Cotter Trout Dock Weekly Fishing Report

  August 19, 2026

More reports and other videos are on the Cotter Trout Dock Youtube Channel Page.
Below is the Arkansas Game and Fish Fishing Report August 19, 2026.
 
White River

Cotter Area
(updated 8-20-2026) Cotter Trout Dock (870-435-6525) said, “The first two weeks of every new school year see very light traffic on the river — you’ll have more of the river to yourself, and this August the fishing has been terrific. Keep a variety of flies and baits on hand and change it up often to interest the growing trout population. Looks like a break in the heat wave is coming; we’re promised some milder weather next week.”

Bull Shoals Lake is almost 3 feet below power pool, so we’re seeing very low water in the morning hours and varying amounts of generation in mid-afternoon, from 3,000 cfs to 18,000 cfs.
“The river level returns to near minimum flow amounts by dawn and remains that way until the afternoon rise. Great for fishing from the river’s banks and for wade fishing but requires extra attention on the part of john boat pilots.

“The rainbows are seeking deeper holes during the morning hours — crawdad tails and shrimp will lure them out for a nibble. Browns continue to be enticed by shad, soft-shell crawdads and, always, sculpins. Keep a Rebel Wee Craw in your tackle box. A lightning bug fly (there are many variations, but look for one with red highlights) or the Ruby Midge have been the go-to flies. Grasshopper season is here and are prevalent in

the area, so keep your hopper flies handy.
“Keep anglin’ and we’ll see you on the river.” 

 

Calico Rock Area
(updated 8-20-2026) Dave McCulley, owner of Jenkins Fishing Service in Calico Rock, said, “This week we have seen depths as high as 8-plus feet in the morning and dropping throughout the day with depths as low as 4 feet overnight. The morning water has been dingy with the water clearing up throughout the day. In the mornings we have seen the guides run upriver to meet the dropping water and fish back to the dock and then in the afternoon fishing downriver. 

“This week we have done better without an inline spinner. Instead using a No. 2 hook with Uncommon Bait UV eggs and tipping the hook with shrimp. Artificial lures such as Rapala Countdowns CD7 or Dynamic HD Trout have worked well for larger rainbows and brown trout and. as an added bonus. We are seeing some nice smallmouth bass being caught. 

“Within the last week the AGFC stocking raft stocked 2,100 rainbows between Norfork and Chessmond Ferry and another 1,400 rainbows between Chessmond Ferry and Calico Rock. We received one additional stocking at the boat ramp, but I didn’t get those numbers.”

 

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 8-20-2026) Fishing guide Del Colvin at Bull Shoals Lake said Wednesday that water temp was back up to about 86 degrees. The lake level is down a foot from last week, sitting at 658 feet msl. “The heat wave and drought is hopefully about to change. The extreme temperatures need to go away. The bite hasn’t changed much at all. The bite is a little slow. Powerfishing is still slow; you better have wind/clouds/rain/stain. There are definitely some fish up shallow with oxygen levels getting low. Look for shallow brush and flip a Beaver, jig or worm in the backs of the right creeks with any kind of flow. If it’s the right conditions, you will most likely notice baitfish. Throw a Toad, buzzbait or Plopper-style bait on shallow windblown bushes on flats; cover water! Better get up early and beat the nasty heat. 

The topwater bite has slowed but not gone completely; try a Spook or Plopper if you find surface activity. A small white regular Tater Shad or a Mooch over treetops will work. Those we are fishing have noted moving in schools and they are fast. The Jewel Shad Spoon is working. Or you can take your favorite minnow to look at them. I’m using a one-eighth-ounce now.

If the conditions are postfrontal, flat water, high pressure and bluebirds, it will get really tough. Lots of guys are going at night to beat the heat. I will slow down, downsize the bait and get off the bank and look at deep ledges and brushpiles and bomb-cast with lighter fluorocarbon line. You can try a drop-shot with a Robo in suspended schools. Also try the Jewel five-eighths-ounce Football jig in green pumpkin orange, PB&J or Bass Whacker. Sitting off of deep points, traditional bass anglers are dragging the long points and ledges with big red worms or crave baits in brushpiles or around timber tops on bluffs and bluff ends. 

There is a thermocline down around 32 feet. Lots of fish are holding around this depth.

It’s that time of year to keep moving, hitting as many spots as possible. Hang in there; fall is coming. Remember: “Fish the conditions.”

(updated 8-20-2026) Southernwalleye Guide Service (501-365-1606) said summertime patterns are still in play. Fishing has been fair to good this past week. They have been running a little water through the dam in the afternoons and that helps the bite pick up a bit more. Fish are holding on flatter points with deep water on one side. Look for fish on the tips of long points as well as the sides that are close to the sharper drop-off. Walleyes located next to brushpiles seem to be situated on the offshore side of the brushpiles where deep water is closer.
Main lake and secondary points have been producing fish during the day. Fishing slow has been the key lately to picking up better-size fish. Fish shallower in the early mornings and on cloudy days in 30-32 feet of water, and deeper in 35-40 feet of water if there is little or no wind or cloud cover. This is working: Cast jigging spoons in white or chrome, blue spoons, or jigging Rapalas in blue and chrome, in half-ounce to three-quarter-ounce sizes, into 27 feet of water and work it back out into 35 feet. Also, drop-shotting live crawlers around the offshore side of brushpiles in 30-35 feet is working.

Bottom-bouncing orange, chartreuse or gold No. 3 Colorado deep cup blades, or brass or gold willow leaf bladed spinner rigs and crawlers around the sides and tips of points close to channel swings all are producing a lot of short fish as well as some good 18- to 23-inch walleyes.

If trolling, try shad-style and small banana-style baits like No. 7 Flicker Shads or No. 9 Flicker Minnow in natural colors. Trolling in 35-40 feet of water at speeds of 1.8 to 2.2 mph seems to work best. 

(updated 8-20-2026) Crappie 101 Guide Service (870-577-2045) reports not much has changed. It’s the same as it was last week. Crappie are mainly on brush from 20-30 feet in the creeks. Minnows have been best lately.