The stage is on a fast rise at 8.77 feet as of Thursday afternoon (flood stage is 32 feet). Try one in green pumpkin or in red. WATCH: Sharks biting alligators, the most epic lion battles, and MUCH more. The Norfork tailwater had no wadable water. The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission's mission is to conserve and enhance Arkansas's fish and The lake is at the same level as it was a week ago. Catfish folks are catching their target on yo-yos baited with minnows. I dropped my bait down to 50 feet, and when a small school of fish came under me, I would reel up as fast as I could through the middle of the school. Move around, check out shallow water and the deep water too. Black bass are scattered all over, from shallow to deep. It is important to note that dramatic drops in temperature greatly affect the trout bite in a negative way. They are now mainly found in the lower third of the state. As a result of these threats, their conservation status is considered vulnerable in some areas. Check our blog (linked above) to make sure it's not up and muddy. The warm rain helped. Pond is now holding about half as much water as it should be. A big crackleback fished deep has been good on several trips lately. Expect more of the same as far as generation schedule goes. If they did well I asked what fly or flies they used. Kent has heard no reports on catfish or bream. After washing out this past spring, the beavers never repaired it. Andrews Bait Shop and More (479-272-4025) said Friday morning that the crappie are beginning to bite, and bite well. Blue Mountain Lake Alligators can also reach great ages in captivity, with some living into their 70s and 80s. This should improve with warm days and dirty water. My question is this, is there a gator season? The Millwood State Park IS OPEN for camping, and the State Park Office can be reached at 870-898-2800 for availability or additional information. Spanning 53,179 square miles, Arkansas is a landlocked state in the south-central region of the United States. This is a great place to wade fish when they are running water on the White and North Fork rivers. Wear cleated boots and carry a wading staff. Mud Lake, Horseshoe and McGuire oxbows along Little River have had the best water clarity and the most aggressive largemouth and spotted bass over the past few weeks. Their teeth were adapted for crushing rather than piercing prey, and they were capable of killing and eating even large dinosaurs. I know they didnt even do a tag on erling this year and its full of gators. 45 of our 75 counties have documented gators. With color to the water, anglers have been flipping a brown or a black/blue jig in and around cover and fishing it slow to pull in bass. The shad bite video gaming isnt over yet. . Bull Shoals Lake elevation has fallen slightly over the last week due to the drier weather but the upcoming rains may put us back where we were. The lake on Wednesday was at 660.35 feet msl, which is very near the seasonal power pool level. Lake level is now down 6.5 feet. Beaver Tailwater Be great if all this rain was snow. Check with the Army Corps of Engineers website for real-time release data, ). Nutrias few and far between. said that during the past week they have had a half-inch of rain at Cotter, warmer temperatures and moderate winds. The White River at Newport was 22.29 feet, indicating they are letting out quite a bit of water out of both lakes. Ray Hudson at River Valley Marina (501-517-1250) said the fishing has been really good. The Newport stage is falling at 21.65 feet (flood stage is 26 feet). Wouldnt doubt that five alligators living in the pond have something to do with it - and alligators everywhere in the back end of Millwood. (501-834-5733) in Sherwood said the Little Red is really blown out with the water being released from Greers Ferry Dam over the past week or more. Follow them and have a great season this year. Anything shad-like will be a great bait now. Lake Monticello is mostly dependent on rainwater for refilling all of its 1,520 acres, and in late fall it had reached a coverage of almost 500 acres. Call the center at 870-241-3373 for more information. Caught in Merrisach Lake in September 2020 by alligator hunter Travis Bearden, the massive alligator beat the previous record set in 2015 by almost 2 inches. I have been writing professionally for several years with a focus on animals and wildlife. For the most up-to-date lake level, visit the U.S. Geological Survey's Lake Conway water level site. As of Thursday, the Army Corps of Engineers reports the lakes elevation was 540.05 feet msl (full pool: 526.00 feet msl). Some walleye are upriver, some are on their way and some have not even started and all in-between, he said. Anglersare catching them as shallow as 3-5 feet now. Stripers are still good. Then, there is a private land quota hunt - like the bear hunt in N AR. If they tied the fly and you do not have one, they will often give you one and wish you luck. The Army Corps of Engineers on Thursday reported the Clarendon gauge rising slightly at 28.74 feet, or 2.74 above the flood stage of 26.00 feet. (870-867-2191/800-832-2276 out-of-state) said. (updated 2-23-2023) Mike Siefert at Millwood Lake Guide Service said that as of Wednesday, Millwood Lake has begun falling from recent rise over 3 feet and is still muddy from recent storms. As of Thursday, the Army Corps of Engineers reports the lakes elevation was 540.05 feet msl (full pool: 526.00 feet msl). Theyve also been catching them on darker-colored Chatterbaits. (updated 2-23-2023) McSwain Sports Center (501-945-2471) has not heard any reports from the lake or from the lower LR pool or beyond Terry Lock and Dam this week. Jigs and craws, spinnerbaits and small crankbaits are working in skinny water. McSwain Sports Center (501-945-2471) has not heard any reports from the lake or from the lower LR pool or beyond Terry Lock and Dam this week. The Army Corps of Engineers on Thursday reported the Clarendon gauge rising slightly at 28.74 feet, or 2.74 above the flood stage of 26.00 feet. McKinzie says a resident told officials he was licensed to own an alligator. Ledges, humps and weed lines have been the most productive areas to fish. As of Thursday, the Army Corps of Engineers reports the lakes elevation was 260.33 feet msl (normal pool: 259.20 feet msl; top flood elevation is 287.0 feet msl). reports that water temperature below the dam is 50 degrees with stained conditions in the tailrace. Still plenty around. This is a great place to wade fish when they are running water on the White and North Fork rivers. Wear cleated boots and carry a wading staff. Cole Harken is a wildlife expert living in Conway. The lake is at the same level as it was a week ago. We are now just three-quarters of a foot above the top of the power pool and 1 feet above where we were on Feb. 7 before the 3-inch-plus rain. No one was out late this week with the bad weather. It does take some looking, but once you find them it is a blast. There are currently two living species the American alligator and the Chinese alligator. Use jigs in Monkey Milk, black/chartreuse, Cajun Cricket, Kiwi, Mo-Glo, silver and Blue Ice, or throw a Crappie Magnet that is orange, white or Diamond Mist. Or, visit the AGFC nature center in Pine Bluff or Little Rock to see live alligators in captivity. Fishing on the Little Red from a boat in high water has been good as far as the streamer bite goes. (Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. John also offers an explanation for choosing the right fly: Fly selection is a big deal in fly-fishing. I had at least five in a one acre slough. My thoughts are they are migrating toward the south end for the spawn. This bit should continue to ramp up each week as the prespawn bite is starting up. If it has been over a week or two you need to put some more thought into it. Lake Dardanelle Fishing continues to be up and down just like the weather. Their numbers where heavily depleted by unregulated market hunting (purses, belts, shoes, etc.) There has been nothing to report this week. The clarity is muddy to almost yellow looking, they report, and the level of the lake appears to be 2-3 feet deeper for some that at this usual time of the year. As we fish, I pay particular attention to which fly caught the trout. Young alligators start out with needle-like teeth, which they use to prey on small animals such as insects, crustaceans, and fish. Fish slow if its flat, clear and sunny. Lake Conway is currently in its annual winter pool drawdown from normal seasonal level. Older alligators prey on turtles, fish, birds, and mammals all the way up to the size of deer. De Queen Lake Dry Run Creek has fished a bit better. However, it wasnt plain sailing as the fearsome beast towed their boat around the lake for two whole hoursbefore they eventually managed to kill it. They could have built back a forty ft wide dam to flood 10 acres and they never touched it. Are alligators dangerous?No, if you leave them alone! "We expect a big change in the next three weeks," they report. CONWAY, Ark - An alligator was seen roaming through the waters of Lake Conway last week, and now the photos captured by a local wildlife expert are gaining traction on social media. Lake Catherine Tailwater (Below Carpenter Dam) The 10 Best Childrens Books About Alligators Reviewed and Ranked, Watch This Florida Woman Feed an Alligator Up-Close, With Predictable Ending, Discover the One Place on Earth that Crocodiles and Alligators Coexist. They will be feeding. Some reports say they are deep at 18-22 feet. Bream are a year-round bite on redworms and crickets, but theyre slow now. The crankbait bite is getting better as temps rise. The preferred presentation has been casting soft plastics, with Fire Gel added to the plastic bait. Check it out. Little productive fishing has been done in the tailrace under these adverse conditions. Alligators have lived in Arkansas for thousands of years. I stopped the boat and looked at my graph and there were fish all over the place. Once the lakes reach the conservation pool levels of 659 feet msl for Bull Shoals and 553 feet msl for Norfork, I expect both dams will reduce how much water they release allowing the river to drop to more normal levels. It turns out that this alligator was literally eating the competition as its stomach contained a 5-foot-long alligator! (updated 2-9-2022) Randy Plyler with Plyler Outdoors Guide Service (870-210-0522) said that there's only been a few folks out here over the course of the last couple weeks on DeGray. As of Thursday midday, the Army Corps of Engineers reports the lakes flow at Dardanelle Lock and Dam as 37,793 cfs. Featuring 28,000 acres of clear water that attracts thousands of water sports lovers, fishermen, hikers, and birdwatchers, Beaver Lake is located in the Ozark Highlands near Rogers and features forests, tall bluffs, and meadows crisscrossed by hiking trails. Little productive fishing has been done in the tailrace under these adverse conditions. DeGray Lake The hot flies have been sowbugs, various colored San Juan worms (worm brown, red, hot fluorescent pink and cerise) and white mop flies. Cover water. Florida largemouth bass will be stocked during the summer of 2025. Let's all be safe and enjoy this awesome fishery. After the lake rose over 3 feet with over 4-6 inches of rainfall the lake clarity turned to chocolate milk and almost completely shut down the bite we had the week before. (870-670-4496) is closed for the winter and will reopen this month. Be great if all this rain was snow. Nobody is really catfishing now, and the bream anglers have not started bream fishing in number yet, though they were catching bream before the water took a big rise. Wind, wind, wind and clouds will help. In spite of the higher level these days, anglers are able to launch boats. Incredibly, although Beardens alligator holds the state record as the biggest alligator ever found in Arkansas, it is not the heaviest. Many manufacturers are now making rubber soled wading boots that are easier to clean and are not as likely to harbor didymo. Each rod has two different flies (a lead fly and a dropper). The yo-yos are working for crappie, too, and also on minnows. It's still far from spring-like temps. Parallel steeper ledge 45-degree banks and steeper transition banks. (updated 2-9-2023) Hatchet Jacks Sports Shop in Crystal Hill off I-40 (501-758-4958) said crappie are still on in the usual places like Gold Creek, but are hit and miss. . Their numbers where heavily depleted by unregulated market hunting (purses, belts, shoes, etc.) Crankbaits for spin-fishing work well in high water. Double-fly nymph rigs have been very effective. The fishing pressure on the lake is still light. Once it hits a peak and starts to fall, the fish will scatter more. 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