Cotter Trout Dock Weekly Fishing Report

  May 22, 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 22, 2024.

White River

(updated 5-23-2024) Cotter Trout Dock (870-435-6525) said White River water levels below Bull Shoals Dam have been up and down over the past couple of weeks. Bull Shoals Lake level is currently 666.33 feet msl, 4 feet above power pool. Because Beaver and Table Rock lakes are still above the desired power pool and continue to discharge into Bull Shoals, we’ll eventually see the increase in the tailwater here in Cotter. The trout are biting and the take has been very good.

The guides on our waterways are experts at fishing – and catching – in all water levels: rising, falling and steady levels, easily adjusting to the recent variability. Browns are surprising us by biting at shrimp, but they more often enjoy smaller sculpins and the elusive red-fin minnow. Lake shad are still a huge draw, which is surprising this late in the spring, so we’ll continue to offer it until the browns turn away. Drifting bubblegum pink worms has been the fallback, always-successful bait.

Bank anglers should keep a good supply of worms to thread up the shank of a No. 6 bronze Aberdeen hook and a few quarter-ounce spoons handy (red-gold or copper-colored works best on these sunny days). Be prepared to cast and retrieve quickly. You’ll find that trout love to dine on the fresh food supply on a grassy bank or lawn, so keep your bait near the bank during high or rising water.

“Be the early worm and get to the river while it’s still cool and the mist hangs low over the water. The days are rapidly warming up but the river keeps us cool. Be safe: Keep your life jacket on while on a boat. We welcome you to White River and hope you continue to enjoy our Natural State.”

(updated 5-23-2024) Dave McCulley, owner of Jenkins Fishing Service in Calico Rock, said it may sound redundant but this was another great week of fishing. “This week we have seen depths of just over 8 feet last Thursday with a low of 4.5 feet Wednesday morning. Water clarity has been good with minimal dinginess. We hope those in the path of the storms Tuesday night and Wednesday are safe. With more rain expected we will keep an eye on river levels and water conditions. 

“Baits that worked well this week have been Uncommon Baits Neo Pink UV eggs or Fluorescent Yellow Garlic Scented Power Eggs and tipping them with corn, shrimp or worms. We also saw success with sculpins. The biggest fish this week was a 25-inch brown but we also saw a 24-inch brown, several browns in the 18- to 23-inch range and several 17-inch-plus rainbows to include a 3-pound-plus rainbow. Artificial lures did OK with some success throwing the Rapala Countdown CD7 in silver or rainbow trout color. Quarter-ounce Colorado spoons in nickel/gold were effective when the water was at the lowest points in the day. 

“There was one trout stocking scheduled for this week. Stay safe this holiday weekend and be respectful of each other. Please take a moment on Monday to reflect on the purpose of Memorial Day and remember those who gave the ultimate sacrifice by giving their life in the service of our country.”

 

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 5-23-2024) Fishing guide Del Colvin at Bull Shoals Lake (815-592-4302) said the lake level is up to 666 feet msl and rising. Parking and boat ramp access is starting to be affected. Water temperature shot up to around 75 degrees give or take, with the water temps in the dirtier areas. Black bass are for the most part post-spawn — some are up chasing sunfish but the rise has everything slowed. Fishing has been good but it will definitely be tough after storm fronts. Some fish are staging in summer areas. Be sure to fish the conditions.
Del says if it’s cloudy, rainy and windy you can powerfish shad baits, square bills spinnerbaits and Chatterbaits in the stain or dirty runoff, especially if there are shad present around transition banks, swings and around the old creek channel. If it’s flat and sunny, fish swings, points and secondary points. Try green pumpkin or puke Ned rig or tube or a shaky head. Keep the boat out deep in the clear water; you can hit the old shoreline. There is a lot of activity in the 15 feet range. You can go up there with a Beaver-style bait. You can try a Jewel Flippin Jig still but that bite is going away. Best color is green pumpkin in orange/red variants. 

Some shallower brush piles closer to deep water in less than 25 feet are holding some fish. The shad balls are definitely broken up with the generation so if you’re fishing open water you’re going have to pay attention. There has been a shad spawn if you can find it. Shad seem to be spread out and moving. Try a 2.8 swimbait, flutter spoon, fluke — topwaters have been hit or miss. Wake baits and the Lucky Craft Gunfish are starting to produce, all in white or shad patterns. Del says he’s been catching some on the Robo Worm drop-shot with suspended fish.
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 5-23-2024) Southernwalleye Guide Service (501-365-1606) reports fishing has been pretty much the same as last week. With the rising water, walleye fishing has seemed to slow down a bit. Some fishing methods have changed over the last week. Some report that fish are starting to set up in traditional spots and water depths, which is indicating the thermocline is setting up. Pulling crawler harnesses in 15-20 feet early will get some fish. A little deeper later after sunrise.

If contour trolling, try shad-style baits or small Banada-style baits in 15-25 feet of water. Slide out to deeper water, 30-40 feet, after daylight. If open water trolling for suspended fish, they are still the same as last week but just a little deeper. Find shad and try trolling with snap weights from 45-80 deep over 100 feet or more of water while using Berkley No. 9 Flicker Minnows and No. 7 Flicker Shads. Rapala Deep Husky Jerks and Reef Runner 800 or Bandit Deep-Divers Series trolled over the old river channel at 1.5-1.8 mph should put some fish in the boat.

Have also had reports that jigging spoon fishing has also been another tactic that’s working. Casting a half-ounce spoon into 15 feet and hopping it off the bottom back into about 30 feet might also get you a few fish.

(updated 5-23-2024) Crappie 101 Guide Service (870-577-2045) reports crappie are definitely more scattered and they are finding some on the brush and structure. Quality is still kind of mixed up and they are having to really work at it to catch good numbers. The jig bite has definitely slowed down, but still catching a few on the Tater Baits Tater Shad Jr. with a sixteenth-ounce head and, of course, minnows. Stay patient; as conditions stabilize, it should really get good.

 

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

(updated 5-23-2024) Lou Gabric at Hummingbird Hideaway Resort (870-492-5113) said Wednesday, “A couple of us at Hummingbird Hideaway Resort had a great day fishing for striped bass. I was on the lake around 4:30 a.m. I set out my green light on a main lake bluff wall point to draw in bait. A small school of bait came to the boat, but not the number that I found Tuesday. I landed several baby striped bass in the dark. As it started to get light out, I moved from this point since the stripers seemed to have vacated this area and moved into the back of a main lake creek.
“At a channel swing in about 70 feet of water, I marked several big arcs. The fish were coming under me from 20 feet down to the bottom. I saw a big arc lying on the bottom and dropped my white trash Tater Shad with half-ounce white big eye jig head right onto the striper’s head and he hit it immediately. He gave two great runs and all the time coming up to the surface. I saw him surface about 100 feet away from the boat.
“After his photo shoot he was released to swim away. After this battle I saw some fish surfacing and casted out my Kastmaster with a white feather trailer. One of the two hybrids I caught hammered the bait and circled the boat three times during the battle. What fun! The second hybrid came off the bottom and met my sinking bait at 40 and the game was on again. By this time, it was around 7 a.m. and the fish were scattering out, so I left this creek to check out another area as I headed back toward the resort.
“Of course, I stopped and looked at three other areas along the route. I met one of my friends who was trolling big umbrella rigs, and he told me he had landed nine stripers so far in the area I planned to check out. I set up in 74 feet of water off of a main lake big round point. A deep-water channel also swings into this point on two sides. I was in the middle of the point and started marking scattered fish. These fish were suspended from 30 feet down to the bottom. I got to land two more striped bass and both fish hit the Tater Shad on the fall. 

“It was time to head back to the resort, so I left feeding fish. Brett and his son Logan had a great first morning of fishing after arriving late Tuesday. They caught some threadfin shad and then headed back into a creek I had told them about. They proceeded to land five really nice striped bass along with some big largemouth and spotted bass. To say the least they were excited. ”
The surface water temperature at midweek ranged from 77 to a little over 78 degrees. The lake level is 557.68 feet msl.
“Hummingbird Hideaway Resort still has cabins available during June and July and a few still open for the remainder of May. Summer family vacation fun is just around the corner. Give us a call. If you have not been to Norfork Lake before, you will absolutely fall in love with it!”

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