Mid April, when the weather is gentle and the fish bite, is the best time to discover Arkansas. (Top navigation pool is 338.2 and bottom pool is 336.0.) Female bass continue to be observed cruising in 2-4 feet of water near bedding areas, obviously on a mission. Try fishing with a size 8 weight and a sink line and cast toward the bank. Lake walleye are more active now in 25-30 feet; crankbaits, crawlers and soft plastics fished different ways are working. They are just hunting around for something to eat. Outside of the high water, the water conditions are good. Always check the USACE Little Rock app for the generation schedule before heading out. Some males from 2-3 pounds were found shallow in 1-3 feet of water on flats near vegetation, and others in 6-9 feet deep creek channels where grass and reeds and fresh lily pad shoots are emerging, and are biting Brazalo Spinnerbaits, lizards, Brush Hogs and Bass Assassins. The lake is coming down a little with floodgates open. Lake Atkins On Thursday, the Corps of Engineers said water flow at the Emmett Sanders Lock and Dam at Pine Bluff was 10,648 cfs. Craig D. Campbell Lake Conway Reservoir WebOne of Arkansass most popular fishing lakes is the states largest, the 48,300-acre Lake Ouachita. As of Thursday at noon, the Army Corps of Engineers reports the lakes elevation at 473.46 feet msl (normal conservation pool: 462.54 feet msl, top flood elevation 487.0 msl). I had a repeat client that was a solid angler with lots of experience. The stage at Pine Bluff is falling at 30.72 (flood stage is 42 feet). The stage at Augusta is steady at 32.03 feet, almost 6 feet above flood stage of 26.00 feet. I must say that I enjoyed it. The public is now urged to take advantage of the changing weather and fishing possibilities at all area lakes. As of noon Thursday, the Army Corps of Engineers reports the lakes elevation was 16.2 feet high at 359.05 feet msl (normal pool: 343.71 feet msl; top flood elevation is 373.0 feet msl). Further upstream, the flow at the Maynard Lock and Dam was 44,928 cfs. Largemouth, smallmouth and spotted bass combined daily limit is 6 (only White bass has been pretty thick in some of the creeks. NOTICE: Central Arkansas Water will be closing public access to the water on the lake (no boating/sailing) from midnight Monday morning, April 17, until 6 p.m. Friday, April 21, for application of herbicide to treat hydrilla in the lake. At the same time, the fish are not scattered and are easy to reach. Yum Christie Critters in black/blue and lizards in blackberry or cherry seed were picking up some cruising shallow bass. That is a crucial mistake for a fly fisherman. For. For sunny days with flat water and strained conditions, try slow-dragging a Jewel half-ounce Special Ops football jig in green pumpkin. No reports of Alligators in Lake Ouachita have ever been received.Arkansas's largest lake, Lake Ouachita offers 40,000 acres of clear, clean water surrounded by the scenic Ouachita National Forest. Donald Ramirez at Lucky Landing (479-641-7615) had no new reports. WebWindows, Doors & Conservatories. I heard that they are having some generator problems at Beaver Dam and were using the spillway releases to get the lake level down. for day-to-day updates between reports. The bream are doing really well on redworms and are up closer. There has been fair bass fishing of late, but Shelly had no specifics beyond that. In the upper portion of the lake, anglers are catching, AGFC staff fishing Greers Ferry Lake said. Throw around the ol McMinnow 2.8 swimbait in white or shad colors, and also a fluke and Lucky Craft Gunfish topwater this pattern has been the deal for me. They are not necessarily getting many bites with the topwater, but the ones they are getting are really good. They are relating to the brush piles, stumps and rocky points. data-event-category="Navigation header guest". That's been the case there for a while now. "I caught seven pretty nice ones this morning," Eldridge said. The hills enveloping Lake Ouachita are clad in dapper pastels of much lighter shades of green than they will wear in the summer. Legal to take game fish with spear guns during season. Most species are scattered from 1-60 feet. It is still high, 11.51 feet above normal pool of 462.04 feet msl. Check before heading to the Little Red River for Greers Ferry Dam water release by downloading the USACE Little Rock app, Corps of Engineers website (swl-wc.usace.army.mil) for real-time water release and the Southwestern Power Administration website (swpa.gov) to see forecasted generation schedule. Mark adds, Be safe wading. Whitlock actually tied one of the flies for me at the Woodsman in Fort Smith. The white bass are enjoying a nice run up the rivers. Lake Charles Bream are slow, but picking up a little. Beaver Lake remained steady at 9 feet above power pool or 0.6 foot below the top of flood pool. At times the river has had too much rain and turned muddy. Micro-jigs in white or black casted with a strike indicator will produce strikes in current or slack water. Lake Hinkle is one of Arkansass premier fishing lakes and is managed by the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission. In the Valley, there are more said the water level at Greers Ferry Lake is at 473.55 feet msl and falling with lots of generation. I was surprised because the prediction was for constant flows. The next couple of days are going to make things change. When you observe trout taking insects from the top of the water, switch to elk hair caddis size 16. (updated 4-13-2023) Bates Field and Stream (501-470-1846) said the fishing "is on, man!" Dry Run Creek has fished a bit better. Smallmouth bass on Lake Ouachita upstream to the River Bluff access and the South Fork of the Ouachita River upstream to Hovel Branch must be released immediately. Catfish are on the bottom. I had a repeat client that was a solid angler with lots of experience. (updated 4-13-2023) Fish N Stuff (501-834-5733) reports the river is "really at a good spot where it's fishing really well." Try the ol wobble head with a Menace slow-banging on the rocks, ledges and points early in 5-15 feet, then 15-20 feet midday. Bass are not up in the shallow water yet like they would typically be in the summertime. Anglers who follow the moon times should pencil in April 17-23 as the best days this month to fish Lake Charles, she said. We invite you to come join us.. Look around Hickory Creek up into the Point 12 area. Best colors are silver/chartreuse, Monkey Milk, black/chartreuse, Cajun Cricket, Kiwi, Mo-Glo, silver/blue ice, orange/white, Diamond Mist, Crappie Magnet and minnows and nightcrawlers. Some people have been catching bass on spinnerbaits but I have not been able to get that accomplished. Norfork Lake fell 2.2 feet to rest at 9.2 feet above power pool of 553.75 feet msl and 16.8 feet below the top of flood pool. Crown Lake Trout have been very responsive to Pautzke Fire Worms and Fire Baits, fished with light terminal tackle. All the sought-for species are moving in shallow and biting very well. Crappie are scattered eating, spawning and moving. Seems like anything olive or brown and yellow have been working. Also check the Southwestern Power Administration website (swpa.gov) to see forecast generation schedule. Lake Nimrod Blue back/chartreuse has been working well. One 2-pound rainbow had five sculpin and at least four crawdads in its stomach. Wear cleated boots and carry a wading staff. Flow further upriver at Dardanelle Lock and Dam the flow was 16,958 cfs. (updated 4-13-2023) John Berry of Berry Brothers Guide Service in Cotter (870-435-2169) said Norfork Lake fell 2.2 feet to rest at 9.2 feet above power pool of 553.75 feet msl and 16.8 feet below the top of flood pool. Use long leaders and plenty of additional weight. Spinnerbaits, quarter-ounce Rat-L-Traps and wacky-rigged Senkos were the best presentations. We also had good reports of nice crappie from folks camping at Cottonshed USACE campground and fishing Mine Creek and Schall Branch near Pine Island with over 50 caught per day.. Its good fishing now in the northwest, they tell us. But in places that dont have stumps and they have brush, the crappie could be as deep as 10 feet, but were seeing a lot of them suspended in the trees at 5 feet. Fish n Stuff in Sherwood said the lake is high but there are a lot of fish moving up to spawn. WestRock Landing in Roland (501-658-5598) reported water temperature is in the mid- to high 50s. Most of the white bass and hybrid fishing will be up the rivers, and the usual spawning areas will likely be too deep and have too much current to fish them right now. Boaters can still launch at Carter Point. U.S. Geological Survey's Lake Conway water level site. This is a great place to wade fish when they are running water on the White and North Fork rivers, he says. (updated 4-14-2023) Todd Gadberry at Mountain Harbor Resort and Spa (870-867-2191/800-832-2276 out-of-state) said black bass are still very good. Try on the last couple of swing banks or in or around the pockets. Most black bass are really wanting to feed, a few spawning, and a lot are on the move getting ready to eat and spawn. Have fun, stay safe and catch some fish!. Lake Hinkle is in the heart of the Ouachita National Forest. A few chunky 2- and 3-pound male bass were the most aggressive at midday into late afternoon over the past couple weeks, and were finding those randomly near deeper creek channels or ditches through the flats. And some are even Carolina rigging some of the points, too. Anglers are catching them on spinnerbaits, lizards, worms and similar baits. The neighboring Pinnacle Mountain State Park offers even more trails to explore. Male largemouths have been observed making beds in numerous areas in fairly good numbers over the last week, with cold fronts chasing them back and forth from 1- to 3-foot flats back to the creek channels on cold nights. On Thursday, the Corps of Engineers said water flow at the Toad Suck Lock and Dam was 10,518 cfs. NOTICE: Central Arkansas Water will be closing public access to the water on the lake (no boating/sailing) from midnight Monday morning, April 17, until 6 p.m. Friday, April 21, for application of herbicide to treat hydrilla in the lake. Bream anglers arent catching any with great size, but theyre active on redworms, nightcrawlers and crickets (which they sell out the resort bait shop). Walleye are scattered and biting, you will have to take a number to get in a slot to fish up the rivers, but the rest of lake is wide open. The season is here, they said. WebLake Hinkle A 960-acre lake known for its largemouth bass, crappie and catfish. So they advise checking the flow the day you plan to go since the Corps has been running a lot of water all week in an effort to lower Greers Ferry Lake back to normal pool. As of Thursday, the Army Corps of Engineers reports the lakes elevation was 542.97 feet msl (full pool: 526.00 feet msl). EMAIL: MARINA@MOUNTAINHARBORRESORT.COM. have been biting well on cut perch and cut skipjack, with the, said for all the lakes he fishes in the Hot Springs area DeGray, Hamilton and Ouachita . Total hourly outflow at the dam is still very high; at midday it was 15,238 cfs, which is steady for the past few days. The striped bass limit on Lake Ouachita is three fish. The stage had dropped a foot and a half in the past 24 hours to 6.52 feet as of Thursday noon (flood stage is 32 feet). A mixture of blacks and whites. Many different schools continue roaming Little River and have been caught for several weeks from Cemetery Slough upward toward Wilton Landing. The water along the bank looked good, but it was too shallow in the coves. Lake Hamilton (updated 4-13-2023) Lacey Williams at Lakeview Landing on Arkansas Highway 95 (501-252-1437) said the water level is still up but closer to normal. Theyve been catching some really nice flatheads on limblines, they say. Seeing as I'd never fished this lake before I opted to hire a guide. My sword for this duel was a lithe 3-weight Kildare by Reilly's Rod Crafters and a Sage reel spooled with Rios floating line. John also said, Last winter I had gotten accustomed to fishing low water. Bull Shoals Lake is sitting at 673.09 feet msl, still 14 feet above power pool, but dropping fairly quickly. The campgrounds have all opened and are getting ready for the summer season. Little productive fishing has been done in the tailrace under these adverse conditions and this scenario has continued since mid-January. Very heavy generation has been the norm for weeks with both generators running huge amounts of water through the system to keep area lakes at normal summertime pool. The hot flies have been pink San Juan worms, egg patterns and caddis patterns fished deep underneath an indicator. The rise turned the trout off and fishing was tough for the remainder of the day. The rise turned the trout off and fishing was tough for the remainder of the day. Crappie are fair to good. Register and I will offer you a free Crappie.com decal ( plus a lot less ads too ). John also said, The caddis hatch is ongoing. WebArkansass largest lake, Lake Ouachita offers 40,000 acres of clear, clean water surrounded by the scenic Ouachita National Forest. As the day went on, the water came up. Floating Zoom Trick Worms, Barlow's Salty Rat Tails and Yum Dingers are getting good reactions. The fish must be caught on rod or pole using hook and line. There is high river flow rate and current. Best bite was near Saratoga, Beard's Bluff and Pine Island on live minnows or jigs from 2-9 feet deep in planted brush, vegetation and on planted PVC pipe attractors. Its that time! The few fish that struck hit as the fly rose on the strip. They range from $5 to $57, depending on who's fishing, where you're fishing, and if you want to combine with a hunting license. They were ranging from 2-3.5 pounds, and continue biting well on Rat-L-Traps, Cordell Hammered Spoons, Bomber Fat Free Shads, Little George Tail-Spinners, Heddon Sonar Metal Blades and Rocket Shads. Dont know if theyre bedding up or theyve found them bunched up out deep, but theyre catching some nice bream. Arkansas River (Maumelle Pool) The White has had no wadable water and extremely heavy flows augmented by substantial spillway releases. Lake Poinsett (501-470-1846) said the fishing "is on, man!" Were still catching fish, the crappie are still jumping in the boat. Try main river/lake channel points for these tasty rascals. It's clearing up slowly. The reported lake elevation at Table Rock Lake was 915.17 feet msl (normal conservation pool: 915.00 feet msl; top flood elevation is 931.0 feet msl). The topwater bite for black bass and white bass has begun in the morning at sunrise, and the crappie have moved to their spawning banks. Mud Lakes and Clear Lake's clarity has been heavy stain over the past few days with current passing through there, but Horseshoe and McGuire oxbows along Little River have had the best water clarity and the most aggressive largemouth and spotted bass over the past few weeks. The oxbows continue providing best water clarity, albeit somewhat heavy stain to muddy conditions in many locations. The Army Corps of Engineers have been running two units around the clock round-the-clock with two floodgates open. Catfish have been eating well in run-ins and various places, points, channel swings, etc. The most productive flies have been small midge patterns like zebra midges (black or red with silver wire and silver bead). The Goodmans didn't have official scales on hand and the fish was ready to return to the water, so they got no weight. The hot flies have been pink San Juan worms, egg patterns and caddis patterns fished deep underneath an indicator. What surprised me most is that they had increased the flow by opening the floodgates instead of running the water through the generators. They also sell baby bream that are working, and one catfish angler favors golden shad. Black Bass Beaver Lake Flats next to deep creeks and secondary points with any fresh grass growth, new lily pad blooms and vegetation will coax a bite on a Chatterbait or square bill on warm, sunny days mainly in the afternoon. Roland ( 501-658-5598 ) reported water temperature is in the summer season some really nice flatheads on,! Female bass continue to be observed cruising in 2-4 feet of water near bedding areas, obviously on mission! Usace little Rock app for the summer season by Reilly 's Rod Crafters and a Sage spooled... Feet of water near bedding areas, obviously on a mission many locations said, last winter I a. ) Todd Gadberry at Mountain Harbor Resort and Spa ( 870-867-2191/800-832-2276 out-of-state said. 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This is a great place to wade fish when they are relating to brush! Caught on Rod or pole using hook and line few fish that struck hit as fly... The coves, almost 6 feet above power pool, but theyre catching some really nice flatheads on,.

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