They say the white bass fishing is best when the dogwood blossoms are the size of a squirrel's ear.
Our pretty serviceberry trees are blooming now in the Ozark woods, but the buds of dogwoods have yet to pop. The first part of April is prime time for blooming dogwoods as well as catching hard-fighting white bass as they charge up Beaver Lake's tributaries to spawn.
Big numbers of white bass have yet to march up the White or War Eagle rivers, as proven by a night of electrofishing by the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission.
Jon Stein, fisheries biologist with Game and Fish, said he and a crew were electrofishing on the White River on Thursday night near Goshen. They used electricity to gather walleye to take to the Charlie Craig Fish Hatchery in Centerton. Those walleye are used to produce thousands of walleye fingerlings and fry that are stocked in the large north Arkansas reservoirs, including Beaver Lake.
Electricity stuns the fish. Walleye are netted and trucked to the hatchery for the spawning project. When it's over, those walleye are released back into the White River.
Stein said they shocked up only a few white bass, so their spawning run is only a mosey right now. But oh, the walleye, Stein said. Thirty minutes of electrofishing turned up 50 to 60 walleye, Stein said. The largest were taken to the hatchery.
Prime white bass time is usually in April, but walleye fishing is excellent right now, Stein said. Jon Conklin, a Northwest Arkansas fishing guide, caught a 29-inch walleye that weighed 9.75 pounds on a jerk bait. That's a whopper.
Anglers also report good walleye fishing at the White River below Beaver Dam, Stein said. Walleye must be 18 inches or longer to keep on the White River above Beaver Lake or below Beaver Dam. The daily limit is four.
Fishermen are already using a new Arkansas Game and Fish Commission access on the White River east of Fayetteville that isn't developed yet. The access is where Wyman Bridge crosses the river. A parking area hasn't been built, Stein said, but anglers are parking along the county road and walking to the water.
There's no money in the Game and Fish budget this year to develop the access, Stein added.
For float-fishing, a canoe or kayak trip from Wyman Bridge to Arkansas 45 bridge makes a dandy walleye and white bass float of about 6.5 miles.
There's limited shore fishing available on the White River at the Arkansas 45 bridge access. A handful of private pay accesses can be found along the White and War Eagle rivers. Landowners charge a modest fee to cross their property to the water.
Fishermen would do well to take great care of these private access points. Please pick up any litter that's around and respect the property so the landowners don't shut these places down.
Now's the time to get tackle ready and stock up on lures that'll catch a mess of white bass. Jigs, crank baits and grubs that resemble minnows get the job done.
White bass are so plentiful that there's no limit on them at Beaver Lake or its tributaries. Anglers can keep all they care to clean.
Plentiful as they are, spring white bass fishing is unpredictable. It's good some years, poor in others. We'll find out how the catching is this spring -- when those dogwood blossoms reach the right size.
Flip Putthoff can be reached at [email protected]
Sports on 03/17/2020