The sun is shining and the fish are waiting

Better weather this week brings plenty of angling opportunities

By Jim Harris

Arkansas Wildlife Editor

Spring is still a few weeks away, but this week’s forecast shows warmer temperatures and sunny days — the perfect time to get that fishing equupment out of storage and get out on the water.

Central Arkansas Fishing Reports

— The hunt continues for tagged fish in Lake Conway. The prize for each tag is now $1,000 through Feb. 29. Lake Conway has no creel or length limits while the lake is in its drawdown phase as part of the AGFC’s renovation project.

Also, the Lake Conway nursery pond is now open for fishing with the AGFC stocking various sport fish there. The pond is 60 acres and has bass, crappie, bream and stocked rainbow trout.

Little Red River — Fish ’N Stuff (501-834-5733) in Sherwood said Thursday the Army Corps of Engineers has opened up two generators and moving water constantly at the dam, meaning there is a lot of water going into the Little Red and making it tough for boating or wade fishing there now. Trout anglers are urged to keep an eye on the water flow from the dam as the Corps tries to get Greers Ferry Lake pulled down to a normal level. They had no recent reports of any fishing.

Greers Ferry Lake —

Tommy Cauley of Fishfinder Guide Service (501-9401318) said the water level at Greers Ferry Lake is at 463.52 feet msl, or 1.48 above normal pool of 462.04 feet for this time of year. Generation has been running just about 24 hours full bore for the last week or so. Catch rates for this time of year are really good as with any highland reservoir across the country.

Some crappie are roaming around chewing, while others are doing the same in pole timber or in brush piles. In all places they are suspended 4 feet down to 40 feet. Use live baits, jigs, crankbaits or beetle spins for best results.

Black bass are good super shallow out to 50 feet in guts, main lake points or secondary points, on C-rigs, jerkbaits, football heads or crankbaits.

Stay around the shad; the Wiggle Wart is working great.

Also, a spoon or a Silveradocolored Rat-L-Trap is working. Walleye are doing what they usually do this time of year: following schools of bait around or disappearing.

Spoons are working best around schools of bait. Catfish are hanging out on secondary points around and under baitfish or up rivers and creeks real shallow doing the same and gorging.

Hybrid and white bass are gorging like a lot of other species — when you find them, just about any metal bait you get in front of them, or swim bait, hair jig, inline spinner and some topwater will work in 25-60 feet.

“Enjoy and remember to let someone know when you will be back in and wear your life jacket!”

Fish ’N Stuff (501-834-5733) in Sherwood said bass fishing is really good right now; you can catch a lot of fish doing nothing in particular. The upper end of the lake has a little bit of stain, while the back of creeks have cleared up some; the lower end of the lake is pretty clear now. The lake is a foot high, but the Army Corps of Engineers is pulling water constantly so the level is starting to come down a little bit.

Bass are being caught up shallow in 5-10 feet of water on crankbaits, spinnerbaits and a jig in good numbers. As for anything caught out in deeper water, anglers have been using LiveScope and starting fish with an Alabama rig or Damiki rig and catching them in 10-25 feet of water.

The fishing is good in general, they report, all the way from shallow to deep. Fish are spread out all over the place because of the recent warmer weather — some are coming shallow and others are staying deep.

See FISH, page A13

Photos courtesy of AGFC FISH

From page A8

Crappie anglers are catching them in the tops of standing timber in 15-20 feet throwing a 2-inch swimbait.

Harris Brake Lake Resort (501-8892745) says fishing is kind of slow, but anglers are catching some crappie and other fish off the bank. For the crappie, some are using a pearl white crappie jig. But they report that overall there is too much water and the clarity is too muddy for much of a crappie bite nearer the bait shop.

Across the lake, however, they are using minnows on yo-yos and catching crappie as large as 14 inches in length.

They are expecting a better crappie bite in a couple of weeks. Also, anglers are catching white bass, some in the 3-4 pound range.

A few bream are also being caught on redworms. Lots of shad and drum are showing up, too. Nothing has been heard on catfish lately.

Lake Maumelle — West Rock Landing in Roland (501-658-5598) reported Thursday that water temperature was 46 degrees. The lake water level is 3 feet low and the clarity is dingy. The bite for largemouth bass is slow.

There are reports of bass around the edges of channels following baitfish. Try using jigs, Alabama rigs or swimbaits, and try jerkbaits in shallow depth in the afternoon.

Look for bass around isolated structures looking for bream and shad around 18 feet of water.

Kentucky bass are fair. The spots are reported being found around edges of the channel deep as well as some of them being caught in 18 feet depth off rocky points. Try using shaky heads and jigs in deeper waters.

No reports yet on white bass.

Crappie have slowed down, as they’re reported being found roaming in the channel but it’s been a slow bite. Crappie can be found on structures and brush anywhere from 20-35 feet in the channels. Try using jigs or minnows. Bream are slow. The ones that are biting are anywhere from 16-18 feet on redworms. Catfish are slow, too. Entice them with some little bream, liver or worms.

Little Maumelle River —

Ray Hudson at River Valley Marina (501-517-1250) said the fishing has been kind of tough lately with the weather patterns but has been decent this week. A few anglers were out this week catching crappie — “nothing great, but they caught a few,” Ray said.

Black bass are in 8-9 feet and biting on crankbaits and jigs, though not many of the bass were keepers. Also, a woman fishing off the dock this week caught redear.

The water is clear and normal, but a few days of rain are forecast and could muddy things up.