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Posted 03/03/05
State record Blue Cat caught at
Lake Texoma Rainbow Trout and Brown Trout said the river is clear and has been low for the past week there are 2 generators running. Fishing is good using wax worms with marshmallows or power bait, power eggs and marabou jigs in brown and black Local fisherman Jeff Moore said the White River at Batesville is at 10 feet and has remained relatively steady for the last week or two. Trout and smallmouth fishing has been good in the Guion area. There are some quality rainbows being caught in the shoals on spoons and Rapala Countdowns. Drift fishing has been working as well. The traditional spinner tipped with Power Eggs, corn and worms continues to produce limits of trout too. Smallmouth are moving into and around the creek mouths. Tube baits and Hula Grubs in brown and green are the most effective baits and colors. Largemouth have been slow with a few being caught in the creeks on jig 'n' frog combinations in brown and black colors. Walleye fishing from Lock No. 3 down swings from bad to good. Weather seems to affect it more than anything. The cloudier days tend to be the better days to fish. Various methods are catching walleye. Trolling small crankbaits, such as wiggle warts, through the deep holes is working. Also, jig 'n' minnow combinations dragged slowly with the trolling motor through the same areas is producing fish. The best method for catching a quality fish is still fishing with creek minnows in the deeper pools. A few crappie are being caught on yoyos in the creeks around logs and brush tops with fathead minnows being the bait of choice Lake Elevation at Normal Pool: 462.5 Temperature: Outflow: 2144. Level: 1.43 feet low Walleye fair in 20 to 25 feet of water using night crawlers and jigs Largemouth Bass fair in 15 to 25 feet of water using plastic baits around the rocky points and brush piles Bream fair in 15 to 20 feet of water using wax worms, crickets and red worms around the rocky points. Crappie fair using minnows in 30 feet of water Channel Catfish No Report Bluegill No Report Beaver Lake Elevation at Normal Pool: 1121.4 Temperature: Outflow: 2209 cfs. Level: 1.01 feet low Report by: Flippers Guide Service Catfish are slow some are being caught oh live in the hickory creek area Crappie are bighting minnows and jigs tipped with minnows 20 to 30 feet deep Stripers ARE VERY GOOD RIGHT NOW in prairie creek 10 to 40 feet deep on live shiners and spoons there are a good number up in war eagle creek from 5 to 15 feet deep on live shiners also try free lines and balloons and in prairie creek on balloons and down lines Largemouth Bass are bighting good with spinner baits and jigs from point 8 to war eagle White Bass No Report
No Report Temperature: Kings River Outfitters said the lake is clear and at normal pool. Largemouth and smallmouth bass are slow in the deep pools on tube baits and assorted plastics. Walleye are biting on the north end on live minnows and Rapalas. updated 3/03/05 Lake Elevation at Normal Pool: 657.0 Temperature: 47 - 49 Outflow: 9535 cfs Level: 4.60 feet low Fishing Report by: Wilderness Trail "Braggin Board" February 28, 2005 There is not much you can say about the weather, except it has been great. A little front came through the middle of the week but other than that the temperatures have been in the upper 50’s throughout the week. Lake temperature is still in the upper 40’s (47 to 49 degrees), the warmer water is on the northern banks in the northern pockets. This week’s lake level is at 653.86, which is ½ foot below normal pool. That is not bad for the end of February. Lake clarity remains around 15 feet with a green colored stain. Crappie were slow this week but not impossible to catch. They continue to suspend over the top of the crappie cribs or brush piles holding between 12 and 18 feet deep. Crappie minnows on a small slip bobber worked the best this week. Some white bass started to show up in the back of the northern creeks. Most of them are males and rather small in size. They are feeding on shad that can be found in 30+ feet of water. Best baits are ¼ oz. Road Runners and ½ oz. spoons. Largemouth bass have not had warm enough water this week to move towards the back of the creeks or to the banks. There are a few largemouth that are roaming northern banks and points but they are staying close to deep water. Crankbaits and slow rolling spinnerbaits will trigger a few of the swimmers. Spider Jigs and Football jigs around transition banks and the ends of channel swings have worked well this week on the staging largemouth. Smallmouth bass are still holding in 30+ feet of water off points and large boulder rock banks. You can catch one or two up on the bank but it is not a pattern. Most of the smallies are suspended and the jig bite and tube bite is turned off. Throw Wiggle Warts (V37 and V38), Bandits, Lucky Craft Pointer 78DD and Bevy Shad or suspending rogues at this time for the some smallmouth action. Kentucky bass have pulled off the cliff walls and channel swings and moved with the shad into the pockets and coves off the main lake and cuts in the creek arms. They are still over deep water and spoons are still the #1 way to catch a few. Spend some time graphing and you will find them. Lake Rating: Crappie are so-so, bass are so-so and walleye are so-so. Rating this week is "so-so" fair to good. Just a handful of spots are available for the amateur/co-angler side of the PWT. It is recommended now if you want to fish this tournament to fax your entry form to PWT Headquarters. Entry blanks are available at Wilderness Trail and Bull Shoals Lake Boat Dock. The PWT tournament will be May 11 through the 13th. The PWT will once again operate from Bull Shoals Boat Dock and the weigh ins will be held every day at the dock. The weigh ins are very exciting and should not be missed. Walleye moved into 32 to 44 feet of water last week and they are still there holding off points and flats this week. Trolling is the key in triggering a few. Reef Runners and Glass shad are the best lures pulled on lead core line. The water temperature is holding the walleye outside their spawning areas, we will keep an eye on their movement this next week. The FLW Outdoors Walleye Tour will be coming to Bull Shoals April 6th through the 9th. This will be their first walleye event on Bull Shoals and are expecting a full field of 150 boats. Co-anglers will be paired with the pros for this tournament. You can pick up more information and entry forms at R&H Marine in Bull Shoals and at Wilderness Trail. Fishing for trout on the White River has been very good this past week. The shad coming through the dam had been spotty but when they do white "anything" will work, so you need to be prepared. When there is not much generation, Berkley Power Eggs in yellow and white have done well. With generation white chrome domes, the Buoyant spoon, Little Cleo’s, and Super Dupers are the bait of choice. The fly fisherman has done well on olive Woolly Bugger, white chrome domes, white minnow baits and San Juan worms. The Brown trout are being caught on suspending rogues, Shad Raps and Rogues. Remember to keep only what you can eat and release the rest for another day. Rick Culver of Wilderness Trail does the research for this report and the writing of this report. For more information call Rick or Sue Culver at Wilderness Trail at 870-445-2703 Updated: 03/03/05 Lake Elevation at Normal Pool: 259.20 Temperature: 48 - 56 Outflow: 5667 cfs. Level: 0.43 feet high Report by: Millwood Lake Guide Service }><(((º> Millwood Lake Fishing Report 2/28/05 <º)))><{Millwood Lake Guide Service reports water temps 48º-56º ; approx 10 inches above normal pool, falling, reduced stain and river current. Largemouth bass remain very good on several different red and orange patterns of Rat-L-Traps, and the red Rat-L-Traps are working very well on Millwood. A 9lb-12oz Largemouth Bass was caught, photographed and released within the last week in Horseshoe Lake area. Red Rat-L-Traps with black craw marks is a good choice, and so is bleeding brown/orange craw, and on sunny days, red chrome or electric red seems to be a better choice. Fish the Rat-L-Traps slowly and deliberately on points in Little River around stumps in 5-9 feet depth drop-offs. Bill Norman crankbaits and Bagley crankbaits in brown or orange craw are taking good keeper bass on points in Little River. Jigs in Black/blue or Texas craw color, with black Uncle Josh 11A pork trailers 9 to 11 feet deep on stumps along Little River are still working. Black bass remain fair to good on Carolina rigs with Zoom lizards in green pumpkin or pumpkinseed with chart tail or Bass Assassin Shads. 10-12" power worms in red shad, june bug, or blue fleck continue taking keepers along the river.
Brush Hogs in black neon, blackberry, or sour grape, and
War Eagle white & chart spinner baits worked slowly approx
9-14 feet deep, are catching decent size bass on stumps along the
edges of the river, and on points in 8-10 feet depths in the same areas
where the red Rat-L-Traps are working. Along the river, back off the edges
of the river bank to where you find stumps and timber in approx 8-15 feet
depths or drag a Carolina rig across the points dumping into the river. Carolina
rigs in these areas of the river seem to be working better in the last week.
Lately, we have been fishing a heavy, 5/8 oz to
3/4 oz War Eagle Spinnerbait in white/chart or fire tiger color patterns along
the river edges on scattered stumps in 8-10 feet depth areas with some
success, but later in the day, once the sun is up and has warmed the top 2
feet of the water column. We have found once the water warms up later in
the day, the bite becomes much more aggressive and pronounced. We
changed out the spinner bait's factory blade configurations, and are using
a large # 7 thumping Colorado blade on the rear hanger, in gold,
to attract their attention on sunny days or muddy water. The larger
blade configuration puts out much more "thump" in the stained water,
and the bass seem to be relating to the additional vibration from the
large Colorado, rather than the factory willow blade configurations. The
larger bass remain slightly deeper in the creeks, and closer to the deeper
haunts of the river drops at the creek mouths or points, dumping into Little
River. The majority of the bass patterns remain very constant this
time of year. Over the last 2 weeks, with daytime highs in the
upper 60º and lower 70º range, this has allowed the surface temps to
rise up to 10 full degrees compared to only 2 weeks ago, and the bass are
relating to the warmer water by becoming much more aggressive, and moving up
to more shallow areas, chasing baitfish. Just 2 weeks ago, water
temps ranged from low 40ºs to upper 40ºs. Over the last 2 weeks, the
surface temperatures have risen to lower to mid 50º range.
This time of year can be feast or famine for large
bass. One day the ambient temperature will be 25º and
freezing your line guides on your rod and the wind blowing
30mph and muddies up the entire lake. Few bites. Next day sun is
out and high is near 65º, water clearing and shallow areas warming, cant get
a hook in the water quick enough, and good, decent bass bites on every
pitch with a tube or 10" power worm. Sharp hooks in soft
plastic or crankbaits, are a must for those slow and deliberate (few)
bites! Also, slowing the crankbait retrieve to a mere crawl seems to
have the best results in this colder water climate.
Sharpen those hooks, get out there & deliberately
slow down the retrieve, purposely deflect cranks off stumps, and HANG ON!
This time of year can also yield the trophy Largemouth of a lifetime, full of
roe and just waiting on warmer temperatures to move shallow!
Crappie bite continues to improve
since water began clearing and lake falling over the last few weeks, back to
normal pool and increase in surface temps. Nice slab catches have
been taken on live shiners and jigs in last few days, in 12-15 feet
planted brush piles depths along Little River.
White bass were found and caught in good
numbers on Little Cleos, Chuck-N-Spins, and red and white rooster tails in
Little River, just below highway 71 bridge within the past few days.
Blue Cats remain good in Little
River on trot lines, cut shad and chicken livers in
current. Lines set approx 14-20 feet deep just up off the
bottom, seem to be best locations in last few weeks.
}><(((º> Millwood Lake & River Conditions Report <º)))><{ For those fishing the river and below the spillway, as of Monday, February 28, the lake level rose over the last week approx 5 inches, but is falling again and is approx 10 inches above normal conservation pool, and is moderate stain, muddy in main lake areas, and current is reduced. The lake elevation is 260.19, and falling, with 5,117CFS being released at the dam. All 13 gates are open this week. Water clarity in the river is approx 7". Clarity is somewhat worse on the main lake and is around 4-5" toward the dam. Northeastern sector of the lake around Cottenshed and OK Landing remains extremely muddy with muddy water in the Saline River. Creeks and sloughs of Little River have begun clearing now with the lake falling.
The upriver oxbows such as McGuire, Horseshoe, Mud
Lake, Cemetery Slough, etc, away from the current in Little River still
have much better water visibility, estimated at approx 3+ feet in
places. Water temperatures have increased in the last week due
to unseasonably warmer ambient temperatures, and range approx 48ºF
early to 56ºF later in the day, depending on area of the lake, wind and
sunlight penetrations.
Be advised the US Army Corps of Engineers recently
replaced many of the missing river buoys in Little River, although there are
still some stretches along the river that are still being worked on. We
have seen several of the buoys washed up onto the south bank, between
Pugh Slough and Jack's Isle, along south Hickory Creek, and several
washed through the Hole-in-the-Wall (east of Snake Creek) cut and are up
on the bank. Also noted several river marker buoys on the bank around
Jack's Isle Marina in the last couple days.
Use EXTREME caution while navigating Little River
in low light conditions, and SLOW DOWN! Careful watch for floaters and
debris in Little River's current is a requirement. Keep in mind
there are a few sections of Little River, where the river buoys have
moved out of position or have disappeared, although the USACE is working
to get all these buoys replaced as soon as possible, and are working on
the navigation daily.
Don't forget, be safe, and respect the other guy's right to use the lake too. Release those big bass to spawn and fight again, and take home those little 16"ers to fry up! Use caution in low light conditions, wear your Life Preserver and SUNSCREEN! If you are suddenly thrown from your boat, or knocked unconscious, this time of year, hypothermia can set in as little as 5 minutes in 40º water and your life preserver can potentially be your only hope to survive, so PUT IT ON! Lake Elevation at Normal Pool: 552.0 Temperature: Release Rate: 2300 cfs. Level: 1.76 feet low No Report Back to TopNo Report
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