Fishing report
Posted on Thursday, July 17, 2008
URL: http://www.nwanews.com/adg/Outdoors/231601/
Northwest & North-Central Arkansas BEAVER Southtown Sporting Goods said the water remains stained and very high. Bream are good in 4-8 feet of water on crickets and redworms. A few crappie are being caught on minnows and Shad Raps. Bass are fair early and late on finesse worms, Rooster Tails and spinner baits. Catfish are good on trotlines and jugs rigged with live bait. J. T. ’s Crappie Guide Service said bass are going for buzz baits early around flooded cover. Later in the day, they are being caught around main-lake points and humps on Carolina-rigged finesse worms. Crappie are excellent early and late in the day around docks and timber. Small curly-tail grubs worked just off the bottom in about 30 feet of water are working well. Also, anglers are scoring in the Hickory Creek area by trolling small Rapala jointed minnows on flats 20-35 feet deep. White bass are few and far between. There’s some limited surfacing action early and late in the river arms, where Rooster Tails, small topwaters and spoons are producing a few fish. Action is a bit better at night along channel bends in the main lake, where anglers are fishing 15-30 feet deep with minnows under lights. Stripers are scattered on the lower end of the lake and fair by trolling with crank baits or umbrella rigs. Catfish are good from the banks at night using worms or livers. Bream are excellent around rocks and docks on crickets or worms.
Hook, Line & Sinker said bass remain fair in flooded areas and also over points. Productive lures include spinner baits, topwaters, finesse worms or jigs and Carolina-rigged soft plastics. Topwater action is fair early and late on the lower end of the lake and in other areas where the water is sufficiently clear. Crappie remain scattered and fair on minnows, jigs and trolled crank baits. Stripers are scattered from the Clifty area to the dam and slow with only a few being caught on big topwaters, live shad and umbrella rigs. Fair catches of white bass, crappie and a few walleye are being made at night under lights on live minnows or small shad. Catfish remain good on cut bait, livers and other traditional catfish baits. Bream are good on crickets and worms.
Hickory Creek Marina said action has improved in general the past few days. Crappie in particular are on the upswing with some good catches being made on minnows and jigs fished about 15 feet deep around brush. There’s also some good action at night with bass on plastic worms, jigs and slow-rolled spinner baits. Bream remain good around the banks on the crickets. BEAVER TAILWATERS Aaron Jolliff at Hook, Line & Sinker said trout action is slow. A few rainbows are being caught on small jerk baits, white jigs and Power Eggs. BELLA VISTA LAKES Hook, Line & Sinker said bass are fair in daytime hours on finesse worms and jigs worked from the banks out to 20 feet deep. Best deep-water areas are channel ledges and brush piles. Docks are prime areas during bright sunlight. There’s also some fair action on topwaters early and late in the day. Bass are good at night, with some big ones continuing to be taken from Loch Lomond. Jigs, Texas-rigged plastic worms and crank baits are the lures of choice. Crappie and catfish are slow but bream are excellent on crickets and worms. BULL SHOALS Bull Shoals Boat Dock said the lake level remains extremely high at 691. 0 feet and is falling very slowly. There’s some typical summertime topwater action with bass in early morning and late evening hours. Productive lures include Flukes and Zara Spooks. Otherwise, best bass action is in the same hours and at night on jig-and-frog combos worked along bluffs. A few bass continue to be caught on Rogue, Rebel or X-Rap stick baits and spinner baits fished near the banks; on tubes worked at various depths; on live minnows or nightcrawlers; on white Road Runners fished 10-20 feet deep over flooded brush; on drop-shot rigs; and by flipping jigs or tossing weightless plastic worms around shallow brush. White bass are fair at night under lights and a few are being caught by trolling minnow-imitating lures 18-26 feet deep during daytime hours. Walleye are moving deeper and being caught 18-40 feet deep on nightcrawlers and by trolling Reef Runners or Wally Divers at depths of 20-35 feet. Crappie remains slow, but catfish are good on trotlines or limb lines rigged with small bream, shrimp, livers or stink bait. Bream are fair in the shallows on worms and crickets. BULL SHOALS TAILWATERS Berry Brothers Guides said water releases from Bull Shoals Dam remain consistently strong but trout action is excellent, particularly in the catch-and-release areas. Hot flies are San Juan Worms (tan, orange or red ) and brightly colored marabou jigs. Jigs have the added advantage of riding hook point up, making them virtually weedless. Another hot spot is Rim Shoals, where anglers are scoring with egg patterns in bright colors and San Juan Worms. Those fishing just outside the catch-and-release areas are making good catches by using black Zebra Midges with Copper Johns as droppers. Action is extremely good in the Red Bud area on brightly colored marabou jigs.
Sportsman’s White River Resort said the water is clear with eight generators running around the clock. Trout are excellent on red or pink plastic worms, small red or gold spoons and Rooster Tails. Fly fishing is a bit slow, but egg patterns and San Juan Worms are producing a few fish. KINGS RIVER The river was at 4. 4 feet on the gauge at Berryville on Wednesday after jumping to nearly 12 feet Sunday. Guide J. D. Fletcher said the flow is still a bit strong for good fishing action but good bass action should resume by the weekend on tubes in shades of brown or green and Rebel crawfish crank baits. LAKE FAYETTEVILLE Lake Fayetteville Boat Dock said water conditions are normal. Bream are fair on crickets. Crappie are fair on minnows and jigs. Bass are fair on buzz baits and plastic worms. Catfish are slow. LAKE FORT SMITH No report. NORFORK 101 Grocery and Bait said fishing is fair in general, best from daybreak until about 8 a. m. Bream are excellent on worms and crickets fished 20-30 feet deep. Stripers are fair, best from midlake to the dam on small live bait fished at depths of 40 feet and below. Walleye have slowed, but a few are being caught on live bait at depths of 18-25 feet, where a thermocline has formed. Largemouth and smallmouth bass are fair around trees and along bluffs. Crappie are slow but white bass are fair on white in-line spinners such as Rooster Tails. Catfish are good on limb lines rigged with live bait. NORFORK TAILWATERS Berry Brothers Guides said trout action is spectacular during low-water periods. Anglers are reporting great success on black zebra nymphs, olive scuds, and black Norfork Beadheads, all in size 18. Other top patterns include the Woolly Bugger in olive, partridge-and-orange soft hackle, worm-brown San Juan Worm and green-butt soft hackle. Sparse sulphur hatches in midmorning are lending to success. Fishing is a bit slower in the afternoon higherwater periods, but plenty of trout can still be caught using conventional high-water techniques. On Dry Run Creek, which is reserved for anglers age 16 and under or handicapped anglers, trophy trout are going for various sow bug patterns in size 14. SEQUOYAH Lake Sequoyah Boat Dock said the water is muddy and at normal level. Crappie are fair on jigs and minnows. Catfish are good on cut bait. TABLE ROCK Guide J. D. Fletcher said the lake remains extremely high. The water has normal clarity and surface temperatures are around 80 in most areas. Largemouth bass continue to be caught outside the lines of flooded trees on jigs, plastic worms and tubes. Mixed catches of largemouth, smallmouth and spotted (Kentucky ) bass are being made off points on topwaters, jigs, grubs, Carolina rigs and football jigs. There’s also some action along bluffs on crank baits and buzz baits in the upper White River portion of the lake. White bass are surfacing in some areas and are fair on small topwaters and other shad-imitating lures. A few crappie are being caught on minnows and jigs worked 8-12 feet deep, but the fish are remain difficult to locate. Catfish are good on limb lines baited with small bream. Bream are good in the shallows on crickets and worms. TANEYCOMO OzarkAnglers. com said trout action is good. Best catches are being made drifting with Gulp Powerbait in orange or chartreuse. There’s also some action near the dam on terrestrial-pattern flies (grasshoppers, crickets, ants and beetles ).
West-Central Arkansas ATKINS Lucky Landing said the water is clearing and at normal level. Bream are good in deep water on crickets and worms. Catfish are good on large minnows. CATHERINE Catch’em All Guide Service said trout are very slow below Carpenter Dam. However, there’s some good action in the tailwaters with stripers and hybrids. Best action is on live brood minnows or shad and big topwaters including C-10 Redfins and Super Spooks in rainbow trout colors.
Diamondhead Marina said water conditions are normal with surface temperatures in the low 80 ’s. Bream are good 5-10 feet of water on crickets. Crappie are fair on minnows. Bass are good in shallow water on spinner baits. Catfish are good on chicken livers and nightcrawlers. DARDANELLE Lake Dardanelle State Park said the flow is about 90, 000 cubic feet per second and is expected to decline by the weekend if no significant rain falls. Catfish are excellent on chicken livers and hearts, cut shad and stink bait. Bream are good in many areas, including the fishing pier and boardwalk in the park, on crickets, mayflies and worms. Bass are good early and late in the day on crank baits, spinner baits and plastic worms. Murphy’s Sporting Goods said the water is murky and falling. Catfish are good on shad and stink bait. HAMILTON Poorman’s Guide Service said bass are excellent at night on 10-inch Power Worms fished 12-18 feet deep. HINKLE Bill’s Bait Shop said water conditions are normal. Bream are good on crickets and worms. Crappie are fair in deep water on minnows. Bass are good on spinner baits. Catfish are good on chicken livers and nightcrawlers. OUACHITA Poorman’s Guide Service said the lake is about a foot above normal level. Bass are good, with some nice largemouths being caught on a 10-inch Power Worms fished on the outside edges of grass beds. There’s some topwater action with stripers near the dam on C-10 Redfins and Super Spooks. Mountain Harbor Resort said largemouth bass are fair on Texas-rigged worms, jighead worms and black spinner baits. Drop-shot rigs are still working well for spotted (Kentucky ) bass along dropoffs in the river channel and over brush. Walleye are good on spoons around main-lake points. Bottom bouncers with spinners and nightcrawlers are producing some quality fish, too. Stripers are fair on live shad or brood minnows. Bream are excellent on crickets or worms in 18-25 feet of water. Crappie are fair and over grass and brush in 20-30 feet of water. OZARK POOL Lakeside Food Mart said the water is murky and high. Bream are fair on crickets and worms. A few crappie have been caught on minnows. Bass are good on spinner baits and plastic worms. Catfish are excellent on minnows, nightcrawlers and cut bait. hotspot THIS WEEK: Bull Shoals Tailwaters
Trout are excellent on a variety of fly patterns, lures and baits.