Northwest & North-Central Arkansas BEAVER Southtown Sporting Goods said the lake is about 6 feet above normal and falling slowly with surface temperatures in the upper 50 s. Crappie are fair on minnows and jigs. Bass are fair on jigging spoons. Catfish are slow, but a few have been caught on crickets. 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 curlytail 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 main-lake 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 dropshot rigs. Crappie have improved in the mid-lake 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 jigs and crank baits worked along chunk-rock points and banks and on spoons jigged 20-25 feet deep. Crappie are slow with only a few being taken on minnows fished 15-20 feet deep around brush piles. There’s some striper action near the mouths of the War Eagle and White River arms on jigs, spoons and big shiners. 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 662. 3, about 8 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 dissolvedoxygen levels in the upper river have improved and the cooler weather has allowed water temperatures to drop. The area from the Narrows to Wildcat Shoals has produced some good catches on brightly colored San Juan Worms fished below indicators and weighted heavily. Another good tactic is to add a dropper such as a sow bug, zebra midge or orange egg pattern below the worm. Banging the bank with large streamers on a sink tip or full sinking line is still the most effective method to catch big fish. Hot patterns have been white Zonkers, Kiwi Muddlers and Mengle’s Ozark Sculpin. The catchand-release section at Rim Shoals has at times fished better than the upper river. The action is inconsistent but usually best in morning hours. Top producers are San Juan Worms and brightly colored egg patterns. Mountain River Fly Shop said cooler water temperatures and improved dissolved-oxygen levels have helped action in recent days. Guides say the brown trout are much more aggressive, chasing down streamers, white Zonkers, Circus Peanuts and Conrad Sculpins. Tungsten Slumpbusters and Bunny Leeches are also working well. Drifting the standard egg-andworm rig remains productive where legal. San Juan Worms or Dynamite Worms are favorites along with Clint’s Sunday Specials and Davy’s Sow Bugs.
Sportsman’s White River Resort had no report. KINGS RIVER The river was at 2. 9 feet on the gauge at Berryville at noon Wednesday, ideal for float fishing.
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 had no report. NORFORK 101 Grocery and Bait said the lake remains about 7 feet above normal level with surface temperatures in the 50 s. Crappie are good on minnows and minnow-tipped jigs. Bream are good on worms and crickets. Stripers are slow and white bass fair. Largemouth and spotted (Kentucky ) bass are good on crank baits, spinner baits, jerk baits, live shiners and worms. Catfish are slow. Walleye are fair at night on stick baits fished around points and along shallow banks. NORFORK TAILWATERS Berry Brothers Guide Service said action has improved and is good from the Long Hole downriver. Top fly patterns are hot-pink San Juan worms and orange eggs, and prime areas are fast riffles where dissolved-oxygen levels are a bit higher than elsewhere. Dry Run Creek, which is limited to youth and handicapped anglers, is packed with large fish that have moved in to take advantage of higher dissolvedoxygen levels and cleaner water. Hot flies there are worm-brown San Juan Worms, egg patterns in peach and sow bugs.
Mountain River Fly Shop said low water has returned, creating good wade-fishing opportunities. Top fly patterns are the Camel, Zebra and Ruby midge, along with Davy’s Super Midge. Sow bug, scud and soft hackle patterns also are good choice. Those who prefer dry flies and emergers are favoring the Parachute Adams, Morgan’s Para Midge, Sprout and Clint’s Midge Emerger. SEQUOYAH Lake Sequoyah Boat Dock said the water is clear and at normal level. Bream are fair on crickets and worms fished 3-4 feet deep around weed beds and treetops. Crappie are fair on minnows and Road Runners fished about 8 feet deep around stumps. Bass are good on spinner baits, plastic worms and jigs fished around rocks and brush in 8 feet of water. Catfish are fair on cut bream, shad and chicken livers in 8-20 feet of water. TABLE ROCK Guide J. D. Fletcher said bass continue to feed on shad in creeks and in the 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 is under way and should be complete Sunday. Trout stocking is scheduled over the next two weeks. Meanwhile, white bass and hybrids are feeding on shad just below Carpenter Dam and good catches are being made on topwaters including Zara Spooks and Zara Puppies along with jigs and jigging spoons. Some walleye are being taken close to the dam as well. 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 are excellent at depths of 20-25 feet near the main river channel.
Murphy’s Sporting Goods had no report.
Spadra Marina said limit catches of crappie and catfish are common. Crappie are best on pink-white Panfish Assassins and blue-pearl tubes. Also, some big crappie are being taken on bass minnows. Prime depth range is 18 inches to 4 feet. Catfish are excellent on cut shad. Bass remain fair on spinner baits, crank baits and black-blue jigs, and some good-sized fish are being caught. HAMILTON Poorman’s Guide Service said bass are excellent on shallowrunning crank baits in both shad and crawfish colors. Others are going for jigs or Carolina-rigged centipedes worked around exposed brush. 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. hotspot THIS WEEK:
Lake Dardanelle Catfish and crappie are excellent.
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