Fishing report: Falling of leaves can have impact on results

It’s just a little thing, but sometimes these can pay off with fish in the boat. Falling leaves, we’re talking about.

It happens every fall, this business of leaves falling from hardwood trees on to the water’s surface along the edges of lakes, rivers and creeks. They float then gradually move with the current and the wind, or they sink to the bottom to join the underwater debris from other sources.

Leaves on the water surface also mean shade for fish, although this can be temporary. Fish, having no eyelids, don’t like strong sunlight. They move into shade from overhangs of any sort, and experienced fishermen often try shady spots before anywhere else.

In some cases, leaves can wad up into good-size clumps on the surface, especially when pushed against something like a fallen log.

If you are going after bream, a bunch of leaves is a good spot to drop a cricket or worm. The bait doesn’t have to be all the way under the leaves. Close to the edge is usually sufficient for a hungry bream to see it and to act on it.

Bass anglers can toss crank baits, spinner baits or soft plastics of all sorts close to the leaves, and they can drop jigs or weighted plastic worms down through the leaves.

All the while the casual fisherman can think, “Here are some of the good kind of leaves, the ones that I don’t have to rake up and cart off.”

LAKE CONWAY

Rick Bates at Bates Field and Stream said the water is stained and at normal level. Bream are biting well on worms, crickets and wax worms fished close to the banks. Crappie are biting well on minnows around any shady spots. Bass are biting well on spinner baits, crank baits and topwater lures. Catfishing is fair on trotlines, but not many anglers are pursuing them. 

LITTLE RED RIVER

Billy Lindsey at Lindsey’s Resort said the water clarity is good and one generator is running in the afternoons. Trout are biting well on green or white Power Eggs, pink Trout Magnets and marabou jigs. 

GREERS FERRY LAKE

Tommy Cauley of Fish Finder Guide Service said the water level is falling with generation and the surface temperature ranges from 77 to  81 degrees. White bass and hybrid bass are going strong, schooling and chasing shad on the surface as well as below the surface. They can be caught with topwater baits, jigging spoons and hair jigs. Try Cove Creek, Sugarloaf and the Orchard. Walleye are biting well on nightcrawlers fished on a jig head. They also are being caught under the whites and hybrids on spoons in-line spinners. Crappie have shut down some with the cooler weather, but should stabilize soon. Bream are biting anything from hot dogs to crickets. The last spawn probably has just finished, but a lot of them will hang around the bank with the cooler water. Bass fishing is good. They’re biting spinner baits, crank baits, flukes and topwater lures around the banks. Out deeper, try football-head jigs, Texas rigged worms and Carolina rigs fished in 12 to 40 feet of water.

HARRIS BRAKE LAKE

Greer’s Sporting Goods said there’s been some crappie activity using white stingers but overall fishing is slower than normal on the drawn-down lake.

LAKE OVERCUP

Lakeview Landing said the water is murky and at normal level. Bream are biting well on crickets and red worms along the bank. Crappie are fair on minnows and jigs fished in deep water. Catfishing is excellent on shad and goldfish.

Overcup Landing said the water is murky and at 82 degrees. Bream are slow, but a few have been caught in 18 inches of water. Crappie are biting well on brown and pumpkinseed jigs in 18 inches of water. Bass are fair on red worms in brush. Catfishing is fair on cut shad and bream.  

BREWER LAKE

Overcup Landing said the water is clear and the surface temperature is 82 degrees. Bream are slow on crickets and red worms. Crappie are fair on small minnows. Bass are fairly slow on spinner baits. Catfishing is good on cut bait. 

ARKANSAS RIVER

Charlie Hoke at Charlie’s Hidden Harbor in Oppelo said catfishing is excellent in 15 to 35 feet of water on whole shad. Striped bass are biting well below the dam late in the evenings when the generators are turning. Most are being caught about 6 feet deep on shad drifted under a float. White bass are biting well around sand bars in the mornings; pearl-colored Model As are working the best. Black bass are biting fairly well around wood and grass early in the morning. Buzz baits are working around the cover early, then Pearl-colored Rapala crank baits and spinner baits are working around jetties. Bream are biting well on the back side of jetties on Mepps spinners in black. Crappie are fair on minnows fished next to wood cover in 10 to 15 feet of water out of any current. 

In the Little Rock area, Hatchet Jack’s Sport Shop said bream are biting well on crickets in the Little Maumelle River, but they are biting better on red worms in the Maumelle River and Palarm Creek. Crappie are slow everywhere. Bass are slow. Catfishing is good on large shad, minnows, and nightcrawlers. 

WHITE RIVER

John Berry at Berry Brothers Guide Service said the flows have been moderate in the afternoons during peak power demand. This created some excellent conditions for wade fishing.  The fishing in the catch and release section below Bull Shoals Dam has been particularly good for the last week. Midge patterns have been the ticket on lower flows. The hot flies have been the black zebra midge with silver wire and silver bead and Dan’s turkey tail emerger. Later in the day with heavier flows, the most effective technique has been to fish brightly colored San Juan worms (cerise, hot pink and red) and egg patterns (orange) below strike indicators.

 The Narrows has fished well this past week. It got a bit crowded over the weekend. The hot fly was the black zebra midge but the olive woolly bugger came in a close second. Wildcat Shoals has been another hot spot. While the black zebra midges have been the go to nymph, the hot flies have been the partridge and orange soft hackle and the green butt. Dan’s turkey tail emerger was also effective. Rim Shoals has been hot. There were several days with wadable water.