East Arkansas Fishing Reports

Catch a whopper close to home this Labor Day weekend

Arkansas Wildlife Editor

Lake Charles

Shelly Jeffrey at Lake Charles State Park (870878-6595) said the water level is normal at Lake Charles, and fishing for the main species ranged from fair to good this past week. Bream were good on worms. Crappie were fair on minnows, jigs and worms, and the crappie have moved deep. Black bass are good on live worms and plastic worms.

Catfish are good on worms, blood bait, Catfish Pro Blood and chicken liver.

The clarity is murky and the surface water temperature Sunday morning was 81.7 degrees.

Look for the best “moon times” of the month to be coming up Sept. 3-9, she said.

Lake Poinsett

Seth Boone, park superintendent at Lake Poinsett State Park, says that while Lake Poinsett is still refilling, you can catch and release bream. Kayaks and canoes are recommended at this time, as the lake is still 8-8.5 feet from being at full pool. Poinsett is rainfalldependent when it comes

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to refilling.

The gate at the dam at Lake Poinsett was closed last Dec. 1, following the completion of a three-year renovation projection, and the lake began to refilling.

The lake has been undergoing an extensive renovation with a new water control structure, more than 10,000 linear feet of shoreline work, more than 100 habitat structures placed on the lakebed, and nearly 100 trees anchored for fish habitat.

Other forage species that were stocked this spring include fathead minnows, golden shiners and threadfin shad have been added in huge numbers to the lake to build up the food supply for the predators, which will be stocked

in 2022.

Boxhound Marina (870670-4496) reports that lake clarity is clear and the water level is normal, but the water is 90 degrees.

And, with the air temperature what it’s been earlier this week, they conclude it’s “too hot to fish.”

Nevertheless, a few anglers are braving it in the early mornings and having good results with bass. There were no other reports.

Mark Crawford with springriverfliesandguides.c om (870-955-8300) said had no new reports.

John Berry of Berry Brothers Guide Service in Cotter (870-435-2169) said the Spring River is fishing well. This is a great place to wade fish when they are running water on the White and North Fork rivers. The canoe season is upon us.

Look out for the aluminum hatch! 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).

The Army Corps of Engineers reported Tuesday that the White River stage at Batesville was at 9.15 feet, more than 5 feet below the flood stage of 15.0 feet. The Newport stage was at 12.31, well below the flood stage of 26.0 feet. The stage at Augusta is steady at 23.81, more than 2 feet below flood stage of 26.00 feet.

All readings have been steady for several weeks.

Triangle Sports (870-793- 7122) had no reports this week.

The Army Corps of Engineers on Tuesday reported the Clarendon gauge was up slightly to 20.80 feet and more than 5 feet below the flood stage of 26.00 feet.

The AGFC’s Wil Hafner at Cook’s Lake Conservation Education Center (870241-3373) said the action on Cooks Lake has really heated up. Anglers have reported having great success with largemouth bass, quantity and quality, however they have been pretty tight-lipped on the lure selection. One group said they were biting so good one day, it did not matter what you threw! Wil says they have not had any reports on any other species the last few weeks.

Cook’s Lake is a 2-mile long oxbow off of the White River, nestled in the heart of the Dale Bumpers White River National Wildlife Refuge near Casscoe in Arkansas County. This fertile oxbow receives very little fishing pressure due to being used only for education purposes and youth and mobilityimpaired fishing. The scenic lake is full of slab crappie, giant bluegills, largemouth bass and catfish of all species. Due to current guidelines, Cook’s Lake will be open to fishing during normal business hours Tuesday through Saturday 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., water level pending. Cook’s Lake is open to fishing for youths under 16 or mobility- impaired anglers and up to two helpers (who may also fish). Fish from the 140-foot mobility-impaired accessible dock or launch a boat. To comply with current guidelines, please call ahead at least a day in advance to register to fish.

Before launching, please check in at the Conservation Education Center, and report back before leaving. For information or unscheduled clo-

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sures, call the center at 870-241-3373.

Kent Williams of Oxbow Guide Service (870-2787978) said, “We are back up and fishing! For a summer pattern, the conditions have not changed much.

With the heat, most fishermen are staying on the water until 11 a.m. or so with a few holding on a little longer. Pleasure boat traffic was not bad this past weekend. It is still summer, so be mindful of the ones enjoying the lake skiing and swimming. Be sure you have a clear view of your travel path as you move around the lake.”

Water temperature was in the low to mid-80s. “With bream, not a lot to report,” Kent said. “I tied on an eighth-ounce jig in black with a red head and caught a few around some of the piers. Nothing big, but they were fun! I’m sure a little looking and harder fishing would produce some better results.

“On crappie, we started in the mid-lake area in 18 feet of water and found fish from 6-10 feet deep. Our best bait was a blue and yellow CH Custom bait on a 1/16-ounce head. Spiderrigging was popular with several boats on the lake. If you like to pull cranks, do it. And, as always, you can catch some fish on the piers.

Get those baits in the darkest place you can and be ready. The fish are feeding most of the day.”

He had no reports on catfish or black bass.

Tyler Ball, park ranger at Mississippi River State Park (870-295-4040), had no reports.