Plenty of Eastern Arkansas angling options

The sun is hot but the fishing is hotter

AGFC Communications

• Crown Lake — Boxhound Marina (870-670-4496) said the water is clear and the surface temperature is very high – 95 degrees. Bream are excellent on worms and crickets.

Bass are fair to good on spinnerbaits and crankbaits. Catfishing is good on chicken livers and nightcrawlers. No report on crappie this week.

• Spring River — Mark Crawford with springriverfliesandguides. com (870-955-8300) said water levels are running at 372 cfs and water clarity has been clear. The river is looking great and the trout have been on the bite. Y2Ks are the hot fly, and trout are really hitting it hard. Olive woollies and hopper dropper rigs have been fun to fish on some days. Not many hitting the hopper but that occasional trout coming up to hit the hopper is priceless. Got to have the dropper below the hopper. It is where you will get the most hits. I like a small nymph or small Y2K. Hot pink and white Trout Magnets have been hot this week. And to be honest hot pink Trout Magnets always catch trout. Fish just off the bottom below a trout magnet float. It also works great on a fly rod for smallmouth bass on local creeks like the Myatt and South Fork. These smaller creeks that run into the Spring River are hot spots for catching smallmouth. Nice weather this week, get out and enjoy.

John Berry of Berry Brothers Guide Service in Cotter (870-435-2169) said the Spring River is fishing better. This is a great place to wade-fish when they are running water on the White and Norfork rivers. Canoe season is on and there many boats on the river. 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).

• White River — Triangle Sports (870-793-7122) said the water is clear and warm. Fishing has been extremely hot for most species. Bream are good, being caught on worms and crickets deep. A few crappie have been caught on jigs. Bass are good, with catches coming on topwaters and spinnerbaits early in the morning. Catfishing is going well on worms.

• Arkansas River at Pine Bluff — The University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff Bass Team said the surface water temperature is in the upper 80s, and visibility is just under 1 foot in most

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Photo courtesy of AGFC FISHING REPORTS (cont.)

places. The river is not flowing much lately. Black bass are biting well, especially in the mornings.

Some days they will respond to topwater lures, such as buzzbaits, walking lures and poppers. Other days they will only bite soft-plastic worms and crawfish-imitating lures worked on the bottom.

Experiment each day to gauge their activity level.

Focusing on shaded areas has been the key lately, along with making many casts to likely spots to get the more lethargic fish to bite.

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stable. As of this week, worms are still outselling crickets as the most popular bait for bream fishing.

Bream are biting in the shallows, so bank and pier fishing are prime. A recent mayfly hatch means they will be ready to bite anything that breaks the surface of the water. Bass are biting well also; topwater baits and crankbaits are drawing strikes from bass, although it seems they are striking more from aggression than hunger. Frogs are also receiving satisfying results when drug across the tops of lily pads. Fish transition zones between lily pads and open water to increase your chances.

Catfish are becoming more aggressive, and biting on live and moving baits.

Some bass fishermen are even reporting catching catfish on deep-running crankbaits and soft plastics. Crappie are still hard on structure, but seem to be a little shallower than usual.

Crappie are biting on shiners, and a few on jigs. A recent cold front and rain may slow the bite some, but they’ll bounce right back as soon as the weather stabilizes.

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— Anglers report the water is crystal clear and the surface temperature has been 83 to 89 degrees. The water is at normal level. Crappie are fair on jigs. Bass are biting well on spinnerbaits and topwaters early in the morning. Most of the bass are being caught 20 feet deep and deeper. Anglers should pay attention to inflated swim bladders from fish being pulled from deep water. No report on bream or catfish.