NORTH ARKANSAS - Weekly Fishing Report

Arkansas Game and Fish Commission
Randy Zellers (501)223-6406, e-mail: rdzellers@agfc.state.ar.us

This is the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission's fishing report

February 2, 2012

White River: Sportsman’s White River Resort (870-453-2424) said the water is high and clear, with six to eight generators running. Trout fishing is very good for spin-fishermen. Fly-fishing is limited. Rooster Tails, Lil’ Cleos and floating trout worms are working well on rainbow trout. Brown trout are biting well on Original Rapalas, Rattling Rogues and white jigs.

Randy Oliver at www.randyoliverguide.com (901-832-1903)  said generation has been high the last week and the fishing has been hot. Drift fishing using Power Bait in yellow and pink/white fished in the deeper channels has worked better this week than lures.

Guide Davy Wotton said unseasonably warm weather has been most welcome, and fish have been active most of the day. Generations have been a little erratic with days of very high water to lower generations and shut down, therefore you will have to pay attention for the best zones to fish, be it wade or boat fishing. Brown trout fishing continues to be exceptional with many days of double-digit numbers and fish well over 20 inches. Both rivers are well stocked with rainbows as well. The best options will be drift-fishing combinations of sow bugs, white tail black and red midges, prism worms and  hares ear during low water. During high water, switch to combinations of eggs, San Juan worms, larger sizes of sow bugs, scuds and white tail midges. Streamer fishing may be good one day and gone another. The Bull Shoals Dam area opens Feb 1. If there are low water levels then, midges, sowbugs and soft hackles will be the order of the day, if we see generations then most of the above will work..

Jim Brentlinger at Linger’s Guide Service and Fishing Lodge(870-499-5185) said daily generation has cleared out the muddy water. The water is still off-colored, which is excellent for the larger brown trout. Black/gold/white Countdown Rapalas in no. 7 or 9 and blue/silver/orange Rattling Rogues will do the job. Fish the deeper banks and make a lot of casts.

Buffalo River: Just Fishing Guides said the water is at a good level but cold due to lower air temperatures. Water temperatures are in the mid to upper 40's, right at the point where fishing (catching) gets tough for smallmouth. Make sure you are fishing the deep holes and shallower waters on warm sunny days. With the cold temperatures concentrate on places you know there are springs or seeps. Fish slow and deep with soft plastics or crawdad pattern flies.

Crooked Creek: Just Fishing Guides said the water is at a good level but cold due to lower air temperatures. Water temperatures are in the mid to upper 40's, right at the point where fishing (catching) gets tough for smallmouth. Make sure you are fishing the deep holes and shallower waters on warm sunny days. With the cold temperatures concentrate on places you know there are springs or seeps. Fish slow and deep with soft plastics or crawdad pattern flies.

Bull Shoals Lake: As of Tuesday, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reports the lake’s elevation at 654.31 feet MSL (Normal conservation pool - 654 MSL).

Mike Worley’s Guide Service said water temperature is still holding at 47-50 degrees. Bass and walleye are biting in shallow water on chunk rock main lake points. Best baits are grubs or swimbaits fished on Alabama rigs or suspending stick baits. There is a deep water bite for bass suspended under schools of shad in 80 to 100 feet of water with most of the fish in the 40- to 60-foot range with grubs, drop shot rigs or jigging spoons. Crappie are still holding over brush piles and submerged timber at 15 to 30 feet deep.

Bull Shoals Tailwater: Just Fishing Guides said generation has been around the clock, varying between two to six units (5,000-20,000 cfs). Nymphing and streamers are two of the more productive presentations. Seasonal flies include scuds, sow bugs, blue wing olives, micro-caddis, midges, worm, egg and sculpin patterns. Now is the time to get out your big streamers and the 8 weight rods to pick up some big browns.

Lake Norfork: As of Tuesday, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reports the lake’s elevation at 522.11 feet MSL (Normal conservation pool: Sept.-April - 552 MSL, April-Sept. - 554 MSL).

Blackburn Resort said the lake level is stable, but there’s been some good generation. Bass and crappie are biting well on minnows, spoons and grubs halfway back in creeks. There’s been some top-water action during the day in deep water for white bass and hybrids. The fish are mostly part way back in the deeper creeks outside brush during the day and shallower in the evening. 

101 Grocery and Bait said bluegill are biting well on worms fished 20 feet deep along bluffs. Crappie are fair. Stripers are fair on live bait. Bass fishing is good. 

STR Outfitters said the warm weather has continued to keep the shad shallow (50 feet or less). The stripers have never gone into their full winter pattern. There are reports of major topwater periods mid-day around the 6A area. Look for the bait and you will see stripers. They are feeding on very small shad, so keep your baits on the small side. 

Hummingbird Hideaway Resort said the black bass and crappie bite has been outstanding. A white 3-inch Berkley paddle tail grub (similar to a swimming minnow), on a ¼-oz, chartreuse jig head cast toward the shore line and slowly cranked back to the boat has worked fairly well. Striper fishing has been another story. It appears they have moved out to the main lake in deep water chasing shad. 

Guide Steve Olomon said the water temperature is in the upper 40s. Look for fish along the bluffs and on the end of the bluffs. Throw a suspending jerk bait, jig or grub on a ¼-oz. jig head. If you mark fish 30-50 feet deep,  drop a jigging spoon. Keep an eye on your graph for balls of bait and fish will be close by. Check the coves, too. If there is some wind blowing, throw a crankbait or a spinnerbait along the banks with the wind on them.

Randy Oliver at www.randyoliverguide.com (901-832-1903) had no new report

Norfork Tailwater: Randy Oliver at www.randyoliverguide.com (901-832-1903) said low generation and low fishing pressure have the fish scattered and holding in the deep holes above the catch-and-release to the shoals below the dam.

Just Fishing Guides said generation has been usually all but 6-8 hours per day with flows from 3,500-8,000 cfs. Periods of low water late night to very early morning each day for wade fishers. Tan scuds have been hot lately. Small streamers without bead or cone heads producing a slower fall are working well also. Sow bugs, midges, worm and egg patterns should be in your arsenal as well.