This is the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission’s fishing report for May 10, 2006. If there is a body of water you would like to see included in this report, please call or e-mail us with information on possible sources for that lake or river.
Fishing Tip: Not all snakes you see on your fishing trips are venomous. Many harmless water snakes are killed because they are mistaken for cottonmouths. Brush up on your identification skills and lower your blood pressure by picking up a free copy of the “Arkansas Snake Guide.”
It is available at www.agfc.com/pdf/arkansas_snake_guide.pdf or call (800) 364-4263.
Statewide Urban Fishing Report: Catfish are really starting to bite in the community ponds. Anglers are catching good keepers on nightcrawlers, chicken livers, and stinkbait. Bream are in shallow water and preparing to spawn. Brown or black jigs and worms fished under corks are providing most of the action. Urban catfish stocking information is available toll-free by calling 1-866-540-FISH (3474).
CENTRAL ARKANSAS:
Lake Conway: Bates Field and Stream said the water is muddy and high. Bream are biting well on wax worms, Trout Magnets, worms and crickets. Crappie are a bit slow, but anglers can still find a few on minnows and jigs. Bass are biting fairly well on white spinnerbaits and Zoom Horny Toads. Catfishing is very good on Magic Bait and livers or trotlines baited with large minnows.
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Greers Ferry: As of Tuesday, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reports the lake’s elevation at 461.27 feet MSL.
Tommy Cauley of Fish Finder Guide Service said the lake is on the rise and will probably reach 2 feet over pool by the time the rains leave. Black bass are scattered and biting well on spinnerbaits, Right Bite Shakey Hookers and floating worms around bushes in the shallows. Some of the fish will be back on the secondary and main lake points in about 15-25 feet of water as soon as the water level settles. Deeper fish can be caught on Carolina-rigged lizards and Texas-rigged worms. Crappie have moved shallow and the last of them are finishing their spawn in the bushes. The catfish bite has really picked up on rod-and-reel in creek mouths as well as jugs and trotlines. The walleye have scattered in 25-32 feet of water, biting nightcrawlers on jigheads, bottom bouncers and light Carolina rigs. The bream action is good shallow on crawlers and crickets and some better ones can be caught in about 27 feet of water. Hybrids and white bass are just about anywhere you can find the shad and are subject to come up schooling anywhere at anytime, but the bite is better early and late in the day.
Harris Brake Lake: Coffee Creek Landing said the water is murky and high. With the recent rains, water has risen enough to top the spillway. Bream are biting very well in 2 to 5 feet of water on red wigglers and crickets fished near brush piles. Crappie are biting well on minnows and jigs. Bass are biting well in brush and newly flooded grass on white spinnerbaits and black soft-plastics. Catfishing is fair on large minnows and small sunfish.
Lake Overcup: Lakeview Landing said the lake was fertilized last Friday and has a greenish tint in the water. Bream are biting well in the shallows on red worms and crickets. Crappie are biting well on minnows fished slightly deeper than last week. Bass fishing has been very good on chartreuse buzzbaits during overcast days and low-light hours. Catfishing is poor.
Toad Suck Lock and Dam: Bates Field and Stream said the water is high and stained. Bream are biting well on wax worms and red worms in 6 to 8 inches of water around any woody structure. Crappie are biting well on chartreuse/salt-and-pepper jigs and small minnows fished around brush in 12 to 18 inches of water. Bass are biting well on pumpkin/fire and watermelon/red lizards. Catfishing is good on Magic Bait and chicken livers.
Little Maumelle River: River Valley Bait said the water is muddy. Bream are biting well on panfishing worms and crickets. Crappie are poor. The top-water bite for largemouth bass is improving, as is the spinnerbait bite. Catfishing is good on live and prepared baits.
Lake Maumelle: Jolly Roger’s Marina said the water is about 1.9 feet below the spillway. Many saugeye are being caught on gray crappie jigs lately in about 15 to 20 feet of water. The saugeye were stocked in 2003 and 2004 and are really putting on some good weight. One 41/2-pound saugeye was caught last week, not bad for a three-year-old fish. Largemouth bass are excellent on drop-shot rigs and finesse worms on jigheads fished on main points and ledges. Kentucky bass are about 5 to 10 feet deep and hitting pumpkin-colored grubs, worms and flipping tubes. White bass are scattering out and are feeding on schools of shad. Try a Shad Rap, Rooster Tail or Rogue with an orange belly. Crappie are biting well around brush and rocks in 15 to 20 feet of water. Kalin’s Tennessee shad-colored grubs have worked well, as have minnows. Bream are moving into shallower water and biting well on crickets and worms around 8 feet deep. They should be on the beds soon. Catfishing is good on large Canadian nightcrawlers and chicken livers.
Arkansas River (Little Rock area): Outdoor Super Store said the flow is about 50,000 cubic feet per second on the river. Bass are biting well on soft-plastics flipped to the edges of the jetties and along the weed beds. Catfishing is good below the dam.
McSwain Sports Center said the water is running high and muddy. Catfishing is excellent on cut shad fished on the bottom. Use an 8-10-ounce sinker to keep the offering in place in the heavy current.
Peckerwood Lake: Herman’s Landing said the water is slightly stained in the upper end of the lake, but the clarity in the lower end is great. Bream are on the beds and biting extremely well on crickets. Find some wood in the shallows and pitch in your lure, the bobber won’t stay in place long if the bream are around. Crappie are biting well on minnows and jigs fished along the edges of the grass. Bass are biting fairly well, but not many bass anglers visit the lake. Catfishing is good on limb lines baited with cut shad or minnows.
Pickthorne Lake: Outdoor Super Store said the water is muddy and at normal levels. Bream are biting well around the fallen timber in the back end of the lake on crickets. Bass are biting well on a Texas-rigged soft-plastic worm fished in 2 to 6 feet of water. Catfishing is good on chicken livers and shrimp. Crappie fishing is poor.
Sunset Lake: Turbyfill’s said the water is at normal level and clear. Bream are bedded up and biting excellently on brown Rooster Tails and crickets fished in 3 to 6 feet of water along the bank. Crappie have moved out to deeper water and fishing is poor. Bass are biting well on top-water lures on overcast days. Catfish are moving up and biting well on chicken livers and hot dogs.
Saline River Access in Benton: Turbyfill’s said the water is high and stained. The bream are bedding up on the river and biting excellently on brown Rooster Tails, worms and crickets in 3 to 6 feet of water. Bass are holding near swift water and biting well on top-water lures. Catfish are beginning to spawn and biting well on limblines and trotlines baited with live minnows and set 4 feet deep. Crappie fishing is poor.
Terry Lock and Dam: McSwain Sports Center said the water is running high and muddy. Catfishing is excellent on cut shad fished on the bottom. Use an 8-10-ounce sinker to keep the offering in place in the heavy current.
Clear Lake: McSwain Sports Center said the water is stained and at normal level. Bream are biting excellently on crickets fished near brush and stumps in 2 to 3 feet of water. Crappie are biting excellently on minnows and black/gold jigs in 2 feet of water around the bank, where grass is sticking up. Bass are biting fairly well in 4 feet of water on white spinnerbaits fished near any wood structure. Catfishing is poor.
NORTH ARKANSAS:
White River: Gaston's White River Resort said the rains have brought some generation at the dam. Last week, there was not much generation until Wednesday afternoon, and then 5 units were turned on for several hours. Trout fishing has been phenomenal on no. 14 Red Butt flies and no. 14 brown bivisible dry flies. Spin fishermen are doing well with white and yellow PowerBait and wax worms, as well as white Rooster Tails, silver and gold Little Cleos and rainbow-colored Buoyant Spoons.
McLellan’s Fly Shop said with all of the low water, the White River has had a spectacular caddis hatch so far this spring. Early in the morning, when few adult caddis are present, nymph fishing the shoal areas with a Z-Wing Caddis, Graphic Caddis or Caddis Larva can be very productive. As the hatch progresses and the caddis pupae swim toward the surface, swinging a soft hackle like the Submarine Soft Hackle, Swing Caddis or Swing Nymph through the riffles can be very productive.
Wilderness Trail said trout fishing has been great. With low or no generation Berkley Power Eggs in yellow and Sunrise have worked well along with red worms and nightcrawlers. Buoyant Spoons, Little Cleos, Blue Fox spinners and Countdown Rapalas are working in the current. Fly anglers have done extremely well with little generation on olive woolly buggers, zebra midges and blood midges. Brown trout are being caught on Countdowns, suspending Rogues and nightcrawlers.
North Fork River: Gene’s Trout Dock said the water has cleared up quite a bit and the generation has been pretty sporadic. Many big trout in the 3- to 4-pound range are being caught lately. Bait fishermen are using crayfish, frozen shad and chartreuse Power Eggs. Fly anglers are also doing well with the usual sow bug, San Juan worm, and egg patterns.
Bull Shoals Lake: As of Tuesday, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reports the lake’s elevation at 651.83 feet MSL.
Wilderness Trail said last week saw more than 6 inches of rain and cool temperatures in the upper 60s. The lake level came up almost 4 feet and is still rising. Visibility is now at 6 feet. Largemouth bass are in the same pattern as last week, a few in post spawn and a few that are spawning, but the rest are still in pre-spawn. The bite can be spotty because pre-spawn largemouth are cruising instead of holding in ambush areas. Reaction baits are your best bet. Zara Spooks, Chug Bugs, trick worms fished wacky style or spinnerbaits are all working well. Flukes, spider jigs, tubes and Carolina-rigged Brush Hogs or lizards are working, too. Smallmouth bass are on banks with steep ledges and some are spawning. Mojo rigs and split shot rigs are probably the best technique now. Fish 3-foot leaders on your rigs with centipedes, lizards, finesse worms or Baby Brush Hogs. Kentucky bass are close to spawning, spending time around chunk rock points and banks. Post spawners are out in deeper water under shad. Best baits are Pop Rs or Zara Spook Jrs. on the surface and mojo-rigged centipedes, finesse worms and Fish Doctors along the banks. Kentuckies with the shad can be caught on grubs or a drop shot with a 4-inch finesse worm. Walleye are feeding at night around points in the creeks and on the main lake. Suspending Rogues, X-raps and Shad Raps are working well. The day bite is starting to pick up over feeding flats and along “do nothing” banks. Crawler harnesses with smile blades or regular blades in chartreuse, orange or gold colors have been catching some nice walleye in 18 to 25 feet of water. Shad raps, Glass Shad and MaxGap jigheads with Munchie Grubs are working on points and banks in the creeks. Long liners have been catching a few on Deep Little Rippers and Glass Shad.
Sugar Loaf Harbor said the crappie fishing is good on minnows fished around brush piles. Crappie anglers are catching many yellow perch as well. Bass are excellent in the shallows on spinnerbaits and watermelon/red hula grubs and lizards. Catfishing is fair on jugs baited with live sunfish.
Lake Norfork: As of Tuesday, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reports the lake’s elevation at 548.77 feet MSL.
Cranfield Junction Quik Stop said the water is clear in the main lake but murky in the coves. Bass are biting well on Zara Spooks in the morning and Carolina-rigged lizards in the afternoon. Crappie are biting well on minnows in the shallows and bream are really picking up on crickets in the same areas. Catfishing is good using jugs baited with live shad or minnows.
NORTHWEST ARKANSAS
Beaver Lake: As of Tuesday, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reports the lake’s elevation at 1,113.15 feet MSL.
Southtown Sporting Goods said the water is very stained. The water level has come up quite a bit and most of the fish have moved to the shallows in search of insects and small animals caught by the rising water. As the lake clears back up, look for the fish to move out closer to the first drop to deeper water. Bass are biting well on spinnerbaits and Shaky head worms. Crappie have slowed and the only success has been on trolled Hot ‘n’ Tots and Road Runner jigs. Catfishing is decent right now on chicken livers and nightcrawlers suspended from trotlines.
Lake Fayetteville: Lake Fayetteville Boat Dock said the water is at normal levels and the fishing has been very good. Bream are biting well in 2 to 4 feet of water on red worms, pieces of nightcrawlers and crickets. Crappie have moved to deeper water and are still biting well on minnows and small jigs fished under a slip-cork rig. Bass are biting well, and it seems like they’ll hit anything as long as you get it in front of them. Catfish are slow, but they should be moving to the shallows for the spawn soon.
Lake Sequoyah: Lake Sequoyah Boat Dock said the water is clearing up and the lake is about 10 inches above normal pool. Bream are biting well in 4 to 10 feet of water on crickets and red wigglers fished near any visible brush. Crappie are fair in 4 to 10 feet of water on Road Runners and crappie tubes fished vertically along brush and stump lines. Bass are biting well on buzzbaits and spinnerbaits fished around weed beds in 4 to 8 feet of water. Catfishing is good on worms and chicken livers in open water ranging from 4 to 20 feet deep.
Beaver Tailwaters: McLellan’s Fly Shop said there has been very little generation the last few days, providing plenty of wade-fishing opportunities. Scuds, sow bugs and midge pupa patterns have been very productive. Cream midge adult patterns have hooked several trout as well. Spring is a good time to swing soft hackles across the river. New soft hackle patterns like the Swing Nymph, Submarine Soft hackle and Wired Red Ass have all been hooking plenty of trout this spring.
NORTHEAST ARKANSAS
Spring River: Many Islands Camp said the water is clear and running at normal levels. Trout are biting well on chartreuse PowerBait. Rock bass are biting well in the warmer sections of the river on minnows.
SOUTHEAST ARKANSAS
Lake Chicot: Fowler’s said the bream are biting extremely well on crickets. Catfishing is good on live and prepared baits just out from the piers and docks.
SOUTHWEST ARKANSAS
Millwood Lake: As of Tuesday, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reports the lake’s elevation at 259.50 feet MSL.
Millwood Lake Guide Service said water temperatures have remained fairly constant during the last week and range from 68 to 80 degrees, depending on location. The bass and crappie are still in a bit of the postspawn blues, but activity has improved during the last few days. Several river markers are missing. Current in Little River is increased, and release at the dam is 6,973 cubic feet per second. Some nice postspawn female bass are venturing back out of deeper water and beginning to feed again. These bass are fair to good on Senkos and Salty Rat Tails in watermelon, cotton candy or purple fleck colors and Zoom trick worms in white ice or banana colors, and Bass Assassin twitch worms and wacky rigs. Bass Assassin shads and Horny Toads are taking a few keeper fish around new pad growth. Lizards in cotton candy/chart tail, watermelon/red and or black/blue are working well. Bass Assassin shads and trick worms are working around vegetation close to creek channels. Weightless Horny Toads are still drawing a few solid strikes, but mainly still just big blow-ups in lily pads. Texas rigged Horny Toads are taking a few better size fish on stumps along the river. War Eagle Spinnerbaits in aurora, smoke mouse/chart, or spot remover colors are taking a few keepers around new grass in 7-10 feet of water. Blue Cats are still biting fair on cut shad on trotlines in 10-17 feet of water in Little River.
Lake Columbia: Steve's Marine said bream are biting well in 3 to 6 feet of water on crickets. Red-eared sunfish are biting well on nightcrawlers and small crayfish in the same areas as the bluegill. Bass are biting well on spinnerbaits and Rogues fished near the creek channels. Catfishing is good on Canadian nightcrawlers.
Lake Erling: Steve's Marine said the bream are biting well in 3 to 6 feet of water on crickets and red worms. Bass are biting well on spinnerbaits and Rogues fished near main lake drops and creek channels. Catfishing is good on nightcrawlers.
White Oak Lake: Charlie’s One Stop said the recent rains have really put a damper on the fishing.
Lake Greeson: As of Tuesday, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reports the lake’s elevation at 547.47 feet MSL.
Lakeside Grocery, Motel/Bait Shop said the crappie are moving out to deeper water and can be found on the outside edge of the weed line. Tube jigs and Road Runners are working decently on the crappie. Catfishing is good on jugs baited with minnows and set along the outside edge of the grass.
DeGray Lake: As of Tuesday, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reports the lake’s elevation at 408.38 feet MSL.
DeGray One Stop said the water temperature is running in the high 70s and low 80s. The clarity ranges from clear in the southern end of the lake to dingy in the river area of the lake. The bream action is hot, with many bream being caught on red worms and crickets around the freshly fanned-out beds. Catfishing has been good on trotlines and noodles baited with live shad and minnows. The hybrids and white bass are schooling from Hwy 7, through the chute to the north-central part of the lake, especially off Point 28. The best schooling activity has been between sunrise and 9 a.m. and from 4 p.m. until dark.
WEST-CENTRAL ARKANSAS
Lake Dardanelle: Early Bird Outfitters said the water is muddy and high. Bream are biting well in 2 to 4 feet of water on red worms and crickets. Crappie are fair on minnows. Not many anglers using artificials are doing well on crappie. Stripers are picking up below the dam. Catfishing is excellent on cut bait, stinkbait and nightcrawlers below the dam.
Blue Mountain Lake: CNC’s End of the Line said the water is muddy and has risen from the recent rains. Fishing has been slow because of the weather.
Ozark Pool: Lakeside Food Mart said the river is at normal levels and the clarity is fair. Bream are biting fairly well in the shallows on crickets. Crappie are biting fairly well on minnows and yellow/white jigs. Bass are fair, with a few being caught on soft-plastics and jigs. Catfishing is excellent on worms, live minnows and cut shad.
Lake Ouachita: As of Tuesday, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reports the lake’s elevation at 578.76 feet MSL.
Mountain Harbor Resort said the water temperature ranges from 70 to 74 degrees in the main lake. Largemouth bass are biting very well on floating worms, Yum Dingers and Carolina-rigged Brush Hogs and lizards. Moss flats and standing timber are holding the most fish. Flukes, Zara Spooks and Boy Howdies are catching some good schooling fish on wind-blown points and pockets. Walleye have moved out to main lake points and are biting well on chrome jerkbaits and Rat-L-Traps in 4 to 10 feet of water. Stripers are biting well on live bait, bucktails and C-10 Redfins. Stripers are blowing up around main lake points and rock bluffs near or in the river channels throughout the lake. Bream are excellent in the shallows on small jigs, crickets and worms. Crappie are biting ell around brush piles and moss flats. The best lures have been 2-inch Kalin grubs in Tennessee shad and Acid Rain colors fished around 8 to 15 feet deep. Catfish are excellent on cut bait, nightcrawlers and live bait. Try pockets and moss flats in 10 to 15 feet of water.
Lake Ouachita State Park marina reports fishing is excellent for bream, bass, crappie and catfish. Anglers have reported decent catches of crappie around the hydrilla lines, flats and drop-offs on Kalin’s Tennessee shad jigs and John Deer colors. Stripers are fair in areas where the shad are and have been caught on gray flukes, spoons and crankbaits. Brood minnows have worked on stripers as well. Bass fishing has been good on the traditional baits such as finesse worms, swim baits and spinnerbaits. The bream fishing is good and they have been caught in the shallows and off the hydrilla lines on small jigs and crickets. Catfishing is excellent on small bream and trotlines baited with minnows. A few walleye are being caught by crappie and bass anglers on jigs and Rat-L-Traps.
Lake Catherine: Trader Bill’s Sport Shop said the water is murky. Bream are biting well in small crappie jigs, worms and crickets in 2 to 5 feet of water. Crappie are slow, but a few have been pulled from brush piles in 15 to 20 feet of water. Bass fishing is fair around points and in the backs of pockets on spinnerbaits and soft-plastic worms in 5 to 10 feet of water. Catfishing is good on trotlines and jugs in the backs of the creeks. A few trout are still hanging around the dam and biting on PowerBait.
Lake Hamilton: Trader Bill’s Sport Shop said the water is murky and at normal levels. Bream are moving up to spawn in about 2 to 5 feet of water. They are biting well on crickets, worms and small crappie jigs. Crappie fishing is slow in 15 to 20 feet of water on minnows fished right in the brush piles. Bass have moved out to around 7 feet deep and are biting decently on soft-plastic worms, spinnerbaits and jigs fished tight to docks. Catfishing is fair on jugs and trotlines baited with live minnows. Walleye fishing is poor.
Lake Hinkle: Bill's Bait Shop said the lake is a little high and the water clarity is fair. Bream are biting well on worms and crickets. Crappie are biting very well on minnows fished around 10 feet deep. Bass are biting extremely well on soft-plastic worms, jigs and top-waters fished around points and structure slightly deeper than spawning areas. Catfishing is excellent on nightcrawlers and chicken livers.
Lake Atkins: Lucky Landing said the water is at normal levels and clarity. Bream are excellent on red wigglers and are bedding in the shallows. Now’s the time to catch a limit for a fish fry. Crappie are biting fairly well on minnows fished around brush piles and mossy points. Bass are good on black jigs and white flukes fished shallow. Catfish are biting excellently on the north side of the lake in the grass. Crickets have been the best bait for the cats lately.
Lake Nimrod: As of Tuesday, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reports the lake’s elevation at 345.44 feet MSL.
Lake Nimrod Bait ‘n’ More II said the water was muddy and high, but is being drawn back down. Bream are biting well on worms and crickets. The water level dropping is putting crappie close to cover in 2 feet of water near major ledges and creeks. Catfish are biting well on chicken livers and goldfish.
SOUTH-CENTRAL ARKANSAS
Felsenthal: Hale’s One Stop said bream are biting well on red wigglers. Crappie have slacked off with the high water, but are beginning to bite near the Old River again. Bass are biting well on top-water lures fished on the edges of the river. Catfishing is excellent on trotlines baited with crayfish and cut shad.
EAST ARKANSAS:
Arkansas River (Pine Bluff): River City Sporting Goods said the water is muddy and up about 1 foot. Bream are biting well on red wigglers and crickets fished along the banks in 2 to 4 feet of water. Crappie are slow, but a few have been caught in the backwater in around d10 to 12 feet of water on minnows. Bass are biting well in the backwater on spinnerbaits, crankbaits and top-water lures. Catfishing is fair on shad and nightcrawlers.
The Tackle Box said the water is running heavy and muddy. Bream are hot in the shallows on red worms and crickets. Crappie are biting fairly well on minnows. Bass are decent in the backwater on spinnerbaits. Catfishing is excellent on skipjack below the dam.
Maddox Bay: Maddox Bay Landing said the water is muddy. Bream are biting fairly well on tiny jigs. Crappie are biting fairly well on minnows and tube jigs. Catfishing is good on stinkbait or trotlines baited with live shad.
Bear Creek Lake: Arkansas Outdoors said the water is at normal level and the clarity is good. Bream are biting well in the shallows on tiny jigs and crickets. Crappie are fair on minnows and tube jigs. Bass and catfish are poor.
Horseshoe Lake: Local fisherman Clyde Gregory said the water is still low, but the fishing is great. Bream are bedded up in 3 feet of water and biting well on red worms, wax worms and crickets. Crappie are biting very well in 1 to 3 feet of water on minnows fished around the piers. Bass are biting well on spinnerbaits bumped against cover. Catfish are biting well on blood bait, stinkbait and shrimp.