Monster catfish caught at Lake Charles

Monster catfish caught at Lake Charles

Nelson lands 55-pound whopper

AGFC Communications Lake Charles in northeast Arkansas is known for its crappie fishing, but it produced a whopper of a catfish this week for Bill Nelson (photo left).

The catfish, caught on a jug baited with goldfish, weighed in at 55 pounds.

The Fishing Report is now providing regular reports from Lake Charles State Park (870-878-6595), and superintendent Randall Watts says the clarity is murky this week with cold water. Lake Charles’ water level is high. Crappie are fair, but it won’t be long.

Use jigs or worms and target the brush piles or stumps. Largemouth bass are fair, too. They are biting but they are slow and there’s not a lot of fight, Watts informed. Crankbaits and chatterbaits are working best, with bass hanging around the brush and the rocky points.

Check out reports from several Arkansas state parks that are managed by the AGFC in this week’s fishing report. We continue to add new lakes each week as we move closer to fishing “season” getting fully underway with warmer weather (a maybe a little less rain?).

By Randy Zellers