Bull
Shoals Lake Fishing Report & Fishing News
**** White River Trout Fishing Video 2013- YouTube by Guide Del Colvin **** ****Bull Shoals Lake Bass Fishing video 2013 - YouTube by Guide Del Colvin*** ***Bull Shoals White Bass Fishing Video 2013 - YouTube by Guide Del Colvin*** Ask a Guide a Question? Email ours!
NEW APP FOR LAKE LEVELS AND RELEASES The Army Corps of Engineers, Little Rock District recently launched a mobile App for marina owners, dock owners, fisherman, navigators, paddlers and park visitors. The App delivers current water conditions for Corps' reservoirs, rivers and streams within the district boundaries TYPE THIS IN SEARCH APP- USACE LITTLE ROCK Click here for more info and download instructions.
2013 fishing report March 6th - 2013 Hello everybody! Time once again for the fishing report. I have just got back off the midwest sport-boat-travel show run like I usually do in the winter months. 6 cites in 7 weeks. Thanks to all of you that stopped by to chat and say hello! Bull Shoals lake is currently around the 650 mark which makes it 5 to 7 feet low depending on who you talk to. The water temperature is in the mid to high 40's depending on where you take it on the lake. The visibility is fair to good. Dot know about the thermocline. I think there is probably one very deep somewhere past the 70-80 foot mark. That is where is usually is this time of year. I haven't had to scuba dive yet so I am not sure. Fishing patterns are still in the winter phase and should start to change soon. We haven't had much warm weather yet. It is getting up in the 50's and low 60's during the day but we are still getting those very cold nights. All of the fishing patterns are keyed to water temperature and that is hard to predict just like the weather. What a difference from last year. We were already having 70 degree days and warm nights so the water temperature was zooming last year. We will have to wait and see what happens this year. We haven't had much fishing going on this week due to cold, windy and nasty conditions. One of our guides did have a trip today and caught a keeper walleye and a couple of bass on a stick bait. He said the water temperature is still in the high 40's around the lake where he fished. At least he got some bites!!! Below are the patterns that either I am told are working or should be working this time of year. March 14th- Thursday- 2013 Hello everybody! Yaaaa ! The fishing and catching has started!. We have had some warmer temps this week and the water temp is in the upper 40' and lower 50's around the lake. We have had some good stringers come in this last couple of days. See picture page. The white bass have started. I haven't been told of any surfacing yet but the are definitely back in the creeks in the "staging" mode waiting for warmer water to spawn in. They are in 5 to 30 feet of water depending on who you talk too and what part of the lake you are on. I am told they are very shallow above the bridge in the Theodosia area. They seem to be deeper down on this end of the lake. The bass are biting good on any type of minnow looking baits like rapalas, rebels, rogues, x rap ect. They are also biting the crawfish-bluegill color looking crank baits. I would think the other patterns below will work also. I haven't seen any walleye yet. Just one here and one there. They should take off at anytime. The water temp is right. We are suppose to get up to 80 degrees so that should bring the water temp up some. Might turn the walleye on tomorrow. We have had reports of the few being caught spewing sperm all over when you get them in the boat. This means they are getting ready to spawn. Should be soon! I will post as soon as they start. I haven't seen any crappie yet either but they should be starting also. Of course you crappie fisherman dot report or show off you crappie much so I dot know much about the catching of these. I usually can tell by the "crappie tackle" and "crappie minnows" being sold. That hasn't happened yet. A sad note- One of the best Bull Shoals fisherman I ever knew passed this week. Charlie Garrison. You will be missed. I will miss the night pictures he sent me of all the fish he caught at night. :( :( Until next time!! March 21st- Thursday- 2013 Hello everybody! Not much change this week. We have had cold temperatures so the lake is still 46-49 depending on where you take it. We are actually getting snow right now as I am writing this but it is less then an inch and shouldn't affect the fishing much. Jimmy McDaniel actually guided today for walleye and had one keeper. It was a male in spawn mode. The fish was delivering sperm all over when he was netted. This is good news that the walleye are in spawn mode. When they are done then they like to eat!!! Same fishing and catching going on for White Bass and other bass species this last week. New pictures up here. I have re-posted the last years fishing reports up top for you fish junkies that want to compare temps and patterns from year to year. I did. :) :) The white river trout fishing is very good as usual. The guides have made a new video here featuring 2013 trout being caught. See it here - White River Trout Fishing Video. They are going to make some for the lake also soon. Until Next time!! March 31st- Sunday - 2013 Hello everybody! I had a couple of guides fishing on their own today. Jackie Due and Del Colvin both said the bite was awesome today. They both caught a couple of dozen bass on a variety of baits. Just about any bait was catching fish today according to Jackie. The lake is becoming extremely clear now with visibility approaching 20 to 25 feet most places. Its that time of year when the water becomes really clear. The surface temperature is rising again with the warmer temperatures and the warm rains we have been having. It is from the lower 50's to mid 50's around the lake. Of course this is what is making the catching of fish better. I am told by one of the local divers that there is a thermocline at 20 feet and the water gets very cold at this point. The white bass are still staging back in the creeks and main lake coves. They are on the surface to 20 feet of water depending the time of day and the temperature. Guide Jimmy McDaniel caught the first bunch of walleye last night on jerk baits. The last two hours of sunlight and after dark seem to be the best bite right now. see picture Crappie are starting to be caught on the very small jigs and small minnows around the brush piles and timber bluffs. I have changed some of the patterns below. Until next time!! April 10th - Wednesday - 2013 Hello everybody! Fishing is great for all species expect walleye. They are still trying to spawn, You can catch a few here and there but as soon as the spawn is over it should be on. I went last night and we caught 2 keepers and 2 short fish. They were all males and trying to spawn. The water is very clear and the temps are 50 to 54 degrees depending on where you go. All bass species are coming in as well as the crappie and white bass. I have added several pictures on the picture page. We still are having warm temps during the day but cold nights so the water temp is slow in warming up. Not many changes yet. Just lots and lots of fish being caught, mostly bass, crappie and white bass. Till next time. April 14th - Sunday - 2013 Hello everybody! Lots of fish are being caught on the lake. The pictures are poring in. Mostly bass, white bass and crappie. We are seeing a few walleye here and there but not in major quantities yet. I think the walleye are still spawning and should turn on at any time. We have had colder then normal water temperatures so the spawn is late for the walleye. You can see on the picture page that lots of the other species are being caught. We have the Bassmaster Elite Tournament series this week. Practice starts on Monday April 15th. It should be a great week for them . The water temp is still hanging in the low to mid 50's but we are suppose to have a warm week so the water temperature should increase. The visibility is very clear on the main lake and on this end of the lake. I am told that the Theodosia arm has some color up towards the bridge and there is some color around the lead hill area and up. Most of the patterns are still the same. Until the water temp increase or we get some type of major water visibility change due to rain they should be the same for awhile. I will try to keep you posted. April 22nd - Sunday - 2013 Hello everybody! Not many changes except the lake has risen up to the 658 level. Thetas 4 feet since last week. The water temperature hasn't changed much. We are still having the zig zag water temperature of being in the lower 50's then zooming up to 60, then back down in the lower 50's. Last year we had warmer then normal temperatures and now we are having colder then normal temperatures. What a difference a year makes. The fishing has pretty much stayed the same since the water temperature hasn't changed much. Lots of bass being caught, white bass, some crappie and some walleye. In my opinion, the the walleye are still trying to spawn. They are catching mostly males and when they do they are spraying everywhere when they get in the boat. So, based on this evidence, they are still spawning. Which is later then normal. We are expecting some more cold weather this week. The fishing patterns have stayed the same. They will until the water temperature changes. Until next time!!
April 28nd - Sunday - 2013 Hello everybody! We are finally getting some changes. The lake has risen several feet and is up to 659.30 at the time of this writing. We have had several inches of rain over the last week and we wont get any new projections on the lake level until Monday. By the way, you can now download an app to check on all of the lake levels, projections and river flow at 'usace little rock' on the app store for your phone. See above. The lake is extremely clear at this end of the lake still. The Theodosia arm is pretty murky in most places from what we are being told. The water is in the upper 50's to low 60's on the very surface but just a few inches under the water it gets cold and drops back down to mid to lower 50's. So, Its not warming up much yet. However, the bluegills and perch moved into the bank in very shallow water. Also, there is reports of spawning beds around the bank. So the water temp is finally getting right for that. Fishing hasn't changed much yet. The main thing I am hearing is the baits need to be work very slow most of the time. If you are having trouble catching fish then slow or bait down or actually stop it and let it sit. This doesn't work with every bait the suspending stick baits, the floating plastics and stuff like that you can. Still getting conflicting reports on the walleye. I thing everything else is starting to get into spawn mode. That's it for now. Until next time. May 8th - Thursday - 2013 Hello. What a complete difference in things from 2012. Last year was the year of extremely warm temperatures early in March and through out the Spring. The water temperatures last were were way way ahead of the normal. Fishing was different then normal. This year? its the exact opposite. We have been having cold front after cold front since February. This has been the coldest spring overall that I can ever remember in the 40 years I have been here. The water temperature is still hovering in the high 50's to low 60's in most places. There is plenty of fish being caught. Mostly bass, white bass, and crappie. The walleye are the only species that has been disappointing so far. There still hasn't been that crazy walleye bite that we usually get in the spring. We had snow in Arkansas last week in the northwest corner. That is the first time snow has been recorded in May. The constant cold fronts have been yo-yoing the fish into the bank, then out, then back, then out. We are finally seeing largemouth bass on the beds around the docks here at the cove. The bluegill are in the banks one day and then gone the next. We are suppose to be getting some warm rain this week so that should hopefully put things back on track. The water is extremely clear around the lake. The lake is 8 feet high right now. That has put some brush in the lake on the edges. The water temperatures are in high 50's to lower 60's around the lake. The fishing is still great for most species. The patterns below are still working. Top water should be starting soon. Until next time. May 12th - Sunday - 2013 Hello everybody! The bass fishing continues to be great. We are seeing lots of good stringers and fish being brought in. The bass are in spawn mode or post spawn mode mostly. We watched a couple of spotted bass spawn right here next to the ramp to the office yesterday. They went at it for several hours. The water temperature is finally starting to rise around the lake. See this chart - water temperature . As you can see the water temp is up in the mid 60's on the surface. Not much change in the fishing patterns. We still haven't seen a major walleye bite yet. Very disappointing for this year. The ones that are being caught are in 20 to 25 foot of water. We never did have a shallow bite on the stick baits this year. The water temp zig zagging had to affect it. Not much else to report. Until next time. May 19th - Sunday - 2013 Hello everybody! There are a few changes going on finally. The water temperature is starting to warm up in to the mid to high 60's. The bass fishing is still great with lots of fish and good reports coming in. There are a lot of bass on the beds in this cove around the marina. We have been watching them spawn for the last week. Yes, it is a late spawn this year. One of the latest I have ever seen. It should be a good one too. The lake is 7-8 foot high still which means there is some brush in the lake along the shore line. This will give the small spawn a place to hide and survive. Another reason the spawn should be good is the higher lake level. Most species of fish are going to get to spawn while the water is a little high. There has been a few times in the past that the fish will try to spawn and the lake gets dropped then their beds end up out of the water. This is not going to happen this year. The visibility is still really good and should continue to be for a while until the water temperature gets up there where the algae will start to grow. I am finally getting some reports of walleye being caught. The bite has been around an hour either side of dark with the rogue-rebel-xrap stick bait. Also, I have been getting reports of the bottom bouncing with a night crawler during the day in 20 to 25 feet of water which is deeper then normal. They aren't usually that deep until the middle of June. What a strange walleye year. I have a good picture (click) of a walleye stringer caught yesterday with this pattern. I would also think split shoting a night crawler or drop shoting a night crawler might work for walleye. Everything else is pretty much the same. The white bass have slowed down a little and are starting to hit at night under lights. Still getting a few reports on crappie and seeing some catfish coming in jug fishing. Until next time!
BASS - updated 5-19-13 The plastic patterns seem to be working the best. The mustard colored and watermelon colored tube jig (gitzit) is really hot. - Carolina rigging a lizard, brush hog, french fry, or finesse worm in 5 to 15 feet of water. With the water being clear the natural colors should work better. - The hula grub, gitzit, tube jig, salt craw, all types of plastic baits can catch fish. These can be worked in 5 to 20 feet of water depending on where the fish are that day. - Crawfish colored crankbaits are catching fish on windy banks. Cloudy days also seem to help the shallow patterns - Spinner baits on cloudy windy banks. Mostly natural colors in clear water and bright colors in dingy water - live minnows on a simple split shot rig in 5 to 20 feet of water. - slow retrieve of any type of artificial minnow bait. - split shot a night crawler in 5 to 20 feet of water.
WHITE BASS - updated 05-19-13 Very few reports of white bass during the day night. The patterns below usually work this time of year. The night bite under lights is starting to work. - Trolling minnow looking baits early in the morning and late in the day on the gravel banks back in the creeks. - jigging a spoon will also catch white bass in 20 to 30 foot deep water back in the main lake pockets and coves. - night fishing under lights is starting to produce some fish. Walleye - updated 05-19-13 - Bottom bouncing with night crawlers in 18 to 22 feet is producing some walleye. - split shoting night crawlers in 18 to 22 feet is producing walleye - drop shoting night crawlers is producing in 18 to 22 feet of water. - Stick baits such as the X-rap, rogue, rebel in shallow water at night or close to dark. Minnows colors seem to be the best. Crappie - - Small minnows around brush piles - small 1/16 ,1/32, 1/64 oz jigs around the brush piles.
White River: White River Trout Fishing Video 2013- YouTube by Guide Del Colvin NOTHING EVER CHANGES ON THE RIVER EXCEPT THE WATER LEVEL!!! THE FISHING IS ALWAYS GREAT!! This question gets asked a lot. "When is the best time to fish the river? " The answer is anytime. The water comes out of the bottom of the lake therefore it is always very cold. It doesn't have the temperature cycle of a normal body of water. It doesn't matter if its 100 degrees out or 10 degrees out. The water temperature stays the same within a few degrees, Therefore, the fishing is always the same and always good. Arkansas stocks the White River with rainbow trout year around so the fishing is good year around. The water level doesn't matter either, you just have to change how you fish. If the water is high then you usually drift and float fish, if its low then you anchor and still fish. Naturally, fly fishing is better when the river is low. SO, COME FISHING WHENEVER YOU CAN !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The river fishing has been great!! Check out the 2012 picture page for photos of some big ones caught over the last couple of weeks. Nothing new on the patterns. --- Worms, night crawlers, power baits, salmon eggs, Count down Rapalas, spoons, rooster tails, jigs and just about any other type of trout bait or pattern you have heard of. Come visit our expanded bait and Tackle department and good luck and good fishing to!
FISHING -- INFORMATION -- FISHING
JOHN EASTWOLD’S FAVORITE SAYING -
FISHING IS ALWAYS GOOD - SOMETIMES CATCHING CAN BE SLOW. Home Page - Bull Shoals Lake Boat Dock Web site ___________________________________________________________________ NEW APP FOR LAKE LEVELS AND RELEASES The Army Corps of Engineers, Little Rock District recently launched a mobile App for marina owners, dock owners, fisherman, navigators, paddlers and park visitors. The App delivers current water conditions for Corps' reservoirs, rivers and streams within the district boundaries TYPE THIS IN SEARCH APP- USACE LITTLE ROCK Click here for more info and download instructions.
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