Northwest & North-Central Arkansas BEAVER Southtown Sporting Goods said the lake remains extremely high and falling only slightly. Bream are fair on crickets. Crappie are fair on minnows and jigs. Bass are fair on spinner baits, topwaters and Carolina rigs.
J. T. ’s Crappie Guide Service said fishing has improved greatly with the cooling water temperatures. Bass are good in morning hours on topwaters and spinner baits fished in the flooded timber. Later in the day, plastic lizards in shades of watermelon rigged Carolina or Texas style are working well. There’s also some surfacing activity in low-light hours, when small topwaters, spoons and grubs are working well. Crappie are good on minnows and black-chartreuse tubes fished 10-20 feet deep around docks and close to bluffs. The Horseshoe Bend area has been particularly good. White bass are surfacing in the mornings along the edges of main-lake flats, particularly those from Horseshoe Bend south to Hickory Creek. Catfish remain good at night by using worms or livers from the banks. Bream are good on worms and crickets fished around docks and along bluff walls at depths of 2-6 feet.
Southtown Sporting Goods said the water is murky and starting to drop. Bream are fair on crickets. Crappie are fair on minnows and jigs. Bass are fair on spinner baits, top-water lures, and Carolina rigs. Hook, Line & Sinker said high water continues to keep bass scattered. Fair catches are being made by a variety of methods. Some are still surfacing mornings and evenings and going for topwaters including the Zara Spook Jr. and Sammy. Others are being caught in flooded brush and grass on buzz baits, spinner baits, shallow-running crank baits and jigs. Carolina rigs, football jigs and finesse worms on shaky heads continue to work fairly well around main-lake points and humps. A few bass continue to be caught at night on Texas-rigged plastic worms and dark-colored jigs and spinner baits. White bass and some hybrids are surfacing early and late in creek arms and going for topwaters, spoons and grubs. Crappie remain scattered and fair on minnows, jigs and trolled crank baits. Stripers, too, are scattered and fair on big topwaters, live shad and umbrella rigs trolled about 40 feet deep. Catfish remain good on cut bait, livers and other traditional catfish baits. Bream are fair on crickets and worms.
Hickory Creek Marina said bass are good on jigs fished around rocky points. Crappie are fair by spider rigging minnows 10-15 feet deep. Bream are good on crickets and worms. No report on catfish. BEAVER TAILWATERS Ken Richards at justfishingguides. com said hot fly patterns are still large Zebra Midges, scuds, pheasant tails and hare's ears. Micro jigs in pink or gray also are working well. Best action is near the dam and in the Parker Bottoms area. BELLA VISTA LAKES Hook, Line & Sinker said bass are fair. Top producers continue to be finesse worms and jigs, although there’s also some action on small buzz baits and other topwaters early and late and on cloudy days. Action is fair at night on jigs, Texas-rigged plastic worms and crank baits. Crappie and catfish remain slow. Bream are fair on crickets and worms. BULL SHOALS Bull Shoals Boat Dock said the already-high lake level was at 685. 9 Wednesday morning and rising because of strong water releases from Table Rock Lake upstream. Fair catches of bass are being made on jigging spoons, live nightcrawlers and soft plastics on drop-shot rigs worked vertically at depths of 25-35 feet around standing timber, bluff ends and main-lake points. There’s also some scattered surfacing action with bass on small topwaters and other shad-imitating lures. Crappie remain slow, with only a few being taken at night under lights on minnows and jigs. A few walleye are being caught in the same areas and by the same techniques as bass. Bream are fair on crickets and worms. There was no report on catfish, though conditions are favorable for good action. BULL SHOALS TAILWATERS Berry Brothers Guides said generation from Bull Shoals Dam is relatively light, and the area from the state park and down to Cane Island Shoals remains hot. In high water, top flies are San Juan worms and egg patterns in red, cerise, hot pink and fire orange. On lower water, black Zebra Midges, scuds, sow bugs and soft hackles including green butts are working well. Another prime spot is the Narrows, where brightly colored San Juan Worms with a nymph on a dropper are working well. Popular nymph choices include Zebra Midges, Trout Crack, sow bugs, scuds and beadhead hare’s ears. The same nymphs in size 18, along with olive Woolly Buggers, are working well when the water level is lower. The Rim Shoals catch-and-release area also has been productive. Top patterns are brightly colored San Juan Worms in cerise, hot pink and red.
Sportsman’s White River Resort said trout are good on pink worms, Power Bait, Rogues, Rapalas and shad-colored Krocodile spoons. Fly fishermen are scoring in low-water conditions on San Juan Worms, Woolly Buggers and various sow bug patterns. KINGS RIVER The river was at 3. 8 feet on the gauge at Berryville at noon Wednesday, in good condition for float fishing.
Guide J. D. Fletcher said bass are good on tubes in shades of brown or green, and a few are going for buzz baits.
Ken Richards at justfishinguides. com said fly fishermen are scoring with large streamer patterns fished on a sinking line and also are scoring with big topwater flies. LAKE FAYETTEVILLE Lake Fayetteville Boat Dock said all species are slow. NORFORK 101 Grocery and Bait said surface temperatures have dipped into the low 70 s and even the upper 60 s in some parts of the lake. Crappie are good on minnows fished about 20 feet deep around brush piles. Bream are good on worms and crickets. Stripers are fair. Catfish are good, with most being caught on trotlines and jugs. Bass are fair. Walleye are slow although a few have been caught on jigging spoons. NORFORK TAILWATERS Mountain River Fly Shop said there are still some wading opportunities available in the mornings. Soft-hackle flies in green, yellow and red-yellow are working well. Zebra Midges, tungsten WD-40 s, sow bugs and Woolly Buggers also are producing well. SEQUOYAH Lake Sequoyah Boat Dock said water conditions are normal but all species are slow. TABLE ROCK Guide J. D. Fletcher said the lake level was at 920. 5 feet Wednesday morning and falling rapidly. Bass are fair with mixed bags of largemouth, spotted (Kentucky ), smallmouth and meanmouth bass being caught around points, bluff ends and deep docks on football jigs and plastic worms worked on shaky heads, Texas rigs and Carolina rigs. Crank baits, spinner baits and buzz baits also are producing some fish in the river arms. 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 shad-imitating lures, and a few walleye are being taken on jigging spoons and by trolling with deep-diving lures. Crappie remain fair 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 generation is mostly occurring in afternoons, making for good wading conditions below the dam in morning hours. Airinjected nightcrawlers are accounting for good catches of trout lakewide, and there’s also some action on micro jigs fished under floats. Fly fishermen are scoring with gray scuds (size 12-14 ) worked along channel drops. Zebra midges worked about a foot under strike indicators also are productive. Baits and lures are working well during periods of generation. Top choices include Gulp Power Eggs (pink, orange or yellow ) and small to medium Rapala crank baits. West-Central Arkansas ATKINS Lucky Landing said the water is murky and high. Bass are schooling. Catfish are good on cut bait. CATHERINE Catch’em All Guide Service said strong water flows have made fishing the upper end of the lake unsafe and nearly impossible.
Diamondhead Marina said all species are slow. DARDANELLE Lake Dardanelle State Park said the water is beginning to clear and surface temperatures are in the upper 70 s. Flow throughout the lake is about 60, 000 CFS. Bass are only fair on black-blue jigs, chatter baits and buzz baits, best around grass beds. Only a few crappie are being taken on minnows and jigs worked around brush piles, but bream remain good on crickets, worms and tubes. Catfish are good on chicken livers, cut shad, nightcrawlers and stink baits. Murphy’s Sporting Goods said the water is muddy and high. Catfish are good on a variety of baits. HAMILTON No report. HINKLE Bill's Bait Shop said water conditions are normal. Bream are fair on crickets and worms. A few crappie have been caught deep on minnows. Bass are schooling. Catfish are good on chicken livers. OUACHITA Mountain Harbor Resort said the lake is about 3 feet above normal level, and surface temperatures are around 80 degrees. Largemouth bass are fair on spinner baits and crank baits. Spotted (Kentucky ) bass are surfacing early and late and on cloudy days and going for topwaters and spoons. Walleye are fair on spoons fished around brushpiles on main-lake points. Bottom bouncers with spinners and nightcrawlers also are producing some large walleye. Stripers are good on live shad or trotline minnows, big jigs and spoons. Best areas are around Brady Mountain, Bird Island and the spillway. Bream are good on crickets or worms in 18-25 feet of water. Crappie are fair at depths of 20-30 feet near brush on minnows and jigs. Catfish are good on cut or live bait on jugs and trotlines.
Poorman’s Guide Service said walleye are fair on spoons. Stripers are excellent in the flooded trees on swim baits worked slowly on a 1-ounce jighead. Largemouth bass are breaking in the mouths of the pockets in the creeks and going for Zara Spooks, Revenge spinner baits and spoons. There’s some midday action around the inside edges of grassbeds on spinner baits and Senkos. OZARK POOL Lakeside Food Mart said the water is dingy and high. Bream are fair on crickets and nightcrawlers. A few crappie have been caught on minnows and jigs. Bass are fair on plastic worms. Catfish are fair on minnows and cut bait. hotspot THIS WEEK: Bull Shoals Tailwaters
Trout are good on a variety of baits, flies and lures.
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