WEST-CENTRAL 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

Lake Nimrod: As of Tuesday, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reports the lake’s elevation was 350.43 feet MSL.

Whiskers Sporting Goods (501-889-2011) said crappie are biting below the dam and in open water and below Fourche River on minnows and Bobby Garland Baby Shad   in white and salt/pepper and PowerBait Crappie Nibbles. Bream are slow. 

Lake Bailey (Petit Jean Mountain): Whiskers Sporting Goods (501-889-2011) said bream are slow on crickets and worms. Catfish are slow on worms.

Fourche La Fave River: Whiskers Sporting Goods (501-889-2011) said the river is stained and high. Crappie are biting on minnows and worms in run off areas. Catfish are biting on stink bait and livers in the river. Other species are slow.

Lake Hinkle: Bill’s Bait Shop (479-637-7419) said the water is clear and at normal level. Bream are slow. Crappie are biting well on minnows in deep water. Bass are fair on minnows. Catfishing is slow.

Lake Dardanelle: Regina Olson at Spadra Marina said crappie have slowed recently. Fishermen report that they are still able to catch crappie, but are having a hard time meeting their limit. Pumpkin seed and natural cricket have been the popular jig colors. Several bass fishermen are hitting the water again. Most are using pearl swimbaits and green pumpkin or black/blue chigger craws.  Catfish are doing very well on shad (whole if possible) and nightcrawlers.

Charlie Morrison of Classic Catch Guide Service said Monday was the best day of bass fishing he’s had in a long while. He reports catching more than 100 bass as soon as the water temperature hit 53 degrees. They were biting on anything slow, particularly a suspending silver/black crankbait, watermelon seed Senkos, black/blue jigs and crazy leg chigger craws. Hopefully it wasn’t just a one-day thing.

Blue Mountain Lake: As of Tuesday, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reports the lake’s elevation was 396.84feet MSL.

Lake Ouachita: As of Tuesday, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reports the lake’s elevation was 578.15 MSL (Flood pool - 578 MSL).

Larry Hurley from Poorman’s Guide Service said bass fishing is good with a jig and pig in dark colors, fished around wood near small points in creeks. Stripers are biting well in creeks above the standing timber on spinnerbaits.

Trader Bill’s Outdoor Sports said the lake temperature is in the 50s. The lake level is above full pool. The water color is stained to clear.  There is some good moss growing on the northeast side of the lake about 8 to 10 feet below the surface and scattered along the banks of Blakley's, Rabbit, and Cedar Fourche. Try a jig and a crank-bait over the moss. Also an Alabama rig can catch good fish off points and ledges. Crappie are in 10 to 15 feet of water over brush or moss.

Mountain Harbor Resort said the water is 48 to 52 degrees and stained. Largemouth bass are still very good on watermelon or black/blue jigs. Alabama rigs are producing a lot of quality fish 15 to 30 feet deep with shad-colored swimbaits attached. Walleye are fair and are being caught on bottom bouncer jigs, spoons and deep-diving crankbaits trolled 25 to 35 feet deep around brush. Stripers are good and being caught with live bait and trolled hair jigs or crankbaits in 18 to 25 feet of water. Crappie are fair near and over brush in 12 to 20 feet of water on minnows and crappie grubs. Catfish are fair and being caught on cut bait and live bait on jug lines and trotlines fished 20-30 feet deep.

Lake Hamilton: Trader Bill’s Outdoor Sports said the lake temperature is in the 50s and cooling.  The water color is stained to clear. The lake is 5 feet down from full pool for the winter drawdown. The Alabama rig has taken over most tournament weigh-ins. Put your boat over 60 feet of water and fish over 20 to 50 feet deep on deep points and ledge banks.  A jig at the mouth of creeks is also working well. Crappie are in 8 to 12 feet of water and biting well on shad-colored jigs.

For a daily fishing report from Darryl Morris, visit Family Fishing Trips.

Lake Catherine: For weekly flow releases from Carpenter Dam, visit www.entergy.com/hydro.

Shane Goodner, owner of Catch’em All Guide Service, said water temperature below Carpenter Dam has fallen to 45 degrees with round-the-clock generation. Moss growth is still very low. Rainbow trout fishing is excellent below the dam. Bank fishermen are using wax worms or redworms with a marshmallow floater, PowerBait in yellow or orange or whole kernel corn fished under a bobber or just off the bottom. Spin fishermen casting 1/16 ounce jigs in smoke or white, Super Dupers, Little Cleos, Rooster Tails and Mepps spinners have taken good numbers of fish where the current is slower. Boaters trolling small crankbaits below the bridge always seem to catch the largest rainbow trout. Fly fishermen are able to wade to areas that hold numbers of trout and are having success casting micro-jigs in black or white, woolly buggers, San Juan worms and egg patt erns. White bass are in and out of the tailrace with few caught this week. Walleye fishing really hits its stride in mid-February. Large stripers are still being caught in the main channel below the bridge. Activity has fallen off a bit, but Alabama rigs continue to hook good stripers as large as 25 pounds.

Lake Atkins: Lucky Landing (479-641-7615) had no report.