Cotter Trout Dock Weekly Fishing Report

  September 30, 2026

More reports and other videos are on the Cotter Trout Dock Youtube Channel Page.
Below is the Arkansas Game and Fish Fishing Report September 30, 2026.
 
White River

Cotter Area
(updated 10-1-2026) Cotter Trout Dock (870-435-6525) said Bull Shoals Lake is 7 feet below the seasonal power pool level (661 msl). Generation flows are between 700 cfs to 3,000 cfs (one unit) for most of each day. Be on the lookout for small rises in the water level in the afternoon, and keep your tackle box stocked with a variety of baits to handle the fluctuation.

Old adage: Always keep some worms on hand to tantalize those trout when the water is rising — red wigglers, nightcrawlers or the scented XFactor or Berkley artificial worms. Doesn’t seem to matter; whichever one you’ve had the best luck with in the past. When the water steadies and flattens out some, you can experiment with trusty spoons (a favorite is the hammered red/gold Thomas-Buoyant) or, depending on water level, flicker a peach/moss or orange/brown jig. 

Fishing for browns? A mid-sized sculpin played in the deeper holes adds greatly to your chance for a hefty strike. Shad season never really ended this year, so it can’t hurt to alternate a sculpin with some shad. The gold Cleo is moving into first place again after a few years of obscurity; turns out the browns haven’t lost their “taste” for them.

“Our weather is approaching a more seasonal outlook into next week; temperatures will drop about 10 degrees. Still a lot of sunshine after a (hopefully) rainy weekend and warm daytime temps. Perfect autumn weather. Come visit and enjoy everything Cotter.”

 

Calico Rock Area
(updated 10-1-2026) Dave McCulley, owner of Jenkins Fishing Service in Calico Rock, said, “ Hard to believe we are already in October. The last week, we have seen water as low as 2.5 feet in the mornings, cresting around 4 feet and then start dropping again. The water clarity has been great. With the low and clear water, we continue to see success with artificial lures such as quarter-ounce or one-sixth-ounce Thomas Colorado Spoons in nickel/gold or copper/gold. CD5 Rapala Countdowns in rainbow trout or brown trout colors along with Dynamic HD ghost brown have worked well. We’ve talked to some fishermen who reported eighth-ounce jigs in various colors have worked well. There has been enough current that drift-fishing with Uncommon Bait Neo Pink UV eggs and shrimp worked well. 

 

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 10-1-2026) Fishing guide Del Colvin at Bull Shoals Lake said Wednesday that water temperature dropped to about 78 degrees. The lake level was at 654 feet, or 4 feet below pool. We’re losing bushes. The bite still hasn’t changed much. It’s junk-fishing time of year. The lake is in a fall transition; you’re just going to have to put in the work. Powerfishing has been slow; better have wind/clouds/rain/stain. There are definitely some fish up shallow. Look for shallow brush, bushes, anything to flip a Beaver, jig or worm in the backs of creeks with any kind of flow. If it’s the right conditions, you will most likely notice bait fish. “
Try a Toad, buzzbait or Whopper Plopper-style lure on shallow windblown banks while covering water. The topwater bite has slowed; Del hopes the schooling will pick up. Also try a big Spook. Those fish have been moving in schools, and they are MOVING. Take your favorite minnow to look at them. “Now that the bait is moving, there’s activity in the shad if you can find it. I’m using a one-eighth-ounce up high or deep with a three-eighth-ounce Tater or Mooch.

“If the conditions are postfrontal, flat water, high pressure and bluebirds, it will get really tough. I will slow down, downsize and get off the bank, 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. The half-ounce Jewel Football Jig in green-pumpkin orange, PB&J or Bass Whacker sitting off of deep points also will work. Traditional bass fishermen are dragging the long points and ledges with big red worms or craw baits in brushpiles and 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. The bait is moving and so are the fish. Remember: ‘Fish the Conditions!’.”

(updated 10-1-2026) Southernwalleye Guide Service said walleye summer fishing patterns are still holding this week Some good fish are being caught suspended 5 feet off the bottom in 30-35 feet of water. “We are noticing fish closer to the lower end of the lake seem to be a few feet deeper than the mid-lake areas. Fishing has been a little slow this past week. Schools of walleye have not been hard to find, but you need to work them over with different methods to get them to respond.”

The Army Corps of Engineers are still running a little water through the dam in the in the day now, and this has helped the bite pick up a bit more when they do. 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 seen next to brushpiles still 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 still been the key to picking up better-size fish.

Fish shallower in the early mornings and on cloudy days in 32-35 feet of water, and deeper in 35-40 feet of water if there is little or no wind or cloud cover. Casting 

jigging spoons in white, chrome and blue and jigging Rapalas in blue and chrome or Helsinki Shad color, in half-ounce to three-quarter-ounce, into 30 feet of water and working it back out into 40 feet has been working. Drop-shotting live crawlers around the offshore side of brushpiles in 32-37 feet is also 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 point close to channel swings is producing a lot of short fish as well 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 10-1-2026) Crappie 101 Guide Service reports crappie are still mainly on brush and structure in 20-30 feet. “From where they’re seeing them, they seem pretty scattered as I have found them in the creeks and also the main lake during the last week. Jig bite is a little slow so minnows have been working better.”