Arkansas Fishing Report

SOUTH-CENTRAL ARKANSAS White Oak Lake

White Oak Lake State Park (870-685-2748) had no report.

Felsenthal

No report.

SOUTHWEST ARKANSAS Lake Columbia

No reports.

Millwood Lake

As of Wednesday, the Army Corps of Engineers reports the lake’s elevation at 259.73 feet msl (normal conservation pool: 259.20 msl).

(Updated 4-25-2018) Mike Siefert at Millwood Lake Guide Service said the lake level has almost returned to normal, and on Monday was about 5 inches above normal conservation pool and falling at 259.6 feet msl.

There is current of about 5,000 cfs in Little River according to the Army Corps of Engineers. The tailwater as of Monday is about 232 feet msl. Water temps continued improving over the past week, ranging Monday 58-65 degrees. Be sure and check the most recent lake level of Millwood Lake on our website helpful links page, or at the US Army Corps of Engineers website for updated gate release changes and inflow rates with rising and falling lake levels and conditions.

USACE has completed clean up on most Millwood Lake Campgrounds, and a most all are now open. Most all boat ramps, are now open including Millwood State Park. Clarity and visibility are improved over the past week, but remain stained in places, especially upriver.

The main lake and lower sections of Little River continue to improve, are not quite as stained or muddy as the upper regions of Little River and Saline River. Largemouth bass continue in varying degrees of the spawn in most areas of Millwood this week.

Upriver, largemouths continue to finish their spawn rituals and areas along the main lake remain pre-spawn. Most largemouth bass have been excellent over the past few weeks with the continually warming ambient conditions, from 3 pounds each, up to around 9 pounds each. Tournaments over the past few week on Millwood Lake have given up numerous largemouths at weigh-ins from 6 to over 11 pounds each.

Spinnerbaits, chatterbaits, Sweet Beavers, Trick Worms and Bass Assassin Shads on a light wire hook, and Rat-L-Traps all continue working well. Black and June Bug soft plastic frogs are working in new lily pad stands. War Eagle spinnerbaits in white/chartreuse or Firetiger colors, near flooded bushes, buck brush, and vegetation, continue working well for good bass in the 3-7 pound class. Most of these bass continue roaming in and out of bedding areas, cruising in 4-9 feet of depth.

Shallow-running squarebill crankbaits and Echo 1.75s, deflecting and banging them into and off stumps from 3-5 feet deep, were taking a few fat bass around 15-19 inches in length. War Eagle Spinnerbaits continue working near cypress trees, stumps, new lily pad stands and vegetation, all from 2-6 feet deep, with best colors drawing reactions over the past couple weeks being Spot Remover or White/Chartreuse and Firetiger.

Best color of cranks in the oxbows, like the Echo 1.75 squarebills, have been the Rayburn Red Craw, Bold Bluegill and Ghost. Rat-L-Traps in Toledo Gold and Millwood Magic will get reactions from 15-18-inch bass over the past couple weeks.

Soft plastic Lizards, Brush Hogs and Beaver Bugs are all working very well near bedding flats, close proximity to creek channel depths, around stumps and flooded buckbrush, and continue picking up nice largemouths from 3-7 pounds this week.

Best lizard colors for the past couple weeks are South African Special, PB&J, Watermelon Candy, black/blue and June Bug. Real Deal Kustom Tackle jigs with a heavy craw worm trailer continue working on pre-spawn fish near cypress trees from 4-9 feet deep.

Best colors drawing good reactions from spawning bass are black/purple, Candy Bug or Texas Craw, all with a black or green pumpkin craw trailer, with the current water clarity.

Whites and hybrids were running in the Saline River above Cottonshed Campground, for the past few weeks. Chuck 'n Spins, Little Georges, Rooster Tails, Rocket Shads, and halfounce Rat-L-Traps in shad patterns were getting really good reactions from the whites, and limits caught in under an hour in the Saline River.

Whites have almost finished their spawning runs now, up Little River headwaters, and are wrapping up in the Saline River as well, and slowed this week in those areas. Crappie continue to be caught and biting well in the oxbows, up Little River away from current, on cypress trees.

Crappie were reacting very aggressively hitting on jigs and minnows both, over the past few weeks near base of cypress trees from 1-3 feet deep. The Catfish remain very good on trotlines using almost any cut bait like shad, buffalo or trash fish in current along Little River from 8-15 feet of depth.

Lake Greeson

As of Wednesday, the Army Corps of Engineers reports the lake’s elevation was 547.80 feet msl ( full pool: 548.00 feet msl).

(Updated 4-25-2018) Jason Lenderman with JL Guide Service (870-490-0804) said the lake level has risen some and is now just over full pool.

Water temps are in the mid 60’s with a little color throughout the lake. Jason says a lot of the fish have spawned but can still be caught shallow due to the high water. The secondary spawn should take be taking place with the full moon on April 29.

Right now, most of the bass are on secondary points leading into and out of spawning pockets.

They can be caught using Carolina rigged lizards, YUM Christie Critters, or YUM Christie Craws in any of the natural colors like green pumpkin or watermelon magic. Shaky head worms in the same colors are working well also.

We have caught several lately wacky rigging a YUM Dinger in watermelon candy and green pumpkin in spawning pockets around cover. Windy days are good for Booyah spinnerbaits or Smithwick Rogues in windy pockets and points.

The crappie are good and can be caught in 10-15 foot brush with Kalin’s Grubs or minnows.

DeGray Lake

As of Wednesday, the Army Corps of Engineers reports the lake’s elevation was 408.02 feet msl ( flood pool: 408.00 feet msl).

(Updated 4-25-2018) Capt. Darryl Morris at Family Fishing Trips said the spawn is on. Water temps are in the 60s and bass and crappie can be caught on brush piles and banks and between.

(Updated 4-25-2018) John Duncan of YoYoGuideService.com at Iron Mountain Marina said it appears that spring is starting to settle in. Finally. The water level is 408.08 (as of Tuesday) with a slight fall.

The water temperature runs 61-66 degrees depending on what part of the lake you are on. Lots of trotlines across cove mouths in the upper part of the lake. No reports on catches, though.

These cold snaps have the fish confused and moving. Some crappie were being caught early this week on minnows in 2 feet of water around Point Cedar. Electronics are showing lots of fish and baitfish in the secondary coves.

Lots of boats trolling from Shouse Ford to Point Cedar. Either long-line troll or crankbait pulling is a good idea with lots of fish showing suspended. Go with Shad Raps, Hot Spots and baits that are shad-colored and ones that you can keep in the strike zone determined from your electronics.

Crankbaits will produce whites and hybrids in the upper areas of the lake. Use your electronics and look for suspended fish from the river channel back to secondary creeks.

De Queen Lake

As of Wednesday, the Army Corps of Engineers reports the lake’s elevation was 438.21 feet msl ( flood pool: 437.00 feet msl).

Dierks Lake

As of Wednesday, the Army Corps of Engineers reports the lake’s elevation was 546.71 feet msl ( flood pool: 526.00 feet msl).

SOUTHEAST ARKANSAS Arkansas River (Pine Bluff Pool)

(Updated 4-25-2018) The University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff Bass Fishing Team said water temperatures are in the low 60s on the main channel and upper 60s in protected backwaters.

Water clarity is down a bit from the recent rains, with the protected backwaters holding some cleaner water. The water level was up a few inches with light flow in the river. Black bass were biting well on spinnerbaits, squarebill crankbaits and even a few bit topwater plugs and buzzbaits.

Many fish have already spawned in backwaters where temperatures have been suitable for a couple weeks but there are still pre-spawn fish in areas.

Focus on backwater areas with flooded vegetation, rocky or woody cover with flashy vibrating moving baits for now. The shad spawn should attract black bass along the deeper rock banks in the next few weeks.

Cane Creek Lake

(Updated 4-25-2018) Park Interpreter Austin Davidson at Cane Creek State Park said it seems that spring may finally be off to a true start at Cane Creek. Some fish are biting way later than they should, and some fish are biting quite a bit earlier than expected.

High water levels paired with cool sunny days have caused most sportfish to wander into the shallows. Bass are biting on live minnows, shad and craw-colored crankbaits, as well as spinnerbaits.

They must be realizing that it’s starting to warm up because on April 23, around 3 p.m., an 8.75-pound largemouth was brought to the boat ramp to be weighed and have its fin clipped for genetic testing.

It was caught on a black hollow frog pulled across pre-emergent lily pads. Austin says he released this particular fish personally, so he can confidently say that “it is back in the lake!” Catfish such as channel and blue are still hitting hard on liver and liver- and blood-flavored baits fished at about 10 feet. Flatheads are biting live bait of all kinds, whether it be big shiners, shad or small bream.

Fish a trotline closer to the bank to draw in the big flatheads. All catfish are doing better when fished for at night. Crappie are pretty much out, although a few reports are coming in of large crappie caught deep on structure using a minnow as bait.

Crappie fisherman need to expect drastically lower yields, but considerably higher quality overall on what fish are caught. Bream have done nothing but become more aggressive.

As the temperatures continue to rise while we slowly crawl our way toward summer, bream will continue to bite on crickets and worms.

Crickets are still the No. 1 bream bait, but worms are rising in popularity. Fish near stumps and trees, where fish will congregate to prepare for the spawning season.

A couple of other types of fish has entered the fishing scene at Cane Creek Lake as of late. Grinnell and buffalo have both started biting near the spillway.

Many reports are coming in saying they

are biting on grub-colored jigs. For best results use dough baits or PowerBaits fished floating slightly above or on the bottom.

The only grinnell weighed so far weighed in at 9 pounds, and many buffalo are being reported in at 30-40 pounds. Cane Creek is getting hotter right along with the weather. Come out and catch a big one, and make sure to let the park personnel know about it!

Lake Chicot

(Updated 4-18-2018) Brandy Oliver at Lake Chicot State Park (870-265-9705) said that nothing much has changed at Chicot except the crappie have slowed down.

Recently, people were having good luck with jigs at a depth of around 6 feet. Catfish were slow at the beginning of last week, but picked up as the temperature rose.

Most anglers had better luck with shad than worms. Many anglers reported luck catching bream with nightcrawlers.

Lake Monticello

(Updated 4-18-2018) Angler Chris Van Duren at Lucky’s of Monticello said the clarity is fair and the water temperature is ranged from low to mid-60s.

The level is normal. The bass bite is excellent. The fish can be found from shallow water into the deeper areas. Chris says to look around brush and use a topwater or plastic worm for best results.

Crappie are good and are in 3-4 feet depth. Catfishing has been good on worms. Bream reports were poor. White bass were poor.

WEST-CENTRAL ARKANSAS Lake Atkins

(Updated 4-25-2018) Lucky Landing (479641-7615) said the clarity is clear and the surface temperature earlier this week was 65 degrees.

The water level is normal. Bream reports were good. Bream are around the brush piles and are biting worms.

Crappie remained poor like last week. Largemouth bass are good and are hitting around the cypress. Use plastic worms or Brush Hogs. Catfishing turned good this week, biting the trotlines. Nothing to report on white bass.

Lake Bailey (Petit Jean State Park)

(Updated 4-25-2018) Whiskers Sporting Goods (501-889-2011) said catfish are fair on minnows and worms. Bream are good on crickets, worms and Rock Hopper.

Bass are excellent on worms, lizards, Brush Hogs and Whopper Plopper.

Lake Catherine (Below Carpenter Dam)

For weekly flow releases from Carpenter Dam, visit www.entergy.com/hydro.

(Updated 4-25-2018) Shane Goodner, owner of Catch’em All Guide Service, reports that Lake Ouachita is now out of flood pool. Heavy generation has been the norm in the Carpenter Dam tailrace and a more stabilized flow has been scheduled and fishing and boating can get back to a more normal pattern.

For the last several weeks very high flows have kept boaters and anglers alike off the water due to the treacherous conditions. Rainbow trout fishing is what Lake Catherine is known for and thousands of quality trout are present in the tailrace and will be feeding consistently as conditions return to normal.

Bank fishermen can catch limits of fish using PowerBaits, waxworms and mealworms, redworms, and corn fished just off the bottom with a marshmallow floater.

Spin fishermen casting small jigs, Super Dupers, and Little Cleos in sliver or white will record limits of trout during periods of current or slack water.

Fly-fishermen can still access areas that hold good numbers of rainbow trout and can be successful presenting trout magnets in white or pink, micro-jigs in black, or San Juan worms in red or hot pink with a strike indicator.

The walleye spawn is still underway with the majority of fish caught by trolling shallow running stick baits that imitate small minnows

or crawfish.

Carolina rigs tipped with nightcrawlers have taken the largest fish at night.

White bass are making a run toward the dam with numbers being taken from the bank by fishermen casting flukes and Rapala jerkbaits in a black/silver combination. Crappie will soon migrate into the tailrace with the smaller males arriving first to prepare the spawning beds.

Live minnows and small jigs will give anglers the best chance to catch good numbers of fish in the next several weeks. As conditions improve and safe fishing returns to Carpenter Dam, more reports will be available to the public.

Anyone navigating the Carpenter Dam tailrace should be aware of the generation schedules and must always follow all boating and park regulations.

Lake Nimrod

As of Wednesday, the Army Corps of Engineers reports the lake’s elevation was 348.03 feet msl ( full pool: 342.00 feet msl).

(Updated 4-25-2018) Andrews Bait Shop and More (479-272-4025) said the water was clear and the surface water temperature was 60 degrees.

The level remains high. Bream are poor, but there are bream at 5 feet depth. Crappie are biting fair with the fish at 12 feet depth around brush piles.

Use minnows or jigs. Bass are poor, but anglers report some catches with spinnerbaits in 2.5 feet around brush. Catfishing is good using minnows. The catfish are biting 1-3 feet below the surface.

(Updated 4-25-2018) Good Ole Boys Trading Post (479-272-4710) the water level is high and the clarity is dingy.

Not a lot to report this week. Catfishing was fair near the cypress trees using stink bait. The rest were poor reports on other species.

(Updated 4-25-2018) Whiskers Sporting Goods (501-889-2011) says anglers report crappie good on Bobby Garland Popsicle, Shiney Hiney, Glimmer Blue, BBQ Chicken, Cajun Crickets, Blue Ice, Shimmer, Monkey Milk, crystal, bone, Gumdrop, Penny Back Shad, Slab Slay’r and 1.25-inch Itty Bit Swim’r and minnows. Catfishing has been good on minnows, worms and frozen shad.

Bream are hot now on crickets, worms and Rock Hopper. Bass as hot as well on worms, lizards, Brush Hogs and Whopper Plopper.

Lake Ouachita

As of Wednesday, the Army Corps of Engineers reports the lake’s elevation was 577.66 feet msl ( full pool: 578.00 feet msl).

(Updated 4-25-2018) Todd Gadberry at Mountain Harbor Resort and Spa (870-8672191/800-832-2276 out of state) says black bass are very good. Brush Hogs, Trick Worms and lizards are best at this time.

Secondary points and coves are still the best areas for these fish. Walleye are still good. Bright-colored jigs and crankbaits are still working best for these fish.

Stripers are very good on topwater C-10 redfins and live bait. Major creek and river channels on the western and central part of the lake are still the best for these fish.

Bream are fair and being caught on crickets and worms in deeper water near brush. Crappie are good and being caught on minnows in 10-15 feet of water near structure. Catfish are very good up the rivers.

Cut bait, live bait and stink bait are all producing good bags. The water temperature is ranging 64-68 degrees.

The clarity appears to be clearing. Lake level on Tuesday was 577.88 feet msl. Contact the Mountain Harbor guides – Mike Wurm, 501622-7717; Chris Darby, 870-867-7822; and Jerry Bean, 501-282-6104 – for more information.

Blue Mountain Lake

As of Wednesday, the Army Corps of Engineers reports the lake’s elevation was 396.56 feet msl ( full pool: 384.00 feet msl).