Fishing Reports: Spotlight on South Arkansas
Where to go for some spring fishing success
AGFC Communications
• White Oak Lake: Curtis Willingham of River Rat Bait (870-231-3831) said White Oak Upper and Lower are still high and the clarity is murky. Bream are fair on worms and crickets. Crappie fishing is poor, he said. Bass also are poor.
Catfish rated poor as
• Lake Atkins: Donald Ramirez, the new owner of Lucky Landing (479-6417615) on the southeastern end of the lake, said the shop will be closed until further notice. There are access points to Lake Atkins and fishing from the shoreline.
• Lake Catherine: Shane Goodner, owner of Catch em All Guide Service, reports that heavy flows have been the norm as continued rainfall kept Lake Ouachita slightly into the flood pool. Open flood gates and high generation have created a treacherous situation in all area dam tailraces. All boaters and anglers alike should use extreme caution if attempting to navigate the Carpenter Dam tailrace.
People should remain off the water until conditions stabilize. Thousands of trout are present and thriving in Lake Catherine.
When lake conditions stabilize, anglers can begin to catch limits of trout using redworms or nightcrawlers under a bobber or fished just off the bottom. Worm presentations are often overlooked and will consistently produce results when other baits fail. Other live baits such as waxworms and mealworms will also perform well used in the same manner. Live minnows tend to catch larger trout that search for bigger prey. PowerBait and Trout Magnets in basic colors are two of the best methods
Continued on Page 9 FISHING (cont.)
known to man for catching rainbow trout and should never be forgotten by anglers who are serious about catching fish. Flyfishermen that cast San Juan worms or micro-jigs in black or white under strike indicators can expect a solid bite. Egg patterns in white or yellow will also work very well in slack or current flow. Woolly Buggers have to be included in the best-of fly patterns and should be present in every fly angler s tackle.
The walleye spawn is on in the tailrace with fish spotted in the shallows at dawn and dusk. Trolling shallowrunning crankbaits against the current will draw strikes from hungry walleye guarding their beds. A Carolina rig tipped with live minnows or nightcrawlers is a proven technique in current or slack water. Vertical-jigging spoons in deeper water is often a forgotten method of catching walleye and will outperform many other efforts. Trout will be king for the next few months, but the crappie spawn has been hampered by the heavy flows. Anyone navigating the Carpenter Dam tailrace must always wear a life jacket and should be aware of the generation schedules.
Jason Baumgartner, park aquarist at Lake Dardanelle State Park (479-890-7495), said that since last Tuesday (March 17) they have had frequent rain and overcast skies. For this week, a nice warmup was expected Wednesday and Thursday before rain chances returned Friday. Then partly cloudy skies and seasonal temperatures return Sunday. Recent rains and high river flow has muddied the water. Surface temperature earlier this week was 58 degrees. As of Tuesday (March 24) the Army Corps of Engineers has reported river flows near 200,000 cfs at both Ozark and Dardanelle.
Currently, online USACE water level reports are not accessible.
Lake Dardanelle State Park s goal is to deliver the services you need while keeping the health and safety of our staff and guests at the highest levels. We are complying with state and recommendations for social distancing to help stop the spread of COVID-19.
Reservations for the use of our tournament fishing facility have been canceled through May 31.
Tournament participants are advised to contact their tournament event directors
Greeson Marine, hometown dealer of the Arkansas-born-andbred X-press all-aluminum, all-welded fishing boats in Hot Springs, reports Lake Hamilton at normal pool with water temperatures in the low to mid-60s throughout. Lake clarity is on the better side of fair with a slightly stained appearance. Bass have been on fire lately! We are not in full spawn mode yet but the fish are feeding very heavily on the insides of points that lead to spawning pockets. Basically what we are doing right now is intercepting the fish on their way to the spawning areas. Male bass are protecting their territory in the shallows and especially under docks and overhangs. Poppers, frogs and especially floating worms and wacky-rigged Senkos in pumpkinseed, June bug and black colors are hammering some good fish!
The other technique is to target the larger females in the guts of the pockets.
These fish are staging and can be caught with the drop-shot rig and Carolina rig using the same baits, but in 10-15 feet of water.
Crappie reports have been strong, with crappie starting to spawn in around 510 of water. We have hammered some large aggres- FISHING REPORTS (cont.)
sive crappie on the way to these areas by fishing the gut of the pockets in 20-15 feet on jigs, fishing the vertical presentation and using Sonar to see the fish in real time. Catfish are good in 20-25 feet of water on drop-offs to deep water and in the guts of creek channels. Good luck and GoGreeson!
As of Wednesday, the Army Corps of Engineers reports the lake s elevation was 363.77 feet msl (normal pool: 342.00 feet msl).
Andrews Bait Shop and More (479-272-4025) said the lake is starting to clear up. The surface temperature is up to 58 degrees.
Water level remains really high, they report. Bream fishing is excellent. Worms and crickets are working along with jigs and Rock Hoppers. Crappie are good. They are at 8 feet depth and biting minnows and jigs. Work the Brushpiles.
Black bass also are good.
There was a bass tournament Sunday morning in which the winner caught five bass weight a total of 23 pounds. Spinnerbaits are working best right now.
Catfishing is good. Most cats are being caught on trotlines at the flats in shallow
As of Wednesday, the Army Corps of Engineers reports the lake s elevation was 578.39 feet msl (normal pool: 578.00 feet msl). Todd Gadberry at Mountain Harbor Resort and Spa (870-8672191/800-832-2276 out of state) reports that black bass are excellent. Floating worms, Ned rigs and Carolina rigs are producing very good stringers.
Walleye are still good.
Shad-colored crankbaits fished on river and main lake points are producing quality sacks. The striper bite remains excellent.
These fish are being caught on topwater C-10 Redfins and live bait on the west end of the lake. Bream are good with worms, crickets or PowerBait in 15-25 feet of water. Crappie are very good. Try a small jig or minnow near brush in 4-15 feet of water. Catfish are good and being caught with trotline and jugs. Cut bait and live bait are working best. Water temperature is ranging 62-67 degrees.
Water clarity is clearing.
Lake level was 578.39 feet msl. Call the Mountain Harbor fishing guides (Mike Wurm, 501-622- 7717, or Chris Darby, 870867-7822 for more information.
As of Wednesday, the Army Corps of Engineers reports the lake s elevation was 402.72 feet msl (normal pool: 387.00 feet msl).
No updated reports on fishing.
