Many of us have favorite fishing lures, items that have worked well for us down through the years.
One of mine is a very small plastic worm, and these are made by several companies. The first time I came across these little bream catchers was in the 1960s, the era when plastic worms were often called Crme worms because of their inventor, Nick Crme.
They were 3 inches long, came two to a card and had some small red beads at the front end, along with two small brass hooks, exposed. Oh, they were prone to hang up if you fished around any kind of stickup, log or brush. But, repeating here, they caught bream and the occasional channel catfish and once in a while a bass.
Just playing around one day, I emptied a can of Vienna sausages, the old and familiar "Vy-ennies." There was a little liquid left in the can so I dipped the 3-inch plastic worms, purple in color this day, in this and went after bream. Several bream succumbed to the lure, and I would like to claim it was due to the added touch of Vy-ennie juice. But that would be stretching the point.
For some reason, those little worms in purple were a favorite. They also came in red, in black and maybe some other colors.
LAKE CONWAY
Rick Bates at Bates Field and Stream said water conditions are normal. A few bream have been caught on crickets and worms. Bass are biting well on spinning toads. Catfishing is good on trotlines with blood bait, cut bait and stink bait.
Dan Zajac at Gold Creek Landing said bream are biting well. Bass are biting fairly well on frogs and buzz baits early. Crappie fishing is slow. Catfish are biting well on live and prepared baits.
BEAVERFORK LAKE
Conway Parks and Recreation Department said the water is murky and at normal level. Fishing has been pretty slow lately, but some crappie have been caught on minnows.
LITTLE RED RIVER
Billy Lindsey at Lindsey's Resort (www.lindseysresort.com/) said water conditions are normal with two generators running around the clock. Trout fishing has been very good on Shad Raps and spinner baits with a Glo worm and Power Egg.
GREERS FERRY LAKE
Tommy Cauley of Fish Finder Guide Service (www.greersferry.com/members/fishfinder) said the water level is falling steadily. The hybrid and white bass fishing continues to be good. Bait is the key; find the bait and the fish will be close at some point in the day or even night. Try topwater baits, jigging spoons, in-line spinners and even hair jigs. Bream fishing is fair on nightcrawlers and crickets around docks, brush piles and flooded brush. Catfishing is great from 1 foot of water out to 25 feet using an assortment of baits and catching them on limb lines, rod-and-reels and jugs and trotlines. Walleye are there one day and gone the next. If you can stay with them, they can be caught with nightcrawlers and line weights on crank baits fished on the edges of rocks on drops in 13 to 23 feet of water. Bass fishing is hit or miss. Try buzz baits, Right Bite frogs, or Rite Bite Cinko's Carolina-rigged or Texas-rigged worms, or you can flip and pitch baits to the brush.
HARRIS BRAKE LAKE
Coffee Creek Landing (www.coffeecreekresort.net/) said the water conditions are normal with a surface temperature of 85 degrees. Bream are biting well on crickets and worms. Crappie are fair on minnows and jigs. Bass are fair on minnows and artificial baits. Catfishing is picking up on worms and liver.
LAKE OVERCUP
Lakeview Landing said water conditions are normal. Bream are biting well on crickets. Crappie fishing is good in 8 feet of water on minnows. Bass are biting well on minnows, jigs and spinner baits. Catfishing is good on crayfish, goldfish and worms.
Overcup Landing (www.overcuplanding.com/) said water conditions are normal with a surface temperature in the mid 80s. Bream fishing is good around the docks on crickets and worms. Crappie are fair in 10 feet of water on minnows. Bass are fair fishing off the banks on spinner baits. Catfishing is good on worms.
BREWER LAKE
Overcup Landing (www.overcuplanding.com/) said water conditions are normal with a surface temperature at 85 degrees. Bream are biting well on worms and crickets around the banks. Crappie fishing is very good in 20 foot brush piles on minnows. Bass are fair on buzz baits. Catfishing is good on worms and stink bait.
LAKE MAUMELLE
Roger Nesuda at Jolly Roger's Marina (www.jollyrogersmarina.com/) said summer fishing is in full swing, so it's time to move deeper for all species. Largemouth bass are biting well, but weights have dropped some from spring. Fish 15 to 20 feet deep with jig and pig combos, drop shot rigs and spoons. Spotted bass are mixed with the largemouth. White bass are schooling at the east end of the lake on CC spoons and Spooks. Bream are excellent in 15 feet of water on crickets and worms. Some catfish are being caught by anglers targeting the bream as well. Crappie are fair.
ARKANSAS RIVER
In the Little Rock area, Hatchet Jack's Sport Shop said striped bass are being caught on chartreuse twister tails. Catfishing is excellent by snagging and bait fishing on live green sunfish and shad fillets.
WHITE RIVER
John Berry of Berry Brothers Guides (www.berrybrothersguides.com/) said the water flows have been consistently high. Overall, the fishing has been excellent, at times been spectacular, particularly on the catch and release section at Bull Shoals Dam and the adjacent state park. The hot flies have been San Juan worms in tan, orange and red and brightly colored marabou jigs. Jigs have the added advantage of riding hook point up which makes them virtually weedless. Another hot spot is Rim Shoals. Here again the most action was encountered using brightly colored San Juan worms and eggs. Those fishing just outside the catch-and-release sections had good results by using black zebra midges and copper johns as droppers. The best fishing has occurred in the Red Bud area. The hot fly there has been brightly colored marabou jigs.
