Arkansas Fishing Reports - April 12, 2006
(Reports are from Arkansas Game and Fish Commission)
Fishing Tip: Having a
hard time with your soft-plastics and crappie grubs hanging in grass
and stumps? Spray a little WD-40 or fish attractant on them. The
soft-plastics will slide through the clingy weeds and brush much easier
and the oils in the attractant or WD-40 will add a smell and taste to
the lure that will make the fish hold on a little longer.
Nice brown trout caught and released
today (4-12-06) a few hundred feet from Cotter Trout Dock
White River: Gaston's
White River Resort
said there were two days of minimal generation last week. One unit
was on for several hours Monday and Wednesday. The lake level is still
climbing, and we received some more rain to help. Fishing has been
excellent using white or yellow PowerBait with a wax worm on a No. 6
hook. If you prefer artificials, there are several Mepps lures in
No. 7 or 9 sizes that work well. Also, any type of white or silver
spoon, such as the Little Cleo, Rooster Tail, and Krocodile lures
spoon, is excellent. Fly fishermen are enjoying the spring hatches
of midges and caddis, and using sow bugs with much success. A No.
10 bead-head olive woolly bugger has been the best-selling fly all week.
Wilderness Trail
said trout fishing has been very good. With low or no generation
Berkley Power Eggs in yellow and Sunrise or chartreuse or rainbow
nuggets have worked well along with red worms. With generation,
Buoyant Spoons, Rooster Tails, Little Cleos, Panther Martins and
Countdown Rapalas are the baits of choice. The fly fishermen have
done extremely well with little generation on olive woolly buggers,
zebra midges, caddis, scuds and sow bugs. The brown trout are
being caught on Countdowns, Shad Raps, suspending Rogues and
nightcrawlers.
North Fork River: McLellan’s Fly Shop said for the
last few weeks, one generator has been coming online usually between 5
and 6 in the morning, but then only running for a couple of hours, then
coming online again in the evening. However, there has still been
plenty of low water during the middle of the day to provide some very
productive wade fishing. On the upper river, the usual McLellan’s
Hunchback Scuds and Woven Sow Bugs are still hooking plenty of trout,
but on the lower river, it’s time to switch to caddis patterns like the
Z-Wing Caddis and the Graphic Caddis. Also, as more adults start to
hatch in the late afternoon/evening, be sure to have plenty of Elk Hair
Caddis and Web-Wing Caddis for some fun dry fly action. During a caddis
hatch is also a good time to swing soft hackles across the river. New
soft hackle patterns like the Swing Caddis, Swing Nymph, Submarine Soft
hackle, and Wired Red Ass have all been hooking plenty of trout this
spring. Best flies have been: McLellan’s Hunchback Scud Tan, Olive and
Gray (14-16), Flashback Scud Tan, Olive and Gray (12-16), McLellan’s
Woven Sow Bug (14-16), Mercury Brassie (18-20), Rojo Midge (22),
Mercury Blood Midge (20-22), Red Jujubee Midge (20-22), Johnny Flash
(20-24), Mercury Black Beauty (20-22), Gray Mercury Midge (20-22),
Graphic Caddis Tan and Olive (14-18), Z-Wing Caddis (14-16), Caddis
Larva (14-16), Submarine Soft Hackle (16), Swing Caddis (16), Swing
Nymph (16), Web Wing Caddis (14-20), Candy Caddis (16-18), Elk Hair
Caddis (and variations) (14-18), E-Z Caddis (14-18).
Cranfield Junction Quik Stop said some good brown trout are being
caught in the early mornings on Power Eggs, Zig Jigs and sculpin
imitations. Fly anglers are doing well on Y2K bugs, sow bugs, caddis
patterns and woolly buggers.
Bull Shoals Lake:
As of Tuesday, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reports the lake’s
elevation at 647.55 feet MSL.
Wilderness Trail
said the cold front pushed the water temperatures back down again and
postponed the spawn for a few more days. Lake temperature as of Sunday
was 52.8 degrees with a degree or two warmer up lake and in the
Theodosia arm. The backs of some creeks are at 56 degrees and with
the predicted warm week ahead we should be back on track soon. Crappie
were active this week in about 8 to 12 feet of water inside the brush
piles and toward the back of the pockets. Live minnows are the
choice for many anglers but this week Bobby Garland’s Swimming Minnows
have outshined the live bait. White Bass are in position in the
back of the creeks and should spawn by the weekend. Small spoons,
inline spinners and Roadrunners are the best baits for the
spawn. Largemouth bass are positioning themselves in spawning
areas, but we need 6 to 8 degrees more in lake temperature before they
will get to business. Staging bass sometimes become spooky and this
year we have very clear water, so you need to downsize your line size
(8-pound test is a good choice) and make long casts with jigs, tubes,
trick worms and soft stick baits. Fish are around docks, blowdowns
and rocky banks or points toward the back of the creeks and pockets.
Smallmouth bass are staging on pea rock pints, pea rock banks and banks
that have ledges down in 8 to 10 feet of water. They should start
spawning near the end of the week. Pockets in the main lake and
major creeks are holding nice smallies. Hot baits have been tubes,
spider jigs, centipedes and lizards. Fish the lizard and centipede
on Mojo rigs with 6-pound test line and a 3-foot leader. On breezy
days, fish Wiggle Warts or spinnerbaits with gold and silver willow
blades. Kentucky bass are also up on the banks staging along chunk
rock in 12 to 18 feet of water. Centipedes and lizards in
watermelon or watermelon candy have been the best colors. Look for
areas that have transition changes on the banks, both on the main lake
and in the creeks. Walleye are spotty. After talking with
Walleye Guide Heath Holman, the walleye in the upper lake are spawned
out and the walleye from mid-lake to the dam are just days away from
spawn. So if you are fishing up lake your walleye are in post
spawn and if you are mid to lower lake your walleye are
pre-spawn. Either way it is tough. Jerk baits are your best
bet for the next week to ten days. Suspending Rogues, X-Raps or
Lucky Craft Pointer 78’s are the best
baits.
Sugar Loaf Harbor said the water clarity is poor and the lake is at
normal level. Crappie are biting well on minnows and chartreuse and
blue tube jigs and swimming minnows in 15 feet of water just off the
banks. Bass are biting well on crankbaits and Carolina-rigged lizards
fished around the shallows. Bream and catfish are poor.
Lake Norfork: As
of Tuesday, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reports the lake’s
elevation at 544.20 feet MSL.
Cranfield Junction Quik Stop said the lake
is clear and still low. Bream are biting well in 10 to 15 feet of water
around brush and stumps. Red worms and crickets are catching the
majority of the bream. Crappie are biting well on Zig Jigs, NorFork
Jigs and Bobby Garland’s Swimming Minnow in 2 to 10 feet of water
around brush and rocks. Bass are biting well on flukes, tubes, lizards
and crankbaits fished in 3 to 15 feet of water. Stripers are biting
well on Jerkbaits, Reef Runners and flukes in the river arms during low
light. Walleye are biting well on Rogues, Rapala Shad Raps and Rapala X
Raps in shallow water during the evenings.
Ron & Debbie
Gamble,
Owners/Operators
Cotter Trout Dock
P.O. Box 96
Cotter, Arkansas 72626
Toll
Free: 800-447-7538 Local: 870-435-6525
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