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We are taking a family trip to Higden and thought I'd ask if any of you fine folks know Greers Ferry Lake.
Any good bait shops?
How is the "fishing hot spots" topo map? My map card doesn't have AR on it :(.
I'm up for catching anything. I've never seen a walleye or caught a trout. I'll have everything from ultralight to 30 pound line on catfish rods. I have never fished 120' water. I'm in for some culture shock.
We will be there from the 12th to 16th of October. Any and all advice appreciated.
Creekslick on ar board
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Surely there's someone else on here that fishes Greer's Ferry. I'm trying to figure out species in the lake, whether the Little Red River can be fished right below the dam (from the water), and whether fishing the bridges is productive. I've never fished bridges in water that deep.
In October bass fishing can be really good on Arkansas lakes. Find the shad and match the hatch.
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Thanks. Do you know anything about walleye fishing? I've never seen one, and would like to try to catch some. Also, any tips on where the white bass/hybrids are (structure, depth, etc) would be appreciated. I'm looking to catch lots of different species. I'd also like to get behind the dam on the Little Red River and see if there's anything in there that wants to attack my bait. :)Quote:
Originally Posted by Grizzledjig
You can catch trout below the dam. The water is very cold below the dam, I doubt you will catch much of anything else there. But in my opinion it's your best bet to catch something. You'll probably need ultra light tackle and I'd suggest maybe 4lb fluorocarbon line. The water is extremely clear and they can see very well. As far as catching multiple species of fish on the main lake. There's a saying that 90% of the fish are in 10% of the water. The lake is a huge body of water and finding the 10% where the fish are is very difficult. Multiple species will be in different areas in the lake as well and requiring different techniques. I've fished Greers Ferry lake my whole life and still find it difficult at times to find just 1 species, crappie. You'll only be there for 4 days, and in my opinion it will be nearly impossible to target multiple species with any hope of success. I think that's why nobody's tried to help you much on here because you're question is so broad it's too difficult to try and answer. We don't know what kind of boat you have, equipment on it ect. In my opinion, and I know it can be expensive, you should hire a guide for a half a day and let them show you where and what to do for a certain species then duplicate that the rest of your trip. If not that then fish for trout below the dam. There's a bait shop in Higdon, Bobby's Bait Shop, but be aware, he's a character. And I have no idea if he has anything regarding trout fishing.
Mac, Thanks for the info. I have everything from UL to bass rods to catfish rods. I've got 1/64 jigs up to 1/8 ounce jigs, some slabbing spoons in 1/2 and 1 ounce, rat-l-traps, soft plastics, and a cast net :). I'm a cast/retrieve kind of guy, unless catfishing. I'm not into spider rigging or trolling (though I do want to try slow trolling for cats). I don't have any rods longer than 7'6".Quote:
Originally Posted by Mac Daddy
Why is the water cold behind the dam? I'm just trying to understand why the water below the dam is colder than the lake. Is it because the lake water still holds some of the residual summer heat due to depth, or is there a cold water spring that is below the dam? Any idea how deep the water is from the ramp on hatchery road up to the dam?
My plan of attack is to hit boat houses, marina slips, bridges, and the attractors listed on AGFC in the cove between potters point and higden. After that, I'm thinking the rivers east of Devil's Fork. I may go check out Sunny Slope Road bridge as well.
As for boat, it's a Tracker Pro Guide v175. It's a deep vee and pretty wide.
Greer's Ferry will be challenging for sure. I'm used to flats and gentle slopes. It looks like Greer's Ferry is all about steep drop offs and deep water.
Are there any areas east of Higden that I need to watch out for as far as prop eaters?
Hits the creeks or long arms. Find standing trees with limbs or good laydowns. Look for the fish on the structure though, I saw a lot of vacant cover. Bait balls near structure was a key last weekend. Take minnows, they preferred them over jigs. Smaller is better, they didnt like jigs tipped with a minnow, but that can be different in other areas of lake. The bite is light, so if you dont have a livescope use slip corks. Two or three good active spots and you should be able to feed the whole crew for your entire stay there. I found them in various spots in 20ish feet of water.
Water is cold below dam because its coming from 100+ feet down in the earth.
Thanks. Does the dam normally just use power generation water for release or do they open the spillways this time of year? Does opening the spillway send the trout away (I assume the water is warm). I don't know anything about power generating dams, but how is the water coming up from 100 feet underground? Is that part of the power generation?Quote:
Originally Posted by Hammmerhead
The water generated is coming from deep down. In high lake levels they will dump from gates too. I think Greers is still a tad high from its winter pool, but maybe not now. Lots of other guys here well schooled about the Little Red and the dam as I am not. Maybe someone will chime in. Dont spread yourself thin fishing, go get a stack of Crappie first as they are ready on Greers, then go pitch a rooster tail in the Red and spread some corn out there. Crappie tastes better than Trout anyway :biggrin
Check out the lake and river reports here. There should be updates this afternoon
Arkansas Wildlife Weekly Fishing Report - News
The water is always cold because it comes through the dam at the bottom of the lake. There's always water coming through the dam but when they start to generate they'll sound an alarm a few minutes before they open up a gate. When they do this the water will rise and get swifter and make more difficult if not impossible to fish it. I don't think you'll want to put your boat into the river, I wouldn't anyway, too Rocky.
Thanks. Google maps shows boathouses just south of that ramp, so I assumed it was navigable.Quote:
Originally Posted by Mac Daddy
I have a question about AR fishing regs. Is there a rod limit or hook limit? I saw a 100 hook limit on trotlines and such, but wondered if sabiki rigs were allowed. I bought some should I ever go skipjack fishing, but am dying to try them out. There's not legal in TN unless fishing for baitfish.