Cotter Trout Dock Weekly Fishing Report

  May 8, 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 8, 2024.

White River

(updated 5-9-2024) Cotter Trout Dock (870-435-6525) said fishing the White River tailwater in Cotter this past week meant keeping your rainsuit near and ensuring your tackle box contained rainbow-hued baits. Overcast skies are an angler’s gift. The river remained pretty clear, but darker baits helped before generation from the dam cleared out the little bit of dinginess we experienced.

Bull Shoals Lake is continuing to rise, currently sitting at 663.11 feet msl, as the spring rains in southwest Missouri and north-central Arkansas fill the reservoirs. Water level in Cotter averages one unit (3,000 cfs) to four units (12,000 cfs).

Trout fishing on high water is all about drifting big baits to lure those big (and growing) fish. River minnows and sculpins drifted near the grassy banks will bring the browns out of hiding and every kind of jerkbait is a worthy agent in your search for the biggest trout. We favor the Rapala Rainbow or Brook Trout Countdowns, Nos. 5 or 7. There have been some hefty hatches giving our fly-anglers a run; try the super midge and some sparkling caddis flies.

Our spring colors are vibrantly green this year from the recent rains. Come visit and experience the Natural State in its springtime brilliance.

(updated 5-9-2024) Dave McCulley, owner of Jenkins Fishing Service in Calico Rock, said the fishing over the last week has been great except for Tuesday afternoon when they got some muddy water from the Buffalo that cleared up by Wednesday morning. This week we saw water depths over 9.5 feet and as low as 7 feet. For the majority of the week, Bull Shoals Dam generated a lot of water, keeping the water levels high but with the added benefit of quickly flushing out or diluting the muddy water from the Buffalo River. With the higher water, we saw limited success with artificial lures. The best results came from using Uncommon Bait UV eggs in Neo Pink or Bright Orange with corn or shrimp. On days when there was little loss of moss in the water, adding silver inline spinners provided the extra flash needed to get the trout’s attention. 

This week we received one trout stocking with the AGFC using their pontoon raft to stock 2,200-ish rainbows between Calico Rock and Sylamore Creek and another 2,200-ish fish between Sylamore Creek and Round Bottom boat ramp.

 

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 5-9-2024) Fishing guide Del Colvin at Bull Shoals Lake said the lake level is 662 feet msl. “We shot up after Table Rock opened the floodgates. Temps are around 69 degrees give or take, with warmer water in the dirty areas. Bass are in spawn and post-spawn Fishing has been good but it will definitely slow down after these fronts. Be sure to fish the conditions.”

Del recommends that if it’s cloudy, rainy and/or windy you can powerfish shad baits, square bills, spinnerbaits and Chatterbaits in the dirty runoff. He suggests covering water on windblown transition banks swings. If it’s flat sunny swings and secondary points out from spawning pockets. Try a green pumpkin or a puke, a Ned rig or tube, Carolina rig or a shaky head, or hit the shoreline floating a worm or Senko on fry-guarders. Or flip the bushes with a Beaver-style bait. Del like the Jewel Flippin’ Jig. The rise in the lake is going to make that bite tough. Best colors are green pumpkin orange/red variants.
On tough days or in clear water you’re going to want to keep the boat out deep, 25 feet, and slow down. In the dirty water you can get real skinny. 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 there’s been a shad spawn here and there. Try a 2.8 swimbait or fluke, and topwaters are starting to pick up. Wake baits and the Lucky Craft Gunfish are starting to produce, all in white or natural shad color. 

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 5-9-2024) Southernwalleye Guide Service (501-365-1606) reports that walleye fishing has been good. Fishing methods have not changed much. If contour trolling, try shad-style baits or small Banada-style baits in 8-14 feet of water. Slide out to deeper water, 20-25 feet, after daylight. If in open water, trolling for suspended fish is still the same as last week. Find shad and try trolling with snap weights from 35-50 deep over 80-plus feet of water while using Berkley No. 9 Flicker Minnows and No. 7 Flicker Shads. Rapala Deep Husky Jerks and Reef Runner 800, Bandit Deep-Diver Series trolled over the old river channel at 1.2 to 1.8 mph should put some fish in the boat.

(updated 5-9-2024) Crappie 101 Guide Service (870-577-2045) reports that most crappie they’re finding are back around brush and structure not far away from spawning areas. They are scattering more as the lake is on the rise. Cover lots of water and look at brush and structure. One-sixteenth-ounce jigs with Tater Baits Tater Shad Jr. have been working well and, of course, minnows.

 

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) 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, moved it 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.

(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.