High water limits wading opportunities

Last bit of winter season still lingering

Arkansas Wildlife Editor It was good to have a boat or a high pier to fish from this past week. We’re SLOWLY easing out of the cold weather (it was still quite brisk Thursday morning where we were) and now it’s more like the usual April-May spring weather in Arkansas, which means periods of heavy rainfall.

Note the jump in pool levels in the big Corps of Engineers lakes (Millwood, for example, is 2 feet over normal), not to mention the FAST and cautionary conditions on the Arkansas River. These numbers and more are included each week in the Fishing Report. Guide Mark Crawford tells us the Spring River has a lot of water now, cutting out wade opportunities.

With Norfork Lake up some, it was a good opportunity for Mike Street from Warren County, Iowa, to catch some topwater stripers earlier this week.

Street was staying at Blackburn’s Resort and was with an alumni group from Central College of Pella, Iowa.

In another great photo (see page 14 at the top), Mark took Hannah (no last name available) to the right spot to catch some nice rainbow trout.

Greers Ferry Lake’s height means lots of generation on the Little Red, our scouts tell us. Same with the White River tailwater below Bull Shoals Dam and below Norfork Dam, where guide John Berry says there have been no opportunities in either spot

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to wade lately. The largemouth bass bite continues at Millwood Lake, though boaters should use extra caution this week in negotiating the sometimes treacherous boat lanes. In the photo below, Brady Hester went out with Millwood Lake Guide Service, along with his brothers Peyton and Avery, for some nice bass fishing.

Send us your photos to jim.harris@agfc.ar.gov and we’ll post them here.

Check back this week to find where you need to be to catch some fish. It’s bass and crappie spawning time; walleye, striper and white bass are nearing or are done with their spawn, our reporters say.