December
3,
2008
Lake
Dardanelle: Eric Pratt at Lake
Dardanelle State Park said Lake Dardanelle is the clearest
it has been all year in the main body of the lake, but that can
change overnight with all the wind and wave action lately. Corps
of Engineers has a forecasted daily release on Lake Dardanelle
at 5,000-10,000 cubic feet per second. Lake temperature has fallen
to 50 degrees. Fishing on the lake is picking up and the bass
are beginning to bite. Anglers are reporting that bass can be
caught around points, brush piles, rock jetties and other areas
where they can hang out and wait for schooling shad to pass.
Anglers are catching bass on a number of baits including spinnerbaits,
jerk baits, crankbaits and Rat-L-Traps. Crappies are biting well
early in the morning. It seems they bite the best when the weather
is at its worst. Look for them piling up around areas that have
stumps and brush piles. Also, try fishing around any kind of
emerging cover. Catfish are slow with anglers fishing in 10-15
feet of water on the edges of the river channel. Anglers are
using cut bait. Bream fishing also is slow, but they can be caught
around submerged structure such as boat docks, trees or bank
outcrops. They are a little deeper this time of year so try fishing
about 5-10 feet down using crickets and worms.
Murphy’s
Sporting Goods (479-229-3200) had no report.
Spadra
Marina on Lake Dardanelle in Clarksville had no report.
Ozark
Pool: Lakeside
Food Mart (479-667-5155) said the water is clear and at normal
level. Crappie are fair on minnows and jigs. Bass are fair on
live minnows and shad-imitating jigs. Catfishing is fair on cut
bait.
Lake
Ouachita: As
of Tuesday, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reports the lake’s
elevation at 577.23 feet MSL.
Mountain
Harbor
Resort had no report.
Larry
Hurley from Poorman’s
Guide Service said fishing has slowed. Some quality bass
have been caught on spinnerbaits and jigs fished on the edge
of the grass and on large jigs punched through the grass.
Dave
Lindhag at Striped Bass Adventures said the stripers are biting pretty well.
Some decent size fish are coming on small- to medium-sized live
bait fished at 25 feet deep using light sinkers. All fingers
of the lake are productive, but the fish really aren’t
in the main lake. Some mornings, fishing has been fast and other
mornings, it’s been a slow start. Most of the fish caught
have been in the 7 to 12 pound range. Some sporadic topwater
action is happening, but it’s rare.
Lake
Hamilton: Larry Hurley from Poorman’s
Guide Service said crankbaits in crawfish colors proved to
be the best lures on Hamilton. Fish the flats just off the creek
channels for the best results. Boat docks with brush have been
very productive on sunny days.
Lake
Catherine: Shane Goodner,
owner of Catch’em
All Guide Service, said the lake continues to fall very slowly
as repairs continue at Blakely Mountain Dam. Work is scheduled
to be complete Dec. 8. There is no scheduled generation at Carpenter
Dam other than what is needed for local rainfall. The tailrace
waters are lightly stained from lack of a regular flow; however,
visibility is still good and hasn't affected feeding patterns.
Rainbow trout are being caught from the bridge to the dam as these
fish chase shad and hatching insects. Fly fishermen are taking
advantage of the falling water and are able to wade to areas that
hold trout. Egg patterns and micro jigs are working well fished
under a strike indicator. Bank fishermen using redworms and nightcrawlers
have caught the largest fish which have measured over 15 inches.
Boaters have recorded limits of fish by trolling the main channels
with small crankbaits that imitate shad or crayfish. Hybrid and
striper fishing is very slow as most of the shad have migrated
away from the dam. Trout fishing will continue to improve as the
stocking program intensifies as the new year approaches.
Diamond Head
Marina had no report.
Lake
Hinkle: Bill's
Bait Shop (479-637-4719) said no anglers have been to the
lake lately because of cold weather and hunting season.
Lake
Atkins: Lucky
Landing (479-641-7615) said
bream are biting well on worms and crickets. Crappie are moving
to coves and are biting well on minnows and jigs. Bass are slowing
down, but are biting well on soft-plastics. Catfishing is good
on cut bait and live shad.
