Lake Ouachita: South Fork Bass Like the Kreatures
Take a look at these proven Spring spots for BIG bass on Lake Ouachita
The Season of the Jerk Bait is Near
The New Year brings with it the prime conditions for seducing suspending bass with one of these Jerk Baits.
Wild Weekend on the River for the Bassmaster Elite Series
We were able to gain back stage access at the 2011 Bassmaster Elite Series Diamond Drive in Little Rock and speak with 7 Time Angler of the Year Kevin Van Dam.
Feb 12
19
Degray, Ouachita Heating Up…
Degray Lake
The water is clear up to Point 14 and moderately stained to Cox Creek. Bass fishing really slowed with the cold rainy weather. All action is coming from deep points, humps and ledges. The fish are 20 to 40 feet deep. The best bet is a Texas- or Carolina-rigged worm or lizard fished very slowly on or near the bottom. Also try a heavy jig with some sort of plastic trailer. Darker colors work best in deep water. A few big spotted bass have been reported biting
Nice chunk from Lake Ouachita earlier this week compliments of our friend Ryan from Performance Boat Works
along the rocky bluffs around Point 15 and the north end of Goat Island. Try a Zoom finesse worm on a shaky head fished down the rocky banks to about 30 feet deep. No reports on crappie fishing; it seems the cold weather sent them back 
under the deep brush. The best early spring crappie fishing is always in the upper end of the lake around Shouse Ford and Point Cedar. Once again, the fish of the week are hybrids. The fish have reappeared on the big flat on the west side of Goat Island. The fish are in good size schools and are suspended about 15 to 20 feet down in 35 feet of water. Use your sonar to locate the areas with the fish and slow troll 3-inch curly tail grubs in white or pearl on a ¼-ounce jig head. The best action has been during the brightest, warmest part of the day. Bream are on the deep attractors, but no one is fishing for them.
Lake Ouachita
The water is clearing. Largemouth bass are good on watermelon or black/blue jigs. Alabama-rigged swimbaits are producing some quality fish in 15 to 30 feet of water. Walleye are fair and are being caught on bottom bouncer jigs, spoons and trolled deep-diving crankbaits 25 to 35 feet deep around brush. Stripers are very good and being caught with live bait and trolled hair jigs or crankbaits 18 to 25 feet deep. Crappie are still fair and being caught near and over brush in water 12 to 20 feet deep on minnows or Tennessee shad-colored crappie grubs.
5lb Pre-Spawn Fatty from Lake Ouachita (2011). Caught off a secondary point on a Carolina Rig.
The National Weather Service at Little Rock shows a steady climb in temperatures over the next 10 days, highs in the 60′s and overnight lows in the 40′s, with several areas of warm precipitation. This will cause water temps in our area lakes to begin to rise from the upper 40′s and break into the mid 50′s by the end of the month. These changes in temperature are happening at a slightly faster pace than last year. What does this mean for the bass fisherman of Arkansas?
BIG BASS SEASON IS HERE!
As water temperatures climb past 50°, the pre-spawn activities of the Largemouth Bass begin to increase. Both males and females begin to stage up for the spawn when the water temperatures level out between 52° and 59°. Both sexes will begin their slow accent to warmer, shallower waters. During this BRIEF period (known as pre-spawn), both sexes of Largemouth Bass will intensely feed in preparation for the coming spawn, eating anything and everything in sight. Fishermen should seek out the primary spawning areas on their lakes, then focus on the closest access to deep water from each spawning locale. Now since the weather has been warmer this year than last, the pre-spawn is expected to take place earlier this year.
On Lake Ouachita for example, Bass will spawn in small shallow pockets off secondary inlets. During the pre-spawn phase, you should fish the points that open up the pocket in about 8′-10′. These points are often slowly sloped towards the deep channel at the center of the inlet. The bass will move up the points to feed before moving into the small pocket to spawn. For more tips on the pre-spawn at Lake Ouachita, check out these articles from our trips during last Spring’s pre-spawn:
The new moon is Feb. 21-22, which is typically the trigger for Bass to begin to move towards the shallows. If the temps increase as expected, then the best bass fishing of the year should begin next week. Keep an eye on the water temps, because when they climb over 60° the fish begin to focus more on the spawn and less on feeding. If the weather pattern holds, you’ll have a window of just a few weeks to exploit the pre-spawn feeding frenzy! So you’d better burn those sick days and get to the lake!
Good luck!!!
Posted in Lake Ouachita Largemouth Bass Tips & Techniques by .
Feb 12
7
Spinderella – “The Arkansas Rig”
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The Spindarella is made to imitate a school of fish swimming through the water. It has 5 wires that you are able to attach your baits, just remember be creative when choosing what to put on. It also has 4 other wires that have willow blades for extra flash to attract the fish. Available in 1/2 and 3/4 oz.
The Spinderella Rig is manufactured right here in Arkansas (Benton), and designed by one of our local tournament fishermen.
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Posted in Tackle by .
Feb 12
5
February Bass Fishing Report
Northern Arkansas
Beaver Lake
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reports the lake’s elevation at 1,120.39 feet MSL (Normal conservation pool – 1,120 MSL). Bass have been biting well on slow-cranked, crawdad-colored Wiggle Wart crankbaits along chunk rock banks. Bass have also been biting hula grubs or jigs with a craw trailer around docks or timber along sloping chunk rock banks. Afternoons have been best.
Bull Shoals Lake
Water temperature is still holding at 47-50 degrees. Bass and walleye are biting in shallow water on chunk rock main lake points. Best baits are grubs or swimbaits fished on Alabama rigs or suspending stick baits. There is a deep water bite for bass suspended under schools of shad in 80 to 100 feet of water with most of the fish in the 40- to 60-foot range with grubs, drop shot rigs or jigging spoons.
Lake Norfork
Water temperature is in the upper 40s. Look for fish along the bluffs and on the end of the bluffs. Throw a suspending jerk bait, jig or grub on a ¼-oz. jig head. If you mark fish 30-50 feet deep, drop a jigging spoon. Keep an eye on your graph for balls of bait and fish will be close by. Check the coves, too. If there is some wind blowing, throw a crankbait or a spinnerbait along the banks with the wind on them.
Central Arkansas
Lake Maumelle
Water is 3 inches above the spillway and the water temperature is around 48 degrees. Largemouth bass are about 20 feet deep and are biting fairly well on jigs and grubs. Spotted bass are biting well on Rooster Tails and jig head grubs in 20 feet of water.
Lake Dardanelle – HOT SPOT
Charlie Morrison of Classic Catch Guide Service said Monday was the best day of bass fishing he’s had in a long while. He reports catching more than 100 bass as soon as the water temperature hit 53 degrees. They were biting on anything slow, particularly a suspending silver/black crankbait, watermelon seed Senkos, black/blue jigs and crazy leg chigger craws.
Lake Ouachita
Largemouth bass are still very good on watermelon or black/blue jigs. Alabama rigs are producing a lot of quality fish 15 to 30 feet deep with shad-colored swimbaits attached. Walleye are fair and are being caught on bottom bouncer jigs, spoons and deep-diving crankbaits trolled 25 to 35 feet deep around brush.
Lake Hamilton
The water color is stained to clear. The lake is 5 feet down from full pool for the winter drawdown. The Alabama rig has taken over most tournament weigh-ins. Put your boat over 60 feet of water and fish over 20 to 50 feet deep on deep points and ledge banks. A jig at the mouth of creeks is also working well.
Southern Arkansas
Millwood Lake
The best bass bite over the past week, has been pitching jigs, worms, tubes, rattle baits, and soft plastics to stumps, grass, lily pads, and wood laydowns behind points and cuts of the river, in the swirling eddies and current breaks. Some bass started moving to spawning areas on warmer days. Best lures are still Gene Larew Hog Craws in black or black/blue, Yum Woolly Bugs and Zoom Brush Hogs in black/blue and blackberry. Magnum Tubes are also working around stumps, cypress trees and knees. Slow rolling a War Eagle spinnerbaits around any remaining vegetation and lily pad stems is working as well. Rat-L-Traps in Toledo Gold, White Zombie, or Red Shad continue catching some bass. The key to the Rat-L-Trap bite is slowing down the retrieve to a crawl and deflecting off stumps in flats 5 feet deep, close to 8- to 12-foot drop offs. Bomber crankbaits in Tennessee shad, citrus shad or white are catching a few largemouths back in the oxbows away from muddy current.
Degray Lake
The water is clear to Caddo Drive, slightly stained up to point 15 and heavily stained on up to Cox Creek. Bass fishing is fair with the fish moving up a little shallower. Look for fish on main lake points and on the north side of the lake. Also any point with the warm wind blowing into it is best. Look for fish from 10 to 20 feet deep. Best lures have been deep-running crankbaits in shad patterns and paddletail flukes in white or albino. Also a Texas- or Carolina-rigged worm or jig with trailer is productive. Use green pumpkin or red shad on the worms and most any dark color for the jig and trailer. Best areas have been between Edgewood and Cox Creek. A heavy jigging spoon in chartreuse or white is still doing well on the ledges of Big Hill Creek at depths or 25 to 28 feet.
It’s time to get the 2012 Bass Fishing Tournament Seasons underway here in Arkansas! Please visit our Tournament page for the most current bass fishing tournament information we have for the 2012 season. If you would like to add your club’s tournaments to our page, please contact me with me all the necessary information and we will get it posted as soon as possible!
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If you would like more detailed coverage of your tournaments, such as feature articles on specific upcoming events, email blasts to our readers, Facebook promotion to our friends, banner placement on the site, or redirects to registration, we can help boost your tournaments in these ways as well. We don’t ask for any monetary compensation to promote your tournaments at Livewelltales.com, instead we only ask for a pair of free entries to the tournament. That’s fair enough! For more information on promoting your tournaments with Livewelltales.com please contact me today!
Posted in Tournament Info by .
Jan 12
27
Southern Arkansas Fishing Report
Lake Millwood
Mike Siefert at Millwood Lake Guide Service said the lake level continues dropping slowly back to normal conservation pool and is expected to continue through the week. Surface temperatures rose slightly to 50-55 degrees. Lake level as of Monday 23 Jan, was 259.86 msl with a discharge rate of 1,560 cfs. Clarity and visibility is improving; currently ranging 8-12 inches in the river, depending on location. The best bass bite over the past week has been on soft plastics pitched to stumps, grass, lily pads, and wood laydowns behind points and cuts of the river. The bass are beginning to pull back out to major creek tributaries 
and junctions with Little River as well. Gene Larew Hog Craws in black or black/blue, and pumpkinseed or green pumpkin colors are working well. Yum Woolly Bugs and Zoom Brush Hogs in watermelon/red, black/blue and killer craw, were also catching some 14- to 17-inch bass on cypress trees and knees in 4-6 foot depths. Rat-L-Traps in Toledo Gold, White Zombie, or Red Shad are taking a few fish on a slow retrieve, deflected off stumps. Around 5 to 6 feet deep around drop offs to 12 feet. White bass have gone deep in the river channel, and all but disappeared with the recent influx of muddy water and increased current. Snake Creek tributary off Little River, still has a few Kentucky Bass bunched up out of the muddy current. No report on crappie. Catfish are excellent on trotlines, yo-yos and tight lines along current and break lines in the outer bends of Little River. Cut shad and chicken livers were producing the best for blues and channel cats.
Degray Lake
As of Tuesday, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reports the lake’s elevation was 406.62 feet MSL (Flood pool – 408 MSL).
Local angler George Graves said the water temperature is in the high 40s and the lake is clear throughout. Bass fishing is only fair with a few fish coming from the deep side of points, ledges and main lake humps, in water 20 to 40 feet deep. The best lures have been Texas- and Carolina-rigged worms and lizards and heavy jigs with plastic trailers. Look for bass on the main lake and major creeks from Caddo Drive to Cox Creek. Also try a heavy jigging spoon on the creek channel ledges in Big Hill Creek. One ounce spoons in chartreuse and white are working well fished near the bottom in 25 to 30 feet of water. Crappie fishing is slow. Bream fishing is slow. Hybrid fishing is good with lots of nice catches reported from Shouse Ford and Point Cedar. The best spot has been the big flat just west of Goat Island, also a few reported coming from Woodall Cove. The fish are suspended about 15 feet down in 30 feet of water. Use the sonar to locate the schools and throw or troll a 3-inch curly tail grub in either chartreuse or white. Lots of white bass showing on the sonar, but very few are biting.
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Lake Greeson
As of Tuesday, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reports the lake’s elevation was 546.01 MSL (Flood pool – 548 MSL).
Lakeside Grocery and Bait (870-398-5304) said the water is murky and high. The surface temperature is 48 degrees. Bream are slow. Crappie are fair on minnows and jigs in brush around 20 feet deep. Bass are suspended over 30 feet of water, and are fair on Alabama-rigged centipedes and jigs fished a few feet under the surface. Catfishing is slow. Walleye are slow.
Posted in Fishing Reports Southeast Arkansas Southwest Arkansas by .
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