|
Arkansas White River
Trout Fishing Report - February 28, 2007
Scroll
Down For Archieved Reports
and Fishing Tips (Reports are from Arkansas Game and Fish
Commission)
Fishing Tip: Bass will be looking
for spawning areas as the water warms. The females will be full of eggs
and be at their peak weight of the year; it’s trophy time. Look for
flats and shallow points next to the main lake and fish any woody cover
in these areas with a jig or spinnerbait for the big bite.
White River: Gaston's
White River Resort
said high water and shad are coming through making it an excellent time
for trophy fishing. Many browns being caught in the 2 to 4 pound class
and larger. Ten pound browns have been somewhat common. This is the
first shad "run" the area has had in four or five years. Most browns
are being caught on #9 and #7 Countdown Rapalas, 1/8 ounce white jigs,
Silver Rogues and spoons. Water generation has been running around the
clock, with 6 to 7 units running fulltime. Power Eggs in yellow and
white with Glo-worms are still catching plenty of rainbows. The gold
Cleo Spoons and Buoyant Spoons will catch rainbows as well. Fly fishing
on this high water will probably be best with red San Juan Worms, white
wooly buggers, white shad flies and Egg Patterns in yellow, peach and
red. The rainbows are hitting white/chartreuse and yellow Power Bait.
Other baits that are working on the rainbows are white worms, gold
Cleos and Buoyant Spoons. Fly fisherman are using egg patterns, wooly
buggers, and red San Juan Worms can help weigh down a stringer.
Wilderness
Trail (870-445-2703) said fishing the White
River
has been good on Berkley Power Eggs in yellow and white along with
white marabou jigs with or without a chrome dome head. With generation
the Buoyant Spoons, Colorado
spoons and Little Cleo’s are the baits of choice. The fly fishermen
have done well with little generation on olive Woolly Buggers, San Juan
worms in bright colors, white doll flies (jigs) and “unreal” eggs in
peach or white. The browns are being caught on Countdowns, Rogues and
nightcrawlers.
Bull Shoals Lake:
As of Tuesday, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reports the lake’s
elevation at 654.33 feet MSL.
Wilderness
Trail
(870-445-2703) said the area has had a nice break from the freezing
weather this week with temperatures in the 70s for a few days. Rains
came in over the weekend and the day time temperatures have leveled out
in the mid-50s. Lake level is at 654.69, 1/2 foot above normal pool and
the lake temperature is at 44 degrees with 46 to 47 degree water
temperatures up in the Theodosia arm and above the Lead Hill area. With
the lake warm up the shad kill is all but over and there are a lot of
shad moving up onto the surface. Crappie were active this week both
around brush piles and docks that have crappie brush hanging around
them. Best baits are crappie minnows, Bobby Garland Swimming Minnows
and crappie tubes. Bass have started to move toward the banks overnight
and are staying up close in shallow water until 8 or 9 a.m. and on
sunny days they are moving back up in the afternoon. Largemouth bass
can be caught along the banks both in the main lake pockets and in the
creeks in the mornings on stick baits and Wiggle Warts, but the bite
lasts only a few hours. After the largemouth move off the banks work
brush piles, docks and watersheds with Spider Jigs, Shaker heads and
tubes. Smallmouth bass are not up on the banks, but they are staging on
secondary points throughout the lake and they are holding in 30 to 38
feet of water. Even though crawdads are smallies favorite food source,
they are still foraging on shad for the most part. Fish the points with
stick baits, Sinko’s and grubs first, then if the bite seems off switch
to Spider Jigs and tubes. Kentucky
bass are not known for running the banks, but they are moving to the
banks with the largemouth bass at this time. Stick baits and crankbaits
will trigger the roaming Kentuckys in the mornings and on very windy days.
The Kentuckys
that are not moving onto the banks are staying with schools of shad in
the middle of cuts, coves and pockets in 48 to 60 feet of water. Best
baits remain spoons and drop shot rigs with a finesse worm. Walleye are
on the move. They should be staying at the entrances of the creeks, but
instead they are at the back of the creeks in the middle of the creeks,
in creek pockets and cuts and they are also on main lake points, pea
rock banks and bluff walls. But don’t get excited – they are not
spawning there, just swimming around for some reason and they are
shallow, 15 to 30 feet of water. Fish suspending rogues, Glass Shad
Raps, Wiggle Warts, jig and grubs or in line spinners in the mornings
or late afternoons and see if you trigger a few. It will be interesting
to follow the walleye the next few weeks to see what they are up to.
Lake Norfork: As
of Tuesday, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reports the lake’s
elevation at 552.58 feet MSL.
Norfork
Tailwater:
Gene’s Trout Dock (870-499-5381) said the water is clear and there has
been two generator running. Trout fishing has been good with corn,
frozen shad and red worms.
Cranfield
Junction Bait and Tackle (870-492-5141) said the water is clear.
Crappie fishing is fair on minnows and jigs in 25 to 40 feet of water
around brush piles. Bass are good on crank baits in 10 to 60 feet of
water. Striper fishing is fair with jerk baits in the main part of the
lake and in the lake arms. Trout are biting fair on live shades of jerk
baits.
McLellan’s
Fly Shop
said water releases have been pretty heavy. Fly fishing the high water
from a boat has been very productive. Just remember to use larger
strike indicators, flies and split shot as well as longer leaders and
heavier tippet. Best flies have been: McLellan’s Hunchback Scud Tan
Rainbow and Copper (14-16), Flashback Scud Tan, Olive and Gray (12-16),
McLellan’s Woven Sow Bug (14-16), Mercury Brassie (18-20), Sidewinder
Midge (20-26), Mercury Blood Midge (20-22), Zebra Jujubee Midge
(20-22), Poison Tung Black (20), Mercury Black Beauty (20-22), Gray
Mercury Midge (20-22), Flashtail Mini Egg (16-18), Unreal Egg (16),
Shiela Sculpin (4), Exasperator Sculpin (2), Ziwi (4), San Juan Worm,
Arkansas Beadhead (8), McLellan’s DOA Shad.
Archieved Fishing Reports
2004
|
2005
|
2006
|
2007
|
November
10, 2004
|
January
5,
2005 |
January
6,
2006
|
January
3,
2007 |
November
17, 2004
|
January
12. 2005 |
January
11,
2006
|
January
10,
2007 |
November
24, 2004
|
January
19, 2005 |
January
18,
2006 |
January
17,
2007 |
December
1, 2004
|
January
26, 2005 |
January
25,
2006 |
January
24,
2007 |
December
08, 2004
|
February
2, 2005
|
February
1,
2006 |
January
31,
2007 |
December
15, 2004
|
February
9, 2005
|
February
8,
2006 |
February
7,
2007 |
December
22, 2004
|
February
16, 2005
|
February
15,
2006 |
February
14,
2007 |
December
29, 2004
|
February
23, 200 |
February
22,
2006 |
February
21,
2007 |
|
March
2, 2005 |
March
1,
2006 |
February
28,
2007 |
|
March
9, 2005 |
March
8,
2006 |
|
|
March
16, 2005 |
March
15,
2006 |
|
|
March
25, 2005 |
March
22,
2006 |
|
|
March
30, 2005 |
March
29,
2006 |
|
|
April,6,
2005 |
April
5 ,
2006 |
|
|
April,13,
2005 |
April
12 ,
2006 |
|
|
April,20,
2005 |
April
19 ,
2006 |
|
|
April,27,
2005 |
April
26 ,
2006 |
|
|
May
4, 2005 |
May
3 ,
2006 |
|
|
May
11, 2005 |
May
10 ,
2006 |
|
|
May
18, 2005 |
May
17 ,
2006 |
|
|
May 25,
2005 |
May
24 ,
2006 |
|
|
June
1, 2005
|
May
31 ,
2006 |
|
|
June
8, 2005
|
June
7 ,
2006 |
|
|
June
15, 2005
|
June
14 ,
2006 |
|
|
June
22, 2005
|
June
21 ,
2006 |
|
|
June
29, 2005
|
June
28 ,
2006 |
|
|
July
6, 2005
|
July
5 ,
2006 |
|
|
July
13, 2005 |
July
12 ,
2006 |
|
|
July
20, 2005 |
July
19 ,
2006 |
|
|
July
27, 2005 |
July
26 ,
2006 |
|
|
August
3, 2005
|
August
2 ,
2006 |
|
|
August
10, 2005 |
August
9 ,
2006
|
|
|
August
17, 2005 |
August
16 ,
2006 |
|
|
August
24, 2005 |
August
23 ,
2006 |
|
|
August
31,
2005 |
August
30 ,
2006 |
|
|
September
21,
2005 |
September
6 ,
2006 |
|
|
September
28,
2005 |
September
13 ,
2006 |
|
|
October
5,
2005 |
September
20 ,
2006 |
|
|
October
12,
2005 |
September
27 ,
2006 |
|
|
October
19,
2005 |
October
4 ,
2006 |
|
|
October
26,
2005 |
October
11 ,
2006 |
|
|
November
2,
2005 |
October
18 ,
2006 |
|
|
November
9,
2005 |
October
25 ,
2006 |
|
|
November
16,
2005 |
November
1 ,
2006 |
|
|
November
23,
2005 |
November
8 ,
2006 |
|
|
November
30,
2005 |
November
15 ,
2006 |
|
|
December
7,
2005 |
November 22 ,
2006
|
|
|
December
14,
2005 |
November 29 ,
2006 |
|
|
December
21,
2005 |
December 6 ,
2006 |
|
|
|
December 13 ,
2006 |
|
|
|
December 20 ,
2006 |
|
Ron & Debbie
Gamble,
Owners/Operators
Cotter Trout Dock
P.O. Box 96
Cotter, Arkansas 72626
Toll
Free: 800-447-7538 Local: 870-435-6525
|