Fishing report

Lake Ouachita

Todd Gadberry, Mountain Harbor Resort harbor master, reports that black bass are fair.

Spotted bass (Kentucky bass) are still schooled up chasing baitfish. Try a small 3/8-ounce spoon in submerged schools and your favorite topwater in those same areas.

Stripers are good; catch them on live bait. Crappie are still good. Try a small jig or minnow near brush in 15-25 feet of water.

No report on walleye, bream or catfish.

The water ranges from 58-62 degrees, and the lake is lightly stained at 577.89 feet msl.

DeGray Lake

Capt. Darryl Morris, of Family Fishing Trips Guide Service, reported that crappie are still biting but moving deeper. Fish brushpiles 14-16 feet deep in 24plus feet of water where deep water channels are nearby.

Water temperature is in the mid-50s.

Lake Catherine

Shane Goodner, owner of Catch’em All Guide Service, reports that water temperature below the dam is 49 degrees with clear conditions in the tailrace.

Both lakes Hamilton and Catherine have been drawn down 5 feet, and the drawdown will remain in place until March 1 when the refilling process is scheduled to begin. Numerous underwater hazards are now visible in the tailrace due to the low water conditions and boaters and wade fishermen alike should use caution when navigating the area.

Entergy has lowered Lake Catherine another 2 feet for repairs on Remmel Dam. This work is expected to take until around Christmas to complete. The lack of water in the tailrace has made navigation to the dam and powerhouse area nearly impossible. Extreme caution should be used by boaters during this time.

Rainbow trout are highly scattered now from the bridge to the dam, which is normal for the early part of the fall season. Decent numbers of fish have been caught by fly-fishermen that are now able to access areas that hold fish. Egg patterns in orange or yellow have accounted for several limits of quality rainbows presented under a strike indicator. Micro- jigs in black or white have also worked well in the same manner. Boater trolling shallow-running crankbaits that imitate shad or crayfish have taken numbers of trout during times of generation. The majority of trout are in the 11-to12-inch class and are full-bodied. Bank fishermen are also catching trout on PowerBaits and nightcrawlers cut in half used under a bobber or just off the bottom with a marshmallow floater.

Schools of white bass are inhabiting the tailrace and feeding on threadfin shad. Topwater action has been observed in the early morning below the bridge.

Walleye still remain in the tailrace and can be caught on minnows tightlined in deep water just past the bridge. The deepest areas consistently hold walleye that live and feed in the tailrace.

No striper activity has been reported this week, but these predator fish migrate in and out of the area frequently.

The infusion of trout always shocks the system into action with more and diverse species of fish migrating into the area to live and feed.

Lake Hamilton

No report