4/12/07 fishing report

[Whiskers]

April 12, 2007

Fishing Tip: : If you're looking for lessons on crappie fishing, make plans to attend the annual Spring Crappie Camp on LakeGreeson this Saturday, April 14, through Wednesday, April 18. Attendance and mini-seminars are free and you can come and go as you please. Come camp at Kirby Landing and Darryl Morris of Family Fishing Trips and Jerry Blake of Action Fishing Trips will point you in the right direction to catch your limit of crappie.

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

10.79 feet at Dardanelle (flood stage ­ 32 feet)

14.13 feet at Morrilton (flood stage ­ 30 feet)

7.26 feet at Little Rock (flood stage ­ 23 feet)

32.00 feet at Pine Bluff (flood stage ­ 42 feet)

25.92 feet at Pendleton (flood stage ­ 31 feet)

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

6.71 feet at Georgetown (flood stage ­ 21 feet)

18.21 feet at Augusta (flood stage ­ 26 feet)

5.98 feet at Newport (flood stage ­ 26 feet)

7.56 feet at Batesville (flood stage ­ 15 feet)

3.03 feet at Calico Rock (flood stage ­ 19 feet)

Statewide Family and Community Fishing Report: Cold weather slowed the fishing from last week. Trout are still biting well on PowerBait. Bream are fair in the afternoons on worms or crickets. Catfish stockings will begin next week. For more information on fish stockings, call toll-free 1-866-540-FISH (3474).

CENTRAL ARKANSAS

Lake Conway : Bates Field and Stream (501-470-1846) said the water is at normal levels and the lake has a good color to it. Bream are excellent on redworms and crickets. Crappie are fair on minnows. Bass are fair on live minnows or bream. Catfishing is good in the main channels on live minnows and worms.

Lake Beaverfork : The City of Conway Parks and Recreation Department said crappie are being stubborn, but a few can be caught on minnows. Bass are biting well on Texas-rigged soft-plastic lizards.

Little Red River: Lindsey's Resort (501-302-3139) said the water is clear and running very little on the weekends. Trout are biting well on PowerBait, corn and wax worm/marshmallow combinations.

Mark Hollan at The Little Red Fly Shop in Heber Springs said GreersFerryLake is down to top power pool and the generators have stopped operating around the clock. The low river water is cold and clear and the fishing is great! It seems that, after several weeks of water releases, the fish are biting most everything. Tan or dark gray sow bugs in sizes 14 and 16 are working well along with gold ribbed hare's ears in size 16 and brown woolly buggers (sizes 10-12).

Greers Ferry: As of Tuesday, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reports the lake's elevation at 461.37 feet MSL.

Shiloh Marina (501-825-6237) said the water is clear and at normal pool. Bream are slow. Crappie are slow. Kentucky bass and smallmouth bass are biting well on spinnerbaits, crankbaits and Carolina rigs worked slowly around 18 to 20 feet of water. Walleye are slow. Catfishing is poor.

Tommy Cauley of Fish Finder Guide Service said hybrid fishing is good if you get over the shad and stay over them. The fish are back in deep water and wanting to feed. Fish swim baits and spoons in 40-60 feet of water. The river white bass are back with the hybrids and feeding. The main lake white bass are using the smaller creeks to spawn and can be caught with small grubs, Roadrunners and in-line spinners. The crappie should get back to normal by the end of the week and be shallow with the warm up and rising water. Catfish are biting pretty well as they are eating the carp eggs and are hungry after the late winter. A few walleye are starting to be caught again on postspawn flats in about 40 feet of water. The cold front really hurt the black bass bite. The bass went a little deeper, but can be caught on Rite Bite lizards or Cinkos fished on 1/8-ounce jigheads, also use Texas-rigged centipedes and wacky-rigged floating worms.

Harris Brake Lake: Coffee Creek Landing (501-889-2745) said the water is clear and at normal levels. Fishing is poor for all species.

Lake Overcup : Lakeview Landing (501-354-1470) said the water is clear and at normal levels. Bream fishing is fair on redworms and crickets. Crappie are fair on minnows. Bass are slow. Catfishing is fair on minnows.

Overcup Landing (501-354-9007) said fishing is slow for all species.

Lake Brewer : Overcup Landing (501-354-9007) said fishing is slow for all species.

Little MaumelleRiver: River Valley Bait (501-868-3279) said the water is low and clearing up. Fishing is extremely slow for this time of year.

Lake Maumelle: Jolly Roger's Marina said the cold weather has kept some anglers off the water, but the fishing has been great. Black bass are holding around the banks and biting well on spinnerbaits and crankbaits. Kentucky bass are biting well on spinnerbaits in 6 to 10 feet of water. Crappie are biting well on minnows and red/white jigs in 6-10 feet of water. The white bass run is over, but some schooling is being reported on NorthShore and Reese Creek areas. Rooster Tails and Rogues are catching the white bass. Bream are hitting well on crickets and worms in 25 feet of water. Saugeye are fair on minnows with some 4 1/2-pound fish being caught.

Hatchet Jack's Sport Shop (501-758-4958) said the water is clear and at normal levels. Bass are biting well on large minnows and white horse-head jigs.

Sunset Lake : Turbyfill's Outdoor Sports (501-315-3061) said the water is clear and at normal levels. Bream fishing is good on crickets. Crappie fishing is good on Tennessee shad-colored jigs. Bass are biting well on watermelon seed lizards. Catfishing is fair on dough bait.

Saline River Access in Benton: Turbyfill's Outdoor Sports (501-315-3061) said the water is clear and at normal levels. Bream are biting well on crickets. Crappie are biting well on Tennessee shad-colored jigs. Bass are excellent on green pumpkin lizards fished on a Texas rig. Catfishing is fair on dough bait and chicken livers.

Arkansas River at Morrilton: Charley's HiddenHarbor in Oppelo said the flow from Lock 9 is 42.2 cubic feet per second with a headwater of 285.22 and a tailwater of 268.98. Some nice catfish are being caught on the backside of jetties below locks 9 and 10. Nightcrawlers fished around 10 feet deep are working well. Kentucky bass are in the backwaters and behind the jetties and are biting well on firetiger-colored spinnerbaits and crankbaits around 6 to 12 feet deep. Stripers are below the dam around jetty tips in 6 to 10 feet of water. Live shad are working well. Largemouth bass are in the backwaters trying to spawn, but the weather has kept them mixed up. A jig-and-pig or tube fished around isolated cover in the backwaters is working well. Crappie are biting fairly well on minnows fished 3 to 6 feet deep in Flag Lake Cutoff, Point Remove Creek and the PetitJeanRiver.

Murray Lock and Dam: Hatchet Jack's Sport Shop (501-758-4958) said white bass, stripers and crappie are all holding below the dam. The crappie and white bass are biting well on red/chartreuse, white/chartreuse and orange/chartreuse jigs. The stripers are doing the best on chartreuse or white curly tailed grubs.

Terry Lock and Dam: McSwain Sports Center (501-945-2471) said the water is clear and at normal levels. Catfishing is good on cut shad. Stripers are biting well below the dams on large minnows and curly tailed grubs. All other species are slow.

Clear Lake: McSwain Sports Center (501-945-2471) said the water is stained and at normal pool. Bream are good on wax worms and crickets. Crappie are biting well on small minnows and tube jigs. Bass and catfish are poor.

Peckerwood Lake : Herman's Landing (870-241-3731) said the water is clear and at normal levels. Bream fishing is poor. Crappie fishing is fair on minnows and jigs. Catfishing is good on yo-yos baited with minnows, blood bait, worms or chicken livers.
Redbarn Landing (870-255-4315) said the water is clear and around 62 degrees. Bream are fair on wax worms and tiny white jigs. Crappie are biting well on crappie tubes fished 4 to 5 feet deep. Bass are biting well on buzzbaits and Rat-L-Traps. Catfishing is good on minnows and rosey reds.

[Whiskers]

NORTH ARKANSAS

White River : Local angler Jason Oury said anglers fishing the West Fork is starting to see some smallmouth action on McLellan's Crazy Dad streamer flies and small homemade poppers in natural wood and yellow. Bream seem to want anything and everything that lands in their space, but not many large ones are showing up.

Bull Shoals Lake : As of Tuesday, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reports the lake's elevation at 653.83 feet MSL.

Wilderness Trail (870-445-2703) said lake temperature dropped to 54 degrees. Crappie have pulled back into the brush piles or tucked tight up under docks with the cool down. Go back to live crappie minnows this week until the weather warms. White bass have pulled out of the shallows in the backs of the creeks to the first drop off where there is 20 to 30 feet of water. They are suspending 12 to 18 feet down, so if you are fishing Roadrunners count them down for 10 seconds, and then slowly retrieve them. Largemouth bass are still staging and have stayed in the backs of the pockets and creeks roaming the banks. You might find a false bed or two but the water temperature is too cold for them to seriously considering spawning. Fish spinnerbaits, Senkos and flukes around the banks and secondary points. Smallmouth bass have pulled off the banks and are suspending in 25 to 30 feet of water out in front of the pea rock points and transition areas along the chunk rock banks. Kentucky bass have scattered, there are some on the banks, some on the brush piles, some on channel swings and some suspending under balls of shad. Walleye have almost completed their spawn and anglers are already catching males off points at night on X-raps and Suspending Rogues. The day bite remains slow but the walleye are in 20 to 25 feet of water and can be caught on jerkbaits and Shad Raps or Glass Shads.

LakeNorfork:As of Tuesday, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reports the lake's elevation at 551.84 feet MSL.

Cranfield Junction Bait and Tackle (870-492-5141) said the water is clear and at normal levels. Bream are fair on redworms and crickets in 5 feet of water. Crappie are fair on crappie minnows and jigs fished around brush piles near the bank. Bass are biting very well on Zoom finesse worms and grubs near spawning areas and on crankbaits fished around secondary points. Walleye activity is picking up. Anglers are catching walleye on Reef Runners and Rogues trolled around sloping points. Stripers are biting well early and late in the day on Rogues and top-water lures where feeder creeks and rivers are emptying into the lake.

Norfork Tailwater: Gene's Trout Dock (870-499-5381) said the water is clear and generators are running sporadically. Usually two generators are running. Trout fishing has been excellent on corn, frozen shad and Power Eggs.

Table Rock Lake: Phillip Stone of Stone's Guide Service said bass fishing remains about the same for this week, with a few more moving up shallow. Best tactics right now are still the Wiggle Wart on chunk-rock banks and stick baits out in deeper water off the same banks. Anglers are starting to catch a few on laydown logs by flipping a jig. With the water temperature in the low 60s, it won't be long before they start moving up. The crappie bite is getting better every week. They seem to be scattered out on the spawning flats in 15-18 feet of water, but only about 5-8 feet down. Look for large schools of baitfish in the Long Creek and Cricket areas and you will find the fish. I have been drifting live minnows and fan casting swimming minnows in these areas. We have been catching 15-25 crappie a day consistently in the 12 to 14-inch range with the occasional 15-16-inch crappie during guide trips. It won't be long before they start to move up to spawning areas in the shallow water. We have also started catching some white bass in the same areas while fishing for crappie. The biggest was almost 4 lbs. on a recent guide trip.


Buffalo River : Local angler Jason Oury said smallmouth are beginning to bite well on Clouser minnows, poppers and various dry flies. Bream are also biting on the same. The mornings and evenings seem to be the bets time and the fish are congregating at the ends of pools where the shoals begin to ascend.

NORTHWEST ARKANSAS

Beaver Lake : As of Tuesday, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reports the lake's elevation at 1,120.47 feet MSL.

Southtown Sporting Goods (479-443-7148) said the water is clear and the surface temperature is in the mid-50s. Crappie are fair on Shinneee Hinneee Jigs and minnows fished in brush piles from 6 to 10 feet deep. Bass are fair to poor on spinnerbaits and crankbaits. Catfishing is poor.

Beaver Tailwater : McLellan's Fly Shop said generation decreased last week. During the weekends, fly anglers should look forward to some excellent wade-fishing and low water. San Juan worms, egg patterns and shad patterns like the Arkansas beadhead work well during the spring. Midge patterns like zebra midges and the jujube midge are also working well.

Lake Fayetteville: Lake Fayetteville Boat Dock (479-444-3476) said the water is murky and at normal level. The weather has kept most anglers off the lake.


Lake Sequoyah: Lake Sequoyah Boat Dock (479-444-3475) said the water is clear and at normal levels. Bream are fair on worms and crickets fished around brush and stumps in 4 to 6 feet of water. Crappie are biting well on minnows, jigs and Road Runners fished 4 to 6 feet deep around mud flats, brush, stumps and rocky areas. Bass are biting well on spinnerbaits and soft-plastic worms in 4 to 8 feet of water. Catfishing is fair on worms, cut bait and chicken livers fished 4 to 10 feet deep.

NORTHEAST ARKANSAS

Crown Lake: Boxhound Marina (870-670-4496) said the water is clear and at normal levels. Bream fishing is fair on crickets. Crappie fishing is good on minnows. Bass fishing is good on soft-plastic worms and hula grubs.

Spring River : Many Islands Camp (870-856-3451) said the water is at normal levels. Trout are biting well on salmon eggs. All other species are slow.

Lake Frierson: Lake Frierson State Park said the water is a little muddy and at normal levels. Crappie are biting well on purple/chartreuse jigs. No report on bass, bream or catfish.

Eleven-Point River : Woody's Canoe Rental and Campground (870-892-9732) said the water is clear. No anglers have visited the water lately. No report.

SOUTHEAST ARKANSAS

Lake Chicot : Koenig Bass Tracker Marine (870-265-5374) said the water is clear and at normal levels. Fishing has been slow for all species.

Grand Lake : Koenig Bass Tracker Marine (870-265-5374) said the water is clear and at normal levels. Fishing is poor for all species.


Cane Creek Lake : Cane Creek State Park said the water is clear and at normal levels. Bream are biting well on crickets and worms. Bass are biting well on spinnerbaits. Catfishing is good on trotlines baited with minnows.

SOUTHWEST ARKANSAS

Millwood Lake : As of Tuesday, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reports the lake's elevation at 259.20 feet MSL.

Millwood Lake Guide Service said main lake and Little River water surface temperature ranges from 60 to68 degrees. Upriver water remains slightly warmer, ranging from 70 to 71 degrees. Little River's clarity as of Monday is much improved, at 10-15 inches of visibility and current is drastically decreased at 169 cubic feet per second. Navigation along Little River is fair, but several buoy markers are missing in long runs and in turns along the river. Largemouth bass are spawning. The recently improved clarity is making it much easier to spot the beds in 3 to 7 feet of water. Some of the bass upriver have already spawned. Twitch Assassins, Senkos, lizards, War Eagle spinnerbaits and Jigs are taking some nice fish. The best bite, or the more aggressive bite for the past week, was on Bass Assassin twitch worms (trick worms), Senkos and Shad Assassins. Wacky rigs and War Eagle spinner baits are catching good size keeper bass. Although early morning low-light conditions are producing good quality and quantities of bass bites, the warmest period of the day is generating the highest activity levels. Along the river next to stumps and cypress trees close to deeper water with shallow flats behind them is where we are getting the most consistent responses from decent fish. White bass are biting very well near White Cliffs and the entrance to McGuireLake this week. Activity for whites is good on small Rat-L-Traps, tail spinners like Roadrunners, Rocket Shads and Rooster Tails in white or red or chrome/blue. Crappie are biting well with the lake level and clarity improvements. The Crappie are moving shallow in spawning mode. The best bite was in transition areas, between the brush piles along Little River in 12-13 feet.

Lake Columbia : Steve's Marine (870-234-2222) said the water is clear and at normal level. Crappie are biting well on yo-yos and trotlines baited with shiners. They are also biting on tight-lined minnows and jigs. Catfish are biting well on trotlines baited with shiners.

Lake Erling : Steve's Marine (870-234-2222) said crappie are biting well on shiners fished under a slip-cork or tight-lined. Catfishing is good on shiners.

White Oak Lake : Charlie's One Stop (870-685-2753) said the water is clear and at normal level. Fishing has been poor for all species.

Lake Greeson : As of Tuesday, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reports the lake's elevation at 544.64 feet MSL.

Lakeside Grocery, Motel and Bait (870-398-5304) said the water is clear and at normal levels. The water temperature plummeted 12 degrees last week and all fishing has been slow.

Darryl Morris of Family Fishing Trips Guide Service said much has changed on LakeGreeson in the last week. Many of the crappie started to spawn, but the water warmed very quickly and pulled them off the banks and beds. The recent cold weather has been a blessing and will give us a second spawn. Water that had reached the mid-70s dropped to the upper-50s. Now the water is warming back into spawning temps again. This will bring the crappie back to the banks and staging areas.

DeGray Lake: As of Tuesday, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reports the lake's elevation at 407.67 feet MSL.
DeGray One Stop (501-865-3511) said the water has good clarity and surface temperature is around 60 degrees. Bream are fair in 15 to 20 feet of water on worms and crickets, but are not bedding up yet. Crappie are good on minnows and jigs and have moved into spawning areas. Bass are biting well on soft-plastic lizards and worms fished 10 to 15 feet deep on Carolina rigs. Catfishing is good on chicken livers and minnows. The catfish are beginning to move towards the banks for their spawn.

[Whiskers]

WEST-CENTRAL ARKANSAS

Lake Dardanelle : Murphy's Sporting Goods (479-229-3200) said the water is clear and at normal levels. Bass are biting well on spinnerbaits and crankbaits fished near the shoreline. All other species are slow.

Blue Mountain Lake : As of Tuesday, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reports the lake's elevation at 386.60 feet MSL.

CNC's End of the Line (479-947-2398) said the water is murky and dropping slightly. Bream are fair on crickets. Crappie are biting well on minnows and jigs. Bass are biting well on soft-plastics fished near spawning areas. Catfishing is good on nightcrawlers.

Ozark Pool: Lakeside Food Mart (479-667-5155) said the water clarity is a little dingy and the level is normal. Crappie fishing is fair on minnows and jigs. No report for any other fishing.

Lake Ouachita : As of Tuesday, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reports the lake's elevation at 577.62 feet MSL.

Poorman's Tackle and Guide Service said bass fishing is very good. When there's a lot of blue in the sky, fish a finesse worm on the inside edge of the grassline. On cloudy, windy days, concentrate your efforts on coves and windy points with spinnerbaits and Shad Raps ripped over the grass. Stripers picked up to fair on jigging spoons, live shad and gray hair jigs. Bream are fair and cruising the shallows. A Tennessee shad-colored jig will catch the larger bream. White bass are running and biting well on top-water lures in the backs of main lake creeks. Walleye are biting very well on 1/16-ounce crappie jigs. Poorman's Guide Service and Arkansas anglers lost a good friend on the water in Frank Coble last Friday. Our condolences go out to his family.

Mountain Harbor Resort said largemouth bass are excellent and can be caught with Yum Dingers, trick worms and lizards. Crankbaits and spinnerbaits will work on some of the deeper fish, but the best reports have been on fish 3 to 10 feet deep caught on soft plastics. Walleye are very good and being caught on crankbaits and jerkbaits near creek channels and up the river channels. Stripers are good on live bass minnows and threadfin shad. Top water action has been decent on C-10 Redfins and Zara Spooks. The west end of the lake is still the hottest area. Bream are good on crickets and worms in 15 to 25 feet of water. Crappie are excellent and being caught over grass in shallow water. Try large moss flats in water 3 to 8 feet deep. Minnows or crappie grubs are still working best. Catfish are good with reports of these fish being caught with live bait and stinkbait 10 to 20 feet deep.

Lake Catherine : Diamondhead Marina (501-262-2272) said the water is a little murky and at normal levels. Bream fishing is poor. Crappie fishing is fair on minnows and nightcrawlers. Bass are biting well on spinnerbaits and soft-plastics fished around shorelines and shallow humps. Catfishing and walleye fishing are fair. A few large trout have been caught near the dam.

Lake Hamilton : Poorman's Tackle and Guide Service said white bass are running in Hot Springs Creek and the Little Mazarn. They are biting excellently on Rooster Tails and small topwaters. With a little stable weather, they should be schooling at the surface. Bream are slow. Bass are excellent on jighead worms and Carolina-rigged Brush Hogs in watermelon candy. Crappie are fair to slow on small jigs fished in 12 to 15 feet of water on planted brush piles.

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 : Lucky Landing (479-641-7615) said the water is clear and at normal level. Bass are fair on crankbaits and soft-plastic worms. Catfish are fair on nightcrawlers. All other species are slow.

Lake Nimrod : As of Tuesday, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reports the lake's elevation at 345.41 feet MSL.

Local angler Billy Blankenship said the water is clear and at normal levels. Crappie fishing is fair on jigs and minnows. Catfishing is fair on cut shad and shiners.

SOUTH-CENTRAL ARKANSAS

Felsenthal: Hale's One Stop (870-943-2683) said the water is clear and at normal levels. Crappie are biting well on minnows and jigs. Bass are biting well on spinnerbaits.
EAST ARKANSAS

Arkansas River (Pine Bluff): The Tackle Box (870-534-1498) said the water is a little murky and high. Bream are fair on crickets. Crappie are fair on minnows and red/black/chartreuse jigs. Bass are fair on soft-plastic lizards. Catfishing is fair on shrimp and chicken livers.

River City Sporting Goods (870-534-8303) said the water is stained and up from last week. Bream are biting fairly well on redworms and crickets fished in 3 feet of water. Crappie are biting well in 3 feet of water on black/chartreuse jigs and minnows fished around brush. Bass are biting well on white spinnerbaits and black/blue jigs. Catfishing is fair on skipjack and cut shad.

Island 40 Chute: Daily's Boat Dock (870-739-3478) said the water is clear. No anglers have visited the water lately. No report.

White River : Triangle Sports (870-793-7122) said the water is clear and at normal levels. The cold snap kept many anglers off the water last weekend. Fishing is slow.

Maddox Bay: Maddox Bay Landing (870-462-8317) said the water is clear and at normal levels. Crappie and bass fishing are both poor. Catfishing is good on minnows and crayfish baited on trotlines and yo-yos.

Bear Creek Lake: Arkansas Outdoors (870-295-4240) said the water is very clear. Fishing has been extremely slow.

Six RiversSportCenter (870-295-3236) said the water is clear and no anglers have been fishing because of the weather.
Horseshoe Lake : Local fisherman Clyde Gregory said the water is very low. Bream are fair on wax worms. Crappie are biting well on jigs and minnows around shallow piers. Bass are biting well on crankbaits and spinnerbaits. Catfishing is good on cut shad with some monsters (up to 23 pounds) being caught.