Northeast Arkansas Fishing Report

From the Arkansas Game & Fish Commission www.agfc.com

• Crown Lake — Boxhound Marina (870-6704496) said the water is clear and the lake is still down about 1 foot below normal. Crappie are “pretty deep” now and the fishing for them is fair. Use minnows.

Black bass are fair, with best response coming on diving baits. No reports on bream or catfish. “It’s pretty slow,” they say.

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• Lake Charles —

Shelly Jeffrey at Lake Charles State Park had no report. Call the visitor center for any updates if you are going to Lake Charles.

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• Lake Poinsett — Lake Poinsett is closed until next year as repairs continue on the habitat. The Lake Pointsett State Park Visitors Center sells bait still, and the shop is in proximity to many other fishing destinations in northeast Arkansas.

Ome Coleman at the Lake Poinsett State Park says, “We are still selling plenty of minnows. Although the lake is still gone, we are still here to supply your fishing supply needs.”

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• Spring River —

Mark Crawford of Spring River Flies and Guides says Water levels are running at 340 cfs and water clarity is green tinted, common for winter months. The big rainbows are moving and biting. Big y2ks and orange blossom special have been working well for the big fish. Guppies and White Lightnings are working well for the bass – smallmouth and largemouth. Hitting the slack water where it meets the current with a fast strip back is the ticket.

On spinning gear hot pink trout magnets remain one of my favorite ways to catch trout.

Unflavored, it is a great catch and release tool.

Red and white are a couple of my personal favorite colors also. They also make trout cranks in trout colors that can work for bigger trout and walleye.

John Berry of Berry Brothers Guide Service in Cotter (870-435-2169) said the Spring River is a bit high and off-color.

This is a great place to wade fish when they are running water on the White and North Fork rivers. Canoe season is officially over. Be sure to wear cleated boots and carry a wading staff.

There is a lot of bedrock that can get very slick.

The hot flies have been olive Woolly Buggers with a bit of flash (size 10), cerise and hot pink San Juan worms (size 10) and Y2Ks (size 10).

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• Walcott Lake —

Walcott Lake at Crowley’s Ridge State Park had no reports. Last week, anglers did catch a few bass.

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• White River —

Triangle Sports (870793-7122) in Batesville reports the water is muddy and the level continues to be high. That’s hampering fishing. They report “poor” results on all species.