Arkansas Fishing Report from Anglers for 2004 and before

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December 12, 2004 - Beaver - this is the time! load the boatput on the warm gear fish are moving up steam into the white and war eagle arms whites are schooling any time the wind lays down i watch them every morning just around the corner from point 12 due to all the rain the water is up but the mud color is fading ! its not to hard to find stripers at this time because thats the only boats out there!!!! KEEP YOUR HOOKS SHARP !!!BOBBER FROM BEAVERLAKE

October 2, 2004 - Lake Hamilton - Large Mouth Bass and Hybrids were feeding near The hwy 70 west bridge and in the mouth of Bull Bayou in and near the main channel. The Super Fluke Albino, was the order of the day, and it was all over by 10:00 am Some Buddy's of mine have been doing well at the mouth of Hot Springs creek with a Boy Howdy dureing the last hour of daylight. George Alexander...

August 30, 2004 - Beaver Question - I have a question for Mark, or for that matter anyone else who has hired a striper guide at Beaver Lake. Mark I know you have talked about fishing Beaver and I was wondering if you hired a guide or went out on your own. I would be interested in any information Mark, or anyone else who has had a guide on Beaver can send my way. There is no big hurry as I am not going to get down that way till next year. Names of guides, what time of year you went, and would you rebook the same guide, anything like that would be helpfull. Thanks, Randy fishlisp85@aol.com

May 17, 2004 - Beaver - May 14-15- Beaver Lake Arkansas - We took two days guided fishing trips to Beaver Lake, Arkansas. This picture is the first day. Biggest fish was a 21 lb. striper. The second day we only boated two keepers. Great trip with Beaver Fever Guides.

May 10, 2004 - Beaver - Submitted by 'fishinfarmer' from SE Kansas - We go to Beaver and Grand Lake quite ofter so thought I would start posting reports. Just got back from a 3 day Striper trip to Beaver Lake on May 6, 7, & 8 and it was a disaster.

We only boated 1 small striper. Went out with Don Andreasen of Beaver Fever
Guide Service and he worked his tail off trying to get us into some fish but
just couldn't get it done. Don is probably the best guide on the lake and
if he can't find the fish, they just can't be found. They had a lot of
flooding there about a week or two ago and the lake rose over 12' in 24
hours. While we were there, the lake level was only 6" from the top of the
emergency overflow and the lake was in very bad shape. We stayed at
Coppermine Lodge on the south end of the lake near Rogers and the mud line
was still up past the Rocky Branch area. Anyone thinking about going after
Striper's better wait at least 2 or 3 weeks for the lake to settle out. We
are going back out with Don in mid June and he said things should be much
better and back to normal by then so I will let you know.

Also I will post my opinion on the different resorts/lodges we stay at for
those who are interested. Coppermine Lodge is easy to get two but leaves a
lot to be desired. It is a family owned resort. The owner and his wife are
super nice people and are making progress but not quite there yet. They
took over about 4 years ago and it takes time. The cabins are clean but are
very basic with below average beds and furnishings. They are also short on
electrical outlets and no phones. They have Dish TV with very limited
channels and no local stations. A boat slip comes with the rental of each
unit and the docks are in good shape, very accessible and have electricity
available for your chargers. They have a large open area with a beautiful
view of the lake. They are not meant to be a five star resort but for a
fishing resort I would put them at about a 5 or 6 on a scale of 10.

April 25, 2004 - Beaver - thewhite river is way up like take your cabincruiser muddy water all the way to the dam caught 4 trout all day i live on beaver lake sat morning you just about could walk across the water on all the floating wood boaters beware!!!!!!water is HIGH and muddyand the snakes are out !!

April 16, 2004 - Beaver - Submitted by Jason Piper - JT Crappie Guide ServiceBlack Bass: Black Bass are still not on the beds yet, but continue to bite well along points and around structure along the bank. Chunk rock to gravel banks are a good place to look. White/chartreuse spinner baits and hula grubs are working well. Night time fishing is picking up along gravel banks with a black/blue 6" lizard or a 3" black/blue chompers hula grub.
Crappie: Crappie are at there peak with a limit being reached each time I go out. Black/chartreuse jigs and Pumpkin colored jigs are working best around timber or brush, or along the bank as well.
Stripers and Hybrids: Guides tell me fishing has been tough, but one could try a Redfin or a Zara Spook early or late around the islands near hwy.12 or try fishing around point 12 south of Hickory Creek near the river arms with live bait fished under balloons.
White Bass: White bass are at there peak! One needs to go up either the War Eagle Arm or the White River arm as far as they can go and fish anything that looks like a minnow to have great success.
Catfish: Catfish continue to bite well on trotlines and jugs near bluff lines.

April 12, 2004 - SW Arkansas Ponds - We've been tearing up the Black Bass with Lazer Minnow crank baits on sunny days . this morning was overcast and nasty so I opted for a red crawfish crank bait and got six 1.5 lbs to 2.5 lbs . another person with us got 5 on rat -l -traps and rapala cranks , also 1.5 to 2.5 lbs . two others to another on yellow/black rapala crank bait . I also got some nice Crappie hits on the craw and they've been hitting on minnows .

April 2, 2004 - Beaver - Submitted by Jason Piper - JT Crappie Guide Service - Black Bass: The pre-spawn mode is on, fish are stacking up on points and along drop offs near the bank along creek channels. Jigs are working well later in the day, but crank baits and spinner baits are working best in the morning. Some top water action is going on in shallow water when it's calm.
Crappie: Crappie fishing is outstanding! Limits are being reported all over the upper portion of the lake with most action between hwy. 12 bridge to the War Eagle arm. Red/chartreuse or black/chartreuse jigs are working best fishing them wherever you can find wind blowing towards the back of coves. Minnows are working as well fished under bobbers 3'-5' down around brush.
Stripers and Hybrids: Point 12 and deep into the White and War Eagle rivers are the best place to fish. Live bait fished under balloons or plainer boards seem to do the trick about 5'-10' down. A 44 pounder was caught this week at point 12.
White Bass: the white bass run up the river arms has begun! Deep into War-Eagle or down towards hwy. 45 bridge east of Fayetteville seem to be the best spots. They will hit anything that looks like a minnow.

March 27-28, 2004 - Beaver - My buddy and I took a three day fishing trip to beaver lake last weekend (3/27 - 3/28). We got into the white bass friday night casting 1/8 oz roadrunners at the end of the creek arms. They seemed to be anywhere along the pea-gravel in about 8-12 feet of water. The wind slowed us up a bit on saturday, but we managed to find a few whites and a 5.5 lb hybrid. Sunday brought rain, and with it big fish. That night we tossed 1/4 oz bucktail roadrunners, which I personally tie-up, and landed three hybrids (7,7, 7.5) and a fat striper that weighed 13lbs! The worst part of the night was breaking off four other fish which felt just as big. Best advice for anyone is to find 58-60 water temp and fishing an hour before and an hour after dark, and drag those jigs just above bottom, SLOWLY.

March 19, 2004 - Beaver - Submitted by Jason Piper - JT Crappie Guide Service
Black Bass: Bass are biting on Beaver Lake this week! Crawdad Crankbaits are working best, with carolina-rigged worms working as well along points and chunk rock banks.
Crappie: Crappie fishing is outstanding this week. They are in brush along the shoreline biting in 3' to 4' down on minnows or jigs.
Stripers and Hybrids: Striper action is heating up with most of the action taking place between the hwy. 12 bridge and Fords Creek. Live bait fished with plainer boards or balloons about 5' to 10' down are working best.
White Bass: The run may start early this year with the water temp. reaching near 60 degrees in the mid-lake area on Thursday. The river arms are the best place to fish with minnow imitating lures.
Catfish: Not much on Catfish this week, but one could try around the hwy. 12 bridge with liver in the evening.

March 4, 2004 - Beaver - Submitted by Jason Piper - JT Crappie Guide Service - Black Bass: Spotted Bass and Smallmouth bass are hitting live bait and Crawdad colored crankbaits in the Prairie Creek area. For Largemouth Bass try using finesse worms fished Carolina rigged off points.
Crappie: Crappie fishing has went from bad to great in one week. Use jigs or minnows around brush in about 5'-10' of water. Good jig colors are black/chartruse or red/ chartreuse. Also Christmas tree colored hair jigs.
Striped Bass and Hybrids: Striper action has been slow, But one could try point 12 and the river arms with live shad fished under a balloon or umbrella rigs.
White Bass: some small males have begun to move up the river arms, but the main action is still about 3 weeks away. Try using small jigs or spoons.
Catfish: Catfishing is beginning to pick up. Most people are using jugs or trot lines baited with goldfish.

February 27, 2004 - Beaver - Submitted by Jason Piper - JT Crappie Guide Service - Black Bass: Black Bass action is hot right now, with most fish hitting shad colored crankbaits or clown colored jerk-baits. Four Bass over 6 lbs. were taken this week on Beaver, no report on what though. On windy days one shouldn't overlook points with a Carolina rigged finesse worm.
Crappie: Crappie fishing has been tough and will continue to be for about two more weeks. But fish can be caught around private brush piles and standing timber in the main river channels. The further upstream you go the more Crappie you'll catch, but the smaller they are. Popular tube colors are black/chartruse and red/ chartreuse.
Striped Bass and Hybrids: Point 12 seems to be the hot spot this week, but fishing is still hit or miss. Try using live large minnows fished under balloons 15'-20' deep. Umbrella rigs are working as well.
White Bass: spring can't get here soon enough! Were only about three weeks away from the start of the annual White Bass run up the river arms, but for now they can be found schooling with Stripers.
Catfish: An 87lb. Flathead was caught on a trot line this week with a goldfish, other than that no other reports.

February 20, 2004 - Beaver - Black Bass: Smallmouth fishing has picked up around the Prairie Creek area using minnow imitator lures and live minnows. Largemouth and Spotted Bass continue to hit Rouges and crawdad imitator lures around trees and wind blown points. Spotted bass being caught are pretty hefty ( full of eggs ), I caught 2 over 2 lbs. on Wednesday both only about 15" long, little footballs!
Crappie: Crappie are being caught in the main river channel about 20' down over brush in about 30'-40' of water. Minnows seem to work the best, the're not very active and probably won't be for another 2 weeks or so.
Stripers and Hybrids: Stripers are real spotty right now, but most of the guides are targeting the Fords Creek area, but the hwy. 12 bridge and islands shouldn't be overlooked. Live shad beneath planer boards or balloons fished 10' to 25' should do the job.
White Bass: Major activity is still about a month off, but there might be a few caught around the water intake north of Hickory Creek. Spoons would do best.
Catfish: Catfishing activity is slow, but one could try the Indian Creek area with Worms or liver. Jason Piper - JT Crappie Guide Service

February 13, 2004 - Beaver - Black Bass: Rouges still are the bait of choice in a clown or bone color fished on any wind blown pionts, also some fish are moving shallow during the day so try hula grubs around any standing timber or lay-downs.

Crappie: Crappie fishing has been hit and miss, try using minnows or black/chartruse or red/chartruse tube jigs with a 1/16 jig head around brush piles placed in prairie creek or any standing timber in about 20+ feet of water.

Stripers and Hybrids: Shad have begun to die because the water temp. has dropped into the upper 30's so the fish have migrated up towards the middle portion of the lake either between the islands near hwy. 12 bridge or in and around the mouth of Fords Creek. Try umbrella rigs baited with 3/4 oz. jig heads with 3-4" white grubs.

White Bass: Whites have been hard to find, but try using spoons or rooster tails around the water intake down from Hickory Creek.

Catfish: Reports say Catfishing has been good in the Indian Creek area using liver or nightcrawlers. Jason Piper - JT Crappie Guide Service

February 6, 2004 - Beaver - Black Bass: Conditions: Some quality fish suspended feasting on stressed threadfin shad. "Rogue" fisherman having best success. It is the time for jerk baits

Striped Bass: With most of the "Guides" at boat shows not many fishing. Fish seem to be in same spots but have moved deeper and difficult to entice into a bite. Little movement into the "Rivers" has been noticed. Water temperatures hovering around 40 degrees, 37 degrees "up in War Eagle". Advice is to find your fish and stay with them until they "turn-on". Look at the "Water intake", Cedar Point, mouth of Big Hickory, and Point 12

Crappie: Crappie fishing continues to be good for "keepers", but large fish not abundant. Most having best luck near brush piles, 6 to 10 feet deep or less in the river as apposed to the "backwater". Minnows, and jigs, all producing. Popular haunts are War Eagle Creek, Piney Creek, Big Hickory, Kelly Creek. Jig colors continue to be dominated by black or red head tubes with Chartreuse bodies. "Spider Riggers" report finding quality fish suspended as deep as 25 feet deep. Jig purist fishing brush piles 12-15 feet deep (some days shallower) with black or red headed with chartreuse body tube jigs

White Bass: White's are not at their peak yet. The peak is weeks off. Common places to look are the "water intake", "Cedar Point" and "Point 12". White or Yellow "Rooster Tails", small "Rattle Traps" , small ""Spooks" and Nungesser spoons producing. Top water activity early and late. (Point at the mouth of Piney Creek should not be over looked by a jigging spoon.). Jason Piper - JT Crappie Guide Service

January 29, 2004 - Beaver - For Stripers and Hybrids try around point 12 at the river arms. Troll or drift live bait in that area, live shad or big minnows work best under balloons, some 25+ lb. fish have been taken this week. For bass wind blown points with a creek tributary have been working best, like Prairie Creek, Piney Creek, and Coose hollow to name a few. Try using suspending rouges in clown or bone color, carolina rigged 4"worms have been effective as well. For crappie the mid lake area from Monte-ne to Prairie Creek have been the best spot. Try minnows or a red-chartreuse or black-chartreuse color soft body jig in about 15 feet of water over about 25-30 feet of water.
For cat fish try liver under the hwy. 12 bridge, this is the time of year to catch the big cats! Jason Piper - JT Crappie Guide Service

December 19, 2003 - Beaver - Fishing on Beaver Lake for Stripers is really good right now. We fishing with Don Andreason of Beaver Fever Guides (http://www.beaverfeverguides.com) last weekend and caught a nice limit (9) of fish from 12-24lbs. When we got into fish, it is a frenzy!

Thanks
Paul

July 1, 2003 - Beaver - BEAVER LAKE, AR. JUNE 29, 2003. TOOK A TRIP WITH MY WIFE WITH A GUIDE, (BEAVER FEVER GUIDE SERVICE) SPENT THE NIGHT AT HIS BED AND BREAKFAST. HIT THE LAKE AT 5:30AM. AND BY 6AM. HAD OUR FIRST STRIPER ON. ENDED UP WITH 14 STRIPERS, 15-18 LBS. IN 1.5 HRS. THE FISHING WAS SO FIERCE WITHIN THAT TIME EIGHT STRIPERS WERE ALL OVER THE INSIDE OF THE BOAT FLOOR. (BLUE WAVE, 24')THE GUIDE KEPT THE BAIT ON AS FAST AS HE COULD, (7" LIVE SHAD) HE COULD NOT PUT THE STRIPERS IN THE COOLER FAST ENOUGH. A DAY BEFORE WE ARRIVED THEY CAUGHT ONE 30 LB. AND TWO 25 LBS. AND MANY OTHERS IN THE 18-20 LB. RANGE. I'M STILL SHAKING. MARK.

March 20, 2003 - South Arkansas Ponds - pond fishing is slow.we are catching a few bass but they are bitting slow.i have found that they are hitting rapala's the best.the ponds in south arkansas are still too cold. thanks Bo

November 17, 2002 - Swepco Lake, Gentry AR - Caught several hand sized bream on night crawlers in 2 ft of water along the rip rap of the dam. Bass fishing was fair, and they seem to be schooling some in 5-15 ft of water mostly being caught on 2.5" tube jigs, and worms. The water temp was about 74 degrees. Thanks Nathan

November 12, 2002 - Lake Degray - my wife and I set out a few yoyo,s friday and saturday night and caught several (25) slab crappie in the tree tops on lake Degray.also caught bass and catfish , all were caught at about 6,to8 feet deep, hope to have a repeat this weekend.

November 10, 2002 - Fayetteville Lake - Fishing is very slow, but a few catfish are being caught on chicken liver in deep water. Due to the temperature fluctuation nothing else seems to be biting. Nathan

November 5, 2002 - Bob Kidd Lake - A few Crappie where being caught at Bob Kidd Lake over the weekend, although they where few, they were big, being caught on mostly on minnows and Road Runners, in dark colors. The water is getting colder and the fish are moving deeper in the trees to about 15-25 feet. No reports on Bass or Catfish.

I went to lake Fayetteville that afternoon, Crappie are few and far between, being caught on solid white Road Runners while trolling deep. A small split shot added 18" above really helped out. Catfish are schooling in 25-30 ft of water by the dam area. I accidentally caught a 15-pounder on a white Road Runner. Local fisherman Mr. Cocanougher told me that he caught 13 Saturday, smallest being about 4 lbs. All caught on Chicken liver. Bass, White Bass, and Bream did not seem to be biting for anyone at all.

Thanks,
Nathan

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