HOT SPOTS
ARKANSAS RIVER (LITTLE ROCK POOL) Crappie are being caught 5-6 feet deep around brush piles. Bass are biting well on square-billed crankbaits and jigs fished along the jetties. Catfishing has been very good, and even a few are being taken on crankbaits by bass anglers. White bass are excellent using white and chartreuse twister tail grubs below Murray Lock and Dam.
BEAVER LAKE Bass are being caught on topwater baits and jigs early in the day. They are also hitting drop-shot worms, spoons and slowrolled spinnerbaits during the day. Crappie fishing is good using minnows. Stripers are scattered but are hitting topwaters throughout the day, with peaks at dusk and dawn.
LAKE DARDANELLE Bass are being caught in the upper river on lipless crankbaits, jigs, spinnerbaits and buzzbaits. Striped bass fishing is excellent on all areas of the river using lipless crankbaits, swimbaits and jerk baits. White bass are being caught on lipless crankbaits, spoons and tailspinners. Crappie fishing is improving with some fish moving into the creeks. They can be caught with black jigs and minnows. Catfishing is good using live bait.
LAKE MAUMELLE Crappie fishing is picking up in 10-20 feet of water using small minnows and jigs in electric chicken colors. Bass are biting fairly well all day on main lake points on black/blue jigs and medium-diving crankbaits. Catfishing is excellent in the deeper pools using cut shad, night crawlers, minnows and skipjack. White bass fishing is fair using Rooster Tails and white/salt-and-pepper grubs. Bream are hitting night crawlers.
WHITE RIVER Trout are biting well on Power Bait and shrimp. There has been some very good boat fishing, with a lot of anglers opting for lures instead of live bait. Rooster Tails, Buoyant Spoons, Colorado Spoons and Blue Fox spinners worked very well. Fly-fishermen have had success fishing on bottom with Copper Johns, and a few are catching trout on grasshopper patterns.
Sports, Pages 21 on 10/31/2013