Reports are updated weekly, although some reports may be published for two weeks if updates are not received promptly or if reporters say conditions haven’t changed. Contact the reporter for current news for the lake or stream you plan to fish.
Arkansas River and White River levels are available at: http://water.weather.gov/ahps2/index.php?wfo=lzk
For real-time information on stream flow in Arkansas from the U.S. Geological Survey, visit: http://waterdata.usgs.gov/ar/nwis/rt
For water-quality statistics (including temperature) in many Arkansas streams and lakes, visit: http://waterdata.usgs.gov/ar/nwis/current/?type=quality
Download the Fish Brain app and follow AGFC at: https://join.fishbrain.com/agfc-page
White River
(updated 1-12-2023) Dave McCulley, owner of Jenkins Fishing Service in Calico Rock, said these milder temperatures have made for some nice days on the river. The dingy water cleared up by Saturday and fishing was good. Fishermen were having success using silver inline spinners with two sunrise Power Eggs topped with a thumbnail-size piece of shrimp. Quarter-ounce spoons in either nickel or gold or Rapala Countdowns (rainbow trout or silver) worked well in the shallow water. Additionally, Shad Raps worked well in the deeper holes. “Going into the weekend, we are expecting some cooler mornings with highs in the 50s. Layer your clothing so you can take off layers as the day warms up. Stay safe, and happy fishing.”
(updated 1-12-2023) John Berry of Berry Brothers Guide Service said that during the past week they had a trace in Cotter, cold temperatures and moderate winds. The lake level at Bull Shoals fell remained steady at 2.2 feet below power pool of 659 feet msl. This is 38.2 feet below the top of flood pool. Upstream, Table Rock Lake fell 0.1 foot to rest at 0.3 foot below power pool and 16.3 feet below the top of flood pool. Beaver Lake rose 0.3 foot at 1.9 feet below power pool or 11.5 feet below the top of flood pool. The White had no wadable water and more moderate flows. Norfork Lake rose 0.2 foot to rest at power pool of 553.75 feet msl and 26.2 feet below the top of flood pool. The Norfork tailwater has had more wadable water.
The catch-and-release section below Bull Shoals Dam is closed through Jan. 31 to accommodate the brown trout spawn. The State Park will be seasonal catch-and-release for the same period. All brown trout must be immediately released. In addition, night fishing is prohibited in this area during this period.
“On the White, the hot spot has been Wildcat Shoals,” John said. “We have had some lower flows that have fished well. The hot flies were Y2Ks, prince nymphs, zebra midges (black with silver wire and silver bead or red with silver wire and silver bead), pheasant tails, copper Johns, pink and cerise San Juan worms, gold ribbed hare’s ears and sowbugs. Double-fly nymph rigs have been very effective. My favorite has been a cerise San Juan worm with an orange egg dropper.”
John also said, “My wife, Lori, and I got married on New Year’s Eve. I chose that date because I could remember it. In addition, as a CPA, there were certain tax advantages that I wanted to utilize. We have since had 21 years of marital bliss.
“We got married in a small chapel on the Little River in Townsend, Tennessee, and spent our honeymoon fly-fishing in the Smokey Mountains. This year Lori wanted me to do something romantic for our anniversary. I took her fishing!
“I followed our usual habit of me loading my river boat and driving over to Rim Shoals, while Lori fed and walked our Labrador retrievers, Tilley and Ghillie. When I was loading the boat, I noticed that I was a little chilled and went in the house and got a warmer full down coat.
“When I got to the river, I pulled two rods out of my Suburban. One was rigged with a cerise San Juan worm and an orange egg dropper (my high-water rig) and the other had a pheasant tail nymph with a ruby midge dropper (my low-water rig). I put them in the boat and launched. I stayed near the ramp and fished until Lori arrived a couple of minutes later. It was 38 degrees with an overcast sky; the water was low (about a half a generator) and stained from the recent rain.
“We began fishing. Lori took the rod with the pheasant tail nymph and ruby midge, while I took the San Juan worm and egg. We began catching trout almost immediately, five in the first drift. It became apparent that the most trout were being hooked on the orange egg.
“Lori hooked a huge fish. It was the biggest sucker that I had ever seen. At the same time, I hung up on the bottom. It is standard procedure to motor up stream until your boat is above the spot where the fly is caught. You then just pull it out. It works about 90 percent of the time. As I was attempting this maneuver, Lori broke off the big sucker. I was able to retrieve my fly. It gave us a chance to put an orange egg on Lori’s rig.
“We replaced the missing fly with an orange egg. Lori began catching more trout. In fact, she was out-fishing me. It did not bother me at all. By this time I had caught a dozen, which was all I needed. I cranked in my line and put my rod in the bait tray. I spent the rest of the morning watching her catch trout after trout. She is an accomplished caster and an intense angler.
“She is my love and my fishing buddy, and I realized how lucky I was to have married her.”
(updated 1-12-2023) Cotter Trout Dock (870-435-6525) said, “Welcome 2023! White River anglers are greeting these mild January temperatures in shirtsleeves and sunscreen. Always come prepared for a change in the thermometer, though; the calendar still says this is winter. Bull Shoals Lake has risen about 3.5 feet over the last few weeks from the rain received during the holidays, so releases to the river have been steady and welcome, averaging around 2,500 cfs during that time period. The lake level is 656.83 feet msl, back down to 3 feet below power pool.
“This is the year to make fishing fun again. Shouldn’t be a lot of work; ought to be a time of relaxation and indulgence. Leave the performance standards at the car and enjoy every minute you can on the river.
“Traffic on the river has been light while we spend time with family around the Christmas tree. Expect a pretty consistent catch as anglers return slowly over the next week with the rainbows preferring shad imitators (start with most anything white) and peach-colored egg patterns. The brown trout spawn is nearing the finish line – many are returning to their home beds – and the bite is increasing as they’re looking to replace mass lost during spawn.
“Rooster Tails, gold blades, orange bodies appeal to the browns as they continue moving back to their home bases. Fresh sculpins and minnows are a welcome treat. Happy new year!”
Bull Shoals Lake
As of Thursday, the Army Corps of Engineers reported the lake’s elevation at 656.98 feet msl (normal conservation pool: 659.00 feet msl; top flood elevation is 695.00 feet msl). Flow on Thursday midday was 1,868 cfs, and tailwater elevation was 452.14 feet. The reported lake elevation at Table Rock Lake was 914.51 feet msl (normal conservation pool: 915.00 feet msl; top flood elevation is 931.0 feet msl).
(updated 1-12-2023) Del Colvin at Bull Shoals Lake Boat Dock said the Bull Shoals water level 656 feet msl, or about 2 feet below normal pool. The lake came up a little. Water temperature Thursday was 48 degrees, give or take. “Fishing is good. Shallow guys, there are plenty of fish on the bank. If there are wind and clouds, I’m covering water where the wind hits square on the bank – hopefully on a point, chunk rock, steep bank or ledge rock. I’m saying close to deeper water. A Spro Crawler, Wiggle Wart, Red Craw or green variations. You’ll have keep moving to find them, but when you do there’s usually a few close.
“There are always fish to be caught on a jig. If it’s flat, try sunny points with brush or ledges 30-40 feet. The winter patterns are working. Offshore video gaming. Shad are still spread out; target bigger bait balls and shad becomes the structure. Creek hollers, 50-90 feet overall depth. Every day every creek will be different. Watching the loons and graph time pays off this time of year. Use a single 2.8 white swimbait or jerkbait or flutter spoon around those high swimming shad balls. It’s usually best early or late in the day when shad are up in the water column. If they are being finicky, hang a Tater Shad over the side. For schooling fish, use a Jewel Scope or spin a Jigging Rap. Jewel Scuba Spoon for the bottom dwellers. Lots of different species showing up out there in the middle of the lake. Each day is different, so fish the conditions.”
Del regularly posts new YouTube videos. Visit his YouTube site (Bull Shoals Lake Boat Dock) for more information and tips on fishing Bull Shoals Lake.
Norfork Lake
As of Thursday, the Army Corps of Engineers reported the lake’s elevation at 553.85 feet msl (normal conservation pool: Sept.-April, 553.75 feet msl; April-Sept. 556.25 feet msl; top flood elevation 580.0 feet msl). Flow below the dam Thursday midday was 3,061 cfs.
(updated 1-12-2023) Steven “Scuba Steve” Street at Blackburn’s Resort said the lake level is 553.76 feet msl and stable, and they are regulating closely to the top of the power pool of 553.75 feet and showing no signs of a lake drawdown so far this winter. The surface water temperature is 51 degrees and rising slowly with the warm weather this week. The water is clearing slowly and you can see your lure down about 5 feet. The main issue has been the morning fog the last few days and it is lasting until after 10 a.m. and reducing visibility to almost 0 on the lake and making it very dangerous for people trying to navigate with GPS. Trollers are catching several stripers in the 5- to 9-pound range dragging stuff through schools of shad near Mallard Point. Bass fishing is picking up on brush during the day and moving to windblown shoreline in the late evening. The big crappie are biting very slowly during the day and move up shallow to feed from about 4 p.m. until just before dark. Some are near the bank with the bass. Bluegill fishing is slow, as is catfishing,but a few are being caught.
Overall, fishing is fair to good and the lake is in excellent condition and at a good level. For a daily fishing report and lake condition go to www.blackburnsresort.com and click on Scuba Steve’s Blog.
(updated 1-5-2023) Lou Gabric at Hummingbird Hideaway Resort had no new reports, but Lou posts almost daily on his Facebook page with photos and where the fish are biting and what’s biting. Check it out.
Norfork Tailwater
(updated 1-12-2023) John Berry of Berry Brothers Guide Service in Cotter (870-435-2169) said Norfork Lake rose 0.2 foot to rest at power pool of 553.75 feet msl and 26.2 feet below the top of flood pool. The Norfork tailwater has had more wadable water.
There has been more wadable water on the Norfork. The most productive flies have been small midge patterns like zebra midges (black or red with silver wire and silver bead). Double fly nymph rigs have been very effective. Try a small bead-headed nymph (zebra midge, copper John or pheasant tail) suspended 18 inches below a brightly colored San Juan worm (hot fluorescent pink or cerise). John’s favorite rig has been a pheasant tail nymph size 14 and a ruby midge size 18. The fishing is much better in the morning and late afternoon and tapers off midday.
Dry Run Creek has fished a bit better. Weekends can get a quite crowded. The hot flies have been sowbugs, various colored San Juan worms (worm brown, red, hot fluorescent pink and cerise) and white mop flies. Small orange or peach eggs have been very effective. Be sure and carry a large net, as most fish are lost at the net.
Remember that the White and North Fork rivers and Dry Run Creek are infected with didymo, an invasive alga. Thoroughly clean and dry your waders (especially the felt soles on wading boots) before using them in any other water. Many manufacturers are now making rubber soled wading boots that are easier to clean and are not as likely to harbor didymo.
Buffalo National River/Crooked Creek
(updated 1-12-2023) John Berry of Berry Brothers Guide Service in Cotter (870-435-2169) said Crooked Creek and the Buffalo River are fishing poorly. With colder temperatures, the smallmouths are much less active. The most effective fly has been a tan and brown Clouser minnow. Carefully check the water level before entering Crooked Creek or the Buffalo River. There are no dams on these streams. They both have large drainages and are prone to flooding during and following any rain event. The water can rise very quickly.
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