Hit the Hot Spots

Hit the Hot Spots

Arkansas Game & Fish highlights honey holes aaround the state By Randy Zellers

AGFC Communications Good Opportunity Awaits at Bishop Park’s Ponds Two of the better community fishing ponds in the area are at Bryant’s Bishop Park, which are a great place to expose a child to fishing and for an adult to have some fun as well. The photo right of a nice largemouth bass was provided by Lisa Spencer of Lisa’s Bait Shop in Benton, who also said crappie as well as the bass have been biting fairly well at Bishop Park’s Lake Charles on No. 6 and No. 12 minnows. Catfish are biting minnows, nightcrawlers, bait shrimp and cut shad on the bottom.

Bream have been hitting redworms fished on the bottom. Lisa has a full rundown of good fishing opportunities in the Saline County area. Check out her report and others by clicking the green box below.

More Trout in the Carpenter Tailrace Shane Goodner, owner of Catcher All Guide Service, reports that Entergy is currently running a minimum flow pattern below Carpenter Dam. Fast flows and dangerous currents had been the norm for weeks as Lake Ouachita stayed in the flood pool for most of January. Fisherman can now safely access areas that hold good numbers of rainbow trout as the AGFC’s stocking schedule is in full swing. Bank fisherman are recording limits of trout using com floated just off the bottom with a marshmallow floater.

Waxworms or mealworms are also working well presented in the same manner. Spin fishermen casting Super Dupers in silver or gold colors have perfectly matched the injured threadfin shad that are drawn through the turbines in times of generation.

Shad are a main prey for trout and other area gamefish below the dam. Little Cleo’s and small jigs are also very effective in current situations from the bank or boat. Fly-fishermen are taking advantage of the 5-foot drawdown of Lake Catherine and are wading to areas that hold big schools of fish. Woolly Buggers in black or green and San Juan worms in hot pink cast with a strike indicator have been deadly for those anglers who chose to brave the freezing temperatures of the last several days. Overall, rainbow trout fishing has improved dramatically in the last week as stable conditions have returned to the Carpenter Dam tailrace.

Fishing will only become better as the month of February brings another 12,000 rainbow trout into the area! As January comes to an end, the walleye spawn looms on the horizon. Smaller males will begin to show up in early February to prepare the beds for the much larger females. Trolling shallow- running crankbaits against the current below the bridge is an excellent way to target these fish that guard their beds aggressively.

Beaver Lake Walleye are Biting Southtown Sporting Goods (479-443-7148) said that fishing has been slow the last few days because of the tumbling temperatures, they’ve begun to get reports of walleye catches. Walleye are in the river arms and hitting deep-diving crankbaits and Flicker Shad. Also, crappie reports have been good.

Anglers are having good success along the channel edges and in the river arms using minnows or jigs.

Bass are fair, but you have to fish deep to find them.

Work the creek arms, also. CC Spoons, Alabama rigs, jigs and jerkbaits are being used.