White River
Sportsman’s White River Resort
(870-453-2424) said the water is clear and low with up to three
generators running in the evening. Trout fishing is excellent,
especially with PowerBait. Lots of rainbows have been caught. Seven- to
9-pound browns have been caught with small spoons, small spinners and
Lit’l Fishies. Fly-fishermen are having good results with midges and
woolly buggers.
Jim Brentlinger at
Linger’s Guide Service and Fishing Lodge(870-499-5185)
had this report for Buffalo City to Red’s Landing: The river has been
as low as most have ever seen it. That presents some challenges but also
offers opportunities. Be innovative; make one-way trips and shuttle
your vehicle accordingly. Take your time and fish the obvious holes that
are created by the drastically low water. The fish will congregate in
these holes and success will be yours. Light jigs, PowerBaits and your
favorite spinner will work very well. Hire a guide who is familiar with
the situation and enjoy the outcome.
Triangle Sports
(870-793-7122) said the river is clear and low. Bream are fair on
crickets. No report on crappie. Bass are fair with crankbaits and
spinners. Catfish are fair with stinkbait. Walley are fair with
crankbaits.
Buffalo River
Just Fishing Guides said
as of Wednesday, Ponca was very low at 1.6 feet, Pruitt was very low at
3.6 feet, Tyler Bend was low at 3.6 feet and Buffalo Point was low at
2.8 feet. Water temperature was averaging in the upper 70s. The river
level is extremely low for floating; the water is clear. Floating is OK
below Buffalo Point; not too much dragging.
Crooked Creek
Just Fishing Guides said the gauge at Kelley’s Slab was reading 9.9 feet Wednesday, a good level for wade fishing.
Bull Shoals Lake
As of Wednesday, the Army Corps of Engineers reports the lake’s elevation at 654 feet msl (normal conservation pool – 654 msl).
Mike Worley’s Guide Service said
the water temperature is 80 degrees. Walleye and bass are biting night
crawlers fished on bottom bouncers about 15 feet deep. Crankbaits are
working at that depth, too. White bass are biting anything that looks
like a shad. Catfish are in shallow water (5-20 feet) and are biting cut
bait and night crawlers. Night fishing is good for walleyes by casting
crankbaits on main lake points and bass, using jigs and plastic worms.
Bull Shoals Tailwater
Just Fishing Guides said
trout tailwaters have been experiencing low, wadeable water each and
every day. Good fish have been caught on the White, Norfork and Little
Red. If you are not up to a daylong wade trip and want to go for some
good trout, contact a guide with a drift boat; we don’t need a lot of
water to get to those spots far from the accesses and crowds.
Lake Norfork
As of Tuesday, the Army Corps of Engineers reports the lake’s
elevation at 551 feet msl (normal conservation pool: September-April –
552 msl, April-September – 554 msl).
STR Outfitters Tom
Reynolds said the last three days the striper bite has been great. The
stripers have started their summer pattern holding in 20-50 feet of
water suspended between 20-30 feet. Sunday was a slow day but several
other people caught their limits. The evening bite was strong over the
weekend. We caught 12 stripers, which included a 20-pounder and a
21-pounder, which was released. The fish were caught in 32-38 feet of
water on flats; they moved up on the flats to feed as the sun set.
Hummingbird Hideaway Resort Lou
Gabric said Norfork Lake fishing is in a transition period with fish
going from their spring pattern to their summer pattern. This basically
means fish are moving to deeper, cooler water. Largemouth bass,
smallmouth bass, spotted bass, crappie and walleye have moved out to 20-
to 28-foot depths and the striped bass have moved even deeper. This
doesn’t mean fishing is harder; it just means you need to change your
fishing tactics. In fact, warm-weather fishing is often easier because
some species start to school. The striped bass bite has started to get
very good. I am finding large schools of fish in 30-50 feet of water
and, on occasion, they are suspended in 100+ feet of water. I have been
using live shad, but large shiners will also work. I am finding stripers
along bluff lines close to a point. Concentrate on main lake points;
big flats are holding fish, too. They are 35-40 feet down in 35 to 50+
feet of water. Smallmouth, largemouth and spotted bass are in the 20- to
28-foot range of water, typically hugging the bottom. I have caught
fish on the banks throwing a Wiggle Wart, but all the fish I have caught
this way have been small. The bigger bass have moved out to deeper
water. I am finding bass in similar locations as the stripers, but
closer to the shore. Main lake points are still the best and, if they
have brush on them, even better. Jig and pigs, swimming minnows, grubs
and other plastics are good choices at this time; work back to the boat
slowly along the bottom. Of course, if you like using live bait, your
numbers of fish caught should increase. Some top-water action is still
occurring early in the mornings. Walleye are in the same locations as
the bass: main lake points. Slow trolling and drifting a night crawler
harness are producing nice fish.
Guide Steve Olomon said
the lake level is about a foot below normal and the water temp is in
the mid to upper 70s. Bass are hitting top-water baits early in the
morning. They will hit on just about any top-water bait you throw to
them. Look for stripers down around 30 feet and get your bait down to
where you see them. A few walleye are hitting crankbaits on points just
before dark, along with some smallmouth. You have to keep looking
because one night they are there and gone the next. Find baitfish and
you'll improve your chances of getting bites.
Campground News: Jordan
Campground on Norfork Lake is open April 1-Oct. 1 and managed by Jordan
Marina. Formerly run by the Army Corps of Engineers, Jordan Campground
is a favorite of families camping on the south end of Norfork Lake and
is the gateway to Sand Island and Jordan area beaches. This area also is
a favorite of scuba divers, with 30 dive sites within 2 miles of the
campground. Jordan Campground has 41 RV and tent sites; sites with
50-amp service and 30-amp service are available for $20 per night. The
campground, adjacent to Jordan Marina, also features a swimming beach,
picnic pavilion, boat launch and two restrooms. For more information,
call (870) 499-7223 or Jordan Marina at (870) 499-7348.
Norfork Tailwater
Randy Oliver at
www.randyoliverguide.com (901-832-1903)
Just Fishing Guides said trout
tailwaters have been experiencing low, wadeable water each and every
day. Good fish have been caught on the White, Norfork and Little Red. If
you are not up to a daylong wade trip and want to go for some good
trout, contact a guide with a drift boat; we don’t need a lot of water
to get to those spots far from the accesses and crowds.
