Arkansas Game & Fish Commission Weekly Fishing Reports

Region- by- region information about where they’re biting around the state

AGFC Communications This is the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission’s weekly fishing report for March 9, 2020. If there is a body of water you would like included in this report, please email jim.harris@agfc.ar.gov with information on possible sources for reports about that lake or river.

Reports are updated weekly, although some reports might be published for two weeks if updates are not received promptly or if reporters say conditions haven’t changed. Contact the reporter listed for the lake or stream you plan to fish for current news.

CENTRAL ARKANSAS

• Craig D. Campbell Lake Conway Reservoir — Bates Field and Stream (501-470-1846) said the lake is the normal stain, and surface temperature is 51 degrees. Water level is normal. Bream are good.

They’re found in 5-8 feet depth and are biting redworms and crickets.

Crappie remain active with good results reported.

Pink, white and chartreuse jigs are working best, along with minnows. Black bass are good. White is the color for baits: white spinnerbait, white crankbait or a white chatterbait will work. Catfishing is good with nightcrawlers or with cut shad on the bottom.

• Little Red River — Lowell Myers of Sore Lip ‘em All Guide Service (501-230-0730) said the Little Red River is receiving 18-20 hours of daily of generation. The Greers Ferry Lake level is above normal seasonal pool due to recent rains, so longer periods of generation to lower the lake level are expected. If you choose to fish these conditions, you will want to use long leaders and weight. Key for both fly-fishing and Trout Magnet fishing during heavy generation is the ability to get and maintain a good presentation of the fly or Trout Magnet.

Working shoreline with streamers is also an effective fly-fishing method during high-water conditions. For fly-fishing, Lowell recommends San Juan worms, micro-jigs, egg patterns and streamers during high-water conditions. Hot pink, cotton candy and white bodies on chartreuse jigheads are recommended for Trout Magnet spin fishing. Be safe while enjoying the river.

• Greers Ferry Lake — Tommy Cauley of Fishfinder Guide Service (501-940-1318) said the water level at Greers Ferry Lake is at 465.13 feet msl, 3.09 feet above normal pool of 462.04 feet msl. As long as they are generating, it’s staying about the same; when they stop it starts rising, as there is a lot of water in the ground.

The water temp varies and this time of year just a degree or 2 will make a big difference in catching or just fishing. Bream up the rivers are shallow and eating not so much in lake; use crawlers, beetle spins or small crankbaits. Some crappie are in the bushes, while some are not and are out still floating around in deep water; try a jig or jigs with minnows. Catfish are eating as there is word of a 60-pound fish being caught; even people trolling for other species have caught some cats.

Walleye are eating upriver on some days, males mostly. The lake walleye are not doing much as a lot of fish are still traveling at present.

• Harris Brake Lake Harris Brake Lake Resort (501-889-2745) says the water is clear. The water level is a little high. Overall fishing continues to be down but some catches were reported. Crappie are fair on minnows and jigs.

Black bass reports also were fair. Nothing reported on catfish or bream.

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NORTH ARKANSAS

• White River — Cotter Trout Dock (870-435-6525) said, “Whether we're experiencing a false spring or a full-blown early, hereto- stay spring season, let's take advantage of it.

Cotter, 18 river miles from Bull Shoals Dam, is enjoying mild daytime temperatures, a week with no rain in the forecast!

And still cool but not cold at nights. Get on the river and catch some trout in an abundant fishery managed so generously by Arkansas Game and Fish Commission folks.

The recent ample brown trout bite has proven once again that February and March are great months to visit the White River, and the rainbows aren't ignoring the bait, either, they report. Minnows and sculpins are the preferred meal for a hungry brown and egg patterns (light yellow peach colored with an orange leading bead), or lemon lime-colored PowerBait drifted middepth will keep you cranking that reel and bringing in trout. Keep an eye on the Buffalo National River; the smallmouth bass over there should soon be waking up.

John Berry of Berry Brothers Guide Service in Cotter (870-4352169) said that during the past week, they have had several minor rain events (just a trace in Cotter), milder temperatures and moderate winds.

• Bull Shoals Lake — Del Colvin at Bull Shoals Lake Boat Dock said the lake is clear and is 4 feet above normal level. The surface temperature Tuesday afternoon was 47 degrees.

Black bass are fair and found in 10-20 feet of water. Jerkbaits, jigs and swimbaits all were working. White bass are moving to spawn. The catch is fair now.

• Norfork Lake — Lou Gabric at Hummingbird Hideaway Resort said, “The weather for Norfork Lake has finally changed for the better and has been stable for the last several days. The long-range forecast is for continued spring like temperatures and if it holds true the fish should get energized. The warmer weather has dramatically increased the surface water temperature to almost 50 degrees at daybreak and warmer during the daylight hours. I can definitely see a change occurring in some of our fish species.”

“I have mainly been striped bass hunting and fishing for the last several days. The last 2 days has been outstanding. The bait is still predominately back in the creeks or some of the larger coves. The bait that I have been finding has been anywhere from the surface down to 20 feet and sometimes to the bottom. Since the fish have been scattered I have started trolling a couple Berkley’s Flicker Minnow crankbaits, size 7.”

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NORTHWEST ARK.

• Beaver Lake — Jon Conklin with FishOn Guide Service (479-233-3474) says Beaver Lake is holding steady at 1,128.4 feet msl or so. Water stabilized and clearing. Water temps are in the mid- to upper 40s. It has hit 51 in river arms; 50 is the magic number! Stripers are doing well still this week. Look at Natural Walk area, Monte Ne, Big Hickory and Rocky Branch.

Crappie have been fair one day and lock-jawed the next.

• Lake Fayetteville — Lake Fayetteville Boat Dock (479-444-3476) said the water is a little dingy and the surface temperature was ranging 43-44 degrees as of Tuesday. The level is normal. Good reports have come in on crappie, with minnows and jigs working. Black bass are good using spinnerbaits. Nothing reported on bream or catfish.

• Lake Fort Smith — (updated 2-26-2020) Ralph F. Donnangelo, park superintendent, says he had little to report. While the lake water levels continue to be very high, the lake was very busy last weekend but anglers were tight-lipped about any success.

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NORTHEAST ARK.

• Crown Lake — Boxhound Marina (870-670-4496) said the clarity remains stained, and the water level is normal.

Surface temperature was ranging 45-47 degrees on Tuesday morning. Crappie are fair in 15-20 feet depth. Use minnows or jigs.

Black bass are fair. They note a lot of anglers out but the bite is slow. Your best best is to use a deeprunning jerkbait. No reports on catfish or bream.

• Spring River — Mark Crawford of Spring River Flies and Guides says water levels are at 480 cfs (350 cfs is average) at the spring and water clarity is good. Water levels are up, making for tough wading in the main channels.

Water color has been a normal green tint. A lot of the recent heavy rains has missed this area.

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

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).

• White River — Triangle Sports (870-793-7122) in Batesville said the water is 12 feet high and the clarity is clear. Anglers report a fair catch of walleye using minnows. No other catches were reported.

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SOUTHWEST ARK.

Millwood Lake — Mike Siefert at Millwood Lake Guide Service said Tuesday that Millwood Lake was approaching normal conservation pool.

Millwood continues falling; on Monday it was about 2.5 inches above normal conservation pool, near 259.4 feet msl. The discharge around 7,000 cfs in Little River according to the Army Corps of Engineers. The tailwater below the dam and gates as of Monday was around 234 feet msl with discharge.

With Millwood Lake approaching normal pool, reduced current in Little River, and drastically improved clarity up river, Largemouth Bass males continue roaming in areas of 6-9 feet depth creeks, ridges, and bedding flats on warm afternoons, near vertical structure.

Anywhere a creek channel is close by to the deeper creek bends or vertical structure and drops into the oxbows, where stumps and creek mouths drop, have held some decent sized bass over the past several weeks and they were moving shallow on afternoons, best responses from the heat of the afternoon, best from 12pm-3pm. The Largemouths were much more reliable in the oxbows of McGuire and Horseshoe Lakes where the water clarity was drastically better, water temps were warmer, and calm/no river current present. With the water temps continuing into the low and mid 50's the males are active.

Where you find shallow 5-8 foot depth flats with stumps can find a few decent 2-3lb male Bass roaming on warm afternoons, if near to a quick creek bend drop into 8-12 feet structure. A few bed making activities are being currently observed now.

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WEST-CENTRAL ARK.

• Lake Atkins — Donald Ramirez, the new owner of Lucky Landing (479-641-7615) on the southeastern end of the lake, said the clarity is clear and the level is normal. Crappie are fair on minnows and jigs. White bass are fair on worms. One whie bass was caught this past week weighing 2.5 pounds. No other reports.

• Lake Catherine — Shane Goodner, owner of Catch ‘em All Guide Service, reports that both lakes Hamilton and Catherine are being refilled this week to their normal summertime pool. Each lake should be back to predrawdown levels by early this weekend. As reported last week, rising water in the Carpenter Dam tailrace creates a very slow rainbow trout bite. Thousands of trout are present but few quality fish have been caught due to this situation. A more consistent bite can be expected in the next few days after the lake has been refilled. Live minnows tend to catch larger trout that search for bigger prey.

The walleye spawn is on in the tailrace with fish spotted in the shallows at dawn and dusk. Trolling shallowrunning crankbaits against the current will draw strikes from hungry walleye guarding their beds. A Carolina rig tipped with live minnows or nightcrawlers is a proven technique in current or slack water. Vertical-jigging spoons in deeper water is often a forgotten method of catching walleye and will outperform many other efforts.