Fishing Tip:  Many anglers peg the weight of their Texas-rigged worms when fishing matted grass and thick cover for bass. Keeping the weight against the lure makes it easier for the entire package to slide through weeds and timber. But when the cover isn’t thick, an unpegged weight is best. When a bass strikes the lure, the weight can slide free, enabling the bass to take the lure deeper in its mouth. The weight also will not interfere with the hookset or give the bass enough bulk to rattle the hook free during the fight.

White River Levels are available at :
http://www.srh.noaa.gov/lmrfc/forecast/tributaries/status_white.shtml

CENTRAL ARKANSAS

Jed Hollan at the Little Red Fly Shop aid the Greers Ferry Powerhouse continues to lower the lake level with unrelenting water releases. The water volume was varying between 2,800-5,000 cubic feet of water per second until one of the two generators was shut down on Oct. 6 for routine maintenance. It will probably remain off line for two weeks. This reduction in water release will add another week or so to the date that smaller, seasonal releases resume. The temperature of the water coursing through the turbines is averaging 55 degrees with average dissolved oxygen content between 3.2 and 5.8 mg/l. Bear in mind that water release schedules are subject to change without notice. Drift fishing from a boat is good. Aquatic insect hatches are getting thicker and more varied all the time. In addition to our BWO, PMD, sulphur and midge hatches, we now have march browns. The best dry flies are the Adams (#16), American march brown (#14), sulphur (#16-#18), BWO (#16-#18 baetis), or midge (#22 or smaller in cream or black), but these flies are best used when the river is low. Don’t bother fishing dries from a boat in high water. Sub-surface offerings should include the lowly but abundant sowbug (#14-#16 UV tan, UV gray, peacock or olive), zebra midge (#16-#22 red, black or copper), San Juan worm (#12-#14 red, worm brown or cerise), pheasant tail (#16), copper john (#14-#16 red, green or copper), red butt soft hackle (#14-#18), gold ribbed hare's ear (#14-#16), egg patterns (#8-#14 bubble gum, salmon or watermelon) or woolly bugger (#8-#12 olive, brown or black). When drift fishing in high water, be sure to use plenty of weight to get the fly down to the streambed.

Most of the brown trout spawn will be at Cow Shoals. Please note that night fishing at Cow Shoals during the spawn is forbidden. Also, only one hooking point per angler is permitted, and it must be barbless. All fish at Cow Shoal must be released immediately to the stream during the spawning months of October, November and December.

Greers Ferry:  As of Tuesday, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reports the lake’s elevation at 464.24 feet MSL.

NORTH ARKANSAS

White River: Sportsman’s White River Resort said water conditions are normal with seven generators running around the clock. Trout fishing has been very good on trout worms, Rogues and Rapalas. 

Mountain River Fly Shop said the White continues to fish very well for boat anglers tossing streamers or deep nymphing. If you are a streamer junkie, get a fast sinking full sink line or a sink tip. We have been noticing the browns in particular are coloring up, so their need to feed should be getting stronger. Try flies with a hint of yellow and brown like the Conehead Autumn Splendor, woolly buggers and Tungsten Slump Busters. Deep nymphing with San Juans, with or without an egg pattern in front of the worm, has been consistent. Red, brown, pink and orange have all been good depending on the day or the section of river. Sowbugs have been more popular in the upper part of the river, try gray or tan. For an oddball suggestion, try deep nymphing a sculpin or crawdad pattern. These are big hunks of protein that could attract a bigger trout.

Ken Richards with http://www.justfishinguides.com/ said on high water, pink, cerise and hot red San Juan worms are working well. Dynamite San Juans in hot pink are the best of the family. Large streamers worked around the banks are catching some large brown trout. Look for the browns to be moving to their pre-spawn lies. Sowbugs are the hot fly near the dam.

Bull Shoals Lake:  As of Tuesday, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reports the lake’s elevation at 682.32 feet MSL.

Lake Norfork:  As of Tuesday, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reports the lake’s elevation at 566.16 feet MSL.

101 Grocery and Bait said the water temperature ranges from the mid-60s to the mid-70s. Kentucky bass fishing has been good. Bluegill fishing is good. Crappie fishing is fair. Catfishing is good using trotlines. Striper fishing is slow. White bass fishing is fair. Largemouth bass and smallmouth bass fishing is fair.

Cranfield Junction Bait and Tackle (870-492-5141) said the water is murky and high. All species are slow.

Norfork Tailwater:  Mountain River Fly Shop said the tailwater has been a wader’s dream for the past couple of weeks. Midges scuds and sowbugs have all been very good. But the indications have been that Norfork’s generation could be about to climb again, ruling out wade fishing except for those who float down and fish off the islands. Get in while the going is good. On low water, Camel Midges, Davy’s Super Midges, and WD40s are the ticket. And don’t forget your McLellan’s Woven V-Rib Sowbugs, Clint’s Sowbugs and Davy’s Sowbugs.

Ken Richards at http://www.justfishinguides.com/ said small sowbugs, zebra midges and soft hackles are working well on the low water. During high water, Y2K bugs, San Juan worms and dynamite worms are working the best.

NORTHWEST ARKANSAS

JT’s Crappie Guide Service (479-640-3980) said bass have been on the small size but are biting well. Swim baits fished around docks in 5 to 15 feet of water have been working. Kentucky bass have been schooling all over the lake in the mornings and are biting well on spoons and top-water plugs during the feeding frenzy. Crappie have been doing the same thing they have been doing all summer and that's hitting minnows and black/chartreuse tubes under deep shaded docks and steep bluff lines with timber 10 to 25 feet deep. White bass are few and far between but can be found suspended 15 to 30 feet deep on main-lake flats. Horseshoe Bend and Edens bluff have been good places to look.

Bank anglers are having luck catfishing at night using liver and worms. Bluegill are thick under most docks and can be caught on crickets.

Southtown Sporting Goods (479-443-7148) said the water is high and murky. Crappie are biting well on tube jigs and minnows. Bass are fair early and late on the edges of channels on spinnerbaits and top-water lures 

Beaver Tailwater:  Ken Richards at http://www.justfishinguides.com/ said the water levels are beginning to get back down, so there are more wading opportunities. Gray or tan sowbugs, red copper Johns, Hornbergs and hare’s ear nymphs are good patterns for the tailwater now. During high water, large streamers such as #4 black woolly buggers are picking up some nice fish.

NORTHEAST ARKANSAS