LAKE OUACHITA Black bass are biting frog-style baits, Texas rigged plastics and black spinnerbaits fished late evening and night. Main lake and secondary points have been the most productive, with the best reports coming from grassline edges. Walleyes are being caught on small crankbaits and spoons on main lake humps and points near brush. Stripers are very good on Alabama rigs and live bait in the central and eastern parts of the lake. Bream fishing is excellent in depths of 10- 15-feet deep on crickets and worms. Crappie fishing is good on minnows or crappie jigs at depths around 20- 25-feet deep fished near brush. Catfish are still very good on live bait and cut bait at depths of 10-20 feet.
LAKE MILLWOOD The lake is near normal conservation pool with reduced current. Largemouth bass fishing is excellent on topwaters until 10 a.m. Buzzbaits, Bass Assassin Shads, frogs and Zara Spooks or Moss Bosses around lily pads are working well. Small squarebill crankbaits around vegetation are also working. Soft plastic frogs in green pumpkin/pearl, June bug and black are getting really good blowups in the pads. When the sun gets up over the trees, switch over to big bulky 10-inch worms, or chatterbaits, or shallow-running squarebill crankbaits, Echo 1.75 cranks and that can entice a few more early bites adjacent to the flats in the ditches. War Eagle spinnerbaits are working on windy days and best around stumps, cypress trees and vegetation near deeper drops of ditches and creek channels.
DEGRAY LAKE Bass fishing is good with some big fish being caught on crankbaits, both lipped and lipless, across main lake points with either rock or wood cover. A few fish are biting spinnerbaits around standing timber in the big pockets. The mid and upper areas are the most productive. Crappie fishing is good early between Edgewood and Yancey Creek in brush at 18-20 feet using 1/16-ounce jigs and 2-inch Kalin's grubs. In clear water, Tennessee shad is better. Bream fishing is good in both coves and offshore humps in water 5- 10-feet deep. Bluegill will hold shallow around the spawning beds, so use a float and set the bait for just off the bottom. Redears are at 15-20 feet. Catch them by tight-lining redworms or crickets near Edgewood, Arlie Moore and Caddo Drive. Hybrid fishing is fair in the lower end of the lake between the dam and Point 4. The fish are mostly scattered with very little schooling activity. Use the sonar to locate the fish and drop a heavy jigging spoon to just above the fish, which will be 30-50 feet down.
Sports on 06/15/2017