Northwest & North-Central Arkansas BEAVER Southtown Sporting Goods said the lake remains about 6 feet above normal with surface temperatures in the upper 50 s. Bream are fair. Crappie are good on jigs tipped with minnows. Bass are good on spinner baits and crank baits fished in creek channel bends. Jigging spoons worked vertically over flat areas near the main channel are working, too. J. T. ’s Crappie Guide Service said bass are good lakewide on a variety of lures. Spinner baits and buzz baits fished around flooded trees and brush are working well early and late in the day. Hula grubs fished around docks are producing best in midday hours. Crappie are fair on chartreuse Shineee Hineee or chartreuse curl-tail grubs fished around brush piles at depths of 15-25 feet. Most fish are suspended 5-10 feet deep. White bass are slow, but a few small ones are being caught around main-lake points and the edges of mainlake flats on jigging spoons. Bream are excellent on crickets and worms fished 5-10 feet deep around docks. Catfish are good from the banks on worms and livers, best in evening hours. Hook, Line & Sinker said bass and shad both are in the creek arms in good numbers. Good catches of largemouth and spotted (Kentucky ) bass are being made around flooded brush on spinner baits, buzz baits and shallow-running crank baits. Bass-X finesse jigs also are working well on sunny days when flipped into flooded brush and around boat docks. There’s also some fair action along the creek channel ledges and around docks over deep water on spoons and drop-shot rigs. Crappie have improved in the midlake area and are good on minnows and jigs, although many are running small. Stripers, too, are improving as the water temperature falls and are fair to good on live shad and spoons. There’s some scattered surfacing action in the creek arms on cloudy days. Catfish are fair on cut bait, livers and other traditional catfish baits. Bream are good on crickets and worms. Hickory Creek Marina said bass are fair on spinner baits and crank baits worked around flooded brush. Crappie are slow to fair on minnows and jigs fished 18-20 feet deep. There was no report on bream or catfish. BEAVER TAILWATERS www. flyflinger. com said midge hatches are coming off in afternoon hours, creating some good action by swinging soft hackles. BELLA VISTA LAKES Hook, Line & Sinker said bass remain fair. Typical fall offerings including finesse jigs and worms, spinner baits and crank baits all are producing. Crappie and catfish are slow. Bream remain fair on crickets and worms. BULL SHOALS Bull Shoals Boat Dock said the lake continues to fall by about 6 inches a day. The level at 11 a. m. Wednesday was 666. 0, about 12 feet above normal. Largemouth bass are in the shallows out to 15 feet deep and going for spinner baits, shallow-running crank baits and Rat-L-Traps. Smallmouth and spotted (Kentucky ) bass are 15-25 feet deep and good on hula grubs and jigs. All species of bass also continue to be caught on spoons, live bait (nightcrawlers or crawfish ) and drop-shot rigs worked at depths of 25-40 feet. Walleye are excellent at depths of 30-40 feet on jigging spoons and nightcrawlers fished on bottom bouncers or split-shot rigs. Others are being caught by trolling stick baits including Reef Runners at depths of 12-20 feet. White bass are very good on spoons fished about 40 feet deep in the back portions of creeks. Crappie remain slow although a few continue to be caught at night under lights. Bream are fair on crickets and worms and catfish are fair on livers and other traditional offerings. BULL SHOALS TAILWATERS Berry Brothers Guide Service said generation remains strong around the clock, making wade fishing impossible. Trout are slow in general, although there’s some fair action from the Narrows to Wildcat Shoals on brightly colored San Juan Worms fished below a strike indicator and weighted heavily. Large streamers including the Kiwi Muddler, Zonker (white ) and Mengle’s Ozark Sculpin also are working fairly well when fished along the banks. There’s also some action on San Juan Worms from Cotter to the lower end of Rim Shoals, although it is inconsistent. Mountain River Fly Shop said water temperatures remain above normal, but dissolved-oxygen levels are improved over last week. Egg and worm patterns remain productive. In particular, top patterns are the Puffball Eggs; standard orange, yellow or cerise eggs; and Dynamite Worm or San Juan Worm in hot pink, red, brown and light tan.
Sportsman’s White River Resort said action is fair, best downstream from the resort. San Juan Worms in red are working best. KINGS RIVER The river was at 3. 1 feet on the gauge at Berryville at noon Wednesday.
Guide J. D. Fletcher said bass remain fair on traditional offerings including buzz baits, Flukes and tubes in shades of brown or green. LAKE FAYETTEVILLE Lake Fayetteville Boat Dock said water conditions are normal. Few anglers have been out. NORFORK 101 Grocery and Bait said the lake remains about 7 feet above normal level with surface temperatures in the 60 s. Bream are good on worms and crickets. Crappie are fair. White bass are good, best around sunset. Stripers areslow. Walleye are fair on nightcrawlers. Catfish are slow. Bass are good. Cranfield Junction Bait and Tackle said bass are good although many are small. Best catches are being made in the backs of creeks and coves on spinner baits, topwaters and soft plastics. Bream, crappie, catfish, stripers and walleye all are slow. NORFORK TAILWATERS Berry Brothers Guide Service said one generator is running around the clock most days. Wading opportunities are few and action is spotty in the upper river because of low dissolved-oxygen levels. Top flies have been San Juan worms in hot pink and brightly colored eggs. Dry Run Creek, which is limited to youth and handicapped anglers, is fishing well. Brown trout are beginning to move into the creek to spawn and some big fish are being caught. Top flies are sow bugs, San Juan Worms and egg patterns. Mountain River Fly Shop said dissolved-oxygen levels have improved in the past week, although trout action remains significantly better from McClellan’s downstream, where the riffles and shoals can oxygenate the water. San Juan Worms and egg patterns are working well along with larger (size 14 ) midge patterns, scuds and sow bugs. SEQUOYAH Lake Sequoyah Boat Dock said the water is clear and at normal level. Bream are good on worms and crickets around weed beds and woody cover. Crappie are fair on minnows and jigs fished near stumps in 2-6 feet of water. Bass are good on spinner baits and soft plastics fished 2-10 feet deep around brush and in rocky areas. Catfish are slow, but a few have been caught on shad and worms at depths of about 20 feet. TABLE ROCK Guide J. D. Fletcher said bass continue to feed on shad in the back portions of creeks and in the upper river arms. Spinner baits and buzz baits are working well in the shallows, particularly early and late and on overcast days. Bass also continue to be caught around secondary points and boat docks on finesse jigs, worms and spoons. There’s still some fair action around main-lake points on football jigs, and a few bass are being taken along chunk-rock banks on crawfish-colored crank baits. In the upper White River and Roaring River arms, scattered catches of walleye are being made on jigging spoons and by trolling with deep-diving lures. Crappie remain fair lakewide on minnows and jigs worked 8-12 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 soft hackles, in particular a No. 16 in black, are producing some good afternoon action with trout. Midge patterns also are producing at times. Generation remains irregular but wade fishing is possible most times of the day.
West-Central Arkansas ATKINS Lucky Landing said bream are good on worms and crickets. Crappie are moving into the coves and are good on minnows and jigs. Bass remain good on plastic worms and buzz baits. Catfish are good on cut bait and live shad. CATHERINE Catch’em All Guide Service said a 3-foot winter drawdown will begin Monday. Falling water temperatures are chasing shad out of the Carpenter Dam tailwaters but there’s still some fair action with white and hybrid bass on gray bucktail jigs. Other hybrids are being caught by trolling in the main channel below the bridge with small crank baits.
Diamondhead Marina said the water is at normal level. Bass are good on spoons. Walleye are good on Rat-L-Traps fished 10-14 feet deep. All other species are slow. DARDANELLE Lake Dardanelle State Park said the lake the lake has cleared considerably, and surface temperatures are in the mid-50 s. Bass are fair on spinner baits and jigs fished around ledges, submerged trees and rock jetties. Crappie are good in Big Piney and Illinois Bayou on jigs worked 10-20 feet deep along creek channel ledges and brush piles. Bream are slow but catfish at depths of 20-25 feet near the main river channel.
Murphy’s Sporting Goods said all species are slow.
Spadra Marina said limit catches of crappie are being made mornings and evenings on minnows and Panfish Assassins fished 8-12 feet deep. Catfish are excellent near running water on a variety of baits. Bass are good along the banks on spinner baits and jigs although most are running small. HAMILTON Lockwood’s SportsMart said the annual drawdown is complete. Bass are fair on spinner baits, buzz baits and crawfish-colored crank baits. HINKLE Bill’s Bait Shop said water conditions are normal. Bream are fair on crickets. Crappie are good on minnows. Bass are fair on large bass minnows. Catfish are fair on trotlines rigged with live bait. OUACHITA Mountain Harbor Resort said the water temperature is 66-70 degrees. Largemouth bass are good on spinner baits and lipless crank baits fished around grass. Spotted (Kentucky ) bass and largemouths are still surfacing on cloudy days and going for topwaters. Walleye are fair on spoons fished over main-lake points with brush. Stripers are good on live shad, brood minnows, spoons and large jigs. There is also some surfacing action early and late in the day on C-10 Redfin and Super Spook topwaters. Bream are good on crickets fished 18-25 feet deep. Crappie are excellent over brush in 20-30 feet of water on minnows and Tennessee shad-colored crappie grubs. Catfish are fair on trotlines and jugs rigged with cut or live bait.
Poorman’s Guide Service said bass are good along the outside edges of grass beds on Berkley Chigger Craws. Stripers are starting surfacing in the creeks around standing timber and going for big topwaters. OZARK POOL Lakeside Food Mart said bream are fair. Crappie are fair below the dam. Bass are fair on crank baits and soft plastics. Catfish are fair. hotspot THIS WEEK: Beaver
Lake Bass, bream and catfish are good.
FEEDBACK:
Something to say about this topic? Submit a Letter to the Editor online
