White River at Batesville is at 8.70 feet. 

Trout fishing in the Guion area is good. Drift fishing with spinners has been the best method. Spinners tipped with worms, corn, and Power Eggs have been the preferred baits. Countdowns and spoons, such as Lil Cleo's and Renegades are working well for those who prefer artificial bait. 

Bream fishing has really picked up in the creeks with crickets and worms catching limits with ease. 

Smallmouth and largemouth bass are biting well too, from Guion to Batesville. Bass can be caught in the creeks and from the river. Trick worms, Gitzits, and jig and frog are producing fish from the lay downs and structure while spinner baits and rouges are working well just casting the banks. 

Crappie fair using minnows and jigs 

Largemouth Bass are spawning in the shallow water and are moving to the rocky points using top water baits and jigs

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

May 17, 2004
We had a week with a little of everything – sunshine, temperatures in the low 80’s, storms and 4" of rain and a cold front blew in over the weekend, which dropped the temperatures down to 47 degrees one night. The lake level is 675.87, 21 ½ feet over normal pool this week. Boat launching continues to be okay although parking is a little tough. Lake temperature lost a few degrees with the cool rain but by the weekend we have rebounded back to the mid to upper 60’s. Now that the lake is stabilizing the bass, walleye, crappie and shad have starting moving into the flooded banks using the bushes as ambush areas. 

White Bass are over a little deeper water than last week (30+ feet) in the back of the creeks and coves. They are pushing shad to the top in the mornings and late afternoons. During the day the bite falls off unless there is a weather change. 

Crappie are in post spawn with a few still on the beds. The bite will be tough for about a week or so as they move out of the shallows to the base of the flooded trees. This is a good time to use a slip bobber rig with a crappie minnow or jig fished around the trunk of the trees.

Largemouth bass are on post spawn and finding the females is not easy. The males are chasing buzz baits, Zara Spooks and Chug Bugs in the mornings and Flukes or Sinko’s throughout the day. In the upper lake flipping is turning on and some of the 3 to 5 pound largemouth are being caught. Dead bushes are the key for catching the nicer bass. 

Smallmouth bass have moved in and are now at the base of the flooded trees and bushes on chunk rock and pea rock banks. With the lake up, you need to go to your map to find the right kind of banks. Best baits have been tubes, Spider Jigs and Zara Spooks in the mornings. Mojo rigs and Carolina rigs in 30 to 40 feet of water are also still producing some nice smallies. Centipedes, lizards and baby brush hogs are your best baits. Kentucky bass are also up around the flooded trees and bushes although they are suspended around the trees unlike the largemouth and smallmouth bass. 

The Kentuckys main food source has again turned back to shad and they are pushing the shad towards the backs of pockets and cuts like herding cattle. Best baits are Pop R’s, Lucky Craft Sammy’s, Spit’N Image, Jrs and Chug Bugs when the Kentuckys are frenzy feeding. When the shad are dimpling the surface and the Kentuckys are not busting them, throw a Sinko or Fluke into the shad and let them sink.

Walleye are on the bite. They are holding on chunk rock banks, points and pea rock flats. For some reason the walleye are sitting right on the rocks on the old shoreline, which is in 21 feet of water. So the walleye are in 21 to 30 feet of water feeding on shad, sunfish and anything else they can catch. Morning and evening fish Lucky Craft Pointer 78’s or suspending rogues parallel to 21 feet of water. During the day hours back out to 30 feet and troll Reef Runners, Mann’s 20+ or Hot’N Tots with a light weight.

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 go to www.professionalwalleyetrail.com.

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