Fishing
Tip: Be sure to carry your fishing license with you whenever you’re
fishing. If you’re out on the lake and a wildlife officer checks for
your license, it isn’t going to do you much good if it’s back in the
truck or on your nightstand at home.
White River: Gaston's White River Resort said
anglers were given a great surprise last week with a couple inches of
rain and a couple days of generation. As many as four units were
running at times, which really helped get the big brown trout
active. On higher water, fishing with Rogues and Husky Jerks is
the way to go if you want to catch the trout of your life. You can do
very well with white or yellow PowerBait and live wax worms or
nightcrawlers as well. Fly-anglers had the best luck with red San
Juan worms, sow bugs, woolly buggers in all colors, tan scuds, beadhead
red fox squirrel nymphs and the Y2K bug. This is the season
anglers wait for all year long. Don’t miss February and March "Big
Brown Season" on the White River.
McLellan’s Fly Shop said there
has been very little generation below Bull Shoals Dam lately, providing
plenty of wading on the upper river from late morning on through the
rest of the day. Wade fishing the upper river has been very
productive with tan and olive McLellan’s Hunchback Scuds and Woven Sow
Bugs. Fishing high water out of a boat has also been very productive
using large scuds, eggs, and San Juan worms. Remember, the
catch-and-release area below Bull Shoals Dam is now open, providing
some great fishing for large trout that have been unmolested for the
last three months.
Wilderness Trail said
fishing for trout has been good on Berkley Power Eggs in yellow and
Sunrise or Rainbow Nuggets. Buoyant Spoons, Little Cleos, Super Dupers
and Rooster Tails are the bait of choice during generation.
Fly-fishermen have done well with very little generation on olive
woolly buggers, unreal eggs in peach and white, scuds and sow bugs.
Brown trout are being caught on Rogues, Jointed Rapalas and sculpin
patterns.
North Fork
River: McLellan’s Fly Shop said
generation has been a little sporadic lately, but when they turn on the
generators, they haven’t stayed on for very long. The wade
fishing has been very good lately, and fishing high water from a boat
has been productive as well. Scuds, sow bugs, midges, and eggs in
low water, and eggs, San Juan worms, and big streamers like the
Articulated Zoo Cougar in high water have been producing plenty of
hook-ups.
Norfork Trout Dock said
two to four generators are running in the mornings and then shutting
off for the rest of the day. Rainbow trout are biting well on
PowerBait, corn and small sow bug-pattern flies. Brown trout are
scattered out feeding now that their spawn is about complete. Rapala
Countdown crankbaits are taking quite a few nice browns.
Bull Shoals Lake: As of Wednesday, the
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reports the lake’s elevation at 645.28
feet MSL.
Wilderness Trail said the
surface temperature is running between 48 and 49 degrees and a few
degrees cooler from Lead Hill to the Taneycomo Dam. There probably
won’t be a shad kill this year. The water clarity is around 16 feet. It
has been unseasonably warm and most of the fish have been confused on
whether to move to winter structure or stay in fall patterns. Most of
the bass, walleye and crappie have been cruising from the shallows to
deeper water daily. The crappie bite has been spotty, but a few can be
caught along the bluff walls with standing pole trees and in 30 to 35
feet of water out in front of planted crappie cribs. Crappie minnows
fished on 4-pound-test line under a small slip bobber has been the best
technique. Largemouth bass can be caught around docks on jigs and Brush
Hogs. You also can find largemouth along the bluff walls relating to
the wood. Jigs, spoons and grubs will trigger bites in 30 to 45
feet of water near bluffs. Fan-casting crankbaits and jerkbaits in the
backs of creeks around blow downs, stumps and boulders is also
producing. Smallmouth are hard to find right now. They are not
feeding on the bottom for crawdads like they normally do. They are
suspending feeding on shad – you can find a smallie or two on the
bottom but the most smallies are suspending. Fish transition banks and
secondary points with swimming jigs, grubs and swim baits. Kentucky
bass are deep under balls of shad and a little time needs to be spent
graphing to find them. Drop shot rigs and spoons are your best
technique for the Kentuckies under the shad. The best walleye
bite is above Lead Hill where they are being caught on jerkbaits along
pea rock banks. Depending on what Mother Nature deals us next month, we
could have an early March spawn.
Sugar Loaf Harbor said
the lake is low and holding steady. Crappie are biting well between 30
and 35 feet deep on brush piles. Minnows suspended under a slip-cork or
tight lined in the brush piles are bringing in the most crappie.
Lake Norfork: As of Wednesday, the U.S.
Army Corps of Engineers reports the lake’s elevation at 539.56 feet MSL.
Cranfield Junction Quik
Stop said the lake is about 14 feet low with water clarity still
ranging from 12 to 15 feet. Crappie fishing is fair around planted
brush piles on minnows and crappie jigs, be sure to hit the massive
brush piles placed throughout the lake by the AGFC, marked with signs
and buoys. Bass fishing has been good, but the bass could be found
anywhere from 8 to 50 feet deep. Largemouths are biting well on
crankbaits and jerkbaits, while Kentuckies have been chasing
paddle-tailed grubs in deeper water. Fishing for catfish, walleye and
bream were all slow last week. Stripers and hybrids were biting fairly
well on spoons near the upper end of the lake.
