Fishing Reports News

Midwest fishing report

October 17, 2007
TROUT ALERT: Fall trout season opens Saturday. However, because of warm waters, DuPage County pushed back the opener on Grove, Deep Quarry and Silver until Nov. 3. Until then, the three lakes are closed to all fishing. But the IDNR planned to go on schedule, said Larry Dunham in fisheries. Nearby lakes open for trout on Saturday include Axehead, Belleau and Horsetail (Cook County); Bird Park Quarry (Kankakee); Big Lake (Kendall); and Banana and Sand (Lake). Daily bag is five. Anglers 16 and older need an inland trout stamp and a fishing license.

AREA RIVERS: Changing: With hunting starting, fishermen must give waterfowlers berth. Barring violent weather on Thursday, it should be another good weekend, especially for waders. On the Fox, wader Ken Gortowski reminded that discharges become key as the water cools. On the Kankakee, the topwater bite has been good for smallmouth, said Ed Mullady. His son, the guide Matt, even caught a walleye on topwater; and catfishing remains good.

CHAIN O’LAKES AREA: Good: Triangle reports crappie are the best bite on small jigs and minnows; Marie and Bluff are best. Bluegill are good on waxies and small jigs around piers; best is Channel. Muskies are good on big suckers or big jerkbaits. White bass are good; Lake Marie, best. Catfish are fair.

LAKEFRONT: Improving: The lake recovers from last week’s blow, but salmon are spotty. Boaters should start to find perch again. SNAGGING NOTE: Lakefront salmon snagging is allowed only at the inner and outer harbors at Jackson Park, the Lincoln Park lagoon from Fullerton south, the Winnetka power plant discharge area and Waukegan’s north harbor basin only. No snagging is allowed within 200 feet of a moored boat or where posted. MEETING NOTE: Mayor Daley’s Fishing Advisory Committee meets at McKinley Park at 10 a.m. Thursday.

MICHIGAN LAKEFRONT: Expectant: Cooler weather should turn on the steelhead starting to come in at St. Joseph and New Buffalo. In St. Joe, B-J’s Sports said some steelhead are in the river; some fresh kings in the lower river and Berrien Springs has had decent kings and walleye. Paw Paw already has had good numbers well up river.

NORTHERN WISCONSIN: Improved: Cooldown dropped lakes into the 40s and 50s, turning on fishing. Minocqua guide Kurt Justice said muskie are very good; best on suckers. Walleye also are very good, especially with redtails on the flowages. Crappie improved, too.

NORTHWEST INDIANA: Improving: As the water clears from the blow, fishing improves. Mik-Lurch reported perch improving off Inland on the shoals. Kings are rebounding at Amoco, Hammond and Pastrick. Some big stray walleye have been taken at the Hole in Wall by those casting for salmon. Creeks are filling with incoming fish.

WISCONSIN LAKEFRONT: Variable: Thursday and Friday may be good days to head to Racine and Kenosha; if the rains turn on flows in the Root and Pike. Otherwise, it has been spottier than usual. There are chinook, a few coho and rainbows from shore at Racine, while Kenosha has reported mixed kings, browns and coho.

WOLF LAKE: Note: Because of waterfowl opening Saturday on the Illinois side, the park will be partially closed. Bank fishing remains open on the west side of the park.

WOLF RIVER, WISCONSIN: FREMONT: Variable: Guide Bill Stoeger said crappie remain very strong around deeper brush; white bass have been variable, best around the Rat.

Freshwater

Lake Marion: Largemouth Bass: Fair, using worms, and topwater Rebels fishing along the banks and points early in the morning. Striped Bass: Fair, using shad and live herring with down rods in 25 feet of water. White Perch: Slow, Try jigging off the bottom with Hopkins spoons. Crappie: Fair, using small and medium minnows over deep brush piles, bridge pilings and piers. Catfish: Good, fishing with live herring and cut shad off the bottom in deep water. Bream and Shellcrackers: Excellent, using redworms and crickets in 4 to 8 feet of water.

Lake Moultrie: Largemouth Bass: Good, casting, spinnerbaits, plastic worms and lizards along docks and structure. Striped Bass: Good, Jigging and with down-rods in 30 feet of water with live herring near the powerhouse and also trolling Stretch 25’s when live bait does not produce fish in 30 feet of water. Night fishing has been the most productive. Crappie: Fair, using small to medium minnows and Beetlespins around fish attraction areas and brush piles. Catfish: Good, using cut shad, herring, menhaden, live large shiners and nightcrawlers 35 to 40 feet deep. Bream: Good, using crickets, redworms, and small minnows, around manmade fish attractors, crappie beds and around the dam.

Shellcrackers: Fair, try redworms and green worms along the banks along river runs and points.

Lake Murray: Largemouth Bass: Fair, casting to submerged grass along banks up to 8 foot of water with horny-toad frogs and floating worms, Texas-rigged worms or lizards in pumpkin, watermelon seed and redbug colors. Fish are hitting topwater baits, Sammy 100’s, floating worms and double buzz baits. Striped Bass: Fair, using down-rod with live herring, 20 to 60 feet deep, in up to 100 feet of water; also free-lining herring. Schooling activity reported early morning and late evening hours, try Pencil poppers and Zara Spooks. Crappie: Fair, using minnows and jigs around brush piles in 8 to 20 feet of water and casting jigs.

White Perch: Good, jigging with small spoons in 8 to 20 feet and using worms. Catfish: Fair, using cut herring and nightcrawlers on the bottom 6 to 20 feet deep. Bream and Shellcrackers: Good, using redworms, baby nightcrawlers, crickets, Beetlespins around green grass in 20 feet of water and around docks.

Saltwater

Folly Beach Pier: Marina building, fishing pier and Locklear’s Restaurant (which leases space inside the marina) closed for repairs until March 2008.

Cape Fear Region Fishing Report
Ocean: Offshore, the wahoo bite is good to very good right now. I haven’t heard of any real big fish being caught, but the fish are in the 35 to 45-pound range. Closer to shore, the kings are biting along the area beaches from Topsail Island to Southport. The Surf City ledge, fairway ledge, and the river channel all produced fish last weekend. The flounder fishing on the nearshore reefs has gotten good again. There are some nice gray trout and some over-the-slot reds being caught as well.

Inlets/Sounds/Bays: Not a lot of change from the last couple of weeks. The flounder fishing in the river is slow. There are some big fish being caught, there was a 14-pounder weighed in last week, but they are few and far between. The trout fishing has slowed. The water temperature is still in the upper 70s. The cooler weather we are getting now should help the trout fishing. The creeks and bays behind Bald Head Island and the Cape Fear River would be good spots to look for trout and slot size drum.

Piers/Shore: Everyone is looking for spots with mixed results. The better fishing has been taking place after dark. It’s also a matter of being there when they come through. Some days they catch plenty of spots and other days not a one can be found. Along with the spots there are pompanos, blues, sea mullets, black drum, and some keeper flounder. All area piers had a good week on the king mackerel last week, with the Oak Island Piers having some double-digit days

Source: Dennis Trowell, NC Division of Marine Fisheries

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Europe’s trawlermen should cut back drastically next year on trawling for cod in the North Sea and aim to take less than half their 2006 catch from the sea, a group of international scientists said on Monday.

Cod, one of Europe’s most threatened species due to years of chronic overfishing, has long risked a collapse in numbers. But matters seem to have improved slightly, the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES) said.

“Our scientific surveys show that the number of young fish has increased, although only to half of the long-term average,” said Martin Pastoors, chairman of the ICES’ main committee on compiling scientific advice on fish stocks and numbers.

But this, combined with evidence that recent EU controls on restricted catches and time that vessels spend at sea were helping raise fish numbers, was still not enough, Pastoors said.

“We recommend constraining catches in 2008 to less than 50 percent of the 2006 catches. And this should include measures to constrain discards and illegal catches,” he said.

“This should give these young fish the opportunity to grow and to reproduce and thereby to contribute to the recovery of this important fish stock,” Pastoors said in a statement.

European Commission fisheries experts use the advice compiled by Denmark-based ICES to calculate quotas for each commercial species for the following year that are then presented to EU ministers for approval.

Reacting to the preliminary ICES advice, to be finalized on Friday, the EU’s fisheries chief gave a strong indication that the more encouraging signs would not lead to increased cod quotas to be allocated around national fishing fleets in 2007.

“The worst thing we could do at this stage would be to slacken our efforts by trying to cash in immediately on the first positive signs. This would be the quickest road to ruin,” EU Fisheries Commissioner Joe Borg said in a statement. Continued…

Fishing Tip: Ever have one of those days where you just can’t quite seem to set the hook when you’re using your favorite spinnerbait? We’ve all had those days when bass are hitting short on those skirts. Try cutting the skirt back just a little. This will give your bait a smaller look without affecting the action of the spinnerbait.

Arkansas River Levels: According to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, as of Wednesday the Arkansas River stages are:

Trimble Lock and Dam (Lock and Dam 13): Headwater – 391.34 feet, Tailwater – 378.92 feet, Flow – 83,076 cubic feet per second

Ozark Lock and Dam (Lock and Dam 12): Headwater – 371.65 feet, Tailwater – 340.73 feet.

Dardanelle Lock and Dam (Lock and Dam 10): Headwater – 338.18 feet, Tailwater – 288.45 feet.

Ormond Lock and Dam (Lock and Dam 9): Headwater – 286.79 feet, Tailwater – 265.93 feet, Flow – 22,562 cubic feet per second

Toad Suck Lock and Dam (Lock and Dam 8): Headwater – 265.07 feet, Tailwater – 252.37 feet

Murray Lock and Dam (Lock and Dam 7): Headwater – 250.39 feet, Tailwater – 231.32 feet, Flow – 6,609 cubic feet per second

Terry Lock and Dam (Lock and Dam 6): Headwater – 231.13 feet, Tailwater – 212.80 feet, Flow – 26,039 cubic feet per second

Sanders Lock and Dam (Lock and Dam 4): Headwater – 196.22 feet, Tailwater – 182.27 feet

Hardin Lock and Dam (Lock and Dam 3): Headwater – 182.20 feet, Tailwater – 163.12 feet.

Mills Dam (Dam 2): Headwater – 162.80 feet, Tailwater – 120.30 feet, Flow – 5,180 cubic feet per second

White River Levels: According to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, as of Wednesday the White River stages are:

5.2 feet at Calico Rock (flood stage – 19 feet)
6.6 feet at Batesville (flood stage – 15 feet)
2.1 feet at Newport (flood stage – 26 feet)
13.1 feet at Augusta (flood stage – 26 feet)
1.0 feet at Georgetown (flood stage – 21 feet)
10.0 feet at Clarendon (flood stage – 26 feet)

Statewide Family and Community Fishing Report: Catfishing has been fair on chicken liver and stinkbait and bream have been good on worms and brown jigs. About 13,000 catfish are scheduled to be stocked over the next few weeks in select program ponds. Fall is a great season to take the family out fishing and enjoy some quality time together. For more information on catfish stockings, call toll-free 1-866-540-FISH (3474).

CENTRAL ARKANSAS
Lake Conway : Bates Field and Stream (501-470-1846) said the lake is clear and low. Bream fishing is fair on crickets. Bass fishing is good on buzzbaits. Some catfish are being caught on liver.

Little Red River: Lindsey’s Resort (501-302-3139) said the river is normal. Generators are still running in the afternoons. Trout fishing has been excellent on chartreuse Powerbait and Power eggs and olive or brown marabou jigs.

Greers Ferry: As of Tuesday, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reports the lake’s elevation at 461.51 feet MSL.

Shiloh Marina said the lake is pretty clear and its water level is normal. Bass are the best thing going right now using spinner and topwater baits.

Harris Brake Lake: Coffee Creek Landing (501-889-2745) said lake conditions are normal. Crappie fishing is fair on minnows. Bass are being caught on worms, crickets and minnows. Catfishing is good on minnows and nightcrawlers.

Lake Beaverfork : The City of Conway Parks and Recreation Department said fishing has been extremely slow.

Lake Overcup : Lakeview Landing (501-354-1470) said the water is clear and a little low. All species are slow.

Overcup Landing (501-354-9007) said lake conditions are normal. Some bream have been caught on crickets. Crappie fishing is good on small minnows. Bass fishing is pretty good on topwater baits and plastic worms. A few catfish have been caught on live bait and nightcrawlers.

Brewer Lake : Overcup Landing (501-354-9007) said the water is normal. All species are slow.

Little Maumelle River: River Valley Bait (501-868-3279) said the river is clear and at a normal level. Bream fishing is good in 3 feet of water around the edges of the banks on worms and crickets. Crappie are being caught in 8-12 feet of water on minnows. Bass fishing is very good around lily pads on spinnerbaits and minnows. Catfish can be caught on about anything you throw out there.

Lake Maumelle : Hatchet Jack’s Sport Shop said crappie is the best thing going on minnows in deep water.

Lake Valencia : Hatchet Jack’s Sport Shop said catfish are hot on liver and nightcrawlers.

Arkansas River at Little Rock: Fish N’ Stuff (501-834-5733) said the river is clear and low. Bass fishing has slowed down a bit, but they can still be caught on plastic worms, crankbaits and jigs around rocky points.

Sunset Lake : Turbyfill’s Outdoor Sports (501-315-3061) said the water is stained and at a normal level. Crappie are being caught on 2 in wooly beaver tails. Bass are being caught in 15 feet of water around brush on brown plastic worms.

Saline River Access in Benton: Turbyfill’s Outdoor Sports (501-315-3061) the river is clear and low. Bream and crappie are being caught on yellow and black rooster tails. Bass fishing is good in deeper water on frog colored top water baits.

Arkansas River at Morrilton: Charley’s Hidden Harbor in Oppelo said the flow from Lock 9 is 22,562 cubic feet per second with a headwater of 286.79 and a tailwater of 265.93.

Charley’s Hidden Harbor said black bass are biting well on spinnerbaits. Kentucky bass are biting well on crawfish, jigs and mud bugs. White bass are doing well on shad and rooster tails. Catfish are biting well on whole shad. Bream fishing is good on black rooster tails and crickets. Crappie fishing is good in 4-8 feet of water on red or yellow jigs.

Murray Lock and Dam: Hatchet Jack’s Sport Shop said crappie fishing is fair on minnows. Catfishing is good on trot lines.

Big Maumelle Creek: Hatchet Jack’s Sport Shop bass fishing is good on chartreuse split tails and catfish are biting well on cut shad and minnows.

Terry Lock and Dam: McSwain Sports Center (501-945-2471) said the water is clear and low. Black bass are being caught on watermelon red brush hogs around rocky points. Some catfish are being caught on cut shad.

Clear Lake: McSwain Sports Center (501-945-2471) said the water is clear and low. Bream can be caught in 3-4 feet on crickets around logs. Black bass are being caught in 2-3 feet of water using 8 in. blood line worms.

Peckerwood Lake : Herman’s Landing (870-241-3731) said lake conditions are normal. Some crappie are being caught on minnows. Bass fishing is fair on spinnerbaits and topwater baits. Catfishing is good on yoyos around wood areas.

NORTH ARKANSAS

White River: Sportsman’s White River Resort said the water is clear and normal. The generators are on in the afternoon. Trout fishing has been excellent on yellow powerbait, lures, rapalas and buoyant spoons. Fly fishing is still good on midge patters.

Angler’s White River Resort (870-585-2226) said the water is normal. Generators are being turned on in the afternoon. Trout fishing has been excellent on screaming eagle lures and powerbait.

Bull Shoals Lake: As of Tuesday, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reports the lake’s elevation at 654.16 feet MSL.

Lake Norfork:As of Tuesday, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reports the lake’s elevation at 551.99 feet MSL.

Cranfield Junction Bait and Tackle (870-492-5141) said the water is clear and low. Bream fishing is good on worms and crickets. Crappie fishing is picking up on minnow and jigs around brush piles. Bass fishing is also picking up around deep coves on topwater baits.

Norfork Tailwater: Gene’s Trout Dock (870-499-5381) said the water is clear and low. Trout fishing is good on nightcrawlers, red worms and Colorado spinners.

NORTHWEST ARKANSAS
Beaver Lake : As of Tuesday, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reports the lake’s elevation at 1,120.45 feet MSL.

Southtown Sporting Goods (479-443-7148) said the water is clear and at a normal level. Bream fishing is good on crickets. Some crappie are being caught on worms. Bass fishing is good in the mornings on topwater baits and drop shots. Fishing for bass in the afternoon is good on spinnerbaits and plastics. Catfish are being caught on live or prepared bait.

Wiegmann’s Guide Service (479-756-5279) said the water is clear in the mid lake and dam areas. Bass fishing has been decent, but is better at night for anglers. The most effective baits have been crankbaits, black Jitterbug, dark colored worms and spinnerbaits. Some small bass are being caught during the day using buzz baits. Some stripers can be caught on shad and shiners.

Lake Fayetteville: Lake Fayetteville Boat Dock (479-444-3476) said the lake is clear and the level is normal. Crappie fishing is very good on minnows and jigs. Bass fishing is fair on topwater lures.

Lake Sequoyah: Lake Sequoyah Boat Dock (479-444-3475) said the lake is clear and a normal level and fishing is picking up. Bream are being caught on worms. Crappie fishing is fair on minnows. Bass can be caught on spinnerbaits.

Sugarloaf Lake: Midland Minimart (479-639-9467) said the water is clear and at a normal level. Bream fishing is good on worms and crickets and bass are being caught on spinnerbaits.

NORTHEAST ARKANSAS
Crown Lake: Boxhound Marina (870-670-4496) said the water is clear and low with a temperature in the lower 70’s. Bream fishing is good on red worms. Crappie fishing is good on minnows. Bass are being caught on jigs and topwater baits.

Lake Frierson: Lake Frierson State Park said the water is clear and low. Bream fishing is good on crickets. Crappie are being caught on minnows. Catfishing has been good on liver and crickets.

Eleven-Point River : Woody’s Canoe Rental and Campground (870-892-9732) said the river is clear and at a normal level. All species are currently slow.

Spring River : Many Islands Camp (870-856-3451) said the water is clear and normal. Trout fishing has been excellent using roosertails, spinnerbaits and salmon eggs.

SOUTHEAST ARKANSAS
Lake Chicot : Koenig Bass Tracker Marine (870-265-5374) lake conditions are normal. Bream are biting well on wax worms and crickets. A few crappie are being caught on minnow and jigs. Bass fishing is good on topwater baits. Catfishing is good on worms.

Grand Lake : Koenig Bass Tracker Marine (870-265-5374) said the water is normal. Crappie is the best thing going on minnows and jigs.

SOUTHWEST ARKANSAS

Millwood Lake: As of Tuesday, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reports the lake’s elevation at 260.16 feet MSL.

Millwood Lake Guide Service said the water conditions are normal, with a temperature in the mid 70s. Bass fishing has been very good on a variety of lures, swimming jig heads and jerk baits.

Lake Columbia: Steve’s Marine (870-234-2222) said the lake conditions are normal. Bream fishing is good on worms and crickets. Crappie fishing is good on minnows and jigs.

Lake Erling: Steve’s Marine (870-234-2222) said the lake conditions are normal. Crappie fishing is good on minnows. Catfishing is decent on shiners and nightcrawlers.

White Oak Lake: White Oak Lake State Park said bass have been hitting live minnows. Panfish are beginning to bite as well. Lake levels are dropping because of the lack of rain last week. Catfishing is good on jugs baited with live or prepared bait.

Lake Greeson: As of Tuesday, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reports the lake’s elevation at 544.30 feet MSL.

Lakeside Grocery, Motel and Bait (870-398-5304) said the water is clear and falling, which has made for better fishing. Crappie are biting on minnows in 15-20 feet around brush piles. Bass fishing has been good on plastic worms, topwater baits and spinnerbaits. Some catfish have been caught on stinkbait, minnows and liver using trot lines and jugs. Striper fishing has been really good in 10 feet of water on topwater baits, spoons and crankbaits.

DeGray Lake: As of Tuesday, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reports the lake’s elevation at 407.58 feet MSL.

DeGray One Stop (501-865-3511) says the lake is clear and low. The temperature is in the mid 70’s. Bream can be caught in 20-25 feet of water on red worms and crickets. Crappie are biting in 15-20 feet of water on live bait. Bass fishing is good on Carolina rigs, worms, jigs and early and late they can be caught on spinner and buzz baits. Some catfish have been caught on noodles and live bait.

WEST-CENTRAL ARKANSAS
Lake Dardanelle : Murphy’s Sporting Goods (479-229-3200) said the water is clear and low, with the current slowing down. Bream fishing is fair on worms and crickets. Bass fishing is decent on plastic worms and topwater baits. Catfishing is good on stink bait, liver and cut shad.

Bill’s Bait and Tackle (479-754-6354) said the water is a little muddy, but at a normal level. Crappie can be caught on minnows. Bass are being caught on topwater baits. Catfishing has been good on shad.

Blue Mountain Lake : As of Tuesday, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reports the lake’s elevation at 386.48 feet MSL.

CNC’s End of the Line (479-947-2398) said the water is murky and low. Bream fishing is fair on about any bait. Crappie fishing is good on minnows and jigs. Bass are being caught on lures. Catfishing is fair on worms, minnows and liver.

Ozark Pool: Lakeside Food Mart (479-667-5155) said the water is pretty normal. Bream can be caught on crickets and nightcrawlers in deeper water. Crappie fishing is fair in 18-20 feet of water on minnows and jigs. Catfish are biting below the dam on cut bait, nightcrawlers and minnows.

Lake Ouachita : As of Tuesday, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reports the lake’s elevation at 577.46 feet MSL.

Mountain Harbor Marina said the water is clear and at 78 to 84 degrees. Largemouth bass are biting fairly well on buzzbaits, Rooster tails and flukes on main lake points and secondary points. Top-water buzzing frogs are working very well over and around moss beds. Kentucky bass are biting very well on live crayfish fished near brush in 15 to 25 feet of water. Walleye are fair on spoons and crankbaits fished over humps and main lake points near brush. Stripers are biting well on live brood minnows and gizzard shad, but live bluegill will work was well. The eastern end of the lake is the best for the stripers right now. Bream are biting well on crickets and worms in 18 to 25 feet of water. Crappie are fair in 20 to 35 feet of water around brush. Use minnows or Arkansas shad, Tennessee shad or white grubs. Catfish are fair on jugs and trotlines set in 20 to 25 feet of water.

Larry Hurley from Poorman’s Guide Service said stripers are still on the slow side. Largemouth bass and spotted bass are biting very well. The large spotted bass are finally pulling up in 30 feet of water on main lake points and creek channel bends. Largemouth bass are relating to the grass and you can catch some big fish punching through with a 1-ounce black and blue jig. Walleye are fair and can be caught on ½-ounce spoons. No report on any keeping size bream. Crappie is slow. A few catfish have been caught on jugs.

Lake Catherine : Diamondhead Marina (501-262-2272) said the lake conditions are normal, but fishing is still very slow.

Shane Goodner, owner of Catch’em All Guide Service, reports that the rainbow trout bite remains very slow. Most of the water from the bridge to the dam is over 70 degrees and trout cannot survive in water that warm. Restocking begins in November and by mid-January the fishing will again be good. This cycle occurs every year, but we did have eight very good months of trout fishing. Since natural trout reproduction is very limited - all of our cold water dams in Hot Springs are dependent on stocking. Most of the trout have either been caught or migrated out of the area by the end of September. The striper and hybrid action is also hit-and-miss with most of the action taking place below the bridge during periods of generation. Top-water action is heavy at times with C-10 Redfins and Super Spooks doing most of the damage. Hybrids are mixed in with the stripers and they both feed heavily on the shad schools in the tailrace area.

Lake Hamilton: Larry Hurley from Poorman’s Guide Service said the best way to catch a lot of fish is to fish a 1/8th-oz. jighead Tennessee shad grub across the flats and wait for the white bass and yellow bass to nail it. Stripers are mixed in with the whites and will occasionally be caught as well. Largemouth and Kentucky bass are biting fairly well on oxycraw-colored Magic Worms fished around docks. Walleye are being caught on drop-shot rigs with the new Gulp! Minnow around bridge pilings and rocks.

Lake Hinkle : Bill’s Bait Shop (479-637-4719) said the water conditions are clear and normal. Bream are biting well on crickets. Crappie fishing is good in 12-15 feet of water on minnows. Bass fishing has picked up on topwater plugs. A few catfish have been caught on worms, liver and perch.

Lake Atkins : Lucky Landing (479-641-7615) said the water is clearing up and still low. Bream can be caught in deeper water on worms and crickets. Crappie can be caught on worms, crickets and minnows. Bass fishing is fair, but the baby bass that were just stocked are driving everyone crazy. Catfishing has been really good on about any kind of bait.

Lake Nimrod : As of Tuesday, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reports the lake’s elevation at 345.42 feet MSL.

Bait N’ More (479-272-4025) said the water conditions are normal. Catfish are biting on about anything you put on the hook. Crappie fishing is pretty good on minnows and jigs.

SOUTH-CENTRAL ARKANSAS
No report this week.

EAST ARKANSAS

Arkansas River (Pine Bluff): The Tackle Box (870-534-1498) said the water is murky. Bream fishing is good on wax worms and crickets.

River City Sporting Goods (870-534-8303) said river conditions are normal. Bream fishing is fair around the banks on red wigglers and crickets. Bass fishing is fair on crankbaits and plastic worms. Catfish are being caught in about 30 ft. of water on cut shad.

White River: Triangle Sports (870-793-7122) said the water is extremely low and fishing has been terrible.

Maddox Bay: Maddox Bay Landing (870-462-8317) said the water is clear and low. Crappie fishing is fair in 6-8 feet of water on minnows. Bass fishing is fair on spinnerbaits and crankbaits. No reports of bream or catfish.

Bear Creek Lake: Arkansas Outdoors (870-295-4240) said the water remains murky and low. Bream fishing is fair on worms and crickets. Bass fishing is very good on plastic baits.

Horseshoe Lake: Bond’s (870-339-2464) said the water is normal. The best thing going are crappie on minnows.

Island 40 Chute: Daily’s Boat Dock (870-739-3478) said all species are slow.