🎣 Fishing Reports
Bull Shoals • Table Rock • Norfork Lake • Taneycomo • White River • Greers Ferry • Little Red River • and more
| Type | Period | Time (CDT) | Duration | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Major | Moon Overhead | 2:42 AM | 2 hrs | Upcoming |
| Major | Moon Underfoot | 2:42 PM | 2 hrs | Upcoming |
| Minor | Moonrise | 10:24 PM | 1 hr | Upcoming |
| Minor | Moonset | 7:01 AM | 1 hr | 🟢 NOW |
🎣 Fishing Summary
Bull Shoals Lake • Norfork • Table Rock • White River • Greers Ferry • Little Red • and more
Bull Shoals Lake is firing right now—we're in that sweet post-spawn window where fish are transitioning and feeding aggressively. At 66 degrees with the lake still sitting low at 655 feet, the moss is breaking up which means fish are leaving cover and positioning on structure. Del Colvin's been telling folks April's been solid, and he's watching for the shad spawn to kick back in, which will pull fish shallow and create some electric topwater opportunities. Across the region, Beaver Lake is rising and pushing crappie and bass shallow on spawn-related structure, while Greers Ferry's points and rocky banks are loading up with bass hitting shaky heads and Chatterbaits. The mood is aggressive—water temperatures across the board are in that mid-60s sweet spot where fish aren't sluggish anymore but aren't locked in deep summer patterns either.
The White River below the dam is spectacular right now with steady minimum flows keeping trout comfortable, and guides are seeing consistent quality action. This is a transition week—shad spawns are priming to go off, post-spawn fish are repositioning, and if you're targeting the right depth zones and structure types, the bite is there waiting.
🏹 What's Working — Baits & Lures
- 1/2 oz white Chatterbait
- finesse worm on shaky head
- white Zoom Horny Toad
- bone Whopper Plopper
- 1/2 oz football jig with cinnamon-purple trailer.
🎮 How They're Fishing
- Shaky head rigging in 3-15 feet on points
- topwater early morning on main lake banks
- slow-rolling Chatterbaits during wind
- targeting moss bed edges as cover breaks apart.
💡 Guide's Insider Tip
Del Colvin watching for shad spawn to restart soon—when it kicks, expect aggressive shallow feeding as post-spawn fish follow baitfish into spawning zones.
🏆 Top Picks Right Now
Bull Shoals Lake
(updated 4-30-2026) Fishing guide Del Colvin at Bull Shoals Lake (815-592-4302), delcolvinfishing.com , said Wednesday that the lake level remains at 655 feet msl and water temperature is 66 degrees, give or take. “The lake is still low. April has been good catching for everyone. Moss is starting to break up. Not all, but a lot of the fish are post-spawn. We will probably get the shad spawn going again, hopefully.” Del regularly posts new YouTube videos. Visit his YouTube site (Bull Shoals Fishing Report) or delcolvinfishing.com for more information and tips on fishing Bull Shoals Lake. (updat…
Table Rock Lake
Fishing for black bass should be excellent in 2026. Largemouth bass are plentiful throughout the lake as a result of the high lake levels in past years. Fall 2025 electrofishing surveys revealed good numbers of largemouth bass in the 15”-18” range. These surveys also revealed an abundance of spotted bass in the 11”-14” range, with just three percent of the spotted bass captured in the fall 2025 surveys exceeding 15”. Due to the high abundance and slow growth rates of spotted bass in Table Rock Lake, the minimum length limit is planned to be reduced to 12” in 2026. Anglers are encouraged t…
White River
Cotter Area (updated 4-30-2026) Cotter Trout Dock (870-435-6525) said trout fishing has been spectacular this week with perfect spring weather to match — morning temps in the low 60s, some overcast but mostly clear skies, afternoons a little warmer, sometimes a brief shower. Bull Shoals Dam has been running minimum flow most of each day, then higher flows late afternoon and early evening. Steady daytime flows cause less stress to the trout than frequent changes to the generation amounts. Calico Rock Area (updated 4-30-2026) Dave McCulley, owner of Jenkins Fishing Service in Calico Rock, said, …
Norfork River
(updated 4-23-2026) Tom Reynolds of STR Outfitters (also Facebook.com/stroutfitters or 870-421-1541) guides out of Tracy Ferry Marina. He offered this pointers for spring fishing on Norfork: “Starting in late February we typically will see the winds switch to the south and a gradual warm up of air and water temperatures. The stripers will begin to move from the deep water following the shad. There will be multiple opportunities to catch stripers at that time. Both live bait and artificial baits will be very effective. The night bite will begin once the winds blow from the south. You will want …
Norfork Lake
(updated 4-23-2026) Tom Reynolds of STR Outfitters (also Facebook.com/stroutfitters or 870-421-1541) guides out of Tracy Ferry Marina. He offered this pointers for spring fishing on Norfork: “Starting in late February we typically will see the winds switch to the south and a gradual warm up of air and water temperatures. The stripers will begin to move from the deep water following the shad. There will be multiple opportunities to catch stripers at that time. Both live bait and artificial baits will be very effective. The night bite will begin once the winds blow from the south. You will want …
Buffalo River
No report available at this time. Check back after float season begins.
Crooked Creek
No report available at this time. Check back after float season begins.
Spring River
Spring River ( updated 4-16-2026) Mark Crawford with springriverfliesandguides.com (870-955-8300) said water levels are at 290 cfs (350 is average for the Spring River) and water clarity has been clear. “A bit of much-needed rainfall has fallen lately, but mostly we have had strong winds — making for a tough day on the water; just put the wind to your back for effortless casting. “But seriously, the area is still in need of rain. Easy wading conditions, but not as easy to float a drift-boat currently. Rafts, canoes and kayaks are the ticket for floating the river, and with all the campgrounds …
Kings River
No report available at this time. Check back after float season begins.
Beaver Lake
(updated 4-30-2026) Jon Conklin with FishOn Guide Service (479-233-3474) said Beaver Lake is on a steady rise. It’s close to 1,120 feet msl, and more rise is expected. Water temperature is in the mid-60s. Dirty from the rain on the south end and clearer toward Prairie Creek. “ Crappie are either spawning or have spawned, as I have seen both in the fish caught recently. Look up shallow on any structure. Also, some that did spawn were back out on brush in 10 to 12 feet. “ Bass are also in the same mode. Look in the backs of major arms. Shad spawn should kick in. Early mornings can create some fu…
Lake Taneycomo
April 1, 2026 Fishing Report Post author: Phil Lilley Post published: April 1, 2026 Post category: Uncategorized Post comments: 0 Comments This has not been a typical spring start for Lake Taneycomo. Our area is still in a drought; although we’ve had some rain this winter, it has not been enough to keep our lakes above power pool levels. And it’s been very warm, except for a couple of very cold spells in January and February. So we haven’t seen the flows we’re used to in late winter or early spring. Our generation patterns have been fairly consistent lately with no generation at night or in …
Greers Ferry Lake
(updated 4-30-2026) Randy Plyler, Plyler Outdoors Guide Service (870-210-0522): Bass are on points and rocky banks with large boulders and standing timber. Target fish using shaky head rigs with finesse worms and Neko rigs in 3 to 15 feet of water. Chatterbaits and jighead swimbaits work well during windy conditions. (updated 4-23-2026) Fish 'N Stuff, Sherwood AR (501-834-5733): Early morning topwater bite is productive — white Zoom Horny Toads and bone Whopper Ploppers are working. Midday success has come from half-ounce shad spinnerbaits, white Chatterbaits, and half-ounce football jigs wi…
Little Red River
(updated 4-30-2026) Mike Winkler, Little Red River Fly Fishing Trips (501-507-3688): The area around Greers Ferry received close to 2 inches of rain last week. Runoff turned the river 'chocolate milk from the dam all the way down.' Water that is normally clear below JFK Park became turbid. SWPA is projecting approximately one hour of single-unit generation on weekday evenings. The bite has been best when there is some flow moving. When water is flowing: fish actively when USACE data shows water running — target current concentrations and moving-water seams. When not flowing: downsize flies…