Arkansas Lakes Fishing Report

Lake - Bull Shoals 02/10/07

Dam area to Lead Hill: Still a ton of water running through Bull Shoals just like the rest of the White River Chain, it looks like the lake is almost at pool so once they get Table Rock and Beaver to pool or a little under the Corps will likely shut the water off for a while. With all the current the deep spoon and drop shot bite has essentially shut off with shad holding tight to the bottom. The best two bites in the dam area continue to be either a jerkbait or a Jewel spider jig. The jerkbait bite has been o.k. at best; most of the fish are coming off of isolated rock piles and wood cover in the back half of creeks. Smaller jerkbaits like a Lucky Craft Pointer 78 have been more effective than larger ones, reflective colors like American Shad have been best on sunny days while matte colors like chartreuse shad have been better on cloudy ones. The second effective pattern on the lower lake has been a Jewel spider jig or small tube fished on main lake and secondary points; look for points that have a deep water swing close to them and concentrate your efforts on the deep swing side of the point. Fish are being caught from 10’ – 30’ deep in the clear water of the lower half of the lake. Whichever pattern you choose to fish remember to fish slow if you want to be effective.

Lead Hill to Power site: The amount of current above K-Dock continues keep several species of fish active and feeding. Bass are being caught on a few baits including jigs, jerkbaits and crankbaits. An Eakins’ jig in brown / purple flash or PB&J with a green pumpkin Eakins’ craw has been very effective on ledge banks in both the main lake and in the creek arms and pockets. Look for the fish to be on ledges from 6’ – 20’ deep with most of the bites coming as the jig falls from one ledge to another. Smithwick Rogues in chrome / blue or Lucky Craft Pointers in American shad and chartreuse shad have been effective around isolated pieces of wood or rock cover. Allow the bait to suspend next to the cover for 10 – 20 seconds between twitches and pay close attention to your line while the bait is still a lot of the bites are so subtle that you will only see a twitch in your line. In the thick of the current parallel a Storm Wiggle Wart on steep mixed rock banks 6’ – 10’ deep, this is a numbers pattern and is most effective on windy days.