Lake
Conway: Dan at Gold Creek
Landing (501-607-0590) reports the bream are still biting well
on crickets and worms against the bank. Crappie are slow with some
improvement in deep water. Bass are fair on frogs and buzzbaits
fished near the creek channels. Catfish are good on trotlines.
Little
Red River: Lindsey's
Resort (501-302-3139) said the water is clear and low
with one generator running. Trout fishing is good on Power Bait
and wax worms with marshmallow combinations. Fly fishing has
been very good on San Juan worms.
Jed Hollan
at the Little Red Fly Shop said the Greers Ferry Powerhouse is releasing
water in the middle of the afternoon for 1 to 4 hours. The volume
of water being released is varies from 1,500 to 3500 cubic feet
of water per second. Guides call this protocol "fish water," since
it serves primarily to enrich the river with a shot of oxygen
and cold water. Boating is safer and wading is wonderful. You
can contact the power house and listen to a recording about water
releases by calling (501) 362-5150. The average temperature of
the water passing through the turbines is 53 degrees. Continued
reports of incredible trout fishing keep filtering into the shop
daily. Aquatic insect hatches continue to be sparse with midges
being the most prolific. Hopper season is upon us and I recommend
that you give it a whirl. Foam grasshopper flies float well and
require no floatant. If you cast your hopper pattern near streamside
vegetation or under low-hanging limbs, you will probably discover
that there is a trout already there waiting for it. Productive
sub-surface offerings include the lowly yet abundant sowbug (#14-#18;
UV tan, olive or UV gray), zebra midge (#16-#22; red, black or
copper), San Juan worm (#12-#16; red, cerise or orange), pheasant
tail (#16), hare's ear (#14), copper john (#14-#16) and woolly
bugger (#8-#12; olive, brown or black).
Greers
Ferry: As
of Tuesday, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reports the lake’s
elevation at 461.43 feet MSL.
Tommy
Cauley of Fish Finder Guide Service said bass are finally
setting up on brush piles and points and can be caught on Texas-rigged
worms in grasshopper and crabapple colors and on Carolina-rigged
green pumpkin and watermelon candy lizards. Football head jigs
in 25-45 feet of water are working as well. Walleye are slow,
but a few can be caught dragging a crawler behind a bottom bouncer
or fishing a crawler on a jighead in 25 to 35 feet of water.
Catfishing is good all over the lake on live crawlers and minnows
as well as prepared catfish baits. Crappie fishing is on and
off around creek bends and channel swings. Fish jigs tipped with
minnows 15 to 20 feet deep over 60 feet of water around pole
timber. White bass and hybrids can be caught anywhere from 35
to 70 feet of water on in-line spinners, swarming hornets and
hair jigs. You have to do some looking for the schools of fish
in your depth finder, then just stay over them and keep your
bait wet.
Shiloh Marina said
water conditions are normal. All fishing is slow.
Harris
Brake Lake: Coffee
Creek Landing (501-889-2745) said the water is cloudy
and at normal level. Bream are biting well on crickets and worms.
Crappie are excellent on jigs and crappie minnows. Bass are fair
on crankbaits and plastic worms. Catfish are fair on trotlines.
Lake
Beaverfork: The
City of Conway Parks and Recreation Department said the
water is murky and at normal level. Crappie are fair on jigs.
Catfishing is good on any bait.
Lake
Overcup: Overcup
Landing (501-354-9007) said water conditions are normal.
Bream are fair around docks on crickets and redworms. Crappie
are fair 8 to 10 feet deep on minnows and jigs. A few bass have
been caught deep on medium plugs. Catfishing is good on trotlines
and noodles with nightcrawlers and live bait.
Brewer
Lake: Overcup
Landing (501-354-9007) said water conditions are normal.
Bream are fair around banks on crickets and worms. Crappie are
fair in deep water on minnows. Catfishing is good on goldfish
and cut bait.
Sunset
Lake: Turbyfill’s
Outdoor Sports (501-315-3061) said the water is clear and
at normal level. Bream are biting well on crickets. Catfish are
biting well on Magic Bait. All other species are slow.
Saline
River Access in Benton: Turbyfill’s
Outdoor Sports (501-315-3061) said the water is up from the
rains. Bream are fair. Bass are biting fairly well on small crankbaits.
Catfishing is poor.
Arkansas
River at Morrilton: Charley’s
Hidden Harbor in Oppelo said catfishing is excellent in 20 to 30
feet of water on whole shad drifted below the dams. Black bass
are biting fair on watermelon/red flake YUM Dingers fished around
wood. Kentucky bass are fair around jetties and areas where muddy
water and clear water meet on firetiger crankbaits. White bass
are good below the dams and areas where shad are moving into the
creek mouths. Try Rat-L-Traps in shad colors. Stripers are good
below the dams on wobble spoons and live shad. Bream are excellent
around the grass near sandbars on crickets. Crappie are moving
to the mouths of creeks and are biting fairly well on minnows.
Some huge drum are being caught on crankbaits around rocky areas.
Arkansas
River at Little Rock: Vince
Miller from Fish
N’ Stuff (501-834-5733) said water conditions are normal.
Bass fishing has been fair on crankbaits, jigs, and top-water lures
such as Zara Spooks.
Little Maumelle
River: Josh
Jeffers at Pinnacle
Mountain State Park (501-868-5806) said the water level
is receding and the surface temperature ranges from 85 to 90. The
water visibility and clarity is low. Bream are biting fair on crickets
and worms. Crappie are biting slow on shiners and black/chartreuse
1/8-oz. crappie jigs. Bass are fair, and are being caught on small
top-water baits and frogs (early in the mornings and late in the
afternoons), Texas-rigged creature baits are working well around
thick grass and vegetation in the heat of the day, and small crankbaits
and jigs are producing good fish around ledges and drops. Catfish
are biting fair on nightcrawlers and different types of stink bait
around ledges and drops.
Hatchet Jack’s Sport Shop said bream are good in lily pad
beds on crickets and wax worms. Bass are fair early and late on
Rattlin’ Rogues and spinnerbaits.
Lake
Valencia: Hatchet
Jack’s
Sport Shop said catfish are biting well on chicken liver and nightcrawlers.
Palarm
Creek: Hatchet
Jack’s
Sport Shop said bass are biting well on crankbaits and jigs. Catfishing
is excellent on cut bait and chicken hearts.
Pickthorne
Lake: Hatchet
Jack’s
Sport Shop said bass are fair on electric blue 8-inch soft-plastic
worms. Catfish are good on cut shad and bass minnows.
Lake
Maumelle: Jolly
Rogers Marina said schooling activity has picked up in the
last few days. Black bass are biting well. Fish off points near
deep water. In the early morning and late evening you can pick
up bass a little shallower with spinnerbaits and crankbaits.
During the day, go deep with Carolina rigs, drop-shot rigs and
CC Spoons. White bass are biting well. There is a lot of activity
from Jim’s Island to the Chimney area. Shad baits and grubs
will work, but a CC Spoon is the ticket. Bream are biting very
well on crickets in 15 to 20 feet of water. Crappie are slow
around 20 feet deep along the bends of the creek. Catfishing
is good along the edges of creeks on prepared bait in 20 feet
of water.
Murray
Lock and Dam: Hatchet
Jack’s
Sport Shop said catfish are excellent on shad and live green
sunfish.
Terry
Lock and Dam: McSwain
Sports Center (501-945-2471) said the flow is down and bass
are slow. Catfishing is good on shad.
Clear
Lake: McSwain Sports Center
(501-945-2471) said the water is fairly clear. Bream are biting
well on crickets early in the morning.
Peckerwood
Lake: Herman’s
Landing (870-241-3731) said the water is clear and low. Crappie
fishing is good on minnows and jigs around stumps. Catfishing is
fair on worms and chicken liver.
