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Lake Conway: Bates Field and Stream (501-470-1846) said water conditions are normal. A few bream have been caught on crickets and worms. Bass are biting well on spinning toads. Catfishing is good on trotlines with blood bait, cut bait and stinkbait.
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Dan at Gold Creek Landing said bream are biting well. Bass are biting fairly well on frogs and buzzbaits early. Crappie fishing is slow. Catfish are biting well on live and prepared baits.
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Little Red River:Lindsey’s Resort (501-302-3139) said water conditions are normal with two generators running around the clock. Trout fishing has been very good on Shad Raps and spinnerbaits with a glow worm and Power Egg.
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Jed Hollan at the Little Red Fly Shop said the Greers Ferry Power House has been releasing water continuously. The water is very off-color because of the silt from high lake levels. It’s tough enough fishing in high water but water that is high and clear as coffee is challenging. The water coming through the dam is averaging 51 degrees with 8.0 mg/l of dissolved oxygen (good numbers). Aquatic insect hatches continue with blue winged olive mayflies, sulphur mayflies, pale morning dun mayflies and midges being the primary players. Fishing dry flies in high water is problematic. The best sub-surface fly for our high water is the San Juan worm (#14-#18; worm brown, orange, red or peach). When drift fishing from a boat, you will need 12-15 feet of leader and tippet with enough split shot to get the worm down to the streambed and a large strike indicator to float it all. When the river level drops to a wading level, try a sow bug (#14-#16; UV tan, UV gray or olive), zebra midge (#16-#22; red, black or copper), red butt soft hackle (#14-#18), copper john (#16; red, copper or green), pheasant tail (#16) or woolly bugger (#8-#12; olive, black or copper).
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Greers Ferry: As of Tuesday, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reports the lake’s elevation at 473.26 feet MSL.
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Tommy Cauley of Fish Finder Guide Service said the water level is falling steadily. The hybrid and white bass fishing continues to be good. With the great shad spawn we had, we should have an excellent fall bite as well. Right now, bait is the key, find the bait and the fish will be close at some point in the day or even night, try top-water baits, jigging spoons, in-line spinners and even hair jigs. Bream fishing is fair on nightcrawlers and crickets around docks, brush piles and flooded brush. Catfishing is great from 1 foot of water out to 25 feet using an assortment of baits and catching them on limb lines, rod-and-reels and jugs and trotlines. Walleye are there one day and gone the next. If you can stay with them, they can be caught with nightcrawlers and line weights on crankbaits fished on the edges of rocks on drops in 13-23 feet of water. Bass fishing is hit or miss. Try buzzbaits, Right Bite frogs, or Rite Bite Cinko’s Carolina-rigged or Texas-rigged worms, or you can flip and pitch baits to the brush.
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Shiloh Marina said the water is high. Fishing has been slow.
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Harris Brake Lake:Coffee Creek Landing (501-889-2745) said the water conditions are normal with a surface temperature at 85 degrees. Bream are biting well on crickets and worms. Crappie are fair on minnows and jigs. Bass are fair on minnows and artificial baits. Catfishing is picking up on worms and liver.
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Lake Beaverfork: The City of Conway Parks and Recreation Department said the water is murky and at normal level. Fishing has been pretty slow lately, but some crappie have been caught on minnows.
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Lake Overcup: Lakeview Landing (501-354-1470) said water conditions are normal. Bream are biting well on crickets. Crappie fishing is good in 8 feet of water on minnows. Bass are biting well on minnows, jigs and spinnerbaits. Catfishing is good on crayfish, goldfish and worms.
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Overcup Landing (501-354-9007) said water conditions are normal with a surface temperature in the mid 80s. Bream fishing is good around the docks on crickets and worms. Crappie are fair in 10 feet of water on minnows. Bass are fair fishing off the banks on spinnerbaits. Catfishing is good on worms.
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Brewer Lake: Overcup Landing (501-354-9007) said water conditions are normal with a surface temperature at 85 degrees. Bream are biting well on worms and crickets around the banks. Crappie fishing is very good in 20 foot brush piles on minnows. Bass are fair on buzzbaits. Catfishing is good on worms and stink bait.
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Sunset Lake: Turbyfill’s Outdoor Sports (501-315-3061) said water conditions are normal. Bream are biting well in 5 to 8 feet of water on crickets. Crappie are fair in 12 to 15 feet of water on plastics. Bass are fair on plastic worms. Catfishing is good in shallow water.
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Saline River Access in Benton: Turbyfill’s Outdoor Sports (501-315-3061) said bream are biting well on crickets. Crappie are fair on minnows. Bass fishing is good on white spinnerbaits and 4-inch pumpkinseed lizards. Catfishing is good on Magic Bait.
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Arkansas River in Little Rock: Vince Miller from Fish ‘N Stuff said the water is high and rough. All species are currently slow.
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Lake Maumelle:Jolly Roger’s Marina said summer fishing is in full swing, so it’s time to move deeper for all species. Largemouth bass are biting well, but weights have dropped some from spring. Fish 15 to 20 feet deep with jig-and-pig combos, drop shot rigs and spoons. Kentucky bass are mixed with the largemouth. White bass are schooling at the east end of the lake on CC spoons and Spooks. Bream are excellent in 15 feet of water on crickets and worms. Some catfish are being caught by anglers targeting the bream as well. Crappie are fair.
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Hatchet Jack’s Sport Shop said the water is clear and high. Bream are fair in 12 to 14 feet of water on a split shot and cricket.
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Fourche La Fave: Bass are fair early and late on jigs and shad-colored crankbaits. Catfishing is good on jugs with live green sunfish and cut bait.
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Palarm Creek: Hatchet Jack’s Sport Shop said bass are fair on brown and orange jigs. Catfishing is excellent on limb lines and trotlines with cut bait and stink bait.
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Lake Valencia: Hatchet Jack’s Sport Shop said catfishing is good on nightcrawlers and chicken hearts.
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Pickthorne Lake: Hatchet Jack’s Sport Shop said bream are biting well at the shallow end of the lake on crickets and worms. Catfishing is good on nightcrawlers and chicken hearts.
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Little and Big Maumelle Rivers: Hatchet Jack’s Sport Shop said bream are biting well at the upper end of the creek on crickets and wax worms. Bass are fair early and late on spinnerbaits, flukes and top-water stick baits. Channel catfish are biting well on nightcrawlers, cut bait and chicken hearts.
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Murray Lock and Dam: Hatchet Jack’s Sport Shop said stripers are being caught on chartreuse twister tails. Catfishing is excellent snagging and bait fishing on live green sunfish and shad fillets.
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Terry Lock and Dam: McSwain Sports Center (501-945-2471) said the water is very high and dangerous.
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Clear Lake: McSwain Sports Center (501-945-2471) said the water is clear and high. Bream are fair in 4 to 6 feet of water on crickets. Crappie are fair on minnows and jigs. Bass are biting well on black buzzbaits.
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Peckerwood Lake: Herman’s Landing (870-241-3731) said the water is clear and still a bit high and starting to fall. Bream are fair on crickets and wax worms. Crappie are being caught on minnows. Some large bass have been caught on spinnerbaits and buzzbaits. Catfishing is good on any bait.
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Lake Conway: Bates Field and Stream (501-470-1846) said the water is high and stained. Bream are fair on worms and crickets. Crappie can be caught in the middle of the brush on minnows and jigs.
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Little Red River: Lindsey’s Resort (501-302-3139) said water conditions are normal with heavy generation daily. Trout fishing is very good on a wax worm/Power Egg combination and on Shad Raps. Jed Hollan at the Little Red Fly Shop said water releases have resumed. The power house is releasing water most days to reduce our lake to a more acceptable level. If we have no heavy rain events in the coming days, water releases will probably occur at breakfast and supper time as per previous protocols. This permits wade fishing at Winkley Shoal at first light, Libby Shoal until fast water arrives and at JFK Park around noon. When releases are ended, our river level will recede more slowly than normal. The Little Red empties into the White River at Augusta, which is over its banks, so releases will be lower as soon as Greers Ferry is down to top power pool. Our midge population continues to grow exponentially every week. Midge hatches are always more prevalent during winter, but this year is exceptional. A few caddis flies and black gnats are also “coming off” most days. The best dry flies are midges (size 22 or smaller in cream or black), Adams (size 18-20) or caddis (size 18-20 tan). Also try a sow bug (size 14-16 peacock, UV tan or light gray), zebra midge (size 16-22 red, copper or black), copper john (size 16 red, green or copper), San Juan worm (size 16-18 fluorescent pink or red), red butt soft hackle (size 14-16) or wooly bugger (size 10-12 olive or black).
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Greers Ferry: As of Tuesday, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reports the lake’s elevation at 462.63 feet MSL. Tommy Cauley of Fish Finder Guide Service said the water level has stabilized a little, and the water temperature is 40 to 47 degrees. Walleye are beginning to stage in better numbers for the spawn. A jig-and-minnow and jig-and-grub are working well worked slowly along the flats near spawning areas. The bite is very light, but should improve in the next week. White bass and hybrids are holding near the mud line, and should get cranking as the weather begins warming. Try small grubs, spoons and Rapalas as well as in-line spinners and Rooster Tails. Crappie should get started with the warm weather also. Bass fishing will continue to get better, try magnum Wiggle Warts on steep channel bends in the main lake and slow-rolled spinnerbaits and large Rat-L-Traps in the deeper cuts. A football head jig and jighead worn are also working well along bluffs. Catfishing is fair on crawlers.
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Harris Brake Lake: Coffee Creek Landing (501-889-2745) said the water is high and starting to clear up. Crappie are biting well on minnows and jigs. Bass and hybrids are biting well on plastic baits.
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Lake Overcup: Lakeview Landing (501-354-1470) said the water is clear and high. Crappie are fair on minnows. Catfish are fair on stink bait. Overcup Landing (501-354-9007) said all fishing is slow.
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Brewer Lake: Overcup Landing (501-354-9007) said water conditions are murky and high. All fishing is slow.
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Lake Maumelle: Jolly Rogers Marina said the water level is 1.3 feet above the spillway. White bass fishing is fair with some reports of catches coming from the west end of the lake. Shad are bunched up around the river channel, so the action is only days away. Black bass are fair and are beginning to move into shallow water. Light-colored spinnerbaits and jigs are working on the bass up shallow. Some fish are still deep and can be found near the first ledges next to spawning areas. Crappie are biting well in deep water on minnows. There is some movement to shallow water, but most of the fish being caught are still deep. Hatchet Jack’s Sport Shop said crappie fishing is fair in 12 to 16 feet of water on minnows.
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Palarm Creek: Hatchet Jack’s Sport Shop reported that crappie are biting well on Cubby jigs and pink minnows. Catfishing is excellent on limb lines and yo-yos using cut bait and chicken hearts.
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Sunset Lake: Turbyfill’s Outdoor Sports (501-315-3061) said water conditions are normal. Crappie are biting well on 2-inch grubs around brush piles. Bass fishing is good on 5-inch green pumpkin lizards and crayfish-colored crankbaits.
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Saline River Access in Benton: Turbyfill’s Outdoor Sports (501-315-3061) said water conditions are normal. Bass are biting well on pumpkinseed grubs. Walleye are fair on minnows.
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Arkansas River at Morrilton: Charley’s Hidden Harbor in Oppelo said the water is very high with temperatures in the mid 40s. Kentucky bass can be found in the backs of coves and are biting on black and chartreuse spinnerbaits. Catfishing is fair in deeper water on nightcrawlers. A few sauger have been caught below the dam on minnows. Stripers are good. No report on crappie, bream or whites.
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Arkansas River in Little Rock: Vince Miller from Fish ‘N Stuff said the water is low and fishing has picked up. Bass are biting well on spinnerbaits and jigs in the backwater.
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Little Maumelle River: River Valley Bait (501-868-3279) said the water is clear and low. Crappie are biting well on yo-yos baited with minnows. Jigs are working great for pole fishermen. Bass are fair on spinnerbaits. Catfish are biting well on live and prepared bait.
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Murray Lock and Dam: Hatchet Jack’s Sport Shop said crappie are fair on pink minnows and slip-cork rigs.
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Terry Lock and Dam: McSwain Sports Center (501-945-2471) said the water is very muddy and high. All species are slow.
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Clear Lake: McSwain Sports Center (501-945-2471) said the water is very muddy and high. All species are slow.
