Summer fishing in Arkansas: The bite goes on…

Ace anglers making prize catches all around the state

Arkansas Wildlife Editor We’re getting a lot of good catfishing reports from around the state, and in turn we’ve also received a few photos from some memorable cats caught lately. This nice channel cat (left) was caught on Lake Hamilton while trolling for bass, and Marti Walls had a blast catching it on ultralight tackle. Mike Felton sent us the photo and adds that “fun was had by all.” Meanwhile, Caleb White (middle) and Landon Graue (right) each got a personal best on channel catfish during a recent visit to their grandparents and fishing a small lake near Heber Springs. Jackie Robinett, who sent the photos, notes that “both are becoming proficient anglers.”

Yes, we understand that the nice cool weather didn’t last and the returning heat and high humidity has been almost unbearable to fish outside of very early in the day or at night this week. But if you have a fishing photo to share with the readers of the Weekly Fishing Report, email it to jim.harris@agfc.ar.gov.

Continued on Page 14 FISHING REPORTS (cont.)

For the full report on Lake Hamilton and surrounding waters, keep reading below in the West-Central Arkansas Fishing Reports.

Get some tips on where you need to fish this week to catch a memory because, while it may be hot, the fish are still biting if you know where to look.

Donald Ramirez at Lucky Landing (479-641-7615) said the weather has been too hot for the regular anglers to tackle Lake Atkins in recent days. The lake is clear and is at a low level. During that brief run of slightly cooler weather, Donald had anglers enjoying good success catching black bass early in the morning and again later in the evening on worms. But that was all that had been reported.

For weekly flow releases from Carpenter Dam, visit www.entergy.com/hydro Slycked Back Fishing LLC in Hot Springs, producer of the toughest hand-tied jigs and fishing products in Hot Springs, reports Lake Catherine’s water levels normal and temperatures in the Remmel Dam area up to Catherine’s Landing in the low to mid 80s. Water visibility is in excess of 3 feet. “We have had a peculiar summer so far in being that the water is water like most years but the fish (bass mostly) are not moving deeper in a lot of areas. Most years, fish will move deeper into the 15-20 foot range and suspend or move to deep structure with current blocking ability. This year is not that year. It seems like the oxygen levels are up and the fish simply never HAD to move.

This could be due to our large rainfall numbers.

“Conveniently, for those shallow water fisherman, many quality largemouth and spotted bass have been shallow. The Slycked Back White Swim Jig is a great weapon to use in grass and dock areas. Simply throw it down a dock edge and let it pendulum back to you with a swimming fluke trailer.

Frogs, Whopper Ploppers, buzzbaits and Texas-rigged large ribbon-tailed worms also work well. We have caught a few quality fish over 3 pounds offshore in downed submerged trees on the drop-shot with a Zoom watermelon Trick Worm, but it’s not a pattern by any means. Bream are aggravatingly good everywhere on worms in 2-15 feet of water, with bigger fish at the deeper depths.

Simply find a deep wooden pier dock and back off it to the depth. Go get ’em, and watch out for pleasure boaters out enjoying the last days before school starts! Check us out on Facebook! Slycked Back Fishing LLC.”

Shane Goodner, owner of Catch’em All Guide Service, reports that water temperature below the dam is 65 degrees with clear conditions in the tailrace.

Entergy has posted a special generation schedule starting Friday, Aug. 13 and extends through Thursday, Aug. 19. Anyone planning on navigating the Carpenter Dam tailrace is urged to view these flow releases and plan accordingly. This schedule is posted weekly on the Entergy website for public viewing normally on Wednesday evening.

Now that Lake Ouachita has been lowered over 5 feet below flood pool, weekly flows from area dams are now at a level where fishing and boating are now safe to continue.

Rainbow trout fishing below Carpenter Dam is extremely slow as the season was marred by flooding. The past three years have been adversely affected by high water as trout despise muddy conditions.

Summer water temperatures of late June and early

Continued on Page 15 FISHING REPORTS (cont.)

July mark the end of the trout season on Lake Catherine until the stocking program begins again in mid-November.

Catfish have been caught below the bridge in the main channel and below the dam on cut bait and live minnows, as these fish have completed the end of their spawning cycle. The majority of fish caught have been in the 4- to 8pound range. Blue catfish are the dominant species in the tailrace area. White bass have been observed breaking in the early morning hours chasing threadfin shad. Casting spinnerbaits and jigs in eighth-ounce weights has been the best presentation to catch these fish the past several weeks.

Hybrid bass school alongside white bass and are being caught on the same techniques. Trolling shallow- running crankbaits against the current has been productive catching white bass and hybrids, as well as walleye in the 3-pound class. Walleye thrive in the tailrace in the summer months, as these fish prefer colder water temperatures than other area game fish.

The summer months will be dominated by these fish species with migration in and out of the tailrace a weekly event. This pattern will be repeated almost every week until the summer heat is replaced by fall temperatures.”

Always wear a life jacket when on the water and continue

to follow park rules and regulations.

Greeson Marine, hometown dealer of the Arkansas-born-and-bred Xpress, all-welded aluminum fishing boats in Hot Springs, reports Lake Hamilton at full pool with water temps between 86-89 degrees throughout the lake, with exception of the river channel, which remains in the high 50s.

Water is clear with a slight haze. Bass, especially largemouth, have been scattered but catchable.

Bass are like humans when it’s hot: They seek shade, cooler temps and an easily accessible food supply.

Point blank: They are lazy.

We have done well lately with bigger fish in low numbers by fishing topwater in shaded areas. Frogs and Whopper Ploppers are a great 1-2 punch combination. By fishing the Whopper Ploppers down clear banks and corners of docks and covering a ton of water and by skipping the frog under docks and into brush and grass, it’s the most effective way to cover all areas of potential big fish. The drop-shot rig with a watermelon seed Zoom Trick Worm rigged wacky, or nose-hooked shad-collared fluke, produces the best numbers of bass (especially spotted bass). Bridge piers, submerged structure and dock pilings are excellent targets to fill the live well with 10- to 12-inch fish.

Bream have been aggravatingly good in the heat.

They will attack everything in sight, but can mainly be concentrated on laydowns in 8-15 feet of water. A person can wear them out on worms or crickets under a cork. These feisty eaters can be caught in sun or shade, and don’t seem to care.

Crappie are fair at best under docks. Shooting a small fluke on a jighead up into and under structure can catch crappie, but don’t expect large numbers.

Docks near current are best, as these predators exclusively eat baitfish.

“Good Luck and Go Greeson!”

Andrews Bait Shop and More (479-272-4025) said the lake is “pretty clear” and surface temperature is 87-88 degrees. Water level is normal. Bream have been fair, with the catching coming in 4-6 feet of water. Redworms, crickets and nightcrawlers are all working. Crappie are good, with the fish found in open water and biting at 8-11 feet depth. Use minnows or jigs. Black bass are good early in the day and then late in the evening, and they’re being caught in shallow water. Try a spinnerbait, buzzbait or Chatterbait, with white the preferred color. Catfishing is good below the dam on live bait (especially bream).

Todd Gadberry at Mountain Harbor Resort and Spa (870-867-2191) out of state) reports black bass are good. Texas-rigged Ole Monster worms and a drop-shot finesse worm have been working. There have been good reports with jigging a three-quarter- ounce spoon, too.

Walleye are very good and being caught on spoons and drop-shot nightcrawlers near brush on points.

Stripers are fair. These fish are being caug These fish are being caught on live bait on the eastern half of the lake. Bream are good and can be caught on worms and crickets. These fish are 15-20 feet deep on brush. Crappie are still fair.

Try a small jig or minnow near brush in 10-20 feet of water. Catfish are very good and being cauvght on rod-and-reel using nightcrawlers for bait near brush. Water temperature is ranging 84-88 degrees and the water clarity is clear.

Lake level is 572.52 feet msl. Call the Mountain Harbor fishing guides (Mike Wurm, 501-6227717, or Chris Darby, 870867-7822) for more information.

Capt. Darryl Morris of Family Fishing Trips (501844-5418) says, “We’ve been trolling Bandit 300 crankbaits 10-12 feet deep and Strike King XD10s 2024 feet deep and catching a few white bass first thing in the morning. The stripers are there, too, but are not overly interested in eating anything. Then we fish nightcrawler segments near the bottom in 14-24 feet of water using light tackle and catching lots of bream and a few catfish and walleye on rocky points and in coves near brushpiles. Start early, finish early andstay hydrated.”