis and mayfly hatches have been steady in early morning hours and in the late evening.
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SOUTHEAST ARKANSAS:
Water is murky and still high. Bream are fair on crickets. Crappie are biting well on minnows and jigs. Catfishing is good on trotlines with soap.
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SOUTHWEST ARKANSAS:
Millwood Lake: As of Tuesday, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reports the lake's elevation at 260.61 feet MSL.
The main lake and Little River's water surface temp is ranging approx 64 to 77, depending of course, on location and time of day. The water clarity along the river and main lake, is beginning to improve. Upriver oxbow's clarity is about 8-10". The tailwater elevation that was available below the spillway is 248.56 feet and falling from increased discharge at the dam. Discharge/ Release Rate at the spillway of 17,159 CFS. Decreased current in Little River and increase in drop of pool on Red River continues to slowly lower the water level. River Run East boat ramp and campground is closed due to remaining high water. Lake level on Millwood as of Tuesday 28 April, is still approx 1.3 feet above normal, and slowly falling, at 260.53 feet. Normal pool is 259.2 feet. Little River's clarity as of Monday, is approx 4-5" visibility. Much debris, grass mats, tree limbs, etc is coming down Little River. Use caution during navigations on Millwood until normal pool can be returned. USACE is working diligently to replace river buoys that were pushed to the bank during the 6-8 foot rise. Over half of the bass have already spawned over last 2-3 weeks. Large 10-12" worms, magnum lizards, large Rat-L-Traps, & magnum tubes are working well. Largemouth bass the past week has been good. Some Largemouth bass we are finding have already spawned out, as beds have been seen up river at various locations. Some remain staging and full of roe. Numerous males and fat females have been seen and caught up to 9 pounds each. The most aggressive bite remains on Bass Assassin Shads, trick worms, top-water toads, and Senkos or big bulky Rat-L-Traps. Southern Pro Tubes (with rattles) in black/red flake are still working in off-colored water, and purple smoke in the clearer water. 10-inch worms and Hog Assassins in black emerald, and green pumpkin are working. Spot remover, orange and hot mouse War Eagle spinnerbaits are taking some decent largemouths. Crappie took another major improvement this past week. The big crappie have been caught under cypress trees on pink and white, or red/white jigs over the past couple weeks. The good news continues for blues, and remains consistent and steady w/ the current in Little River over the past couple weeks. Channel Cats, from 3-8 pounds each for the past several weeks, are good, using dog food, cut shad or Charlie, on trotlines and yo-yos along the river and in oxbows hung from cypress trees in 7-9 feet water depth, near river current. Bream are beginning to bite well again along the banks on crickets and redworms around docks and cypress trees. White or chartreuse popping bugs on fly rods are catching nice redear. Longnose Gar still remain relatively shallow and cruising and are actively seen in huge numbers in shallow water spawning areas are making excellent opportunities for bow fishermen.
White Oak Lake: Water level is at normal pool and the surface temperature is still fairly cool. The water clarity is clear. Bream are biting well on crickets. Bass are biting well on plastic worms. Catfish are biting well on jugs.
Lake Greeson: As of Tuesday, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reports the lake's elevation at 547.87 feet MSL.
Water is stained and at normal level. Bream are fair on crickets. Crappie are biting well in 1 to 5 feet of water on minnows and jigs. Bass are good in shallow water on spinnerbaits and top-water lures. Catfishing is very good on jugs and trotlines with minnows.
Lake is finally back down to just full pool. The cool nights are holding the water temperature in the 60's, which is perfect to finish a good spawn. The bass and crappie are a bit scattered but can be found in staging areas and in the shallows. Each day things get better or back to normal. Both jigs and minnows are working well.
DeGray Lake: As of Tuesday, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reports the lake's elevation at 408.03 feet MSL.
Water is murky and has a 70 degree surface temperature. All the boat ramps are now open again. Bream are picking up on red worms and crickets. Crappie are fair on minnows and jigs. Hybrids and black and white bass are schooling to the south end and are being caught on spoons, jerkbaits, rooster tails, and top-water lures. Catfish are picking up on trotlines with live bait.
DeGray Lake State Park said the water is warming up more in the shallows and clarity is dingy from the high water but clearing slowly. The crappie are in 15 to 2 foot of water, some large ones are being caught on baby bass 1/12" jigs and electric chicken as well as yellow and white jigs. They were moving into the shallows but now have moved some what father out. The black bass are being seen paired up in the shallows. Bream are starting to move in and are hitting crickets. The catfish are starting to come in a little stronger than last week.
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WEST-CENTRAL ARKANSAS:
Blue Mountain Lake: As of Tuesday, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reports the lake's elevation at 411.55 feet MSL.
Water is murky and still a little high. Crappie fishing is excellent on minnows and jigs. Catfish are biting well on worms and large minnows.
Ozark Pool: Water is muddy and high. A few bass have been caught on spinnerbaits and jigs. Catfish are fair on shad and nightcrawlers.
Lake Ouachita: As of Tuesday, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reports the lake's elevation was 578.44 feet MSL.
Lake is high, but dropping about 4 inches a day. Bass are biting very well on frogs near flooded worms. Shakey head worms in watermelon colors. Carolina rigs on long, flat points are producing well. Striper fishing has been poor. Walleye are beginning to pull up shallow and should be biting crankbaits fairly well. Bream are biting well on small grubs and crickets in the shallows.
Water is warming and clear. Stripers are in the creek mouths and on the points. Live gizzard shad are working well when freelined. All sizes of stripers are biting well, but larger fish are biting best on 10 to 18-inch shad. Most of the fishing is over by 9:30 in the morning and doesn't pick up again until 4:30 in the evening. Some stripers are being caught in 20 to 30 feet of water on trolled umbrella rigs in the mornings.
Lake Catherine: Waters below the dam have finally cleared to normal, but very heavy generation has hampered the fishing. Entergy is running nearly full load generation in order to bring Lake Ouachita out of flood pool and this process has created very swift water in the tailrace. All of the rainbow trout have been stocked in the area for this season; however, these fish are extremely hard to catch while the turbines are running full blast. Periods of calm water are needed for the fish to return to their normal feeding patterns. Some fish are being caught, but any good fishing will not occur until the heavy generation subsides. The white bass run is in full swing and fishermen are catching these fish by trolling small crankbaits in the channels that imitate shad or crawfish. White jigs in 1/8 ounce sizes are also working well around the submerged islands and visible rock structures. The crappie spawn is winding down with some fish still being caught on minnows and small jigs in areas that are protected from the strong current. Mid - April marks the beginning of the freshwater drum spawn below the dam. Huge female drum will cover the area for the next month - many of which are from 20 to 40 pounds. While these fish are looked down upon by many anglers, you would be hard pressed to find a fish that can provide the fight these huge behemoths put out. Striper and hybrid activity is sure to improve this month as the temperature is on the rise and the trout downstream migrate towards the tailrace area.
Water conditions are normal. A few bream have been caught on crickets. Crappie are good at the west end of the lake on minnows and jigs. Bass are good around shorelines.
Lake Hamilton: Carolina rigs are working well on flats near brush and stumps. Inside the pockets and coves, throw a trick worm in Merthiolate or white. White bass are breaking in the mouths of the creeks, and a spinnerbait or Rooster Tail are working. If the wind will allow it, use the lightest weight possible to slow the fall of your soft plastics and give fish more time to react to the bait.
Lake Atkins: Water conditions are normal. Bream are fair on crickets. Crappie are fair on minnows and jigs. Bass are biting well on spinnerbaits and buzzbaits. Catfish are decent on minnows.
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EAST ARKANSAS:
Arkansas River (Pine Bluff): water is stained and finally going down. Bream are biting well on wax worms, red worms, and crickets. Crappie are picking up on minnows. Bass are biting well on lizards and spinnerbaits. Catfish are biting well on shad, liver, and shrimp.
White River: Triangle Sports (870-793-7122) said the water is just under flood stage and is still in poor condition.
Horseshoe Lake: Water is in very good condition. A few bream have been caught on wax worms and red worms. Crappie are biting well in shallow water on minnows and jigs. Catfish are biting well on minnows.