More reports and other videos are on the Cotter
Trout Dock Youtube Channel Page.
Below is the Arkansas Game and Fish Fishing Report
March 30, 2016. Bull Shoals Lake
As of Wednesday, the Army Corps of Engineers reports the
lake’s elevation at 663.15 feet msl (normal conservation
pool – 659.00 msl).
(updated 6-22-2016) K Dock Marina (417-334-2880)
reported the fishing has been a little tougher after
this last week of extreme heat. The surface temp around
our area is already at 88 degrees! Pretty hot for the
middle of June. The water is clear to stained. Start
fishing your deeper summer patterns for walleye and
crappie. Bass are still good on a variety of jigs and
lures. Also, keep in mind that the boat launch at the
end of K Highway is almost completely under water. With
the new seasonal pool now set at 662.00 feet msl, their
boat launch and access road is a thing of the past.
Frustrating to think that fishermen and recreational
boaters living in and visiting the Branson area will
struggle to find an access onto Bull Shoals Lake. Black
bass are good on topwater early mornings and evenings.
Also good on jigs, plastics in the brush and big worms.
Walleye are fair on deep-diving crankbaits and
bottom-bouncing nightcrawlers. Crappie is slow to fair
on live minnows at 15-20 feet deep.
(updated 6-15-2016) Bull Shoals Boat Dock said the lake
rose a few feet earlier in the month. There is a lot of
brush in the water up to 5 feet around the shoreline.
The water temperature is higher then normal. It is in
the low 70s to mid-80s around the lake depending on
where you take it. That is a little higher then normal.
The water is still fairly clear. There seems to be a
thermocline forming around the 18-22-foot level, which
is normal for this time of year. Bass fishing is still
great. Most of the reports are good with topwater bite
the most reported. Then weedless plastics in and around
the brush in shallow water. This should change to deeper
fishing fairly soon during the day with the water
temperatures rising. Walleye fishing hasn't been the
best. They have not seen many caught or at least getting
reports of many. Not sure why either, because it is
usually very good this time of year. It was good March,
April and the first two weeks of May but has slowed down
since the middle of May. The patterns that follow are
still catching some. Not much else to report. For bass,
use crankbaits, Swimming Minnow plastics, spinnerbaits,
jigs, french fry worms, Carolina rigged plastics, stick
baits and topwater. Yes thats right! Just about anything
you want to throw. For walleye, trolling deep-diving
baits is working in 15-20 feet of water, bottom bouncing
with nightcrawlers, slow retrieval of a spoon, slow
retrieval of a split shot and nightcrawler. To catch
white bass, troll with crankbaits, cast with swimbaits
and small jigs or try night fishing with lights. They
are seeing lots of crappie being caught. The main
pattern being reported is swimming an 1/8-ounce to
1/64-ounce jig just off the bottom along the shoreline.
They are spawning so they are not grouped up. You might
have to fish a lot of shoreline to catch a bunch.
White River (Bull Shoals Tailwater)
(updated 6-22-2016) Sportsman’s White River Resort
(870-453-2424) reported the trout bite was excellent the
past week. From 2 to 8 generators were running, and the
water was clear. Try power bait or stink worms.
(updated 6-22-2016) Ron Gamble at Cotter Trout Dock said
Bull Shoals Dam has been generating more power this past
week, so by late afternoon or early evening, Cotter sees
an extra 2.5 to 3 feet of water. Generation then
gradually slows to less than one unit and by early
morning the level is fairly low and nicely floatable.
Very fish-able. They’ve had some nice catches this week,
healthy rainbows and several more cutthroats brought to
the boat, posed for pictures and released. Olive and
ginger, black, and tri-olive jig Zig Jigs captured some
browns and a cutthroat or two, as well as rainbows this
past week. Spoons, spoons and more spoons. Silver Cleos,
gold Cleos, red/gold Thomas Bouyants, blue-silver Cleos
and Thomas Bouyants, and the Colorados continue to catch
trout. Shrimp, tied on with power bait (yellow, white,
sunrise, orange, pink) does the trick, as well as
crawdad tails. (They've had some luck with the
store-bought variety of crawfish when trapping live ones
isn't productive.) Summer is in full swing; temperatures
rising; be careful.
(updated 6-22-2016) John Berry at Berry Brothers Guide
Service (870-453-2424) ) said one rain event dropped a
half-inch on Cotter last week, followed by hot
temperatures (to include heat advisories) and moderate
winds. The lake level at Bull Shoals fell 0.1 of a foot
to rest at 1.5 feet above seasonal power pool of 661.9
feet. This 31.6 feet below the top of flood pool.
Upstream, Table Rock fell 0.3 feet to rest at 0.5 feet
below seasonal power pool and 14.5 feet below the top of
flood pool. Beaver Lake fell 0.3 to rest at 0.5 feet
below seasonal power pool and 9.1 feet below the top of
flood pool. On the White, they had moderate generation
last week with wade-able water most days. Berry reports
they have had a lot of low wade-able water that has
fished well. The hot flies were olive Woolly Buggers
(sizes 8, 10), Y2Ks (sizes 14, 12), prince nymphs (size
14), zebra midges (black with silver wire and silver
bead or red with silver wire and silver bead sizes 16,
18), pheasant tails (size 14), ruby midges (size 18),
root beer midges (size 18), pink and cerise San Juan
worms (size 10), and sowbugs (size 16). Double fly nymph
rigs have been very effective (Berry’s current favorite
is a size 18 pink San Juan worm with a ruby midge
suspended below it). When he sees top water activity but
no insects, he’ll fish with a partridge and orange. When
trout are taking adults from the top, he switches over
to a sulphur parachute. Berry says that at Blue Ribbon
Fly Shop they have been getting a lot of requests from
customers to have a beginner’s fly-tying class. Berry
and his assistant manager, Henry Seay, are avid
fly-tyers, although he thinks Henry is more involved in
fly-tying. Whenever Seay is working in the shop, he is
at the fly-tying desk, unless waiting on a customer.
They are also both supporters of Trout Unlimited White
River Chapter No. 698. Therefore they decided to hold a
beginner’s fly-tying class and donate the proceeds from
the class to Trout Unlimited. Seay would teach the
class. He has been fly fishing for over 65 years and has
been tying flies for over 20. After retiring from the
Sony Corp., he owned and operated the OK Angler fly shop
in Oklahoma City for several years. He then moved to
Phoenix, where he honed his midging skills at Lee’s
Ferry and the San Juan River. Since moving here 11 years
ago, Henry has been a fly fishing guide, a commercial
fly-tyer and has worked in several local fly shops. He
has more experience in running a fly shop than Berry has
but now wants to spend more time on stream fishing. He
has also served as the Youth Educational Director for
the White River chapter of Trout Unlimited No. 698. Bob
Krause, a local commercial fly-tyer, will assist. The
class will be held on Thursdays throughout July at Blue
Ribbon Fly Shop (1343 E. Ninth St., Mountain Home) from
6 p.m. until 7:30 p.m. The cost is a $35 donation to
Trout Unlimited, a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization
(therefore it is tax deductable). The class is designed
with the neophyte tyer with no experience whatsoever in
mind. Bring a fly-tying vise, a bobbin, a spool of
fly-tying thread and a pair of fly-tying scissors. Some
loaner equipment is available and the shop will be open
during the class in case you need to buy something. To
register, call (870) 425-0447 during normal business
hours (8 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday through Saturday) or stop by
the shop.
Norfork Lake
As of Wednesday, the Army Corps of Engineers reports the
lake’s elevation at 556.80 feet msl (normal conservation
pool: September-April – 553.75 msl, April-September –
552.00 msl).(updated 6-22-2016) Tom Reynolds of STR
Outfitters said the lake is HOT, the lake temperature is
87 degrees and climbing, this usually happens in late
July and August but summer weather has started early.
You can find stripers as shallow as 40 feet and as deep
as 80 feet. Most of the fish I’m catching are holding
between 30 and 40’ right now. I start off in 70 to 80
feet of water and move up into the 40 to 50’ after the
sun comes. It’s a reverse of what normally happens,
shallow then deep. I do not believe this pattern will
last long, most of the fish will be caught in the 50 to
60’ as the month progresses. Stripers continue being
caught at the Hwy 62 bridge and Robinson Point. On the
south end of the lake the stripers are appearing on the
deep side of the points, they are also in the deep
channels and bays that butt a bluff. I’m still using
gizzard shad that range in length from 5 to 10”. I had a
call from Iowa about setting up a striper trip for
Father’s Day. Mike wanted to take his dad John who is 80
years old out along with Mike’s two sons, Ross and
Reese. We set up for last Sunday and we left the dock at
4:15 AM. The day before I had taken out a father, son,
and grandson group and we caught 10 stripers in 1 ½
hours so I was pretty confident that we would really
catch the fish. Boy was I wrong, we went to the fist 2
places where 10 or more stripers were caught the day
before and we had no bites for over 2.1/2 hours. By now
I was in full stress mode and all I could say that we
should catch fish since I could see them on the graph.
At the third spot we hit pay dirt. The float line went
down and I set the hook and gave the rod to John. The
fish was too strong so I worked with John and we finally
boated the striper and it was 14 pounds. Everybody was
smiling but that was only one fish and I needed more.
The float when down again and this time Mike took the
rod and we boated his striper and it was 12 lbs. We
hooked another one but lost it to the trolling motor.
The last one came when nobody was watching the poles.
That fish went under the boat and caught most of lines
and then took off for deep water. We got the lines
untangled and Reese boated at 17-pound striper. It was a
long morning but it turned out great when three
generations all caught fish. Be sure to read our Summer
Striper tactics, the article can be found on the
FishNorforkLake.com website.
(updated 6-22-2016) Guide Steve Olomon said the lake
level is 557.1 feet msl and the water temperature is in
the mid-80s. Look for stripers down 35-60 feet deep.
They can be close to the bottom in 35 feet depth or they
can be suspended in 100 feet. Check the deep side of
points and close to the creek channels in the creeks.
They had a few small stripers in the 2-4-pound range and
some hybrids about 4-6 pounds coming up hitting Zara
Spooks in a creek while they were sitting in 55 feet.
There were a few whites, large mouth and some smallies
mixed in. Steve and his group hit another spot and got
into a few spotted bass. They were not coming up
chasing, they just came up and hit the spooks in Big
Creek. The group caught a few stripers and a couple
hybrids on jigging spoons suspended at 30 feet in about
55 feet of water. F or more information on the area and
lake visit www.LakeNorforkFun.com.
(updated 6-15-2016) Lou Gabric at Hummingbird Hideaway
Resort saidstriped bass fishing continues to be very
good. They have migrated to their beginning-of-summer
pattern. The striped bass are deeper and are being
caught 30-50 feet down in all different water depths.
Lou has caught them on the bottom in 40 feet of water
and also suspended in 100 feet of water. Early one
morning this week he fished with his daughter and oldest
granddaughter. They ended up landing eight striped and
hybrid bass in two different types of areas. One area
was partway back in a creek and the second was on a main
lake point. The two biggest fish were 23-pound and
16-pound striped bass, with hybrids up to 9 pounds and
other stripers up to 10 pounds. All but three fish were
released, as three would not swim away. Live bait is
working the best for, but he’s fishing with his
grandkids and artificial bait makes fishing a little
more difficult. All sizes of live bait are working from
3-inch threadfin shad on up to 9-inch gizzards. Vertical
jigging with a spoon is also starting to work. Find the
stripers on your electronics and drop a spoon to the
fish and start jigging up and down. If you get into a
large school of fish and they don't hit it while
jigging, drop it through them, then reel up though the
school and be ready for a fish to attack the bait. But
in his experience they typically hit it on the fall.
Trollers are also doing good dragging umbrella rigs or
swim baits. The main thing is to make sure your bait is
25-45 feet deep or just above the fish you are marking
on your graph.
Topwater for striped bass has stopped, but hybrid bass
are still coming up early in the morning close to points
partway back into creeks. He’s finding hybrids in the
same locations as the stripers but they are feeding much
higher in the water column, from the surface down to 20
feet deep. Topwater baits and swimbaits are working well
for artificial baits. Live bait is also very good by
pitching them free-line, meaning with no weight. Best
places to fish for stripers and hybrids are from the
mouths of Big Creek and Brushy Creek to the dam as well
as from the Bidwell area to the dam. Yes, they are
scattered throughout the entire lake.
Largemouth and spotted bass fishing has also been good.
You will find topwater action early in the morning until
sunrise in the same locations as the stripers, then
again in the late afternoon right before sunset. In the
morning, once the sun gets above the tree line they will
go down, so start working the bottom from 10 feet out to
30 feet deep with your plastics or jigs. You can also
work bush piles in the 20-30 feet depth and catch some
quality fish.
Lou says he’s been having too much fun striper fishing
to go out crappie fishing, but anglers have been told
him you can find some nice fish on brush in 20-30 feet
of water back in the creeks. If you are staying at an
area with a large boat dock that has some brush under it
you can catch some really nice crappie pretty much all
day long, when they decide to feed. His dock is
producing some good fish in the 13-16-inch range.
The lake level continues to rise slowly and currently
sits at 556.98 feet msl. Minimal power generation is
occurring during the day and evening. The lake surface
water temperature is in low to mid-80s, but varies
depending on the location in the lake. The main lake is
clear on the surface and the creeks and coves are
stained but appear to be trying to clear. He’s heard a
thermocline is forming, but he’s not seen evidence of
it. If it hasn’t formed, he said, it will shortly with
the warm temperatures.
North Fork River (Norfork Tailwater)
(updated 6-22-2016) Berry Brothers Guide Service
(870-453-2424) said the lake rose 2.6 feet to rest at
0.5 feet above seasonal power pool of 556.65 feet and
22.9 feet below the top of flood pool. On the Norfork,
they had wade-able water most days. The Norfork has
fished better lately. The most productive flies have
been small midge patterns (#18, #20, #22) like ruby
midges, root beer midges, zebra midges (black or red
with silver wire and silver bead) and soft hackles (#14,
#16) like the green butt. Egg patterns have also been
productive. Double fly nymph rigs have been very
effective. Try a small bead headed nymph (zebra midge,
copper John or pheasant tail) suspended 18 inches below
a brightly colored San Juan worm (hot fluorescent pink
or cerise No. 10). There have been reliable hatches of
small midges (try a size 24 Adams parachute) and caddis
(try a size 18 elk hair caddis). The fishing is better
in the morning and late afternoon and tapers off midday.
My favorite fly has been the green butt. Dry Run Creek
will be very busy, with summer vacation, in full swing.
It is cleared and fished well. There is another phase of
the project to repair the Norfork National Fish Hatchery
now going on. Access to the creek is not impaired. The
hot flies have been sowbugs (No. 14), Y2Ks (No. 12) and
various colored San Juan worms (worm brown, red, hot
fluorescent pink and cerise No. 10). While you are at
the creek you should visit the Norfork National Fish
Hatchery. It is fascinating. Be sure and remove your
waders before entering to prevent the spread of aquatic
diseases.
Buffalo National River
(updated 6-15-2016) Berry Brothers Guide Service
(870-453-2424) saidthat with the weather warming,
smallmouths are more active. My favorite fly is a
Clouser minnow. Carefully check the water level before
entering the river. There are no dams and the river is
prone to flooding during and following any rain event.
The water can rise very quickly.
Crooked Creek
(updated 6-15-2016) John Berry of Berry Brothers Guide
Service (870-453-2424) said the river is navigable. Try
his favorite lure for smallmouths, the Clouser minnow.
Carefully check the water level before entering. There
are no dams, there are large drainages and the creek
prone to flooding during and following any rain event.
The water can rise very quickly.
