Cotter Trout Dock Weekly Fishing Report

  May 1, 2024

More reports and other videos are on the Cotter Trout Dock Youtube Channel Page.
Below is the Arkansas Game and Fish Fishing Report May 1, 2024.

White River

(updated 5-2-2024) Cotter Trout Dock (870-435-6525) said the recent rains have increased the activity from the dams in the White River watershed, so prepare for faster water over the next few days. This provides the opportunity to reacquaint yourself with your favorite jerkbaits — maybe a No. 9 Rapala Countdown or a Smithwick Rogue. 

Bull Shoals Lake is at power pool while moderate generation continues, varying between 2,000 cfs to 14,000 cfs (one to four units). The lake level now is 660 feet msl, up a couple of feet from last week.

Deeper water in the afternoon means more drift-fishing and limited wading opportunities, but trout love lots of water and bubbles. Look for structures on the riverbed that oxygenate the area and you’ll find a hangout for trout. Anglers have been nabbing lots of 12- to 13-inch rainbows — best if you decide to keep any and absolutely perfect for lots of action, making some forever memories. Shrimp and PowerBait are a must in your bait bucket, but for larger fish and for the browns the guides say you can’t beat the real thing: live river minnows trapped fresh in the morning or some shad recently picked up in the lake.

The brown bite has been fantastic this week. They’ve shown up for sculpins, minnows, shad and even a random artificial pink mousetail worm.
We’re definitely seeing springtime temperatures — waking up to 60 degrees, give or take a few, with mostly blue skies ushering in the warmer afternoon temperature. Aside from showers now and again, our trout anglers have been blessed with gorgeous weather this week. 

“Natural (State) fishing is pure fun and excitement. Come visit Arkansas!”

(updated 5-2-2024) Dave McCulley, owner of Jenkins Fishing Service in Calico Rock, said that late last week and through the weekend the fishing was tremendous, with several above-average rainbow trout caught as well as some nice brown trout measuring 22 inches or more. Success was had using many different baits and lures. The go-to lures continue to be quarter-ounce spoons (Thompson Colorado in nickel/gold or Little Cleo in silver or silver with fire stripe). Rapala Countdowns in rainbow trout and brown trout colors worked well. Uncommon Bait UV Neo pink eggs with corn or shrimp worked well for catching rainbow trout. 

As the rain and storms moved through the area the river was dingy Monday and muddy Tuesday and into Wednesday. With the Buffalo River clearing up and Bull Shoals Dam’s increased generation Tuesday afternoon, by Wednesday afternoon the river was still high at almost 10 feet but the water cleared a lot. 

“Late this week and into the weekend I expect the river will continue to clear up,” Dave said. “This week we had one stocking when the AGFC pontoon raft stocked 1,000 rainbow trout between Calico Rock and Mt. Olive and another 1,000 rainbow trout between Mt. Olive and Sylamore Creek.”

 

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 5-2-2024) Fishing guide Del Colvin at Bull Shoals Lake said the lake level Wednesday was 661 feet msl. “We shot up about a foot,” Del said. “Temps are around 64 degrees give or take, depending on where you are at.”
Del reports the bass are spawning and they are already catching a few post-spawn. Fishing has been good and everyone is catching them, but it will definitely slow down after a cold front. Be sure to fish the conditions. If it’s cloudy, rainy and/or windy you can powerfish shad-style baits, a square bill, spinnerbaits and Chatterbaits in the runoff. Make sure you’re covering water on windblown transition banks and swings. If it’s flat and sunny, fish swings and secondary points, as well as south-facing spawning pockets. Try a green pumpkin or puke tube, C-rig or a shaky head Senko, or a floating worm. Also a Jewel finesse jig and a Ned rig are all working. Best colors are green pumpkin orange/red variants. On tough days or 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, fluke or Tater Shad 2.8. Small topwater poppers and the Lucky Craft Gunfish are starting to produce, all in white or natural shad. 

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 5-2-2024) Southernwalleye Guide Service (501-365-1606) reports that walleye fishing has been steadily getting better. Fishing methods have not changed. If contour trolling, try stick baits or shad-style baits slow and shallow just before dark and after daybreak in 8-14 feet of water. Slide out to deeper water, 20-40 feet, after daylight. If open water trolling for suspended fish, find shad and try trolling with snap weights from 35-50 feet deep over 80 feet or more of water while using Berkley No. 9 Flicker Minnows or No. 7 Flicker Shads. Rapala Deep Husky Jerks and Reef Runner 800 series trolled over the old river channel at 1.2-1.8 mph should put some fish in the boat.

(updated 5-2-2024) Crappie 101 Guide Service (870-577-2045) reports crappie are spawning but seemed to be pretty scattered with the water level down. Fish are moving in and out on staging structures to beds, and we have started catching spawned-out females. Use minnows and one-sixteenth-ounce and one-eighth-ounce jigs with the Tater Baits, Thump Minnow or Tater Shad Jr.

 

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

(updated 5-2-2024) Steven “Scuba Steve” Street at Blackburn’s Resort and Boat Rental said the lake level was 555.92 feet msl and has risen 1.75 inches in the last 24 hours with the one operating generator running for about 8 hours and spillway gates open to an equivalent of another one-third of a generator when he came in at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday. The rise is from the heavy rain from the Norfork River Basin in the Ava, Missouri, area. It is up 2.3 feet since last week but has not hurt anything as far as fishing is concerned. There is some small debris floating out from the shore in the creeks but the main lake is still very clear. Almost too clear. The surface water temperature is 67 degrees in the main lake and 70 in the creeks. The topwater bite has started and will really get better when the threadfin shad spawn starts and it will be soon. They like 70-degree-plus water. Next week will be a good time to catch fish. Fish shadowy banks part way back in the creeks on creature baits for bass. Many crappie, bluegill, bass and catfish just moved in under Blackburn’s dock Wednesday. Things are changing quickly. This is the time. 

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

(updated 5-2-2024) Lou Gabric at Hummingbird Hideaway Resort (870-492-5113) said Wednesday, “It was a pretty good early morning of fishing for me and others. I have been fishing the night shift as I have needed to be back at the resort no later than 7:30 a.m. So, I have been starting to fish at 3 a.m. Sleep is overrated. 

“You have heard it before, if you find the bait you will find the fish, especially if the bait is spawning. That was the case today. I found large schools of bait that attached their eggs to my boat and trolling motor. Little bumps all over it. The bait was 20 feet thick from the surface to 20 feet down. The stripers were 10-25 feet down. I dropped a key lime Tater Baits Tater Shad, through the baitfish very slowly and the fish picked it up on the fall. What a blast! I also was casting out my 3.5-inch swimbait through the baitfish and got to land this nice 17-pound striped bass. It was a heavy, hard fighting fish. I landed four other stripers with many white bass and a nice 20-inch walleye. John, an angler guest of the resort, was fishing another part of the lake and had great success. He was casting out a Tater Shad, letting it sink, then giving it a twitch and the fish would hammer it. Other Hummingbird Hideaway Resort guests had guided trips Wednesday with Norfork Bayou Fishing and Rising Water Guide Service. Both had success on the topwater bite in different parts of the lake and had a lot of fun.”

The surface water temperature was a little over 67 degrees in the main lake. The lake level is on a slow rise due to all the rain that our watershed received from up in Missouri. The lake level currently sits at 555.84 feet msl.

“We have cabins available throughout the spring and summer. Give us a call to make your fishing and/or family vacation plans. Happy fishing and enjoy Norfork Lake in the Arkansas Ozarks!”

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