Crappie excellent using minnows and jigs in 8 to 10 feet of water

Largemouth Bass good using soft plastic baits at the end of the lake

White Bass good using live crawfish

Lake Level: currently 670.57 and rising. Expected to crest at 676.3 on May 14th as of right now based on previous rainfall and lake levels.
Surface temperature: mostly in the low to mid 60’s depending on where you go.
VISIBILITY- Very poor in the back of the creeks, poor to fair in the creek arms, clear on the main lake.

The lake has risen 19 feet in the last few weeks. We experienced 11 inches of rain in a 36-hour period last week. It jumped 10-12 feet in 4 days.

However, the bass fishing has been excellent, even with the lake rising. It is some of the best I have seen since the mid 90’s. The water level has not affected the catching much. It has just affected where they are. It seems that the most catchable fish are still on the old shoreline around 20 to 30 feet of water. There are still some fish shallow but they are hard to get to unless you are throwing some type of bait that runs on the surface, or runs just below the surface. With the lake high, there is a lot of brush to get tangled in if you use baits that don’t stay shallow or on the surface.

THE SPAWN- It should be one of the best ever since the water is up in the brush. I know the high water causes a lot of problems but there is a silver lining in that dark cloud. The best information I can gather is that the Smallmouth are done, the Largemouth are somewhere in the middle and the Spots are just starting. Of course this will vary on whom you talk to. This opinion is based on the fish being cleaned and if they still have eggs.

BASS PATTERNS- The biggest change since the water went up is where they are located. They moved mostly deeper.

These are the 3 top patterns right now.

Carolina rigging a lizard. This is working mostly for Largemouth and Spotted bass. They are mostly using the green colors with a 2 to 4 foot drop. They are using these in 25 to 35 feet of water mostly on the steeper chunk rock banks and channel swings.

Crawfish or green colored tube tubes dragged on the gravel flats is producing some good Smallmouth Bass. These fish are mostly in 20 to 35 feet of water on the gravel rounded points and flats.

Live minnows with a small split shot in 20 to 35 feet of water is producing all species of bass.

These patterns are also starting to produce results.

Other plastic baits such as meatheads, French fry worms, and 4 inch worms. The basic green or brown colors will work. These are Carolina rigged with a 2 to 4 foot drop jut like the lizards pattern above.

Top water flukes- shad colored around the brush in shallow water.

Wacky rigged bubble gum plastic worms with no weight in shallow water

Spinner baits- These were working very well when the water was rising and the color was brown. They have slowed down a little bit.

WALLEYE- They are ONLY biting at night right now. I have seen some nice stringers and one 11 pounder. I haven’t seen many caught in the day or talked to anybody that is catching them in the day. They are only catching them in the middle of the night trolling perch colored crank baits in 20 to 30 feet of water off of the gravel main lake points. Everything that has been tried in the day has not worked.

WHITE BASS- There has been a few caught here and there. There have also been the sporadic sightings of the classic white bass surfacing back in the creeks over the last few weeks. However, there has not been the classic white bass run of the past. I would expect to be able to see people catch them at night under the lights any time now.

CRAPPIE- Same deal on the crappie. There are very few being reported or being caught. I have never seen the crappie fishing any good in the 32 years I have been here when the lake is moving up or down. I don’t know where they go or what they do. They still have to eat but I haven’t seen many being caught. Of course, not many people show off their crappie and the guides are catching bass too easy to be crappie fishing. So- we will see what happens when the lake stabilizes.

CATFISH- The catfish are doing well on jug lines, trot lines and limb lines. We have seen several good catches and stringers. Most of the fish are in shallow water and being caught on the same bait- perch, dead shad, liver, stink bait, etc.

White River- Fishing has been good. All of our guides are reporting good catches and activity. Same baits as always- worms, salmon eggs, power bait, night crawlers, corn, for live bait. Rapalas, spoons, spinners for artificial.

SUMMER FISHING SEMINAR - JUNE 5TH 2 TO 4 P.M.

We are holding our Summer Fishing Seminar on June 5th from 2 to 4 p.m. here at Wilderness Trail

There is no charge for the seminar but seating is limited

Call now for your reservation - 870-445-2703

A week of sunshine and 80 degree days without rain was the agenda for this last week. Lake temperature has stabilized in the mid to upper 60’s pushing the largemouth bass, smallmouth bass and Kentuckys onto the beds again. Lake level is at 673.98, 19 ½ feet over normal pool. The high water has not slowed down the bass bite and there are still places to launch your boat. Please be very careful when running the lake. With the water up there is a lot of debris floating on top and just underneath the surface. White bass are still in the back of the creeks following the shad. They are located in 20 to 30 feet of water in the middle of the cuts or fingers. In the morning and before sundown they are pushing shad to the top; Pop R’s, Lucky Craft Pointer 78’s and Chug Bugs will create some great action. Crappie are spawning and very hard to find or even see with all of the bushes and brush in the water. Check the back of the pockets in the creeks and fish crappie minnows, sword tails or crappie tubes in front of the flooded bushes, logs and rocks.

Largemouth bass are on beds and in post spawn up on the upper lake. Some buck bass can be caught on top water or with jigs, but truthfully the bite is a little slow. Fish the old shoreline in the pockets out in front of the beds. Smallmouth bass are starting to work top water in the mornings. Lucky Craft Sammy’s and Zara Spooks are working in the best, and there are some smallies back on beds in 18 to 20 feet of water on old pea rock banks. A number of techniques and baits are working to catch these smallies. Some are Mojo rigged centipedes or 4" lizards, Carolina rigged Sinko’s or lizards, Texas rigs with brush hogs or trick worms, tube baits and Spider jigs.

Kentucky bass are on three patterns this week. Some are spawned out and chasing shad throughout the day on top water – spoons, Pop R’s, Chug Bugs and flukes work the best on surface feeding Kentuckys. Another pattern is post spawn Kentuckys that are hanging outside the flooded brush. Best baits are Spider Jigs, tubes and a split shot centipede. The last pattern is Kentuckys that are back on beds. These fish are hard to very hard to see but they are in 12 to 15 feet of water around the base of the bushes. Flip jigs and Texas rigged lizards or tubes to trigger a few.

Walleye are again becoming aggressive on the flooded flats and points, evidently the food that washed into the lake is decreasing and the walleye have again started to forage for food. They are positioned on the outside of the bushes in 28 to 40 feet of water during the day and in and around the bushes at night in 17 to 20 feet of water. Nigh time baits have been suspending Rogues in clown or green back colors. During the day fish crawler harnesses with gold or chartreuse blades or a crawler split shot rig on the bottom. If you are a troller the bite is picking up on Wally Divers and Reef Runners pulled over 38 to 40 feet of water with no weight added. Best trolling speed is around 1 ½ miles per hour.

Time is running out - Don’t miss the opportunity to fish with the PWT pros – Only a few amateur spots left for their June tournament. This is an excellent opportunity to learn about the walleye fishing on Bull Shoals Lake. Under the Pro-Am format amateurs get to ride with them to their spots, fish with their tackle and weigh the walleye they catch together under the boat-weight format. For more information contact Wilderness Trail.

Trout fishing on the White River has been best on Berkley Power Eggs in yellow and purple, Earthworms and Maggots. Krocodiles, Mepps and Buoyant Spoons have also been working when there is some generation. The fly fishermen have been doing well on olive and black Woolly Buggers, soft hackles, midges, and San Juan worms. Browns are being caught on Suspending Rogues, Shad Raps, and nightcrawlers.