As of 12:00 noon today no fish have been stocked since the November 24th stocking. I hate to admit that I never really found the fish from that stocking. I caught a few (that would be 6!) below the weir at Old Factory Site, all were between 8 and 10 inches long. The ones stocked at Riverside just disappeared?? If Robert hadn't seen the stocking truck I would have sworn we never got fish!! Hope we get a stocking for Christmas. 🤔🤔.
The water temperature is cold🥶. The water clarity is terrible!! It's like chocolate milk coming out of the dam. The lake is the same color in the SAWHA area but at Self creek where you cross the bridge going to Albert Pike its crystal clear? SOMETHING is going on at the foot of the dam or there is a big construction project in the Sawah area somewhere! Yes, they are still working on the dam.
They did generate for 2 hours yesterday afternoon which spread the muddy water all over the river. The fishing is the worst Ive seen it in years at this time of the trout season. There just aren't enough fish in the river and I can't say I expect it to get any better in the near future.
I have fished Albert Pike ( when I'm not driving to Broken Bow to fish the Mountain Fork river at Bevers Bend state park) a couple of times this past week and found a few fish at the Swimming Hole, above the car wash bridge and below the car wash bridge. Boy has that river changed since last year, I didn't recognize the Long Creek area. There must have been some big blow outs since I was last there. Hopefully it also will get stocked for Christmas!!
Just to sum up,🤔🤔🤔😬😬 it's gonna be a tough trout year in Arkansas.
Regarding Beaver's Bend:
Meanwhile, to build on an aside by Hen, if y'all feel discouraged by the Lil' Mo' report, Beaver's Bend IS loaded at this time with hungry trout. It's only 45 minutes from DeQueen. I've only been going there so far this season. Up until a couple of weeks ago, I fished the Evening Hole mostly with small soft hackles, BWO's in about a 20, small RS2's. There weren't really midges hatching. I plan to go next week. It'll probably be something completely different by then. LOL! Midges maybe.
I fished Spillway Creek 3 weeks ago. They usually hit nymphs, deep. They were going after BWO's in the film. My euro-stick was the wrong rod, though not usually, there. I made it work.
In about 2 months there should be caddis hatching, and march browns, larger patterns. Till now it's been quite small patterns, although till now, again, midges haven't worked for me.
If you don't know what else to try, olive wooly buggers are always good. Nymphs, like PT's and Hare's Ear -type things are always good, under bobbers in the EH flats. If you just want to start off with some fish, park in the Hickory Campground by the dumpster. Walk down and swing a wooly bugger off the edge into the 40 Foot Hole (where the river slows and deepens). That will nearly always get you something, sometimes a lot of a something. Be ready for it. Good luck!
Mike, have you tried the Day Use Area, yet, or Swim Beach? I've heard they've pulled the logs, finally.