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Lure of the Week: To familiarize new anglers with the huge variety of lures available, we will be using the fishing tip section to describe a new lure every week.

Booyah Blade Spinnerbait

Spinnerbait - One of the most successful lures ever made, the spinnerbait has changed very little since its creation. The blades provide the vibration and flash to attract bass that are hungry and also create a reaction strike from bass that are not feeding aggressively. Spinnerbaits are simple to fish, just cast it out and reel it in at a steady pace. You can vary the retrieve to find out what the fish want. Sometimes, crawling or slow-rolling it along the bottom and giving it a quick tug will cause a fish that was following to strike solely out of instinct.

White River: Gaston's White River Resort said the river is running low and clear. Only one generator was running all last week. Wax worms, red worms and nightcrawlers caught quite a few trout. Yellow and orange Power Eggs, Little Cleo Spoons and Buoyant Spoons in gold and red worked well in the current. Fly-fishermen did well on olive wooly buggers and small sowbugs.
Wilderness Trail said fishing for trout on the White River has been good on Berkley Power Eggs in yellow and white or Nuggets in yellow and chartreuse. Buoyant Spoons, and Little Cleos are the bait of choice during generation. Fly-fishermen did well on olive Woolly Buggers, olive scuds and sow bugs.  The brown trout are being caught on Jointed Countdowns, Shad Raps and Rogues.   

Bull Shoals Lake: Wilderness Trail said lake temperature should come down a little this week. As of Sunday morning, the lake temperature is 78.7 degrees. Lake level is about the same as last week, at 647.80. The thermocline is at 31 feet and is 4 feet wide. Crappie pulled out of the brush piles and moved out into the thermocline. Crappie minnows and Swimming Minnows worked the best this week in 30+ feet of water. Largemouth bass will still be on the banks in the mornings but with the lower water temperatures some spinnerbaits and/or crankbaits should start working. Also stay with your Carolina rigs but change your baits over to smaller finesse worms, centipedes and Baby Brush Hogs or 5-inch lizards. Smallmouth will move into transition banks and points to forage on crawdads. The bite is already starting, but most of the smallies are under 15 inches.  Tubes, Spider Jigs, Mojo rigs with finesse worms or centipedes and grubs will be your key baits for the next few weeks. Kentuckies have been swimming with the balls of shad all summer, now the shad are moving in toward the banks in the cuts and coves and the Kentuckies will be forced to feed on crawdads along with the shad. Pop R’s and Chug Bug baits will start to pick up in the early morning; tubes, Spider Jigs and Mojo rigged centipedes or Fish Doctors will work during the day.  Walleye are very hard to target during the fall transition. Once the lake temperature makes the low 70s, the walleye that have been holding in the thermocline will move toward the drop offs and the points and forage on crawdads, sunfish or shad. They will be scattered and difficult to pattern.  Meanwhile stay with the spooning, pulling bottom bouncers and long lining Hot’N Tots and Reef Runners in 30 to 35 feet of water. 
 Sugar Loaf Harbor said the water is low. Crappie are biting well along the bluffs and in standing timber around 25 feet deep. Minnows have been the best bait for the slabs. Walleye are biting spoons well on the flats and long, extended points running from 28 to 55 feet deep. Catfishing has been good on noodles and jugs baited with live bream or shad.

Lake Norfork: Cranfield Junction Quik Stop said the lake is clear and around 10 feet low. Bream are biting well on red worms and crickets fished around the brush next to the shoreline. Black bass are biting well early in the morning on top-water lures and buzzbaits. Jigs and plastic worms are also working during the day over the points in 25-35 feet of water. Hybrids are biting well on spoons, swim baits and umbrella rigs fished in 35-45 feet of water. Catfishing is good on cut bait and nightcrawlers fished on trotlines or jugs over major points and creek turns. Crappie fishing has been best at night on minnows and jigs fished over brush piles 35 feet deep.

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