Arkansas Lakes Fishing Report

Lake - Bull Shoals 01/26/07

Dam area to Lead Hill: There is a lot of water moving through Bull Shoals right now; it is about four feet high with water running in from Table Rock and generators running at the Bull Shoals Dam. Because of the current the shad are strung out or holding tight the bottom turning the deep bite off and creating a relatively good shallow bite. In the dam area look for fish to be on a couple of patterns; toward the backs of the major creek arms look for isolated trees or boat docks on relatively flat mixed rock banks and throw Smithwick Rouges and Lucky Craft Pointers in chrome / blue, American Shad and Chartreuse Shad, cast beyond the cover and work the bait back to the cover and allow it to pause for a few seconds before moving it again. A good back up pattern is to fish these same banks and points with a Jewel 5/16oz or 7/16oz Pro Spider Jig in PB&J or green pumpkin / green flashed matched up with a Chomper green pumpkin jig trailer. Cast the bait to the bank and work it slowly back to around 30’ deep hopping it occasionally, pay close attention to any wood cover as it will almost always result in a strike.

Lead Hill to Power site: The Smithwick Rouge and Lucky Craft pattern that is so effective on the lower end of the lake is working well above Lead Hill as well. In addition to the jerkbait pattern a Storm Wiggle Wart fished parallel to steep chunk rock banks in 5’ – 12’ of water has been producing several fish on windy and over cast days. Make sure you run the Wiggle Wart into every piece of cover along the bank to draw reaction strikes from the fish that are holding tight to it. An Eakins’ jig in PB&J or brown / purple flash with a green pumpkin Eakins craw has also been very effective on ledge banks through out the upper end of Bull Shoals. Pitch the bait to the bank and allow it to free fall from one ledge to another, most of the strikes will come as the bait is falling. From K- Dock up to Forsyth the walleye have started to show up; jerkbaits, crankbaits and single tailed grubs have all been very effective presentations.