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June 29, 2005
Fishing Tip: Wacky worming is an effective way to catch finicky bass when the summer heats up and the fishing pressure is high. Just hook a stick worm or finesse worm through the center with the hook exposed. Cast it out to structure and let it drift to the bottom. When it gets to the bottom, pop it up and let it drift down again. Finicky bass usually can’t resist the action of a worm rigged this way.
White River: Gaston's White River Resort said the river is low. Trout fishing has been good on wax worms, red wigglers and nightcrawlers. Fly fishermen are doing well on olive woolly buggers and gray sow bugs when they are not generating. Wilderness Trail said Fishing for trout on the White River was good last week during periods of low generation. The Berkley Power Egg bite has been good in yellow and white or Belgian red worms. With generation the Buoyant Spoons, Rooster Tails and Super Dupers are the bait of choice. The fly fishermen did well on Olive Woolly Buggers, tungsten bead head midges, sow bugs and scuds. Some brown trout are being caught on Suspending Rogues, Heddon Flatfish and nightcrawlers.
Bull Shoals Tailwater: McLellan's Fly Shop said generation has slacked off, providing some low water wading opportunities. In the faster riffles and runs, drift a scud, sow bug, mayfly nymph or caddis pupa under a strike indicator. The best flies have been: zebra-and-black or olive Rubber-leg Copper John (sizes 14 to 18), McLellan's Woven V-Rib Sow bug (sizes 14 to 16), McLellan's Hunchback Scud in tan, olive and gray (sizes 14 to 16) Graphic Caddis in tan and olive (sizes 14 to 18), Z-Wing Caddis (sizes 14 to 16), Caddis Larva (sizes 14 to 16), Elk Hair Caddis (sizes 14 to 18), E-Z Caddis (sizes 14 to 18), Red Fox Squirrel Nymph (sizes 12 to 16), Rag Sculpin (size 6), Articulated Zoo Cougar (size 4), Swimming Jimmy (size 4) White Zonker (size 6), Arkansas Conehead (size 6), San Juan Worms (size 10) and Micro Eggs (size 14).
North Fork River: McLellan's Fly Shop said generation has been sporadic, but there have been some good wading opportunities early in the morning. During high-water conditions, streamer fishing has been good from a boat on overcast days. The best flies have been: McLellan's Hunchback Scud in tan, olive and gray (sizes 14 to 16), Flashback Scud in tan, olive and gray (sizes 12 to 16), McLellan's Woven Sow Bug (sizes 14 to 16), Graphic Caddis in tan and olive (sizes 14 to 18), Skip Nymph (sizes 14 to 18), Flashback Pheasant Tail Nymph (sizes 16 to 20), Beadhead Hare's Ear Nymph (sizes 14 to 18), Mercury Brassie (sizes 18 to 20), Rojo Midge (size 22), Mercury Blood Midge (sizes 20 to 22), Red Jujubee Midge (sizes 20 to 22), Johnny Flash (sizes 20 to 24), Mercury Black Beauty (sizes 20 to 22), Gray Mercury Midge (sizes 20 to 22), Black Wooly Sculpin (size 4), Articulated Zoo Cougar (size 4) and Swimming Jimmy (size 4).Bull Shoals Lake: Wilderness Trail said the water temperature has been in the 80s and the bite on the lake has fallen off some, which is normal for summer. The water clarity is around 15 feet and the thermocline is steady at 36 feet. The water level is 652.99, pretty much the same as last week. The best species to fish for is catfish, as the evening bite has picked up. Bank fisherman, jug fishermen and trotliners are all having success with chicken liver, Magic Bait and nightcrawlers. The best bite is from 9 p.m. until midnight. Crappie are biting under floating lights at night and early in the mornings on the crappie cribs and in the pole trees along bluff walls. Crappie minnows are the key bait this time of year, fished on a crappie jig or colored jighead. Largemouth bass are active in the early mornings on Zara Spooks and buzzbaits. They are pretty spread out, so get on the trolling motor and cover water. Once the sun is up, back off the banks and move to secondary points with Carolina rigs. Smallmouth bass are spending the days around or under ledges and large chunk rock points. Fish a spider jig, tube or Mojo-rigged centipede or finesse worm very slowly. Some smallies are pushing shad to the top in the early mornings, so have a Spit'N Image or Pop R tied on just in case. Some Kentucky bass are feeding on crawdads along channel swings, but the majority of them are still traveling with the shad, which makes it difficult to pinpoint where they are going to be. Either work the creeks and main lake cuts with your electronics looking or schools of shad or fish main lake points and creek arm secondary points with Mad Man craws, Spider Jigs, grubs or centipedes. Walleye are still inside 30 feet of water. Points and ledge rock banks are holding numbers of walleye and the bite is coming in 15 to 28 feet of water. Leeches fished on a harness or split-shot rig have been working well. Long liners are having good luck with Glass Shad, Deep Little N's and Reef Runners on suspending walleye over deep water. Sugar Loaf Harbor said bream are holding in 15 feet. Walleye have been good on nightcrawlers fished 18 inches off the bottom. Crappie fishing has been fair on minnows suspended over brush piles in 17 to 20 feet of water.
Lake Norfork: Cranfield Junction Quik Stop said the lake is clear and at normal pool. Water temperatures have been hovering in the mid-80s. Bream are excellent on wax worms, crickets and nightcrawlers. Crappie fishing is fair in 25 feet of water on jigs and crappie minnows. Bass fishing has been good. Kentucky bass and largemouths have been biting well from 5 a.m. to 10 a.m. on spinner baits and small soft plastics fished on deepwater bluffs. Smallmouths are in transition areas and are being caught on tubes and other small soft-plastics. Stripers and hybrids have been busting the surface near the dam and are being caught on top-waters during the frenzy. Trolling during the day in 35 to 45 feet of water is also bringing in a quite a few hybrids. Walleye are suspended from 15 to 25 feet and are being caught on crawler harnesses and stickbaits. Catfish are biting well on prepared baits, shad and chicken livers.