Cotter Trout Dock Weekly Fishing Report

  April 10, 2024

More reports and other videos are on the Cotter Trout Dock Youtube Channel Page.
Below is the Arkansas Game and Fish Fishing Report April 10, 2024.

White River

(updated 4-11-2024) Cotter Trout Dock (870-435-6525) said Bull Shoals Lake elevation is 657.82 feet msl and slowly dropping farther below power pool. The gauge level at Newport will change this week as it does each spring; the Army Corps of Engineers and the Southwestern Power Administration have decreased generation amounts to as low as minimum flow, although most days have been around 1 unit (3,000 cfs) consistently before a rise in the river level by mid-afternoon near Cotter.

The brown trout bite has been great in this lower water with many 19 to 21 inch browns being reeled in each day. The low water and sucker/carp spawn even fooled some browns and bigger rainbows into snatching at Sunrise PowerBait sometimes combined with shrimp.

Rainbows have been biting just about any worm, artificial or live: Don’t discount the live worms for catching great rainbows–red wigglers are a natural food source for trout in the White and will always be a great fallback bait to keep on hand.

Hefty hatches have been popping up giving our fly anglers a run; try the super midge and some sparkling caddis flies. Red/silver midges have proven successful and peach egg patterns are also doing well.

We had a perfect day for viewing the 2024 Solar Eclipse–sunshine and shirt-sleeve weather in Cotter. The crowds were friendly, traffic was more than manageable and everybody was impressed by the celestial wonder. Reports about fishing were surprising: we all expected a better bite during the dimmer minutes, but the opposite occurred–fishing slowed down some. It’s great to always be so close to nature at its best. That’s the Natural State advantage!

(updated 4-11-2024) Dave McCulley, owner of Jenkins Fishing Service in Calico Rock, said the river conditions have been almost perfect the last week and the fishing has reflected the river conditions. The brown trout bite has been tremendous. We have seen numerous 18-inch-plus brown trout caught to include one over 26 inches. The most effective lures were crankbaits similar to a Rapala CD5 in rainbow trout or brook trout. Other lures resulting in good fish, either brown trout or rainbow trout, were quarter-ounce Colorado spoons in nickel/gold or Little Cleo in gold. Drift-fishing with Uncommon Baits UV neo pink eggs with corn worked well. 

The storms Wednesday night into Thursday may dump up to 2 inches of rain in the area. This will likely cause the Buffalo River to rise and the next few days the river would be dingy at best and muddy at worst. Once the creeks clear up, fishing in the creeks with corn should work well. The river was a great place to view the total eclipse Monday. 

 

Bull Shoals Lake
For the Army Corps of Engineers’ real-time outflow report from Bull Shoals Dam, visit the Corps’ Little Rock office website.

(updated 4-11-2024) Fishing guide Del Colvin at Bull Shoals Lake said Wednesday that the lake level is 657 feet msl. Water temperature is ranging 56 degrees to mid-60s, give or take depending on your location. Black bass are in prespawn, and overall bass fishing has been good; everyone is starting to catch them but it will definitely slow down after a cold front like we’ve had this week. 

Be sure to fish the conditions — if it is cloudy and windy you can still powerfish. Guys are putting away deeper crankbaits for square bills, spinnerbaits and Chatterbaits. It’s been a very windy spring, putting some color in the water. We’re covering water on windblown transitions, banks and swings. If it’s flat and sunny, target swing, points and secondary points with a Jewel Peewee Jig in green pumpkin. Also if it gets tough, try a green pumpkin or Puke Tube, and a C-rig or a shaky head and a Ned rig are all working. Green pumpkin orange/red variants are the best colors. Target swings or points or secondary points close to spawning areas in the creeks or bays. On tough days or with clear water you’re going to want to keep the boat out deep, 25-30 feet, and slow down. In the dirty water you can get real skinny if it’s warm. The shad balls are definitely broken up, so if you’re fishing open water you’re going to have to pay attention — a lot of fish are moving into pockets. If shad are present, try a 2.8 swimbait, a fluke or Tater Shad 2.8 all in white or natural shad colors.
“Everyone is starting to catch ’em, so go get out there and do your thing! Fish the conditions!”

Del regularly posts new YouTube videos. Visit his YouTube site (Bull Shoals Lake Fishing Report) for more information and tips on fishing Bull Shoals Lake.

(updated 4-11-2024) Southernwalleye Guide Service reports that walleyes are for the most part done spawning on the lower lake section. They have still been spotting and catching males at night on main lake and secondary points on jerkbaits. If trolling, try stick baits slow and shallow just before dark and after daybreak in 8-14 feet water. Slide out to deeper water, 20-30 feet, after daylight. 

If fishing at night, try casting shallow-diving jerkbaits or small shad-style baits fished slowly with a jerk-and-pause retrieve. They have been spotting and catching most fish tight up against the shoreline. They have also caught fish on white 2.8-inch swimbaits after daylight targeting 15-25 feet, fishing as close to bottom as possible. 

(updated 4-11-2024) Crappie 101 Guide Service reports that crappie are mostly staged on shallow brush now and the males are blackening up nicely. Swimming a one-sixteenth-ounce or one-eighth-ounce jig with a small fry bait or the Tater Baits Thump minnow right over top of the brush has been working, as well as minnows and bobbers. We’re getting close, barring any cold weather setbacks.

 

Norfork Lake
For the Army Corps of Engineers’ real-time outflow report from Norfork Dam, visit the Corps’ Little Rock office website. 

(updated 4-11-2024) Steven “Scuba Steve” Street at Blackburn’s Resort and Boat Rental said the lake level was 553.78 feet msl and right at the top of the power pool of 553.75 feet msl as of Wednesday afternoon with the one operating generator running about half the time. It was starting to rain at 1 p.m. Wednesday, with some heavy rain possible last night (after this report was submitted). The level has been very steady for several months and it will be a good spawn if it stays that way for just a few more weeks. Surface water temperature is 58-59 degrees and is not rising very fast, but will later this month. 

The topwater bite for stripers and bass usually starts by April 15. The water is very clear and Scuba Steve said he could see his lure down 10-12 feet on the main lake and 6-7 feet in the creeks. It is very clear near the shore and some bass are staging there. The bass bite is best right now on 3-inch creature baits on a one-eighth-ounce jighead, but Chatterbaits are also working.
The lake overall is in excellent condition and at a good level, but fishing is just fair yet some good ones are being caught every day. The water just needs to warm up a bit with some warm nights and things will really start to happen.

Visit blackburnsresort.com and click on Scuba Steve’s blog for daily updates and more information. 

(updated 4-4-2024) Lou Gabric at Hummingbird Hideaway Resort said that Tuesday was a fun morning of fishing on Norfork Lake. “I waited until the radar was clear of thunderstorms and made it out on the lake at around 4 a.m. The light rain was not over, but there was no thunder or lightning in the area anymore. Warm weather and virtually no wind — just how I like it when I am fishing in the dark. I started on a main lake point on the shallow side of the lake. I had caught several short walleyes in this area yesterday morning. This morning nothing was happening so I moved across the lake close to where the channel was swinging into a small cut in the rocks. I was sitting in more than 60 feet of water. I was casting in toward the shoreline using a 3.5-inch Paddle Tail Swimbait in a Sexy Shad color pattern on a three-eighth-ounce chartreuse jighead. I started counting down 3-4 seconds and it did not take long to land three nice walleyes. I could see fish down at about 30-40 feet on my LiveScope. I tried jigging for them with a Tater Shad but they would look and then swim away. I switched to casting my swimbait and counting down 7-8 seconds. The white bass hit this bait with each cast. It was starting to get light out and I had not found any striped bass yet. I headed back into a creek where I was fishing last week. I was near a deepwater channel swing next to a point. There were striped bass and white bass in the area 30-60 feet down. I managed to land one striped bass and more white bass. The stripers were being finicky and swam up to my Tater Shad quickly, then stopped and swam away. 

“LiveScope is amazing! You can actually see these fish and what they are doing. It can get a little frustrating to see the fish looking at my bait and not taking it (lol). 

“I had to be back at the resort by 8:30 so I headed home at about 8 a.m. I was fishing the mid-lake area for my third spot. The main lake surface water temp was 58-60 degrees and the creek was slightly above 60 degrees. The lake continues its slow, steady fall and sits at 554.23 feet msl. The lake is clearing up nicely.
“I ended up cleaning the walleye, striper and half of the white bass that I caught (Tuesday). One of my workers was doing some painting and wanting some fish. I gave him a couple of gallon-sized zip-seal bags stuffed full of fillets.”
Lou says they have cabins available throughout the spring and summer. “Give us a call to make your fishing and/or family vacation plans, 870-492-5113. Happy fishing and enjoy Norfork Lake.”

Lou posts fishing reports almost every day to his blog on the Hummingbird Hideaway Resort webpage.