Sportsman’s White River Resort (870-453-2424) said the water is clear and low in the mornings. Trout fishing is excellent on shrimp. Fly fishing is excellent on woolly buggers and nymphs. Brown trout are biting well on jigs, Rapalas and Rogues
Randy Oliver at
www.randyoliverguide.com (901-832-1903) said generation has been high the last week and the fishing has been hot. Drift fishing using Power Bait in yellow and pink/white fished in the deeper channels has worked better this week than lures.
Guide Davy Wotton said unseasonably warm weather has been most welcome, and fish have been active most of the day. Generations have been a little erratic with days of very high water to lower generations and shut down, therefore you will have to pay attention for the best zones to fish, be it wade or boat fishing. Brown trout fishing continues to be exceptional with many days of double-digit numbers and fish well over 20 inches. Both rivers are well stocked with rainbows as well. The best options will be drift-fishing combinations of sow bugs, white tail black and red midges, prism worms and hares ear during low water. During high water, switch to combinations of eggs, San Juan worms, larger sizes of sow bugs, scuds and white tail midges. Streamer fishing may be good one day and gone another. The Bull Shoals Dam area opens Feb 1. If there are low water levels then, midges, sowbugs and soft hackles will be the order of the day, if we see generations then most of the above will work..
Jim Brentlinger at
Linger’s Guide Service and Fishing Lodge(870-499-5185) said fishing is excellent on green or ginger Zig Jigs. In the deeper holes, Rapalas will produce. Get out and enjoy the nice weather. Just be careful in the low water and keep an eye out for problem areas. Get someone to shuttle you around and do one-way trips.
As of Tuesday, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reports the lake’s elevation at 653.55 feet MSL (Normal conservation pool - 654 MSL).
Mike Worley’s Guide Service said unseasonably warm weather has kept water temps 48-52 degrees with many species of fish moving shallow and biting on jigs, suspending stick baits and grubs. Sow rolling an Alabama rig baited with 5 twister-tailed grubs has produced striped bass, white bass, black bass and walleye. Deeper fish are biting on jigging spoons about 40 feet deep on points and drop offs. Crappie are biting over brush piles on jigs about 20 feet deep.
As of Tuesday, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reports the lake’s elevation at 551.95 feet MSL (Normal conservation pool: Sept.-April - 552 MSL, April-Sept. - 554 MSL).
Blackburn Resort said the lake level has dropped to just below 552 with intermediate generation. The creeks are stained a little from recent rains, and you can see about 7 feet down on the main lake. Crappie and bass fishing are the best with some walleye showing up with the big bass. Surface temperature has dropped to just below 50 degrees. Grubs, spoons and swim baits are working well for bass and crappie, and minnows on a slip float are working excellently for crappie as well. Fishing has been very good in general, with some very big fish being caught. Most fish are about halfway up the creeks near brush. Stripers are holding deeper and are moving in and out of the creeks.
101 Grocery and Bait said fishing has been good. Crappie are hitting minnows and small plastic baits from 10 to 20 feet deep. Bass fishing has been good on flukes and jerk baits. Stripers are hitting shiners and jigging spoons. White bass fishing has been slow.
STR Outfitters said the stripers are in their winter pattern and are in 60 to 100 feet of water around shad in the mid-lake area. Stripers are off mid-lake bluff walls and main lake creeks. There are large schools feeding on small shad. Baits set at 24 to 36 feet were all producing. Float creek and Crystal Cove have been the best spots in the afternoons.
Hummingbird Hideaway Resort said crappie anglers have been doing well. Live bait is working the best, but small grubs tipped with a minnow are also working well. The fish are still on shallow brush (6 to 10 feet deep) early and late in the day and go to deeper brush in mid-day. You can also find them at all depths. Bass are suspended 10 to 20 feet deep in water 25 to 35 feet. Some good stripers came 40 feet down in 70 feet of water off of bluff lines.
Guide Steve Olomon said the water temperature is 50-52. Look for stripers suspended in 30-50 feet down during the day along bluffs and creek channels. Drop a jigging spoon and throw a stick bait for the fish up on the bank. Throw a vibratail grub on a ¼-oz. jig head to the bank and work it slowly back to the boat. Throw Wiggle Warts along the banks if the wind is blowing.
Randy Oliver at
www.randyoliverguide.com (901-832-1903) said low generation and low fishing pressure have the fish scattered and holding in the deep holes above the catch-and-release to the shoals below the dam.
