Fishing report
Lake Catherine: Shane Goodner, Catch ‘Em All Guide Service, reports heavy generation and muddy water has been normal below Carpenter Dam for the last several weeks. But with Lake Ouachita falling below flood pool, allowing Entergy and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to reduce flow at all area dams, lake conditions should return to more stable levels.
Fishing for rainbow trout has resumed with fish forced downstream now migrating back to areas below the dam. Bank fishermen are catching rainbows on redworms and nightcrawlers fished just off bottom with a marshmallow floater. Waxworms or mealworms are working well used in the same manner, and corn closely resembles a fish egg easily digested by these hearty game fish. Spin fishermen are not so fortunate with thousands of threadfin shad moving into the tailrace to spawn, abundant baitfish reducing the effectiveness of artificial lures. With the lake at normal summertime level, fly fishermen should use caution when wading. Concentrating on egg patterns in yellow or white coloring, these anglers have accounted for good limits of fish in calmer water out of the main flow. White bass are plentiful below the dam, preparing for a spawn that should last through June. Jerkbaits in a silver/black pattern should draw vicious strokes over sand bars and exposed rock structure. Trolling shallow-running crankbaits is also productive from the bridge to the dam. Alabama rigs perfectly imitate a school of shad and provide an excellent lure to catch whites in current flow or slack water. Hybrid bass are mixed with the whites and being caught with the same lures and locations, most in the 1- to
2-pound range. With warming water temperature, big stripers will move toward the dam looking for cool water and baitfish.
C-10 Redfins and Super Spooks are baits of choice when targeting schooling stripers. Soft plastics thrown weightless imitate an injured baitfish and are often a trigger for feeding bass. Strong lines and heavy action rods are recommended for these
powerful fish, often weighing more than 20 pounds with some tipping the scale at more than 50 pounds. Catfish will begin to spawn in early June, offering fishermen a change of pace from trout/bass fishing that dominates the majority of action below the dam. Lake Ouachita: Todd Gadberry, Mountain Harbor Resort, said black bass are still good on frog-style baits, Texas-rigged plastics and black spinnerbaits fished late evening and night in main-lake and secondary points. Walleye are good on small crankbaits, spoons and green soft plastic on main-lake and secondary points. Stripers are still good on Alabama rigs and live bait in the central part of the lake. Bream are excellent
10-15 feet deep on crickets and worms. Crappie are good on minnow or crappie jigs around
20-25 feet deep near brush. Catfish are good on live bait and cut bait 10-20 feet deep.
Lake conditions: 76-80 degrees, clear, 577.02 feet msl (full pool 578 feet msl).
DeGray Lake: Local angler George Graves said bass fishing is good but catches are running small. Best bet is either topwater or shallow-running crankbaits worked along long shall0w points with some cover in creeks and big coves (Big Hill, Brushy or Yancey). A few decent-sized fish were reported coming on spinnerbaits in the same areas with lots of small Kentucky bass along bluff banks at points 14, 25 and 28. Use a Texas-rigged finesse worm in green pumpkin/red glitter. Crappie fishing has slowed with warming water. Try a 2-inch curly-tail grub on a 16th-ounce jighead atop the brush 12-15 feet deep, especially in midlake between Edgewood and Alpine Ridge. Look for hybrids between Caddo Bend and Arlie Moore, trolling the small 5-arm umbrella loaded with 4-inch swimbaits if no “breaking fish” are located. A few white bass are mixed with the hybrids. Bream fishing is fair on redworms or crickets in coves at midlake.
Lake conditions: mid-70s, clear to Point 14, moderate stain farther up, 407.46 feet msl (full pool 408 feet msl).