Central Arkansas Fishing Reports

From the Arkansas Game & Fish Commission

www.agfc.com

• Craig D. Campbell Lake Conway Reservoir Bates Field and Stream (501-470-1846) says the lake has its normal stain.

Water level is normal.

Bream continue to be good; use redworms or crickets.

Crappie are good. They are favoring small to medium minnows or small jigs with an orange jighead. Black bass are good. Go with a spinnerbait, crankbait, buzzbait or plastic worm.

Catfishing is good. Cut bait, nightcrawlers, trotlines baited with gold fish or minnows and stink bait are the baits of choice.

Lowell Myers of Sore Lip’em All Guide Service said, “We are getting 2-4 hours of daily generation on weekdays and lesser amounts on weekends, providing good river conditions on all sections.”

Fly patterns of midges, soft hackles, emergers, sowbugs and streamers will productive. Consider pink and cotton candy bodies on chartreuse jigheads for Trout Magnet spin fishing.

The last two days the generation have been in the afternoon starting about 1 p.m. with two units for 5-6 hours. This is due to the return to 90-degree temperatures. This amount of generation is good for the river because it will keep the water temperatures good in the lower sections of the trout area. Check this when planning your trip because it is subject to change with the demand for electricity.

The bite has been fair to good on rainbows and picking up an occasional brown trout during the trips. Small flies still seem to be the best choice with midge and blue-wing olives being the main insect activity.

• Greers Ferry Lake

Tommy Cauley of Fishfinder Guide Service (501940-1318) said the water level at Greers Ferry Lake is at 462.30 feet msl and falling. It is 0.24 feet below normal pool of 462.54 feet msl. The overall bite is common for this fall transition of bait-and-fish cool-off-warm-up, but every day is getting better and better catching schooling fish, etc. “Also we have a bunch, I mean a bunch, of small shad 2 inches long all over the lake.” Crappie are eating minnows and jigs floating around at 30 feet deep for the most part.

Bream are guarding fry, and eating crickets and crawlers in super shallow out to 25 feet. Catfishing is going well overall, and some fish are coming to the top as they always do this time of year; use your favorite baits to catch them to have fun or put some in the freezer. The walleye bite is getting more stable in 28-43 feet on crawlers and small minnows. Black bass are super shallow, mid-depth, out in 60 feet and also feeding on the surface at certain times. You can use about any technique you like. Use spoons, under spins, inline spinners and swimbaits, as well as topwater plugs, for the best catches.

• Harris Brake Lake

Harris Brake Lake Resort (501-889-2745) says the water is murky and the water level appears low. There has been no wind and the lake is starting the clear up, they report. Bream are good on redworms and crickets. Crappie are good.

Anglers are catching them in the mornings on minnows and jigs. Black bass are good, with crankbaits working best. A crank was being used when an anglers brought in a 6-pounder the past week. Catfish are good on worms and chicken liver. Fishing should be better over the next few weeks as the water temperatures cool and the lake clears up as it usually does in the fall.

• Lake Overcup

Johnny “Catfish” Banks at Overcup Bait Shop and R.V. Park (501-354-9007) said surface temperature is around 86 degrees. Water level is high by about 1 foot. Clarity is good.

Bream are doing well on crickets and redworms.

Some are catching a lot and some not so good, seems to be doing well on the south bank. Bass are doing good around brushtops and structure around the banks with spinners and crankbaits. Crappie are slow but still catching some good ones in 7-9 feet of water around stumps. Catfish are being caught on jugs and trotline with bream, minnows and salties. A few catfish are being caught, mostly on worms and stinkbait.

• Lake Maumelle

Westrock Landing (501658-5598) on Highway 10 near Roland says largemouth bass are fair. Most of them can be found in 16-20 feet of water at dusk and dawn biting a variety of lures. Some reports coming in this week say the black bass can be found in 8-12 feet and 16-20 feet.

Try using chatterbaits, crankbaits, jerkbaits, dropshots and swimbaits. Better bass numbers were evident last week as the Friday night Bass League weigh in had Robert Kinslow and Sam Drennon winning with a 14.74-pound stringer and a Big Bass of 4.48 pounds.

Kentucky bass are fair.

Some reports of the spots being found in 10-16 feet of water outside the grass line at dusk and dawn.

They can also be found in 18-22 feet off drops and rocky banks. White bass are fair. Reports of them schooling but not staying up for long. Some can still be found mixed in with the crappie on the flats or near brush piles in 8-12 feet. Try using minnows, Rooster Tails, jerkbaits and rattle-style baits. Crappie are slow. Reports of them being found stacking in and around brush 12-15 feet of water.

• Sunset Lake

Lisa Spencer at Lisa’s Bait Shop (501-778-6944) said bream have been doing well on crickets and redworms. Bass are good on bass minnows and brooder minnows. Catfish have been biting chicken livers and bait shrimp, even though it hasn’t been stocked since June 13.

Stocking should resume again in September when it cools some. “Haven’t heard anything lately on the crappie there,” Lisa says.

• Arkansas River at Morrilton

Charley’s Hidden Harbor at Oppelo (501-354-8080) says he had a few boats launch in the past week.

One was running the river to see what ramps were open. The boater said he caught some nice bass in the Pine Bluff Pool on Tuesday morning. He returned to this pool around noon and fished the jetties, and reported catching a few.

They also had an angler from Conway show up, and he fished all the push-ups and brush piles with black and blue jigs. He caught 17 black bass and rated fishing fair. Also catfish were around deeper brush piles.

Use nightcrawlers. The catfish bite looks good. No reports on bream, crappie, white bass or stripers.

• Peckerwood Lake

Donna Mulherin at Herman’s Landing (870-2413731) said that anglers are having good success catching black bass and bream now. A few anglers were on the lake late last week.

Donna’s phone has been out recently, but Herman’s Landing is open.

Greers Ferry Lake, Little Red River & More