Arkansas Lakes Fishing Report

Lake - Bull Shoals 06/25/06

Dam area to Lead Hill: Targeting smallmouth has been the best plan over the past couple of weeks; Jewel ½ oz. heavy cover finesse football jigs, 7/16 oz. pro spider jigs and tubes have all been effective in green pumpkin, PB&J or watermelon / purple flash fished out to 35’ deep or deeper on pea gravel points and roll offs near deep water. If you are after Kentuckies use your electronics to find schools of shad on bluff ends and in standing timber and fish drop shot rigged finesse worms and ½ oz. white spoons.

Lead Hill to Power site: There has been a decent top water bite early and late; spooks, sammys and redfins have all been producing over standing timber and on deep points. Once the sun is up switch over to a Jewel ½ oz. or 5/8 oz. football jigs and move out the main lake and major creek roll offs, rock piles and ledges and work the jig with short hops on the shallow side of the structure and allow it to free fall off the ledges and roll offs while paying close attention to your bait as it falls.

Report #2

Lake - Bull Shoals 06/27/06

Fishing report for BULL SHOALS LAKE home of the record Largemouth Bass.
Submitted as a community service by SPRING CREEK ENTERPRISES, Don and Judy Schnable 417 273 4859 schnabs@webound.com

SPRING CREEK ENTERPRISES http://www.maout.com/springcreek is sponsored by HOLIDAY INN EXPRESS Mountain Home Arkansas http://www.hiexpress.com , SCHOCKEYS BOAT and MOTOR http://www.bullshoals.com/schockey/

Water temperature is in the upper 70’s to low 80’s.

On Bull Shoals, Crappie have moved to bluff walls and deeper brush piles. Best baits are live minnows, Garland Swimmin’ Minnows, tube baits, or grubs.

Largemouth Bass are still hitting top water early in the morning near bluff ends and along channel swings. For lures, try Zara Spooks, Buzz baits, or Chug Bugs.

Larger Smallmouth are being caught on main lake points in 35’ to 40’ of water. Best lures are football jigs.

Walleye are being caught at 28’ to 32’ deep. Best baits are Crawler or Leech rigs on a bottom bouncer. Trollers are also scoring well with lead core line and Glass Shad, Hot N Tots, or Norman Deep Little N’s. Don’t be afraid to move into deeper water, just keep the baits at that same depth of 28’ to 32’.

Remember to keep only what you can eat and release the rest for another day. Rick Culver of Wilderness Trail does the research for this report and the writing of this report. For more information call Rick or Sue Culver at Wilderness Trail at 870-445-2703, e-mail us at wtrail@bullshoals.net or check out our web site at www.wildernesstrail.com

For stories and info in the our Ozark area and data on recreational activities in the midwest log on to one of the nations largest and most complete Internet magazines Don and Judy Schnable 417 273 4859 schnabs@webound.com

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Report #3

Lake - Bull Shoals 06/27/06

Well, it is summertime, the longest day of the year has come and gone and the heat will be here for a while. It has been in the upper 80’s and low 90’s all week with a little rain, which didn’t amount to much. Generation has been high this week and the lake level dropped a foot, we are now at 653.20, with normal pool being 654.23.

We have two thermoclines that have developed. This happens only in a while, so you need to take advantage of the two zones. The first thermocline is at 28 to 32 feet and the game fish are sitting on the bottom in this zone. The second thermocline starts at 40 feet and runs to 46 feet. The game fish in this zone are suspended between 28 to 32 feet, now we have a pattern. Water temperature continues to warm and the surface temperature is now at 82 degrees in the morning, warming to 84 degrees by late afternoon.

Crappie are biting on the brush piles and are on the bluff walls, but you have to move from spot to spot to catch one here and there. Bobby Garland Swimming Minnows and Crappie tubes are working the best. Largemouth bass are hard to find during the day, which is normal for this time of year. Top water in the mornings will trigger a few in the back of the creeks and pockets throughout the lake. Zara Spooks, Sammy’s and buzzbaits are the key lures. Throughout the day work Carolina rigs or football jigs in the thermocline over drop offs.

Smallmouth bass are scattered, some are on points, some are on flats and some are just suspended out over absolutely nothing. You are not going to catch a lot of keepers but when you hit the right bank or point you can trigger the smaller Smallmouth on tubes and Spider Jigs. The keeper smallies can be caught in deeper water on Carolina rigs with Yum Wooly Hawgs, finesse worms and brush hogs. Football jigs are also starting to trigger the deeper smallies. Peanut butter and jelly and brown/purple have been the best colors.

Kentucky bass have been hard to catch this week because they are full of shad. We can find Kentuckys on bluff wall ends, in the middle of cuts and off main lake points, but they are under schools of shad and not very hungry. Drop shot rigs and spoons are you best lure and technique for triggering a strike.

Walleye have been very active this week with a number of limits being caught. They are in the thermocline zone, which makes them a little easier to find. Nightcrawlers and leeches are working well on harnesses with bottom bouncers in the 28 to 32 foot range. Lead core trolling has been the hot technique this week pulling small baits, both in the 28 to 32 foot range and in the 40 to 46 foot range. Some baits that have been effective are Glass Shad, Hot’N Tots, Wiggle Warts and Deep Little Rippers.

Long liners that are not using lead core have been catching a few on Bandit Walleye Diver, Deep Diving Rogues and Mann’s 20+ diving baits. NIGHT TIME: Tough bite is the best way to explain this last week. Until it is the dark the bite is not there. From 9 to midnight the bite picks up on points and brush piles. Best baits are Gene Larew strawberry/gold or black neon worms, jig and pigs and Hula grubs.