Happy Hybrid time at Greers Ferry

High waters leading to big catches this week around the state

Arkansas Wildlife Editor Matthew Kraus (right) took his wife, Tanna, and son Evan (Page 11) for Evan’s 11th birthday to Greers Ferry Lake, where they had a big time catching hybrid bass with guide Tommy Cauley recently.

The recent, REALLY high water at Greers Ferry Lake (and all the other big lakes around Arkansas) have all species of fish roaming around, and there’s a lot of new food sources out there for the fish as the water moves up past shoreline that has been untouched by the water for a while. As for hybrid bass and white bass, Tommy says, “Well, it’s June, so here they are ready to chew finally in 25-30 feet, eating hair jigs, inline spinners, spoons and topwater baits.”

Stripers are showing themselves in some of the big lakes, too. We heard a report from Lake Sequoyah east of Fayetteville about an 18-pound striper being caught below the dam last Friday. We’ve heard good reports of walleye, and even a resurgence of an excellent crappie bite out there, just when it looked like crappie had shut it down until the cooler fall. Check out this week’s reports for more:

Greers Ferry Lake

Tommy Cauley of Fishfinder Guide Service (501-940-1318) said Wednesday the water level at Greers Ferry lake is at 472.49 feet and rising; it

Continued on Page 9 HAPPY HYBRID (cont.)

was 9.95 feet above this month’s usual pool of 462.54 feet msl. Crappie are still roaming and chewing; just stay with program, fish for them in 12-30 feet depth all over the lake on jigs, crankbaits and minnows. Bream are spawning. Use crickets and crawlers in super shallow out to 15 feet. Catfish are eating and roaming with all new water and being caught on a number of prepared and live baits. Walleye are really roaming around. A lot are in bushes, and in front of certain bushes, on crawlers ,grubs and crankbaits. Black bass are mostly in the old brush line up to new bank and can be caught a number of ways: anything on top, Texasrigged Right Bite plastics, or try hopping a Christmas tree-colored 4-inch tube with tail dyed chartreuse straight up and down in old brush line. You won’t get a ton of bites but the ones you do get will be nice fish. The A-rig is working for deeper fish out on drops.

Hybrid and white bass, well, its June so here they are ready to chew finally in 25-50 feet, eating hair jigs, inline spinners, spoons and topwater baits.

In the photo on the top right, 11-year-old Evan Knaus got a sweet birthday present, catching hybrid bass with his dad, mom and guide Tommy Cauley recently.

Fish ’N Stuff (501-834-5733) in Sherwood says water is high. Bass are good on the edge of the flooded buckbrush in bushes on Texas rigs, lizards, tubes and swimbaits, and they’re starting to bite buzzbaits and topwater on the shoreline areas.

Harris Brake Lake Resort (501-889-2745) says the lake is muddy but is now high with all the rainfall.

Bream this past week were good on redworms or crickets. Crappie are fair and have retreated back to deeper water; use minnows and jigs. Black bass were poor this week. Catfish are good. Try worms, and bait your trotlines with baby bream or minnows.

Phil Thomas at Lakeview Landing (501-354-5309) said the clarity is very clear and the lake level is back up to high. Bream are good using redworms or crickets. No reports on crappie or black bass. Catfish are good using worms or chicken liver.

David Hall at Dad’s Bait Shop (501-977-0303) said the lake clarity remains fairly clear but still cloudy in spots. The level is high by 1-2 feet. Bream are good on redworms and crickets. Crappie are good on size 6 minnows and on jigs. Black bass a good and favor the size 12 bass minnows as well as goldfish.

Catfishing is good using live baits such as nightcrawlers, goldfish on the trotlines, and bass minnows.

WestRock Landing in Roland (501-658-5598) reported Thursday that with the rising water, the crappie bite has picked back up with excellent results this week. Reports came in of the crappie being found 18-20 feet deep above structure. Go with jigs or minnows.

Meanwhile, largemouth bass are fair. Some can be found in the grass on the banks and around the grass in 8-12 feet biting a variety of lures. Try using crankbaits, spinnerbaits and swimbaits. The largemouths’ black bass brethren, the spotted bass (Kentucky bass) also are fair. Some anglers report finding them near drop-offs around 16-20 feet and off rocky banks. Try using jigs for the spots. Reflective these opinions on the black bass bite, the Tuesday night tournament on Maumelle had seen a bit of a drop on

Continued on Page 10 HAPPY HYBRID (cont.)

stringer size and size of Big Bass caught: Cody Bryant and Brad Lequieu won with 9.22 pounds of bass, edging Andrew Wooley and Cameron Nesterenko’s 8.48 pounds.

Doug Rich and Frank Ramey hooked the Big Bass of 3.81 pounds, a mere .01 better than Noah White and Harley White’s best bass. Call the marina for more information on the tournaments or to participate.

White bass are slow. Some anglers said they were catching them shallow while trolling. Swimbaits are the best lures now.

Bream range fair to good.

Some have been found in 12-16 feet around the bream beds, while others are biting 14 feet off of points. Crickets and redworms are both working well. Catfish are fair off the shoreline in about 12-15 feet depth. Chicken liver, worms and crawfish are the best baits.

The AGFC’s Randy Zellers reported from Lake Maumelle that over the weekend the water was 1.5 feet high. With water at that level, bass will run up in the shoreline brush.

Anglers were fishing in that brush, typical when the lake floods up like it has. A lot of people went up shallow on Sunday.

There was a high school tournament held on the lake on Saturday, with about 12 pounds of bass winning the tournament.

Temperature was in the mid-70s and the water is fairly clear, settling out quickly. Most of the water willow was submerged. If the fish are under the surface in the water willow, anglers have to use their electronics. Lily pads were still visible, however.

He didn’t hear much about a crappie bite, but bass were biting pretty well.

Topwater frogs worked in the lily pads that remained, and Zara Spooks fished over the submerged water willow were getting hit.

Also, Texas-rigged soft plastics getting bit on the first drop to deeper water.

Bream were getting ready to bed up, the story for most all Arkansas lakes coming up on the first full month before summer. This should mark the best time of the year for adult anglers to take a kid out fishing this Memorial Day weekend.

Take note that at Lake Maumelle, bream will bed deeper than in the normal, dirtier water of other lakes such as Lake Conway.

Here, start at 6 feet and go deeper all the way down to 15 feet for the bream bite.

Hudson at River Valley Marina (501-517-1250) says water is muddy and high. The only reports Ray has heard has been with catfish. Reports are fair; use worms.

Fish ‘N’ Stuff (501-834-5733) said Wednesday morning that the river has a small craft advisory with the high flow (126,000 at their last check) and they urge anglers and boaters to stay off the river.

Hatchet Jack’s Sports Shop in Crystal Hill off I-40 (758-4958) said they’ve heard good reports from anglers who were able to safely navigate the river and find some hot fishing holes. Bream are excellent on waxworms and crickets. Crappie are fair; try a shadcolored jig now, or use minnows. Black bass are good early in the morning and late in the day on topwater baits. Catfishing is good using rice slicks and nightcrawlers.

McSwain Sports Center (501-945-2471) says water below the Terry Lock and Dam remains a little muddy, and the river current and level are high.

Bass reports remained in the fair range, with reports of catches on crankbaits and worms. The best action will come around the jetties. Catfish have a good bite, but no baits were revealed. Bream and crappie remain poor in this portion of the river.

Donna Mulherin at Herman’s Landing (870-241-3731) reports that the lake is clear but is high.

Bream aren’t bothered; they are biting well on redworms and crickets.

Crappie have been working for anglers trolling, with fair results using minnows or jigs. Black bass are good on jigs. Catfish are good on yo-yos, and on rod-and-reel using baits such as minnows and hot dogs, or fishing them with jigs. Still just about anything will work for the cats, Donna says.

With the water still high and in the parking lot at Cook’s Lake Conservation Education Center, making the fishing there a no-go, the AGFC’s Wil Hafner (870-241-3373) said he would make another trip back to Peckerwood Lake on the next full moon.