Cotter Trout Dock Weekly Fishing Report

  June 25, 2025

More reports and other videos are on the Cotter Trout Dock Youtube Channel Page.
Below is the Arkansas Game and Fish Fishing Report June 25, 2025.

White River

Cotter Area

(updated 6-26-2025) Cotter Trout Dock (870-435-6525) said, “Trout catching has been phenomenal. The quality of our catch has improved with the higher releases of water at the dam. Water levels have continued higher with releases of four to six units (12,000-14,800 cfs). Bull Shoals Lake is sitting at 691.71 feet msl and dropping slowly toward power pool.

“Red wigglers were dancing for the rainbows and getting plenty of attention. Dangling a worm near the bank during rises in the water level is most always a sure catch.

“Close behind: yellow or orange PowerBait tipped with shrimp on a size 8 Aberdeen or bait holder hook. It’s a good idea to use bronze hooks to decrease harm to the trout. The Berkley Pink Worm remains a favorite of the guides — better when drift-fishing from a boat on high water.

“Don’t be afraid to try something you’ve never used before. Change your baits if what’s tied on isn’t working. Dangle something new. High water provides the opportunity to experiment with so many different baits. The browns are still biting at sculpins and soft-shell crawdads (keep the Rebel Wee Craw handy).

“The river provides even more of an escape now than at any other time. Life on the river is good. Come share it with us.”

 

Calico Rock Area
(updated 6-26-2025) Dave McCulley, owner of Jenkins Fishing Service in Calico Rock, said that for most of the last week they saw water levels between 8-10.5 feet. The past few days they’ve had slightly lower water levels after Norfork Dam shut its floodgates. Fishing has been consistent using Uncommon Bait UV Eggs in Neo Pink, shrimp and with or without a silver inline spinner. Because of the water depths, artificial lures haven’t been effective. Good news is both lakes are about 4 feet below the top of the flood pool.

“I believe we will continue to see higher-than-usual water until the lakes get lower. This week we received two stockings from the AGFC stocking raft. One stocking was 4,800 rainbows between Calico Rock and Allison and another stocking of 4,800 rainbows between Norfork and Calico Rock.”

 

Allison/Mountain View Area
(updated 6-19-2025) Jack’s White River Fishing Resort reports that the White River guides — Bart, Braiden, Caleb, Chris and Irvin all consistently limited out on rainbow trout throughout the week with excellent success across the board. Among the highlights: 17-inch rainbows were landed on multiple outings — a great size and exciting for anglers; the guides round excellent results using End of the Line TR Orange and Royal Blue Power Eggs and Jack’s handmade hammered silver spinners — this winning combo brought solid bites in varied conditions.

The river has been fluctuating with periods of high, muddy water due to heavy rainfall and dam generation cycles. At times, conditions cleaned up between flow events, giving guides confidence to run drift rigs and spinners.

 

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 6-26-2025) Fishing guide Del Colvin at Bull Shoals Lake said Wednesday that the lake level had fallen a foot from this time last week to 692 feet msl, or 32 feet above normal pool. The water temperature is rising to around 82 degrees and it’s getting hot out. There is still an occasional floater with the high water as the wind changes direction. Parking has been an issue for many weeks as most boat ramps and parking areas are underwater. The marinas are doing a great job to accommodate everyone. The water conditions toward the main lake remain gin clear to the dam with some color still in the backs of creeks. 

Bass are setting up early in summer areas. Get up early and check ledges, points, bluffs and swings. Bass are grouped up. Powerfishing shallow has been fair with the right conditions: shad, clouds, rain, wind and stained runoff water. Use spinnerbaits, Chatterbait and a square bill in stained runoff water. The ole Big Worm, Texas-rigged, is good in trees and laydowns. There are always fish to be caught on a flipping jig like a Jewel half-ounce green pumpkin variant. Try a shaky head, wobble head, tube or a Ned rig if it’s slow. You’re going to have to contend with flooded bushes, but that’s where the fish are. Look at steeper banks as the temps rise. 

The offshore videogamers are still going to have to work. The shad are still spread out with the water moving through the lake. Target larger bait balls or any bait you can find up high near the surface and closer to the shore. If you are targeting shad eaters, a smaller 2.8 swimbait or a regular Tater Shad and the Rapala Mooch Minnow will work. 

“You’re going to have to experiment with head sizes. I’m using 3/16-ounce up to ⅜-ounce depending on the day and the depth of the fish.”
Topwater has been slow. Get up early. Use a Lucky Craft Gunfish or a small white Booyah Popper, wake bait or Zara Spook Jr. over flooded points and saddles. “Fish the conditions. Summer equals four- and six-hour trips.”

(updated 6-26-2025) Southernwalleye Guide Service said the walleye fishing has been fair to good this past week with a lot of small walleye and a few good fish being caught over the flooded buckbrush. If the sun is high, fish a little deeper along the old shoreline. Fish are scattered along rounded gravel points with deep water close by and along steeper creek channel swings that have shad. We’re fishing the shoreline in 25-35 feet of water with spinnerbaits and crawler rigs or working a jig and crawler along in 30-35 feet around the edges of the flooded brush. 

When trolling over buckbrush, try a size 7 or 9 Flicker Shad or size 9 Flicker Minnow in 25-30 feet of water. Trolling at speeds of 1.5 to 1.7 mph seems to be a good speed at this time.

Some walleye are still being caught in open water over the flooded trees, but this is starting to slow down. If trolling deep, try deep-diving crankbaits with snap weights to get your baits down 40-70 feet and fish over the flooded trees in 80 or more feet of water at 1.7 to 2 mph.

(updated 6-26-2025) Crappie 101 Guide Service says crappie are scattered out a lot in the creeks. Finding the structure in 15-20 feet has been the key, but we’re having to put in a lot of time looking. Minnows and jigs both have been working when you find them.

 

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

(updated 6-19-2025) Tom Reynolds reports that the lake is 579 feet msl and falling. The rain continues. The lake was down 3 feet, but recent rains have pushed the water up to the flood pool. The Army Corps of Engineers has begun a spillway release to evacuate water. The stripers were moving south, but the rise of water seemed to slow the process. The past several days have seen lots of topwater action; the stripers are smaller but still legal. 

The bigger stripers are being caught between 40-60 feet. “One problem I have found is that my bait is now dying above 30 feet. This is very unusual for this time of year, especially with all the freshwater coming into the lake.

“The stripers are going deeper after the sun rises. (Tuesday), I spot-locked a deep-water spot and set all my lines between 50-60 feet and waited as the stripers were showing up in groups of four or five. It took about an hour to catch our limit.
“So, patience is the key once the sun hits the water. Long lines continue to produce early. Bluffs that parallel the river channel right now are the place to consistently catch stripers.”