Northwest & North-Central Arkansas BEAVER Southtown Sporting Goods said the lake remains about 6 feet above normal level with surface temperatures around 80 degrees. Bream are fair on crickets. Crappie are good on minnows. Bass are fair on spinner baits and dark-colored plastics. Catfish are fair on worms and cut bait. J. T. ’s Crappie Guide Service said bass are fair. Some are being caught at night on Texas-rigged worms or live crawfish worked along rocky banks. There’s also some topwater action on Pop-R’s worked around flooded trees in morning hours. Crappie are good, with most of the fish holding about 15 feet deep around main-lake brush piles. Others are around docks and along bluffs. Black / chartreuse tubes or minnows are working best. White bass are very scattered but can be found surfacing with spotted (Kentucky ) bass in the mornings. Small topwaters or spoons are working well for both species. Catfish remain good lakewide at night from the banks on worms or livers. Bream are good 2-6 feet deep around docks on crickets.
Hook, Line & Sinker said bass remain scattered between shallow and deep water. There’s some fair topwater action early mornings and late evenings. Otherwise, best bet is dragging Carolina rigs or football jigs around main-lake points and humps or working shaky heads in the same areas. A few bass are being caught at night on Texas-rigged plastic worms and dark-colored spinner baits. Crappie remain scattered and fair on minnows, jigs and trolled crank baits. Stripers, too, are scattered from the Clifty area to the dam and fair on big topwaters, live shad and umbrella rigs trolled about 40 feet deep. 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 crappie action has dwindled to the point that only a few small fish are being caught, mostly by spider riggers. Catfish, including one 35-pounder this week, are fair on jug lines baited with small bream. Bass are fair mornings and evenings on buzz baits and trick worms. Bream remain good in the shallows on crickets. BEAVER TAILWATERS Ken Richards at justfishingguides. com said the water is at good level for wading and trout are good on fly patterns including olive Woolly Buggers, gray scuds and zebra midges in olive, gray and red-gray. The fishing pier at Parker Bottoms is now accessible. BELLA VISTA LAKES Hook, Line & Sinker said bass remain slow in daytime hours, although a few are being caught early and late on topwaters and on finesse worms and jigs fished around docks over deeper water. Action is a bit better at night, when fair catches are being made on jigs, Texas-rigged plastic worms and crank baits. Crappie and catfish are slow. Bream are fair on crickets and worms. BULL SHOALS Bull Shoals Boat Dock said the lake level remained very high Wednesday at 681. 2 feet but continues to fall by about 4 inches a day. Bass are fair on half–ounce spoons fished 28-32 feet deep near bluff ends and standing timber. Flukes, Spooks and other topwaters are working during low-light hours. Others can be caught on nightcrawlers, white Road Runners and drop-shot rigs fished over the top of brush and standing trees in 25-35 feet of water. White bass are fair on trolled Shad Raps and jerk baits in 25-35 feet of water. Some are being caught on spoons as well. Walleye have moved to the thermocline at depths of 25-32 feet of water. Spoons are working well along with nightcrawlers tightlined on a splitshot rig. Reef Runners and Wally Divers trolled about 25 feet deep also are producing some fish. Crappie are slow and scattered but a few can be caught on minnows at night under lights. Catfish are good in shallow water on stink bait, livers, shrimp and live bream. BULL SHOALS TAILWATERS Berry Brothers Guides said most days, all eight generators are running around the clock, with slightly stronger afternoon flows. Wading opportunities are few. However, boat fishing is excellent. In the upper river — from Bull Shoals Dam through the state park down to Cane Island Shoals — fly casters are taking big numbers of trout by banging the banks with streamers in sculpin or baitfish patterns fished on sink-tip or full sinking lines. Brightly colored San Juan worms under a strike indicator also are working well. The section from the Narrows down to Wildcat Shoals is also red hot, with anglers reporting success on a variety of nymph patterns fished in combination with hot-pink San Juan worms. Anglers should remember that droppers are illegal in catch-and-release areas, such as the one at Rim Shoals, where San Juan Worms fished on long leaders (12-15 feet ) and weighted heavily are producing big numbers of trout.
Mountain River Fly Shop said there many nice browns and some fat rainbows of 16-19 inches are being taken up and down the river. Anglers are scoring best on San Juan Worms and Dynamite Worms and by changing colors frequently between red, brown, pink, cerise, orange and maroon. Where legal, coupling egg patterns with the worm patterns is working well. Other top patterns include Clint’s Sunday Special and various scud, sow bug and streamer patterns.
Sportsman’s White River Resort said trout are good on wax worms, Power Bait, Little Cleos, Rattlin ’ Rouges and Rapalas. Bank fishing is good on grasshoppers. KINGS RIVER The river was at 3. 3 feet on the gauge at Berryville on Wednesday, perfect for float fishing. Guide J. D. Fletcher said bass are excellent on small tubes in shades of brown or green. Rebel crawfish crank baits and buzz baits also continue to produce good numbers of fish.
Ken Richards at justfishinguides. com said buzz baits, chuggers and Tiny Torpedoes are working well for bass. Fly fishermen also are reporting good action on Crease minnows, streamers, hair poppers and crawfish patterns. LAKE FAYETTEVILLE Lake Fayetteville Boat Dock said the water is dingy and at normal level. Bream are fair on crickets. A few crappie have been caught on minnows. Bass are good on buzz baits, jigs, spinner baits and worms. LAKE FORT SMITH No report. NORFORK 101 Grocery and Bait said the water remains high but clear, with surface temperatures in the mid-80 s. Stripers are good. Walleye are fair. Bream are good. White bass fishing are fair. Largemouth bass are good on topwaters in the evenings. Smallmouth, catfish and crappie are fair. NORFORK TAILWATERS Berry Brothers Guides two generators are running most of the time. Trout are fair on brightly colored San Juan Worms and egg patterns. SEQUOYAH Lake Sequoyah Boat Dock said the water is muddy and at normal level. Bream are fair on worms. Crappie are fair on minnows, jigs and crappie tubes. Bass are fair on buzz baits, spinner baits and topwaters. A few catfish have been caught on worms. TABLE ROCK Guide J. D. Fletcher said the lake is at normal level and mostly clear. Mixed bags of largemouth, spotted (Kentucky ) and smallmouth bass are being made around points and bluff ends on football jigs and plastic worms worked on shaky heads or Texas rigs. Deep-diving crank baits also are producing some fish in the river arms, and there’s some schooling action off points in the same areas. Live nightcrawlers continue to produce fair catches of spotted bass. In the upper White River and Roaring River areas, there’s some bass action mornings and evenings along bluffs and points on topwaters. A few white bass are surfacing and are fair on small topwaters and other shadimitating lures, and a few walleye are being taken on jigging spoons and by trolling with deep-diving lures. A few crappie are being caught lakewide on minnows and jigs worked 10-15 feet deep. Catfish are fair on trotlines and limb lines baited with small bream. Bream are fair in the shallows on crickets and worms. TANEYCOMO OzarkAnglers. com said trout action is good. Best catches are being made drifting with Gulp Power Bait 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 water conditions are normal. Bream are excellent on crickets. Crappie are good on minnows and jigs. Bass are fair on spinner baits. Catfish are excellent on prepared bait. CATHERINE Catch’em All Guide Service said trout are very slow below Carpenter Dam and are expected to remain that way until restocking in November. However, there’s some fair action in the tailwaters with stripers and hybrids. Best catches are being made on live brood minnows or shad and big topwaters including C-10 Redfins and Super Spooks in rainbow trout colors.
Diamondhead Marina said the water is muddy and at normal level, with surface temperatures in the low 70 s. Bream are fair on worms and crickets. Crappie are fair in deep water on minnows. Bass are good early and late on spinner baits and plastic worms. Catfish are fair on nightcrawlers. DARDANELLE Lake Dardanelle State Park said the water flow is around 40, 000 cubic feet per second, with surface temperatures in the upper 80 s. Good numbers of small bass are being caught, but bigger fish aren’t as plentiful, although some are being near brush piles on Texas-rigged plastic worms, spinner baits and deepdiving crank baits. Bream are fair on crickets, worms and small jigs. Catfish are good on livers, worms, cut shad and prepared baits rigged on noodles and jugs.
Murphy’s Sporting Goods said bream are fair on crickets and worms. Bass are scattered, but a few are being caught on topwaters. 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. Crappie are fair in deep water on minnows. Bass are good on spinner baits and worms. Catfish are good on worms and chicken livers. OUACHITA Mountain Harbor Resort said the lake is about a foot below normal level with surface temperatures of 86-90 degrees. Largemouth bass are fair on Texas-rigged worms and shaky-head finesse worms. Spotted (Kentucky ) bass are fair by drop-shotting finesse worms near river-channel drops. Walleye are good on spoons fished over brush on main-lake points and on nightcrawlers fished on a bottom bouncer rig. Stripers are good on live shad and trotline minnows. Bream are good on crickets and worms fished 18-25 feet deep. Crappie are fair over grass and brush in water 20-30 feet deep on minnows and crappie grubs. Catfish are good on live bait and cut bait rigged on jugs and trotlines.
Poorman’s Guide Service said bass and stripers both are chasing shad and surfacing together in morning hours. Topwaters, shallow-running crank baits and jigging spoons all are productive. Mid-day bass action is fair on 10-inch worms fished about 25 feet deep along the outside edges of grass beds. OZARK POOL Lakeside Food Mart said the water is murky and a little high. Bream are good on crickets and nightcrawlers. Crappie are fair on minnows and jigs. Stripers are good on jigs. Catfish are good on cut bait, nightcrawlers and shad. hotspot THIS WEEK: Bull Shoals Tailwaters Trout are excellent on flies and good on a variety of lures and baits.
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