Trout Coming to Family and Community Ponds

(Updated 11-18-2015) Bates Field and Stream (501-470-1846) said the water is stained and the surface water temperature is 67 degrees. The water level is high from the rain. Bream are fair on crickets and worms about 10 feet off the bank. Crappie are biting well on jigs and minnows fished around Highway 89 Bridge, Caney Creek and Gold Creek. Bass are fair on white spinnerbaits and topwater lures around the shoreline. Catfishing is excellent on limb lines and yo-yos baited with trotline minnows and goldfish.      

(Updated 11-4-2015) Daniel Zajac at Gold Creek Landing (501-607-0590) said crappie have been biting fairly well early in the morning and late in the afternoon. They are biting fairly well at midday with spells of the shutmouth syndrome. Jigs in speckled chartreuse, white/chartreuse and pearl white are doing well, as are minnows in 1 to 4 feet of water.  

(Updated 11-11-2015) Greg Seaton with Little Red Fly Fishing Trips (501-690-9166) said the rain last Thursday night muddied the river below Sulphur Creek for about 3 miles on Friday. This water showed up at Mossy Shoal to Dripping Springs on Saturday. After Monday’s generation all should be OK. The brown trout are beginning to show up with reports of a few being caught over the weekend on the shoals.  The rainbows continue to try to spawn with more of them on the shoals than browns.  My clients caught a couple of rainbows over 20 inches over the weekend along with several other good fish. Small emergers, egg patterns and small woolly buggers are good choices in the shallow water. The generation schedule looks like it is changing to morning generation along with a couple of hours in the late afternoon.  This is due to the colder weather and the demand changes. There still is no generation on the weekends.  Check the proposed generation before planning your trip.

(Updated 11-11-2015) James Dillard at Tailwater Fishing Company (501-207-1770) said fishing has been excellent. Wading opportunities exist along the entire river all day because of low flows. The fishing has been best after water releases. Hot flies have been egg patterns, midges and sow bugs. Watch out for redds (spawning beds) as the brown trout are moving onto the shoals and handle each fish with care.

(Updated 11-18-2015) Tommy Cauley of Fish Finder Guide Service said the water level is 3.41 feet below normal pool and rising. The South Fork arm has come up 6 feet with the rain and the Middle fork has come up just 2 feet. Bass fishing has been pretty good, but the largemouths should move to run ins and should be biting very well on spinnerbaits and crankbaits with the fresh water. Smallmouth also will move shallower, and a Carolina rig will work very well for them. Crappie will move higher in the water column and should bite well on minnows and jigs. Walleye  are not showing up very much lately; try dragging crankbaits and minnows in 18-35 feet of water for the best results. Catfish are biting well all over the lake on a variety of baits in about 27-30 feet of water. Bream are eating crawlers from very shallow to 27 feet of water. The hybrid and white bass bite is good early and late in the day on topwater, then in 25 to 40 feet of water on spoons, in-line spinners and swim baits around shad schools during midday. 

(Updated 11-11-2015) Cody Smith of www.fishgreersferry.com said water levels are 5 feet below top power pool and falling slightly with no significant rainfall. Water surface temperatures are still in the lower 70s lake-wide. Game fish are spread out from one foot of water to 30 feet. Look for fishing to improve greatly with water surface temperatures falling over the next couple weeks. White bass and hybrids are feeding on top most mornings in isolated locations. Once we see our surface temperatures get down in the mid 60s look for surfacing throughout the day rather than first and last light.said the water level currently is holding steady 4 feet below top of seasonal pool. Recent rains have helped stabilize the water level and cool temperatures to seasonal averages. A lot of fish that had been deeper in the water column and holding on to typical summer patterns have finally started to move. This in turn has spread our game fish out a bit more. Silver-sided minnows, bream and crawfish are the main types of forage here, concentrate on mimicking these and you should find a few fish.

(Updated 11-11-2015) Harris Brake Lakeside Resort (501-889-2745) said the water is down a little and is pretty clear. Bream are fair. Crappie are beginning to bite in about 10 feet of water. Minnows and white jigs are the best bets right now. Bass are biting fairly well on shallow-running, shad-imitating crankbaits fished in 6 feet of water in the mornings and evenings. Catfishing is good on live bait throughout the day. 

(Updated 11-18-2015) Whiskers Sporting Goods in Perryville (501-889-2011) had no new report. 

Overcup Landing had no report.

(Updated 11-4-2015) Jan Johnson at Brewer Lake Bait Shop (501-354-4108) is closed for hunting season.

(Updated 11-4-2015) Charley's Hidden Harbor at Opello had no report.

(Updated 11-4-2015) Jolly Roger’s Marina said the water is 3.2 feet below the spillway. The surface water temperature is 65 degrees. Black bass are biting well on wacky-rigged worms, spinner baits, buzzbaits and jerkbaits in 10 feet of water or less. Spotted bass are excellent on crankbaits and jigs in 10 to 15 feet of water. White bass are excellent just west of Jolly Rogers Marina and east trolling with deep-diving Bandits and Bombers about 15 feet deep. They also are being caught on CC spoons, white jigs and Rooster Tails when schooling. Crappie are biting well in 15 to 25 feet of  water around brush. On minnows and jigs. Bream are excellent on crickets and live worms in 15 to 20 feet of water around brush. Catfish are biting well in 10 to 15 feet of water on stink bait, small bream and chicken livers.

​(Updated 11-18-2015) River Valley Marina (501-517-1250) said the water is muddy and running swiftly after the rain. Before the rain, crappie were biting excellently in 8 to 9 feet of water on minnows and jigs fished around boat docks.   

(Updated 10-28-2015) The folks at Fish ’N Stuff (501-834-5733) said the water is stained to slightly muddy. Surface water temperature is in the high 60s to low 70s and the water level is rising from the rain. Bream have about stopped biting lately. Crappie are still slow as well. Bass are biting well in 3 to 6 feet of water lately. Catfishing is slow.  

(Updated 11-11-2015) McSwain Sports Center (501-945-2471) said the water has been clear and at normal level. Bream are slow. Crappie are biting well along the edges of the bank. Bass are biting well on crankbaits and soft-plastic creature baits fished near rock jetties. Catfishing is good on cut bait near the channel.

As of Wednesday, the Army Corps of Engineers reports the lake’s elevation at 659.05 feet msl (normal conservation pool – 659 msl).

(Updated 11-11-2015) Bull Shoals Boat Dock said the water is mostly clear, and finding some dirtier water can help find the bite. As water temperatures cool, the fish will move up to the shallow water briefly to follow the shad. Anglers can catch fish anywhere from 22 to 2 feet deep from secondary points upstream to the creek ends. Bass are biting well on Zara Spooks, wake baits and buzzbaits. If it’s cloudy, the bite could last all day. On bluebird days, try moving to points with gravel and chunk rock once the sun is out. A 7/16-oz Jewel shaky head with a Zoom finesse worm or beaver-style bait or a ½-oz. swinging head jigs in brown or green has been doing well in 15 to 25 feet of water around submerged brush. A Keitech swimbait or smoke grub also has been working well in these areas.  (Updated 10-14-2015) K Dock Marina (417-334-2880) said the lake is about 7 feet away from being back to normal. We are looking forward to getting our launch ramp back for the fall.  Shad have become very concentrated on the flats. Many anglers are catching good numbers of white bass near K Dock. Once the lake stops dropping 6 inches per day, the fall bite should be great for all species. The surface water temperature is 70 to 72 degrees, and the water clarity is clear. Black bass are biting well on a variety of baits. Topwater lures are working well in the morning. Spinnerbaits are producing on windy days. Jigs and crankbaits (particularly squarebills) are producing well around points and high rock bluffs, however zebra mussels have moved in at many areas and will tear up your line, so check it often. Many anglers have resorted to fishing with braid to save their line from being cut. Walleye are fair on bottom-bouncing night crawlers.  Trolling crankbaits will improve once the lake stabilizes. Crappie are fair on live minnows. White bass are biting well on lipless crankbaits, Rooster Tails and small spinnerbaits.  Follow the surfacing shad and you’ll find the fish. 

(Updated 11-11-2015) Sportsman’s White River Resort (870-453-2424) said the water is low and crystal clear with two generators running. Trout fishing is excellent on pink plastic worms, shrimp and flies. 

(Updated 11-11-2015) Berry Brothers Guide Service (870-453-2424) said the catch-and-release section below Bull Shoals Dam will close Nov. 1, 2015-Jan. 31, 2016, to accommodate the brown trout spawn. The state park will be seasonal catch-and-release for the same period. All brown trout must be immediately released. In addition, night fishing is prohibited in this area during this period. The White had much lower water generation this week with marginal wadable water. Fishing has improved with the lower water. The hot flies were olive woolly buggers (size 8-10), Y2Ks (size 12-14), prince nymphs (size 14), zebra midges (black with silver wire and silver bead or red with silver wire and silver bead, size 16-18), pheasant tails (size 14), ruby midges (size 18), root beer midges (size 18), pink and cerise San Juan worms (size 10), and sowbugs (size 16). Double-fly nymph rigs have been very effective (my current favorite is a hot fluorescent pink or cerise San Juan worm with a black midge suspended below it).

As of Wednesday, the Army Corps of Engineers reports the lake’s elevation at 556.60 feet msl (normal conservation pool: September-April – 553.75 msl, April-September – 556.75 msl).

(Updated 11-18-2015) Tom Reynolds of STR Outfitters said said the stripers are still not behaving like it’s fall. They are being caught in the mid-lake and upper lake areas, but not in the usual numbers we see. The water temperature is still in the 60s. If you are looking for stripers, try the Blue Lady area around 50 feet deep and in Float and Panther creeks. In the upper lake area, the stripers can be found off the old river channel in 22 to 28 feet of water. Stay off the channel, as I have not caught any fish in the channel. Look for the bait balls and you should find the stripers.

(Updated 11-18-2015) Lou Gabric of Hummingbird Hideaway Resort said fishing has been fair during the last two weeks. All species are biting once you find them. Large schools of stripers, hybrids and white bass are cruising the lake feeding on shad. Crappie and bluegills are hanging around brush piles. Largemouth, smallmouth and spotted bass are starting to move to the banks, but a lot of the larger bass are still suspended, chasing shad. Catfish are hitting worms and small bluegills very aggressively. Stripers, hybrids and white bass have schooled up and are starting to fatten up for the upcoming cool winter months. You can find large schools of fish roaming large flats in 40 to 50 feet of water. It takes time to locate the fish, but when you do, they're a lot of fun. I have also found large schools of stripers in the mouths of coves, late afternoons in 70 feet of water suspended 20 to 30 feet down. Find a cove that the wind is blowing directly into, then if you find suspended bait start looking for the stripers cruising and feeding. For some reason these large schools of stripers are hitting my spoon only when I reel up through them. Trolling is also working in the afternoon. One of my stripers this evening came from trolling a swim bait about 20 to 25 feet down. Not a lot of change in largemouth bass fishing from my last report. I am still catching these fish in 27 - 33 feet of water. Work a jig and pig or any plastic bait along the bottom. I have been casting out my spoon and bouncing it back to the boat along the bottom, this method is catching some nice fish. I am starting to mark some nice suspended bass along bluff lines down 15 to 20 feet deep. Crankbaits should start to work before long. Catfish are biting very good on green worms and small bluegill. Jugs and trotlines are working the best. Some crappie and bluegill can be found in and around sunken brush piles 25 to 30 feet deep. The fish will be suspended over the brush, but at midday look deeper in the brush. Small grubs or a small spoon jigging in and around the brush will catch you a few nice fish. Crickets are the best for the bluegills.

(Updated 11-18-2015) Guide Steve Olomon said Norfork Lake has finally been drawn down to winter pool of 556.3 and the water temperature is in the mid-60s. The bite should begin improving. The main lake is clear, and the creeks are starting to clear up. There are a lot of baitfish in the creeks that will start moving out into the main lake as the water temperature drops more. I have seen baitfish on the surface and down to 40 feet. Look for stripers around the balls of bait. Bass are hitting Wiggle Warts along the bank out to 10-12 feet deep. Some also are hitting jigs in 10-35 feet of water. If you mark a school, drop a jigging spoon or a drop-shot with a 4-inch worm to them. The night bite will get better as the water temperature drops.

(Updated 11-11-2015) Berry Brothers Guide Service (870-453-2424) said the Norfork has fished much better now that the lake level has dropped enough to prevent the leakage around the flood gate that was being repaired. It has had wadable water. The boat traffic has been reduced with better fishing conditions on the White River. The most productive flies have been small midge patterns (size 18-22)  like ruby midges, root beer midges, zebra midges (black or red with silver wire and silver bead) and soft hackles (size 14-16) like the green butt. Egg patterns have also been productive. Double-fly nymph rigs have been very effective. Try a small bead-headed nymph (zebra midge, copper John or pheasant tail) suspended 18 inches below a brightly colored San Juan worm (hot fluorescent pink or cerise, size 10). There have been reliable hatches of small midges (try a size 24 Adams parachute) and caddis (try a size 18 elk hair caddis). The fishing is better in the morning and late afternoon and tapers off midday. My favorite combination has been a cerise worm with a Sunday special dropper. There construction project at the Norfork National Fish Hatchery is complete. Dry Run Creek has seen less pressure with school back in session. It still fished well. The hot flies have been sowbugs (size 14), Y2Ks (size 12) and various colored San Juan worms (worm brown, red, hot fluorescent pink and cerise size 10). 

As of Wednesday, the Army Corps of Engineers reports the lake’s elevation at 1,120.80 feet msl (normal conservation pool – 1,120 msl).

(Updated 11-18-2015) Bailey’s Beaver Lake Guide Service (479-366-8664) said the annual HOFNOD event has been rescheduled to March 29, 2016, due to the nasty weather. Thank you to all volunteers who donate their valuable time to our community. The water is in the low 60s. Stripers have left their deep-water summer haunts and have made their way up rivers and creek arms. Watch for surface action in pockets along the creek arms and main lake especially from Prairie Creek past the junction of the White and War Eagle at Point 12 and on up both branches as far your boat can go. Watch for floating debris from the heavy rain we are received Monday and Tuesday. Fishing is good with live shad fished from the surface down to 25 feet deep. Also try trolling small umbrella rigs with white grubs or chartreuse grubs for stained water. Plugs trolled on flat lines or slightly weighted lines will work. Try using large, slender plugs like Rapala no. 14 Husky Jerks in black back or purple back colors and Smithwick Rogues in similar colors in 5-6 inch model. Striper are also being caught at night by casting main lake points with large surface lures like Redfins and Rapalas or large Rat-L-Traps. Try large swim baits cast on points also during the day and at night. The upper section of the lake is really turning on as well as Indian creek arm and Big Clifty creek arm.  Prairie Creek, Hickory Creek also are seeing heavy concentrations of stripers right now. War Eagle, the White River and the junction of the two are all extremely hot right now as well. Most walleye have moved to the second drop and are being caught about 8-15 feet deep. They can be caught using a variety of methods. Try three-way rigging Rapalas in natural colors for clear water or chartreuse/orange and clown colors in areas of stained water. Also try Shad Raps in natural colors and Rat-L Traps trolled at 1-2 mph. Large swim baits fished near the bottom around schools of shad also. Live minnows backtrolled on live bait rigs with a slip sinker also will produce. 

(Updated 11-18-2015) Southtown Sporting Goods (479-443-7148) said the water is clear but should change from the recent rain. Crappie are fair on minnows and jigs fished in brush. Bass are fair on spinnerbaits and topwater lures. Catfishing is slow. Stripers have moved into the river arms around the upper White River. White bass are hitting small spoons and Rooster Tails. 

(Updated 11-11-2015) Beaver Dam Store said the store is only open Thursday through Sunday from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. during winter. The water release below Beaver Dam is still going on. Wade fishing is almost nonexistent, with boaters having the most productivity, drifting large egg patterns and streamers. Power Bait in all colors and nightcrawlers are working well at Houseman Access.

(Updated 11-18-2015) Austin Kennedy of Busch Mountain Fishing Guide Service (479-640-8733) said fishing has been good this past week. The generation schedule is allowing for more bank fishing as well. Trout are being caught on light terminal tackle baited with Power Bait. Spoons in ¼-oz. size have also been working well. Water temperatures have been in the mid 40s to low 50s from Spider Creek Island to Houseman Access.

(Updated 11-18-2015) Mark Crawford with Spring River Flies and Guides said the water clarity is poor and the flow is 470 cfs at the spring. A lot of rain the last two days has the river high and muddy. The river should clear up in three or four days.

(Updated 11-11-2015) Lake Chicot State Park said catfish are biting well on yo-yos and limb lines baited with live and prepared baits. No report on any other species.

(Updated 11-18-2015) Mike Siefert at Millwood Lake Guide Service said the lake level is 3.5 inches above normal conservation pool and falling.  There is decreased current of Little River with the gates releasing around 1,084 CFS as of Monday. Surface temperatures range from 57 to 63 degrees. Water clarity worsened over the past week to 3-8 inches in most of the lake and 3-5 inches in Little River. The best bet for bass continues to be crankbaits, chatterbaits, Rat-L-Traps and Echo 1.75 Squarebills. Best colors are Ghost Minnow, Gold, and Sexy Chrome.  Real Deal Custom Tackle jigs continue taking some keeper bass in the 3-5lb class using Texas Craw, Voodoo, or Okeechobee Spice colors.  Big, over-sized magnum Tubes in black neon, pumpkinseed/chartreuse with rattles, and slow moving chatterbaits continue working.  Large, slow-rolling War Eagle spinner baits in firetiger, peach slobber, or Spot Remover are working around dying or dead lily pads.  Tail spinners such as Rat-L-Traps Spin Traps, Little Cleos, Little Georges, rooster tails, and Rocket Shads are still catching all species of bass, slightly deeper. Chrome and blue Johnson Jigging spoons on points with timber or stumps continue taking a few bass over the past week, out of river current in breaks where huge schools of bass are following and chasing shad. Cordell Red Fins in gold G-finish or ghost, Smithwick Rouges in clown or gold, and suspending jerk baits worked very slowly were catching some nice fish over the past couple weeks.  Schools of white bass were found again out, and in front of the second entrance to Mud Lake and Horseshoe Lake up Little River. These schooling whites were very aggressive on crankbaits, chatterbaits and squarebills fished 5-9 feet deep. Crappie disappeared with all the recent inflow of muddy water along Little River over their planted brush pile condos. Catfish improved again on trotlines along Little River set 9 to 15 feet deep and baited with chicken livers, hearts, gizzards and cut shad or buffalo.

As of Wednesday, the Army Corps of Engineers reports the lake’s elevation was 541.99 feet msl (Flood pool – 548 msl).

(Updated 10-28-2015) Gary Lammers of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers had no report this week. 

As of Wednesday, the Army Corps of Engineers reports the lake’s elevation was 398.61 feet msl (flood pool – 408 msl).

(Updated 10-28-2015) Local angler George Graves had no report.

Tri-County Lake will be undergoing a 5-foot drawdown until late fall. This is being done to compact the silt which has been building in the lake, reduce some of the aquatic vegetation in the lake, make repairs on jetties which have deteriorated over the years and address the lake's stunted crappie and bream populations by forcing these smaller fish into areas where they are more susceptible to the lake's predator fish. 

Local angler Jaret Rushing had no report.

(Updated 11-18-2015) Buddy Ham at Sportsman's One Stop in El Dorado (870-863-7248) said crappie are biting well in the upper and lower side of tree tops in the river on jigs and shiners. Bass are biting well on spinnerbaits and Texas-rigged soft-plastic creature baits. Catfish are biting well on live bait in the river. No report on bream. 

(Updated 11-11-2015) Lucky Landing (479-641-7615) had no report.

As of Wednesday, the Army Corps of Engineers reports the lake’s elevation was 342.63 feet msl (full pool – 342 msl). 

(Updated 11-11-2015) Good Ole Boys Trading Post (479-272-4710) said the water is murky and rising again from the recent rain. A few anglers are catching some bass lately. Crappie are still running deep.  

(Updated 10-21-2015) Whiskers Sporting Goods in Perryville (501-889-2011) said crappie are fair on minnows, Bobby Garland Baby Shads and 1.25-inch Itty Bit Swim’rs in deep water. The best colors are Cajun cricket, BBQ chicken, blue ice, monkey milk and penny back. Catfishing is good on shad, minnows and worms. Bream are fair on crickets and worms.

As of Wednesday, the Army Corps of Engineers reports the lake’s elevation was 569.38 feet msl (full pool – 578 msl).

(Updated 11-18-2015) Todd Gadberry at Mountain Harbor Resort said the water is stained and 64 to 68 degrees. Bass are biting well on topwater baits, spy baits and crankbaits fished on points with cover. Drop-shot rigs are still producing some good spotted bass when baited with finesse worms and live crayfish. Walleye are fair on ¾-oz. CC spoons jigged vertically near structure. Stripers are fair to good on live bait, hair jigs and some topwater lures on main lake points and humps. Crappie are biting very well around brush in 20 to 30 feet of water on jigs, small spoons and minnows. Catfishing is good on nightcrawlers and stinkbait.  

(Updated 10-28-2015) Tom Duke and Phillip Kastner with Trader Bill's Outdoor Sports Fishing Report in Hot Springs said the fresh water that is coming in and cooler weather should help the fishing in the backs of the creeks lately. However, a lot of the water has been sucked up by the ground, and there is very little washing into the lake. Spinnerbaits and crankbaits in shad patterns should do very well for bass.  

(Updated 11-11-2015) Tom Duke and Phillip Kastner with Trader Bill's Outdoor Sports Fishing Report in Hot Springs said the water temperature is in the 60s. The drawdown is going on, and with a little fresh, off-colored water coming from the rain, the bass bite should really pick up. The fish on the lower end of the lake should be a little more cooperative, especially the crappie. 

(Updated 11-4-2015) Darryl Morris at Family Fishing Trips said there hasn’t been much fishing activity on Lake Hamilton with the rains, but there have been random schools of bass breaking the surface around the main channel and Hot Springs Creek on the far eastern end of the lake. 

(Updated 11-18-2015) Shane Goodner, owner of Catch’em All Guide Service said water temperature below Carpenter Dam is 67 degrees with clear conditions in the tailrace. Entergy has scheduled a minimum flow pattern which releases water every few days as needed to maintain lake levels. Rainbow trout stocking begins in November with fish present in the tailrace the week of Thanksgiving. The trout are gone and very few shad are present to attract gamefish. However, white bass have been observed schooling below the bridge with fair numbers in the 2-pound range. Jerk baits and ¼-ounce white jigs are the baits of choice as these fish are chasing available shad and will attack an artificial lure that resembles an injured minnow. Hybrid and striper action is very slow below the dam with zero topwater action observed. Trout stocking in November will bring good numbers of hybrid and striped bass to the area to feed. C-10 Redfins and Super Spooks in rainbow trout colors will draw vicious strikes from these aggressive predators. A few catfish have been hooked in the 10-pound class at night below the bridge in the main channel using cut shad. The deepest water holds catfish most of the year with large numbers of these fish spawning in June. Goldfish and gizzard shad are excellent choices when targeting large catfish. As the drawdown approaches, a regular flow of water from the dam will bring shad close to the dam, which will help the fishing.

(Updated 11-11-2015) ​Mississippi River State Park (870-295-4040) said the bass and bream have slowed with the cooler weather. The crappie also have not been very active in the last week. Friday, Nov. 13, Mississippi River State Park is hosting a campfire circle program at Bear Creek Lake. The program starts at 6:30 p.m. and will inform visitors of the history in the area specifically near the Mississippi River.