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.

CC Spoons -Although it may look simple, the spoon puts out flash and vibration that deep-water fish find irresistible. When fall temperatures cool the water quickly, look for schools of baitfish on ledges and deep flats and drop a spoon to the bottom. Jerk it up a foot or two, and then let it settle back down. The spoon flutters and flashes like an injured shad, and most strikes will happen on the drop. Spoons are excellent for black bass, white bass, stripers, walleye and even crappie, but don’t try to work them around too much brush because they hang up easily.

Wilderness Trail said fishing for trout on the White River has been good on Berkley Power Eggs in yellow-and-white and pink. Buoyant Spoons, Super Dupers, Countdowns and Blue Fox in-line spinners are the baits of choice when the generators are going. Fly-fishermen did well on olive woolly buggers, olive scuds, zebra midges and San Juan worms. Brown trout are being caught on Flat Fish, Rapala Countdowns, nightcrawlers and small Rattlin’ Rogues.

Bull Shoals Lake: As of Wednesday, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reports the lake’s elevation at 646.44 feet MSL.

Wilderness Trail said the lake temperature is down to 68.5. A week or two of stable weather should turn on the fall bite. The thermocline remains at 40 feet, and there is really no temperature break from the surface to 40 feet, so the game fish are scattered anywhere from the bank to 40 feet of water. Crappie returned to the brush piles for a few days last week and were feeding on minnows at 23 to 24 feet depths. Once the cold front pushed in, they moved deeper. Crappie minnows will still catch a few but the bite has slowed down.  Largemouth bass continue to cruise in the creeks and pockets, making them difficult to pattern. One day you can find them on the banks with Zara Spooks or buzzbaits and the next day you only can get a few to bite jigs off secondary points or in the brush piles. Smallmouth are holding in 36 to 40 feet of water off pea rock banks and transition banks. The best baits for smallmouth are spider jigs, football jigs and Carolina rigs with Baby Brush Hogs. Try a drop-shot rig with a 4-inch finesse worm or Zoom Meathead Worm on sunny, calm days. Kentucky bass have dropped into deeper water with the shad. The shad will make a move into the cuts and pockets to feed on plankton and the Kentuckies will follow. Meanwhile look for balls of shad at the entrance of the cuts or pockets and drop a spoon or drop-shot rig underneath the shad. Walleye are still out around the thermocline and are being caught on Hot’N Tots, Wally Divers and Reef Runners trolled on leadcore line. Some walleye have already started to move to the banks and points with the weather change. A few were caught this week by bass anglers on spinnerbaits and crankbaits. It might be time to prowl the banks with Shad Raps and Lucky Craft Pointer DD’s in the mornings and late afternoons.

Sugar Loaf Harbor said the lake is very low. The water has been cloudy lately, but is clearing up. Crappie are excellent on minnows fished near the brush piles in 25 feet of water. Kentucky bass are biting well in 30 feet of water on crawfish and crawfish-imitating plastics.

Lake Norfork: As of Wednesday, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reports the lake’s elevation at 541.84 feet MSL.

Cranfield Junction Quik Stop said the lake is low and clear. Crappie anglers are doing well around 18 to 20 feet deep on crappie minnows fished near the outside edges of planted brush piles. Bass are biting well on crankbaits and football-head jigs with Hula Grubs. Check the deeper points and rock bluffs to fish the Hula Grubs. Walleye and stripers are both being picked up trolling and vertically jigging spoons in 52 feet of water.