(updated 3-31-2022) Cotter Trout Dock (870-435-6525)
said Bull Shoals Lake is on the rise after Wednesday’s
rainstorm. The lake was sitting at 659.26 feet msl;
expect an increase of at least a few feet in the next
week, which means continued generation at the dam. A
steady flow, whether high or low, makes for the best
fishing because the trout settle down and (we hope)
begin to pay attention to the baits you've chosen to
cast.
“Old fishing adage: You can't catch one if your line
isn't in the water, so come on over and drop a line
(6-pound test, green monofilament is a good start).
Local fishing adage: March is the best time to catch a
brown. This year's March made a believer out of me
–we're closing out the month with a bang. We've netted
more browns than rainbows some days, and the trout
we've netted have been healthy and are providing a lot
of action. Most were caught with a sculpin, but don't
leave the minnows at home. Shad is a great treat for
the browns, but it might be past prime as we move into
April. It might surprise you to find that a gold
Little Cleo hasn't lost its allure to the browns. We
saw a 32-inch brown caught off guard by a
quarter-ounce Cleo; netted, pictured and returned
before he knew he was out of the water.
“Use a heavier weight to float your baits nearer the
bottom in this deeper water we're expecting after
spring rains; cast near the banks where the trout
don't have to fight the current. We've had a lot of
success with spoons, in addition to the Cleo,
especially the red/bold Thomas Buoyant quarter-ounce
Spoon. Redworms have rewarded lots of anglers during
afternoon rises.
“The redbuds are blooming, the pear trees are decked
out in white buds and spring has sprung here in our
beautiful Ozark Mountain region of Arkansas. You're
invited to come join us.”
(updated 3-31-2022) Dave McCulley, owner of Jenkins
Fishing Service in Calico Rock, said it has been
another good week of fishing in the Calico Rock area.
“We have seen more brown trout caught this week in the
18- to 23-inch range, with a 15-pound 32-inch whopper
caught Sunday. It wasn’t unusual for guided fishing
trips to catch 50 or more trout in one day, allowing
the fisherman to be selective on the trout they put in
the live well. Sunrise and orange Power Eggs worked
well this week with and without gold or silver inline
spinners. If focusing on bigger fish, use sculpins.
Silver and rainbow-colored CD9 Rapala Countdowns had
success this week.
“This early spring weather has been chilly in the
morning and warming up during the day. Dress in layers
and be prepared for what Mother Nature might have in
store for the day. Most importantly, get out and enjoy
the beauty of the White River.”
(updated 3-31-2022) John Berry of Berry Brothers Guide
Service said that during the past week they had about
half-inch of rain in Cotter, warmer temperatures and
heavy winds (to include lake wind advisories). The
lake level at Bull Shoals remained steady at 0.2 foot
below power pool of 659 feet msl. This is 36.2 feet
below the top of flood pool. Upstream, Table Rock Lake
rose 0.9 foot to rest at 0.5 foot below power pool and
16.5 feet below the top of flood pool. Beaver Lake
rose 0.2 foot to rest at 0.4 foot below power pool or
10 feet below the top of flood pool. The White had no
wadable water. Norfork Lake remained steady at 0.8
foot below power pool of 553.75 feet msl and 27 feet
below the top of flood pool. The Norfork tailwater had
some wadable water for a few days.
John says, “Streamer season fishing is upon us. Now
that the brown trout spawn is over, they are moving
back to their regular locations. It is a good time to
target them. Fishing is best with heavy generation.
Bang the bank with big streamers on sink tip lines.
White is my current favorite color.”
On the White, the hot spot has been the State Park
below Bull Shoals Dam. There are still a few shad
coming through on occasion. The hot flies were Y2Ks,
prince nymphs, zebra midges (black with silver wire
and silver bead or red with silver wire and silver
bead), pheasant tails, copper Johns, pink and cerise
San Juan worms, gold-ribbed hare’s ears and sowbugs.
Double-fly nymph rigs have been very effective. Try an
orange egg with a size 18 purple zebra midge or a
girdle bug.
Remember that the White and North Fork rivers and Dry
Run Creek are infected with didymo, an invasive alga.
Thoroughly clean and dry your waders (especially the
felt soles on wading boots) before using them in any
other water. Many manufacturers are now making rubber
soled wading boots that are easier to clean and are
not as likely to harbor didymo.
(updated 3-24-2022) White River Trout Club
(870-453-2424) says the river flow is relatively
stable. Trout are good. Cloudy days are better on
midges and jigs around the bank. Four to five
generators have been running at the dam.
Bull Shoals Lake
As of Thursday, the Army Corps of Engineers reported
the lake’s elevation at 660.07 feet msl (normal
conservation pool: 659.00 feet msl; top flood
elevation is 695.00 feet msl). Total outflow from the
dam is 12,145 cfs. The reported lake elevation at
Table Rock Lake at 10 a.m. was 915.21 feet msl (normal
conservation pool: 915.00 feet msl; top flood
elevation is 931.0 feet msl).
(updated 3-31-2022) Del Colvin at Bull Shoals Lake
Boat Dock said his report this week is the same as
last week. Warmer temps have been good for bass
fishing. Generation has been steady. The deep bite is
going away. Shad are moving into the creeks if you’re
going to do it. Graph to look for shad and look for
loons. Fish a 2.8 Keitech on a quarter-ounce Ballhead,
or swim a grub/darter. Active diving loons will
trigger feeding. Jerkbait, Damiki Moon Eye and Rapala
Jigging Rap will work. As more fish move up and leave
the shad, crawfish are on the menu. Dragging a jig,
shaky head, Ned rig in green pumpkin variations in
5-20 feet on secondary points or in channel swings.
Fish in the spots leading to spawning areas. Over the
next couple of weeks, key in on areas outside of
spawning areas, around south-facing pockets; creeks
with stain are doing a little better. Temps rise and
fish are seeing red. Rock Crawlers or Wiggle Warts on
windy or steeper ledges and nasty rock transitions
with stained water and wind. If you find warm, stained
runoff, use a bright spinnerbait, Chatterbait or
square bill.
White bass and walleye are spawning. Fish the
conditions.
Visit Del’s YouTube site (Bull Shoals Lake Boat Dock)
for more information and tips on fishing Bull Shoals
Lake.
Norfork Lake
As of Thursday, the Army Corps of Engineers reported
the lake’s elevation at 555.09 feet msl (normal
conservation pool: Sept.-April, 553.75 feet msl;
April-Sept. 555.75 feet msl; top flood elevation 580.0
feet msl). Total outflow from Norfork Dam is 6,006
cfs.
(updated 3-31-2022) Steven “Scuba Steve” Street at
Blackburn’s Resort said the lake level Wednesday was
is 552.97 feet msl and had risen a half-inch in the
last 24 hours. “They run both generators for a few
days, cut to one for a couple of days and have now
completely quit since (Tuesday) night. The White River
at Newport is at 19 feet and dropping. They always
seem to quit generating when it rains and we are to
get 1-2 inches (Wednesday).
“The lake level has actually been very stable for the
last several weeks. The water color is still stained
green and you can see your lure down about 2-3 feet,
and it is clearer near the bank but the wind is
keeping everything stirred up. The surface water
temperature was 53 (Tuesday) afternoon and it has also
been stable or hovering around that also for several
weeks, but is creeping up. The wind has been incessant
all week and has made it hard to fish the main lake.
Some male crappie have moved to the backs of creeks
and are staging for spawn, but there has been no
evidence of either bass or crappie making nests yet. I
found some schools of crappie on main lake points on
brush from 18-25 feet but it has been hard to stay on
them in the wind. If you use the anchor on your
trolling motor to stay on the brush, it continues to
hunt and spooks the fish. Go against the wind and use
the motor as sparingly as possible, especially on the
shallower fish.
“Bass are on the same brush but are on the bottom and
they are mostly Kentucky bass. Tap the bottom with
your spoon or creature bait while vertical-jigging.
“Some stripers are schooled after the spawn simulation
and trollers are catching them on shad but are working
hard to find them. Crappie are wanting to spawn bad
and bass are a little behind them. Some warm weather
and warm nights will bring everything along. All of
March has been windy with cold fronts coming through
every week slowing fishing but not stopping it. I am
glad April is coming but it brings storms. Stable
water levels bring good spawns.
For a daily fishing report and lake condition go to
www.blackburnsresort.com and click on Scuba Steve's
Blog.
(updated 3-24-2022) Lou Gabric at Hummingbird Hideaway
Resort said Norfork Lake has had some fishing ups and
downs due to the ever-changing weather patterns. But
overall, the bite continues to be good for most
species. Yes, you do have to look for bait to find the
species that follow the bait fish, but typically once
you find the bait, the fish will not be far away. The
bait moves from very shallow water out to deep water
then the cycle begins again.
Striped and hybrid bass are being found all over the
lake. “Today I found them in the back of a medium-size
cove where the strong southwest wind was blowing
straight in. There were big schools of bait at the
mouth of the cove, but once I passed the points of the
cove, I found that the bait was scattered out. The
fish were in 15-25 feet of water feeding on shad. The
fun part of this area was that the largemouth, spotted
and white bass were all feeding heavily on the
surface. I also located a few scattered out
striped/hybrid bass in 60 feet of water just outside
of the main river channel. The bait was scattered out
so, of course, the fish were scattered out as well. I
am catching the shallower stripers either by casting
out a small 3.5-inch paddle tail swimbait or a
Kastmaster with a feather trailer. I have been
catching all species on these two baits when I find
them in relatively shallow water. The deeper stripers,
I have been vertical-jigging a 3-inch plastic jig, but
you can vertical-jig a spoon.”
As stated above, the bass are getting very energetic.
Topwater action is starting and will only get better
as the water temperature continues to warm. This will
happen when the cool fronts stop and the area starts
getting some stable weather. Crankbaits, swimbaits,
spinners, A-rigs and topwater baits are all working.
After a rain, head back into creeks that have some
flowing water and you will find some nice bass.
Crappie have started to school on tops of brush and
are starting to roam back into their spawning areas.
“This is the time when I start trolling Berkley
Flicker Minnows in size 7 and 9. Find a cove that has
a lot of brushpiles and start trolling throughout the
cove. You will pick up some really nice fish. There
will still be some crappie in the brush, typically on
the tops of the brush. Use a small plastic jig. Live
bait drifted over the brush is also working great.
“This is a great time of year to catch most species in
Norfork Lake.”
The surface water temperature was close to 53 degrees.
The water level is rising slowly due the rain last
weekend. The current level is 553.38 feet msl. The
water is stained due to the rain, but is a great
fishing color.
“I post almost daily on Facebook. If you want more
frequent information please visit and like Hummingbird
Hideaway Resort’s Facebook page. Happy Fishing and
enjoy Norfork Lake.”
Norfork Tailwater
(updated 3-31-2022) John Berry of Berry Brothers Guide
Service in Cotter (870-435-2169) said Norfork Lake
remained steady at 0.8 foot below power pool of 553.75
feet msl and 27 feet below the top of flood pool. The
Norfork tailwater had some wadable water for a few
days.
John says, “Streamer season fishing is upon us. Now
that the brown trout spawn is over, they are moving
back to their regular locations. It is a good time to
target them. Fishing is best with heavy generation.
Bang the bank with big streamers on sink tip lines.
White is my current favorite color.”
There has been some wadable water on the Norfork
during the day and it fished poorly. The most
productive flies have been small midge patterns like
zebra midges (black or red with silver wire and silver
bead). Grasshoppers have produced fish, particularly
when used in conjunction with a small nymph dropper
(try a size 20 black zebra midge). 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). The fishing is
much better in the morning and late afternoon and
tapers off midday.
Dry Run Creek has fished particularly well. Weekends
can get a quite crowded. The hot flies have been
sowbugs and various colored San Juan worms (worm
brown, red, hot fluorescent pink and cerise). Small
orange or peach eggs have been very effective. Carry a
large net, as most fish are lost at the net.
Remember that the White and North Fork rivers and Dry
Run Creek are infected with didymo, an invasive alga.
Thoroughly clean and dry your waders (especially the
felt soles on wading boots) before using them in any
other water. Many manufacturers are now making rubber
soled wading boots that are easier to clean and are
not as likely to harbor didymo.
John also said, “I write a lot about fishing on Dry
Run Creek. The reason is simple. I love teaching
people, and children especially, how to fish, and
there is no better place to do this than Dry Run
Creek. The stream is small and easily waded and the
fish are huge. My key to success has always been close
personal attention.
“Last week a repeat customer moved me out of my
comfort zone. He wanted me to guide his three
grandchildren aged 10-15. Normally when this happens I
get my wife, Lori, to help me. Unfortunately she was
in Kansas City attending a dog show with our Labrador
retrievers (our male, Ghillie had a major win). Now
when you are guiding three kids at once, one is
tangled, one has their fly in a tree, and one is
fighting a trophy rainbow.
“Granddad had fished with me before and agreed to keep
an eye on his 12-year-old grandson, Luke, and net his
fish. All I had to do was put him in a good spot, rig
his rod and deal with tangles and lost flies. Luke had
fished with me before and is a good angler; he would
not require much attention.
“Granddad wanted me to concentrate on Lattie, his
15-year-old granddaughter. She is on the cross country
track team and loves to hunt and fish. She wanted to
fish Dry Run Creek before she turns 16 this year. Her
dad accompanied us to assist.
“Kayliegh, the 10-year-old granddaughter, was to join
us later in the day with her mother and grandmother
when it warmed up. She was not as interested in
fishing as the others. I was to help her once Lattie
got the hang of it.
“I got Luke started and then took Lattie to a nearby
spot. She was a natural. She was into fish immediately
and took instruction well. She landed a trophy rainbow
and several large trout.
“Kayliegh arrived and I began working with her. I had
her on a good spot where Lattie had been fishing, and
moved Lattie to a nearby spot that was fishing well,
where I could watch them both. I was coaching Kayliegh
and she began picking up the technique. Luke showed
up. He had lost his fly. As I was repairing his rig,
Lattie hooked a nice fish. I sent dad to assist. Then
Kayliegh hooked a trophy trout. The net was with dad.
I called to him to hurry up and get the net to me.
This was Kayliegh’s first trout and it was important
to land it. It was also a trophy. I carefully coached
her and she performed flawlessly. I got the net and
scooped the trout.
“Though it got busy at times, they all landed at least
one trophy and had a great time doing it. Life is
good!”
Buffalo National River/Crooked Creek
(updated 3-31-2022) John Berry of Berry Brothers Guide
Service in Cotter (870-435-2169) said Crooked Creek
and the Buffalo River are still navigable. With colder
temperatures, the smallmouths are not active. The most
effective fly has been a tan and brown Clouser minnow.
Carefully check the water level before entering
Crooked Creek or the Buffalo River. There are no dams
on these streams. They both have large drainages and
are prone to flooding during and following any rain
event. The water can rise very quickly.
