Lake Ouachita Crappie Fishing Report

Crappie fans who favor using long poles baited with minnows or jigs are out of their element here. The water clearness simply won t let you approach close enough to catch fish with those old Arkansas favorites. Lake Ouachita crappie fishing is nearly entirely a spinning or spincasting affair, with jigs the bait of choice. A 1/16-oz jig is the biggest size for consistent success, and a 1/32- or 1/64-oz jig is better. The crappie you catch will average about a pound apiece, however prime hotspots frequently give up 2- to 3-pounders. Some of the best fishing regions include waters near the Mountain Harbor, Joplin, Tompkins Bend, Crystal Springs and Big Fir public use regions on the south side, and Irons Fork, Avant and Buckville on the north shore. (Find out this here)

No. 5: Lake Hamilton. Year-in and year-out, the power company lake on the southern edge of Hot Springs made great numbers of good crappie. It also shoots down the hypothesis that fishing declines on old lakes. At age 80 or so, Hamilton is the second oldest big man-made lake in Arkansas. Ringed with houses, heavily traveled by pleasure boaters, it still is great for crappie fishing. Anglers continually sink brush piles in it, frequently under the cloak of darkness and unmarked. (thecabin.net)

Jerry Bean, fishing guides – and a fisherman with a expertise for Striper fishing – says that they really saw the fish on the ship’s radar. Apparently big in comparison to its surroundings, the pair had big luck to really see the fish, then bait it. If you have caught Striper, or Striped Bass, before, you know that simply baiting these animals isn’t half the challenge. Striper are never still for long and will nearly generally take off as early as they are caught. If they do not strip the line, pull your pole into the water, or knock you down – most have a 15-20 minute fight before netting and transferring fish to the live well. (mountainharborresort.wordpress.com)

Stripers are good on Bama rigs and brood minnows. White and yellow bass are excellent now while jigging a small CC spoon or casting a hair jig. Bream are slow. Crickets, maggots and red worms are best fished 20-25 feet deep. (mountainharborresort.com)

Lake Ouachita’s bounty lies in more than her beauty and recreational opportunities. Under, in her clear, clean waters lie a money and range of sporting fish. Stocked yearly with young schools, Ouachita abounds in big mouth bass, bream, catfish, cool water walleye and rainbow trout primarily at the dam and spillway . And there is generally a good chance of pulling in one of our lake’s big trophy stripers. (lakeouachita.com)

The lake temp is in the 80’s and the lake level is 5′ below full pool, and falling. Black bass are caught on top water along timber lines in creek chanel swings. attempt a spook or any other walking type top water tempt. Many other people are catching bass in 12′ to 16′ of water on a worm both texas rig and jig head. bream are biting on the botom in 5′ to 8′ in the gut of pockets. (fishhound.com)

Frequently archived Arkansas fishing reports, from previous years, may help you recognize seasonal patterns for a particular lake. Review the previous reports to find consistent info for summer months of June, July and August. The fall months of September and October. The winter months of November, December, January and February. Pay special attention to the spring March, April and May fishing reports from previous years as they should supply info to assist you predict the estimated time for the spawn. (aa-fishing.com)

Bear Creek Lake, a 625-acre lake offers 30 miles of shoreline enclosed by the beautiful St. Francis National Forest. Fishing is good here during the year. Big crappie, largemouth bass, sunfish, and catfish are the favorites of local anglers. Bank fishing opportunities may be found by the dam and the day-use area. Many anglers favor to ship into the many coves that Crowley’s Ridge creates on this beautiful lake. The ship ramp is off Ark. 44 on the east side of the dam. There’s a 10 hp bound for all boats on this lake. (lakeandriverstateparks.com)

Jaime Laiche of Gonzales finished second. He fished spinnerbaits and soft plastics in backwater lakes. Both fished out of aluminum bass rigs so they could get way up in the backwater regions, which isn t easy to do this time of year. Matthew Roberts, who is from Pulaski, Iowa, picked up the Big Bass of the Tournament with a 5-pound, 6-oz catch. With the in general championship title and the Central Division championship, Collins earned a berth in the 2016 GEICO Bassmaster Classic presented by GoPro on Oklahoma’s great Lake. Laiche missed out on qualifying for the Bassmaster Classic since Laiche and Collins both competed in the Central Division which could only meet the criteria one angler out of that division. (Check out your url)

Millwood Lake: clearness along the major channel in the lake and Little River improved to 6-10 inches of visibility. Major lake and Little River water surface temperatures vary from 45-47 degrees, based on place and time. All Corps of Engineers ship ramps and campgrounds are open. Millwood State Park has one operational ship ramp and one still under fix. Bass fishing was best throughout the warmest part of the day. White bass haven’t been caught with any regularity throughout the last two weeks. Crappie remain scattered. Channel cats and blues have been caught on trotlines and yo-yos last week. (outdoornews.com)