A friendly bunch
Lake Catherine regulars eager to talk fishing
HOT SPRINGS — Thick fog cloaked the canyon below Carpenter Dam as anglers arrived for the night shift at the Lake Catherine headwaters.
The sirens at the dam sounded twice between 6-6:30 p.m., warning fishermen that the water would soon rise when the turbines in the hydroelectric powerplant started turning.
That was the moment that Abrahan Bahena of Hot Springs had anticipated. Bahena had spent most of the afternoon paddling his Ascend FS-12T kayak below the dam, but fish had been reluctant to bite in the absence of current. Even so, he caught two white bass and a very nice walleye.
“When they open the dam, the current will start the frenzy that we all love,” Bahena said.
Bahena, a carpenter, is an avid angler who participates in local kayak tournaments. He said his goal is to catch every game fish species in Arkansas, and he was thrilled to be able to cross the white bass and walleye off the list. He used a round, 1/8- ounce pink jig with a white marabou and tinsel body on the hook shaft. It was the only thing fish would bite, he said.
“It worked best when I gave it short jerks,” Bahena said “You have to do that to keep it from snagging in the rocks, but they hit it when it fell back to the bottom.”
Regrettably, he had to leave and was going to miss the surge of the hydropower tide.
The water was considerably higher than the last time I fished these waters several weeks ago, but it was still a tricky place to run an outboard motor. It seems most sensible to hug the south bank, but that deep hole ends abruptly at a rocky shoal through which there is no passage.
Across the river is another channel that cuts between two rock bars. There’s a shallow lip at the top, but you can make it through into the pool directly below the dam if you pay close attention. That’s where I met Bahena, who warned me about a cluster of large submerged rocks waiting to shred my propeller.
“That’s why I go so slow,” I said.
Following Bahena’s example, I eschewed my rainbow trout Model A Bomber stickbait in favor of a translucent, 1.5-inch long swimbait molded over a hook that protrudes through the back. I tossed it around the large rocks on the south bank, concentrating on spring water and runoff entering the tailwater.
I cast as far as I could with 6-pound test line and a 7-foot, ultralight rod and let the bait sink to the bottom. Then, I retrieved it by short hopping it while I reeled in the slack. As Bahena described, I got a visitor when the lure hit the bottom. I felt the distinctive pecks of a walleye. I let the fish mouth the bait and then started reeling when the pecks stopped.
The fish felt heavy, but I erred by not giving it a sharp, hook-setting pop. The fish was halfway to the boat when it shed the lure.
That lure faded, so I changed to a solid pearl version of the same bait. I got no bites as I worked all the way across the pool, but my spirits soared when the siren blared.
Raising my trolling motor, I lowered the outboard, started it and let the current sweep me back down the chute toward the bridge.
Safe in the deep water below the shoals, I turned my bow back into the current and began trolling a silver Smithwick Rogue with a blue back and orange belly. Walleyes would surely notice something that bright and flashy in the fading overcast light.
Inching up the chute, I grew suspicious. The bait didn’t feel right. It didn’t vibrate or wobble. I reeled in and was disgusted to see that the Rogue had lost its bill. I retired it and tied on a firetiger Long A Bomber.
Stocked rainbow trout concentrate in the chute, so I expected to catch a walleye on my slow ascent to the dam. I got no bites, but I frequently remove moss and algae from the treble hooks. That’s a delicate operation when trying to maneuver a boat with one hand through strong head current.
Once above the shoals, I trolled three circles around the dam pool with no bites, but I hooked a lot of moss. Then, I floated back down the chute toward the bridge and repeated the process.
Finally, the fog obscured the landmark rocks at the ends of the shoals. That was my cue it was time to leave.
On the fishing dock at the second boat ramp was Rick Stanton of Malvern. He caught his first walleye last weekend, and he wanted more. He used crawdads on single hooks on Zebco 33 rod and reel combos. He was proudest of the 5-pound rainbow trout that he caught several years ago next to the dam.
As I pulled my trailer away from the ramp, two other anglers arrived to leave, as well. They were Noah Williams and John Steinhaus, both of Hot Springs. They had been farther down-lake trying to catch walleye, but they were unsuccessful.
“I have a friend that works for the Game and Fish,” Williams said. “He said they’re [walleyes] still a couple of weeks away.”
“You think?” I asked. “I met a guy out here earlier that caught a nice one.”
“How big was it?” Williams asked.
“Long and skinny. Couple of pounds, I reckon.”
“That’s a male,” Williams said. “They show up first, but the big females haven’t moved up yet.”
We talked of many other things, including the 10-pound largemouth bass that he caught and released several years ago at Lake Monticello.
I always enjoy boat ramp talk wherever I fish, but the Lake Catherine crew is a more collegial, laid-back bunch than most. I learn something new every time I go there.