Welcome to Greers Ferry, located on the shores of the lake that shares it's name, Greers Ferry Lake.  With over 40,000 acres of crystal clear water that is perfect for fishing, scuba diving, waterskiing, and boating, it is no wonder that Greers Ferry has become one of Arkansas' most popular tourist destinations for family vacations and group travel.

In Greers Ferry, nothing is second rate, from world-class accommodations to fine dining, visitors to our area have come to expect only the best.  It is our sincere hope that you will take a few minutes to browse our website and see all that we have to offer and to learn a little more about our community. 

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FISHING REPORTS: 3/8/10 Well folks, finally some good news. The past three days of very nice warm weather has brought water temps up from 41 degrees to the high 40s lakewide. Saturday the water temp finally made it to 47 in the far reaches of major feeder arms. Just like magic, the fish followed this warmer water. While fishing the Devils Fork arm Saturday, my boat produced around 20 fish from 11:00 am to 2:00 pm. Really nice large mouth and small mouth bass in the 2 to 3 lb class. For the first time this season, we found walleyes from 17 to 20 inches up this arm. All fish were caught in 8 to 15 feet of water on boulder rock and using larger live shiners. Two rods should be used. One slowly jigging a 1/16 oz Weedless Rickee jig and shiner and the other rod, a slip bobber with a shiner hooked through the dorsal fin to keep it alive. Set the slip bobber only 1 to 2 feet off the bottom to be close to those rocks. If you find two or more fish on a particular rock bar, be sure to fish that bar for up to an hour. Don't be impatient. These particular bars are constantly being replaced by new fish movement upstream now. Be satisfied with two or three nice fish per hour. All walleyes are still in prespawn, with no males milting yet and females fat with eggs. Even the bass have been hitting very light, so 6 to 10 lb mono line and light tackle is a must. White bass simply are not present yet in these upper reaches of the feeder arms. Only one white bass was boated by us in three days of fishing the shallow arms. Expect the action to simply improve day by day now as this warmer weather appears to be here to stay. Also, the warm rain predicted for the next couple of days will help warm that water. Remember, if you're serious about boating fish, live bait will out produce those artificials 3 to 1. I'll be back in a day or two to report our progress and info. Good Fishin' Tommy Zinda, www.tommysfishingadventures.com <tadpole@g2a.net> - Monday, March 08, 2010 at 04:56:56 (PST) 3/8/10 Here's another email inquiry which could help other folks. Keep them coming, as I will answer them with honest info. >>>> Hello my name is Tyler and I just moved to Bald Knob AR to work on the pipeline I am a surveyor and am from Kentucky. I have never fished in Arkansas before and was looking into getting some fishing done on Greers Ferry lake. I was wondering if you could tell me what are good colors for the bass out at this lake? I am going to order up some new stuff to fish with here but wasn't sure about what colors to get. Thanks for your time. Tyler. }}}} Tyler, Welcome to Arkansas. Greers Ferry Lake is a very deep clear water reservoir. The first thing to do is to purchase a "Fishing Hot Spots" map of this lake. There are several maps of the lake, but this particular one is by far the most detailed. It has specific tips for many different areas on the lake including tips for different seasons and species. It is available at most area shops including Wal-Mart, Gander Mountain, or can be purchased online at www.fishinghotspots.com . Colors of various baits is important here. The main forage of all game fish here is shad. Shad, as you know, is silver. Therefore, any bait in silver, white, or natural shad colors are the way to go. Shades of blue or light purple along with silver is always good, too, in that, blue is the most visible clear water color. The only other color that works well is dark brown or a few other deep baits that resemble crawfish. Small mouth bass especially will feed on crawfish around chunk rock or boulder rock. Avoid the popular fire tiger or fluorescent colors. These colors are meant to be used in dark or dirty water. Occasionally after heavy rains, the north portion of the lake will be muddy. If this occurs, a white glow color also works well. Hope this helps you. Good Fishin' Tommy Zinda, www.tommysfishingadventures.com <tadpole@g2a.net> - Monday, March 08, 2010 at 04:55:39 (PST) 3/3/10 Well folks, just an update to let you know there is very little change in either the conditions or the angling success yet in this very late bite. Yesterday, we again checked out our favorite early "eye" run in the far reaches of Johnson Hole. Perfect conditions exist there. Water levels, current, water clarity all are goes. Water temp remains the culprit. Still only 42 degrees. Very cold air temps at 34 degrees greeted us at 7:00 am and we, of course, were the only boat out in this two mile stretch of the river arm. One nice large mouth bass in the 3 lb class was boated, but this was it. We even had snow flurries present. This past Sunday was a very nice day and we had lots of company in the Hole. Bank fishermen were present along with the boat fishermen. My long time buddy, Dave Sommers from Big Bend Wisconsin, joined Pat and I on our outing. Again, we did not skunk in the Hole with Dave boating a nice small mouth and real nice large mouth in the 5 lb range, but no eyes. Local expert eye main, Scott Hink, reported to me he did pop a nice 19+1/14 inch eye previous to our getting on the water and one slot eye on Saturday. Those were the only fish I know of caught in any of the boats there at all. Since it was a nice day we continued down South Fork to check out Blackman's Bottom and Chimney Rock areas. The success was not much better. However, as soon as water temps hit 47 degrees, increased activity was seen. At that water temp we began to mark some shad forage and, of course, finally some game fish with them. One nice small mouth, one nice Kentucky, and a few large mouth bass in the 2 to 3 lb class were caught. No eyes. The encouraging thing was how hard and aggressively the large mouth hit. Starting today, the weatherman promises a string of very spring like days with 50s and even upper 60s. This should turn the tide in this tough bite. Watch your water temps very carefully from this point on. 47 degrees will be the magic point. Any lower than that, forget that area. We are not planning on checking out any of the far reaches of South, Middle, of Devils Fork for a day or two until they warm up. Smaller mid lake minor arms will be our target for at least two days now, as main lake temps are higher. I'll be back with an up to the minute update. See ya next report. Good Fishin' Tommy Zinda, www.tommysfishingadventures.com <tadpole@g2a.net> - Wednesday, March 03, 2010 at 04:29:39 (PST) 3/1/10 Fellow angler/guide Cody Smith's March prediction>>> Hello All! Spring time is right around the corner and I for one could not be happier! March is a prime time conditioner for great fishing to come over the next several months. During March we will see sprouting vegetation, pleasant temperatures and longer days with cool nights. This is one of my very favorite months to be on the water here on Greers Ferry. It's light switch time, what I mean is a lot of changes will take place over a very short amount of time this month. We will go from cold days of inconsistent fishing and then bingo, over night the bite will surge amongst all species, the sun will shine and your graph will be lit up like fireworks on the fourth of July. During the first week or so of March we will see a slow climb of warming water temperatures on the Main Lake portions of Greers. For the first couple of weeks we will see much warmer water in the lower portion's of the creeks and tributaries then the far reaches. There will be a cutoff line that forms and the vast majority of our game fish and bait fish will not migrate past this line of separation between the cooler inflow water and the still cold but warmer water in the rest of the reservoir. Once the water entering the lake becomes warmer than the main lake our fish will respond in a highly positive way and an aggressive feeding trend will be upon us. During this month we will have all three stages of the walleye spawn taking place, pre, active and post spawn fish will be pushed up our tributaries, as well as, on mid lake humps and points with a hard bottom and current be it wind or inflow. A variety of methods will be used in locating and catching these tasty fish. Some of the more prominent means in taking these fish will with be Fish Dinner Spoons dropped to deeper staging fish in the creeks. Look for highest concentrations of these fish to be on the last major structure/current break within the feeder arms or on the primary ledge leading into the main lake hump or points. Live bait will be number one when presented to fish shallower in the column, as well as the fish that have pushed all the way to the spawning grounds. Fish large shiners on a sixteenth or eighth ounce lead head jig in the current or just off the break line around obvious structure. Let the amount of current dictate the proper weight, ideally you want your minnow and jig to be swept slightly slower than the current your fishing in. By casting up stream and letting your offering drift by these fish they simply cannot resist an easy meal when presented correctly. Our Largemouth are growing more and more aggressive by the day during this month in anticipation for the spawn that will happen in the next 6 weeks or when water temps start to get in the mid to lower 60's and the amount of daylight is sufficient for spawning. Right now the majority of the fish are staging on secondary points within the feeder and main creeks and inlets of the reservoir. Depths of 8 - 16 feet of water will hold the largest numbers of fish when coupled with deeper water very close by. Finesse Worms, Jig and Chunk Combos and slower moving baits on brighter days will produce best. If we have some wind, clouds or both you can definitely capitalize by fishing a jerk bait or crank bait in these same locations. The Kentucky's and the Smallies are really going to be on the feed this month. Main lake points and ledges are going to hold a vast number of the spots and smallies for the first couple of weeks. As we get towards the end of March our Smallies will have a big urge to start spawning once water temperatures reach the upper 50's. 58 degrees seems to be the magic number here on Greers. Fourty-Five degree banks with pea gravel and scattered wood will hold pre spawn fish. Depth will be very much dictated by the clarity of the water and light penetration. Typically on the lower end of the lake look at 9 - 16 feet of water with the upper reaches of the lake being much shallower. C-Rigs with creature baits, Drop Shot rigs, Shakey heads and 3 - 5 inch grubs will be key in finding and catching these fish. Smaller Cranks, Tubes and Jigs should also be considered when pursuing these fish. March is a great time for our White's and Hybrid striped bass. During the first couple of weeks of the month look for the fish to be staging 1/2 way up the creeks and arms in large concentrations. These fish will be tailing the thread fin shad we have in the reservoir. Both the Shad and temperate bass we have will be spawning at relatively the same time. 55 - 58 degrees marks the beginning for the temperate bass as well as the shad. The whites and hybrids will move up the arms as the water warms. Once they reach their spawning grounds towards the last week of this month they will stay put for two to three weeks with a 3 - 5 day stretch being the peek time to catch extremely high numbers of 100 fish or more as they are very acceptable to many different artificial and live bait offerings during this time. I prefer 3 inch Action Bait Grubs, www.actionbait.com, on an 1/8 oz. lead head jig as well as the Cindy K Spinner which can be found at www.fishdinnerlures.com . I am often asked about our Crappie population here on Greers Ferry and this is one of the few months I feel competent enough to answer and predict where the bite will be best, as I do not pursue these fish on any other regular basis other then March and April. Towards the end of this month look to channel swing locations on the main lake as well as major and minor feeder arms. Depths of 16 - 32 feet with standing timber adjacent to spawning flats within these locations will produce. I use a very light weight set up with traditionally an 1/8 ounce lead head and a 2" tube or Slider style soft plastic on a basic cast and retrieve presentation. I typically count the bait down to the depth the fish are holding, generally 6 - 12 feet deep just over the tops of the timber. Typically it is a very light bite and there is little need to set the hook with aggression, simply lift the rod tip and keep reeling. March is an awesome time to be on the water here on Greers Ferry Lake. Great days of fishing and Catching are right around the corner. Give me a call or shoot me an email when your ready for some drag pulling action here on our beautiful reservoir located in the foothills of the Ozarks. Good Fishing! Cody S. Smith, smittyc888@hotmail.com (501)691-5701.... Good Fishin' Tommy Zinda, www.tommysfishingadventures.com <tadpole@g2a.net> - Wednesday, March 03, 2010 at 04:28:12 (PST) 2/24/10 Political junkies continue to argue about the existence of global warming. I can tell you one thing, old Ma Nature certainly has her affect on our sport this year. Even the old timers will tell you this has been one of the coldest winters in decades here. Surface water temps remain the lowest I can remember here in over ten years. 35 to 38 degree water temps up main feeder arms, including up to one inch of solid ice was seen in Devils Fork arm most of February. Main lake water temps held in the low 40s. This has pushed back all seasonal fish movements at least three weeks. March will be a month where we will have to pay more attention to water temps than seasonal patterns. All game fish are prepared for their spring spawning activities. They are heavily laden with eggs, ready to move into spawning areas. These fish wall hold in the deep holes of 40 to 60 feet and will not move up major or minor feeder arms until water temps hit 47 degrees. For the first two weeks of March, continue to fish your February patterns in deep water. Slow presentations with live minnows or smaller jigging spoons to reach the 50 foot depths will be necessary. All species of fish from crappie to cat fish will be found in these areas before they disperse with warmer water temps. Finding shad forage is the key. As the different species begin moving into shallower water, the forage will change, including craw fish, small bream, and other species of shallow water minnows. Once you see water temps of 47 to 55 degrees, regular spring fishing methods will be the norm. All three major feeder arms here on Greers Ferry will be prime areas for success. All three arms are miles from mouth to source. Locating fish requires moving constantly until contacted. The method I like is to troll hard minnow lures like Rapala Husky Jerks, X Raps, or Smithwick Rattling Rogues. These lures run about four feet deep. When trolling the deeper portions of these arms, use medium runners like Shad Raps or Walleye Divers. Trolling is best running against the current in these arms at .08 to 1 mph. Against the current is important, in that you get maximum action on your lure at the slowest possible speed. Spring fish will not chase a lure running at 2 or 3 mph. Only four stroke motors will idle low enough to accomplish this task. When you pop a fish or two in a certain spot, stop and finesse this area very carefully with your live bait methods. Once you have trolled the complete arm to very shallow water begin your finesse fishing drifting with the current down stream. You will find active fish in very specific holding areas along the way down these arms. A certain big rock, a fallen tree, even a deeper hole in that arm. If more than three fish are found in that hot spot, spend up to an hour anchoring that very specific spot. Different schools of fish will use that resting spot on their movement up stream. The further you continue up stream, the more you change colors and minnow choices. In the deeper areas of these arms, golden shiners will almost exclusively catch you fish as they most closely resemble the shad forage. Less shad forage is found up stream in 3 to 10 feet of water. In these areas, other species of forage minnows, including small bream or craw fish, become the main forage for game fish. For these areas I like to use a shiner on a 1/16 or 1/8 oz jig and a Black Salty minnow on a slip bobber. Hook the Black Salty minnow under the dorsal fin to keep it lively. The Black Salty resembles a bream or other minnow that are found in shallower water. Game fish, especially walleye will spawn when water temps hit 52 degrees. I expect this to happen much later this year towards the middle to the end of March. When water temps reach this 52 to 55 degree temp, begin to use live night crawlers in addition to your minnows. Crawlers will work best on the craw fish feeders. A very important thing to remember on this lake is to fish the main portions of the lake, too. Spawning of all species including walleye take place on mid lake humps, points, and minor feeder arms. By late March and early April, many of the main feeder arms will empty of game fish and post spawn fish will feed heavily in the main lake. At that time, boulder rock humps, not chunk rock, must be found. If standing timber is found in addition to these boulder rock, you've got a hot spot. Look for 8 to 20 foot humps to produce best. Another very important thing to remember is to use live bait, especially in the spring. Advertisements of lures will claim their products better than live bait. Believe me, finesse methods and live crawlers or minnows will out produce to artificials five to one. As always, I encourage you readers to contact me if you have any other questions on our great lake of Greers Ferry here in the Ozarks. Good Fishin' Tommy Zinda, www.tommysfishingadventures.com <tadpole@g2a.net> - Wednesday, February 24, 2010 at 07:00:09 (PST) 2/22/10 Hi folks. Ran across a great walleye article at TheCabin.net written by Joe Mosby, retired news editor of AGFC at http://thecabin.net/news/local/2010-02-21/rules-fishing-and-keeping-walleye >>>>> Rules for fishing and keeping walleye Posted: February 21, 2010 - 5:45pm By Joe Mosby It comes every year close behind after Mardi Gras, although few calendars list it. We’re talking about prime walleye fishing in Arkansas. A rough rule of thumb is the walleye get going the last week or 10 days in February through the first three or four weeks of March. A more reliable indicator, though, is to check water temperatures. When the water gets above 45 degrees, walleye begin to move from deep to shallow water in preparation for spawning. They move upstream into shoals, shallow water areas. And what are these fish called walleye? Where did they come from? One, walleye are superb food on the dinner table and are members of the perch family. Close cousins are the sauger, found in a few Arkansas rivers. Two, walleye are native to Arkansas. A comment made in jest is that so many retirees move from the Upper Midwest to northern Arkansas because of walleye in the waters there. In many northern areas, walleye are the No. 1 sport fish. To fish for walleye, it helps to learn something about their life and their preferences. The walleye is a fish of gravel bottoms, said Mike Armstrong, Arkansas Game and Fish Commission’s assistant director and a veteran fisheries biologist. “They like clean water with gravel bottoms in both the rivers and the lakes,” he said. “If the water is generally turbid (discolored or muddy), you won’t find walleyes on a consistent basis.” Several rivers in northeast Arkansas have walleye — the Spring River, Current River, Eleven Point River. All are streams of mostly gravel bottoms. The nearby Black River has primarily a mud bottom, and does not have many walleye. Many walleye fishermen and fisheries biologists say walleye move upstream in stages, with the male fish traveling first. Some anglers regard 47 degrees as the key reading for water temperature. They keep in mind that male walleye are usually smaller than females. The female walleye can run to large sizes, and the world record for walleye, a 22-pound, 11-ounce fish, was caught in Arkansas on Greers Ferry Lake in 1982 by Al Nelson of Quitman. Much more common are male walleye of two to five pounds and females a little larger than that range. For bait, walleye fishermen usually think minnow. They use something resembling a minnow for artificial lures, and they may use live minnows, sometimes in combination with a lure or a jig-head. Anglers tend to use the larger trotline minnows rather than smaller crappie minnows for walleye fishing. Nightcrawlers and small bream are also used as walleye bait. In the shallow water of shoals and feeder streams, live minnows can be worked with or without bobbers. Some walleye seekers use a swivel with a short line leading to a bottom-bumping weight and another short line to the hook with the minnow. This lets the minor float up off the bottom. Lures like a Rebel Jointed Minnow are usually cast upstream on shoals then retrieved back to the boat. They also can be angled across the shallow water area, then retrieved. Most walleye fishermen do not cast downstream from above the shoals. Walleye do not slam into a lure or a bait like a largemouth bass does. Instead, the fisherman usually feels a tug or detects a weight when the line is tightened. When hooked, the walleye tends to head to deeper water. Some anglers set the hook hard when they get a walleye bite. Others just raise the rod tip sharply. Mouths of walleye are not tender like those of crappie. The daily limit for walleye in Arkansas is six, but there are exceptions. On Beaver Lake and Table Rock Lake it is four a day, with a minimum length limit of 18 inches. On Bull Shoals Lake and Lake Norfork it is four a day of any length. On Greers Ferry Lake, only one walleye more than 28 inches long can be kept per day. That’s a big walleye — 28 inches long. Joe Mosby is the retired news editor of the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission and Arkansas’ best known outdoor writer. He can be reached by e-mail at jhmosby@cyberback.com. Good Fishin' Tommy Zinda, www.tommysfishingadventures.com <tadpole@g2a.net> - Monday, February 22, 2010 at 06:46:19 (PST) 2/19/10 Just a quick report as promised on our progress on the walleye spawn. The ultra cold weather has certainly put a halt to all action period. We set out yesterday morning to check out the Devils Fork arm, a major feeder arm in the lake and a top spring 'eye spawning area. We launched at the Frontier Canyon landing and had 41 degree water temp. The upper end of the arm is about a two mile ride. The closer we got to the upper end, the colder the water got. We got a huge surprise as we came around a bend in the arm where it narrows down. Solid ice! No kidding! Even the old timers that were here when this reservoir was made way back in 1963 have never seen this in mid February. There was around a full inch of solid ice with water temp at 36 degrees. Even the deeper holes coming into this area were completely void of any fish. No marks on the depth finder at all. The fish simply are not there yet. We didn't even wet a line. We went back to the landing, put up the boat on the trailer to check out Drip Creek on the big south basin, as I knew the water was warmer there. It was. Water temps were 43 degrees, not bad. Upon entering the minor arm, we began to mark shad and some game fish as usual in 55 feet of water. That told me the fish are still staging in the deep water adjacent to these shallow arms. We spent a couple of hours in that area, but only had two light hits on our Weedless Rickee jigs and minnows. By this time, air temps were around 55 degrees and it was beautiful. The fish just weren't hitting. Since this weekend will have decent weather, I'm sure a lot of you will hit the water to get rid of cabin fever. Don't bother with shallow arms. Stick to deeper water on mid lake points. Look for shad forage and fish very slow retrieves. We are a minimum of two weeks behind schedule this year on any spawning movements. Today I will spend our time on mid lake humps and points where water temps will be around 44 degrees due to the sunshine the past two days. Hopefully, we will locate some active fish to report to you. See ya in a day or two. Good Fishin' Tommy Zinda, www.tommysfishingadventures.com <tadpole@g2a.net> - Friday, February 19, 2010 at 06:08:26 (PST) 2/18/10 Well folks, finally decent seasonal weather was seen here yesterday. In fact, a string of days in the mid fifties are forecasted. Yesterday we fished the far upper reaches of the famous South Fork on Greers Ferry Lake. Probably our best spot for early spawning walleyes. Water temp there was only 38 degrees, too cold yet for any activity. Conditions were perfect. Clear water, normal depths, perfect current, etc. Everything is a go as soon as the water temps come up about five or six degrees into at least the mid 40s. A couple more days of this nice warm sun and maybe some warm rain promised this weekend should turn that trick and bring prespawn fish into this area. As of right now, no fish are present at all in this main feeder arm. Didn't mark any fish or have a bump by trolling my X Raps or jigging the Weedless Rickee jigs and minnows. By the way, for those of you who have inquired or already use the Weedless Rickee jig, they are now available at Goldens Outdoors in Heber Springs or Lott's Bait and Fuel in Fairfield Bay, who also carries #20 grade and brooder shiners year round. As you know, decent sized minnows are impossible to find around our lake until April and even then, only Woody's Bait and Tackle in Choctaw and now Lott's in Fairfield Bay are your sole outlets for decent minnows, your main weapon on game fish on our lake. When water temps hit 55, crawlers will then be king on 'eyes, but continue to use the shiners, too. Live bait used with finesse methods will out produce plastics or artificials five to one. Right now instead of running to the top ends of the main feeder arms, fish the deep holes just adjacent to these arms in 30 to 50 feet of water. That's where shad forage is found, as well as the other species of game fish. Water temps in this deep water are at 42 to 45 degrees right now. Be aware that migrations of fish will move up these arms very quickly as water warms. I will be checking out the feeder arms almost daily now and will have frequent reports here to share info. Today I plan on running up Devils Fork arm to see what's up there. See ya next report. Good Fishin' Tommy Zinda, www.tommysfishingadventures.com <tadpole@g2a.net> - Thursday, February 18, 2010 at 04:29:24 (PST) 2/14/10 Thanks for the email inquiries. Here's another.>>>> Thanks Tommy. Where does a guy find the walleye right now? Are they staging up in the mouths of the creek or even deeper???? As you know, figuring out fish exactly is difficult. That's why we call it "fishing". However, we can predict a lot through experience and trial and error. Right now, there's no question in my mind that walleyes are not up in the far reaches of major feeder arms yet. Water temp right now is the culprit. We are experiencing an unusually cold winter and water temps up the arms are only 38 to 41 degrees. Spawning migrations will not take place in the very shallow water until we reach 44 to 48 degrees. Spawning will occur at 52. Main lake temps are at the 44 to 48 degree range and are at that point in the deep mouths of the arms. For now, fish those areas for all species including eyes in 30 to 60 feet. Check shallow water up the arms every time you're out. When you see the water temps increase, the action will start. Be aware seasonal timing is critical, too. If conditions are not right, sometimes conditions in some years never are right in the main feeder arms. Thus a good spawn does not happen and fish will reabsorb their eggs and a poor year class is seen. That's why some years are lousy up these arms in February. By mid March, we then are in post spawn and major feeding takes place in the main lake. That's why I encourage most anglers to fish with me in March or April. You can depend on good eye action later. On the other hand, if you are looking for a trophy female, February is the time the big girls are accessible in shallow water. For now, fish the deep mouths and in a week or two, the spawners should be up those arms. By mid March, the main lake on points will be your best bet. Also remember, at least half the eyes in this lake never move up spawning arms and actually spawn on mid lake humps and points. If you're not finding fish up in shallow arms, check out mid lake structures where water is warmer. Wind swept structure is where these spawning fish will be. Wind and waves will stimulate the moving current of rivers or creeks, as hatching eggs require moving water. Hope this helps you some. Good Fishin' Tommy Zinda, www.tommyfishingadventures.com <tadpole@g2a.net> - Sunday, February 14, 2010 at 07:36:23 (PST) 2/14/10 Another email inquiry:>>>> Have you ever tried those Binks spoons made by that guide on Norfork Lake??? Yes, I've seen Bink's spoons at his main meet spot, Canfields' Bait and Tackle in Mountain Home. They are pretty much the same as any of the "basement" lure makers found everywhere. Made of lead, poured in molds from component catalogues. They do catch fish, no question. Swedish Pimples are made of forged molded brass and have superior action. It's the same with other lures, such as Mepps which no question are superior when using inline spinners. Their blades are not accessible to "basement" manufacturers. I've only found one "basement guy" who I work with to custom make the lures and jigs I require. For example, Northland Weed Weasels are probably the best of all weedless jigs required to fish my methods. However, they are expensive and the plastic heavy weed guard inhibits my hook set. As you see in my fish photos on my website, I use Weedless Rickee jigs which I get from my basement guy for maximum success. I also get custom weight forward inline spinner lures that work excellent for hybrids and stripers from him. Mepps used to make these weight forwards and Bucher also copied for a while. No longer available, so Rickee makes them for me. Again, good to talk to you. Keep in touch. Good Fishin' Tommy Zinda, www.tommysfishingadventures.com <tadpole@g2a.net> - Sunday, February 14, 2010 at 07:18:57 (PST) 2/11/10 Hi folks. Here's another email inquiry I thought ya'all might have interest. If you have any questions, comments, please contact me any time.>>> I saw your fishing reports here on the net and was just wondering if you had been up around middle fork and devils fork. Just wondering if the largemouth bass were up in the river. Also if the water was bad stained or if it was fairly clear. Thanks Collin.>>> Collin, The weather as you know, has been horrible and nobody has fished. We were up in the far reaches of South Fork last week and I assume both Devils Fork and Middle Fork are very similar. We found absolutely nothing up these arms yet. Conditions are perfect though. Normal water levels, very good clarity as the snow melts much slower than fast rain runoff, thus they are flushed out. Current is perfect, not too fast. Problem is water temps. Only 39 degrees up these arms now, as compared to 44 to 47 on main lake. Fish are stacked up right now (including bass) in the deep holes of 35 to 70 feet of water adjacent to all arms and will not move up arms until temperature hits at least 45. This will occur later than normal this year due to record cold weather. The Walleye Tourney begins this weekend and I will be checking the upper reaches of these arms regularly. So keep watching my reports. I will let you know when these migrations begin. For now, don't waste your time up these arms. Good Fishin' Tommy Zinda, www.tommysfishingadventures.com <tadpole@g2a.net> - Thursday, February 11, 2010 at 07:07:59 (PST) 2/5/10 Cold weather continues across the Ozarks. This coupled with the rain or in some cases snow, continues to discourage most anglers to get on the water. Water temps are holding at cold temps too. Around 46 on the main lake and in the far reaches of the main feeder arms at 40. White bass and deep hybrids continue to hit fairly well on deeper flats and deep water entering minor feeder arms. For the most part, walleyes are very slow. Wednesday we made a trip up into the far reaches of South Fork, our favorite spot for prespawn walleyes. Conditions were perfect. Nice clean water, 40 degree surface temp, and nice slow current. Everything a go except for the fish. They simply are not there yet in the shallows. I had at least expected a few black bass or white bass, but we didn't even have a bump or mark any fish at all in 4 hours of fishing. I would guess this will change in about two weeks though, as the spawning urge on eyes push these fish up into the moving current areas. If you choose any action at all, stick to the 30 to 60 feet of water just adjacent to shallow water in any feeder arm areas. That's where you will see the shad forage that is so critical in locating game fish. Continue to use finesse methods with slow retrieves in this cold water. Also, stick to areas that have surface temps at least 44 degrees. As soon as we find any fish up feeder arms, I'll let you know. See ya next report. Remember, if you have not entered the Walleye Tourney here, do it now as it begins on Feb 13th at noon. Need an entry form? Just request one tadpole@g2a.net and I will email it to you. Good Fishin' Tommy Zinda, www.tommysfishingadventures.com <tadpole@g2a.net> - Friday, February 05, 2010 at 07:00:29 (PST) 1/25/10 Hi folks. Good fishing continues with the warmer temps now back in. All week long saw nice catches in our boat. Most days 15 to 40 fish in 4 hours. All on jigs and live shiners. The key is to be in the right areas where shad are present. Find the shad and you have found game fish. With recent rains, upper reaches of main feeder arms are very muddy. Avoid these areas that of course are in the upper basin of the lake. As soon as the water clears up, that's where the fish are biting. The better areas are on the south big basin of the lake which seldom sees muddy water. Minor feeder arms are better choices as less water is entering them than major feeder arms that carry more mud. All fish and shad seem to be in 30 feet of water or more. Water temps are 44 to 47 degrees lakewide. I have heard rumors of some walleyes up main feeder arms shallow already, but don't know if this is true due to that muddy water. However, remember those eyes will begin to move into these shallow waters soon in early February. As I keep reporting, decent minnows are very hard to find here. I was elated to find out there is a newer bait shop in Fairfield Bay that is handling #20 grade and even brooder shiners, in addition to smaller minnows and nightcrawlers. Lott's Bait & Fuel, corner of 330 and New Road, in Fairfield Bay just up the road from Fairfield Bay Marina is the spot to check out. Their phone is 501/884-6200, open daily except Sundays 6 am to 8 pm. Also, they are the main registration spot for the big Greers Ferry Lake World Walleye Classic Tournament this year. I would urge all of you to enter the Classic. It's fun and very inexpensive. Only $25 entry fee and you will for sure get your entry money back with simply the door prizes at the awards banquet. The Classic runs from February 13 noon through March 20 noon, 2010. The tournament dinner is March 21, 2010. Check it out! If you want an entry from, simply email me at tadpole@g2a.net and I will email a form back to you with all the rules and info on it. Well, it's time to hit the water. I'll be back in a couple of days to fill you in our catches. Good Fishin' Tommy Zinda, www.tommysfishingadventures.com <tadpole@g2a.net> - Monday, January 25, 2010 at 05:36:26 (PST) 1/16/10 Well folks, after three weeks of very cold and, in some cases, record low temps here, we finally are seeing really nice weather. Yesterday saw noon temps approaching 60. These nice temps and calm winds made it a pleasure to be on the water. Water levels remain somewhat high, but no where near what it has been all fall long. Water temps are now at their winter lows of 44 in the main lake. We began the day fishing flats around the Edgemont Bridge area which had been producing fish the past two weeks. Only one white bass was taken here in about 1 + 1/2 hours of fishing. That fish came on a trolled Shad Rap. Nothing on our 20 grade shiners. 15 to 40 feet of water were the depths. We then moved to a few areas we had been doing well in the Mill Creek area and Five Fingers that produced real well before the very cold weather. Again, our normal 15 to 50 feet of water was fished. Again, in about 1 + 1/2 hours of fishing only one large mouth bass around 3 lbs was caught. While in Five Fingers, I noticed lots of shad on the depth finder out much deeper in 60 to 75 feet of water just off the deep drops from 40 feet. We used some jigging spoons, as hybrids have been in those depths lately. No dice. We then went back to our old standby, the Weedless Rickee jig with oversized hooks tipped with 20 grade shiners. Bingo! That was the ticket. Believe it or not, a 1/16 oz jig was used in 70 feet of water. We made long casts and let that minnow sink very slowly. By controlling the boat, it was possible to drag that very small jig and minnow until it hit the 70 foot bottom. This requires patience for sure. Almost immediately my wife Pat got a double, as she uses two rods at a time. That was a picnic with two ten pound hybrids on at once, tangled lines and all. Both were landed after a great battle on the medium light rods and 10 lb test line. For the next two hours we enjoyed steady, not fast action on these tiny jigs and minnows. Mostly big hybrids, but surprisingly some large mouth and small mouth bass in that deep water. As soon as 30 feet of water was reached, the action would stop and we would move again into 60 to 75 feet where action would resume. There were a couple of other boats who came into the area pounding the traditional shore lines for large mouth bass prefishing for the tournament this weekend, but we did not see them catch a fish. No question, those active fish were with the shad out in deeper water. Another impressive thing was how light even the big hybrids hit. Almost felt like bream hits with the light taps on the line. This often happens in that cold water, as all game fish will not smash your offering aggressively. So to sum this up, go light, have patience, and use live bait in deeper water right now to produce. As you know, my main target is walleye, but any species that want to tangle with us is just fine. Especially the nice hybrids. Nice weather is supposed to be with us now for a week, so take advantage of it and enjoy some great winter fishing. There is little competition out there right now. I'll be back with more info in a couple of days for you. See ya next time. Good Fishin' Tommy Zinda, www.tommysfishingadventures.com <tadpole@g2a.net> - Saturday, January 16, 2010 at 05:31:13 (PST) 1/7/10 Well folks, the big news on fishing here on Greers Ferry is that there is no news. The very cold weather is keeping even the hardiest of the hardcore off the water. This bitter weather is to continue for the near future at least through next weekend and is the most severe in over 15 years with lows in the single digits, in some areas below zero. Most mid south anglers have never experienced attempting to fish in weather like this. Always remember the danger in braving this cold. Standing and casting should not be done in subfreezing weather. Any water that should happen to get into the boat will turn to ice and can easily cause you to slip and fall into the lake. There probably will be nobody else on the water and if you fall in, it's almost a sure death. Hypothermia with heavy clothing on can occur within minutes. Also, in very cold weather mechanical failures of outboards and wiring is common. Don't depend on cell phone service to get you off the water, as service is nonexistent in many areas of the lake due to canyon walls. In my case, I spend at least 300 days a year normally chasing fish. This year if this continues, I will not hit that number. On the other hand, instead of complaining about cabin fever, you can take the time as I am to go completely through your fishing gear. It's a great time to get all those reels greased, sort and arrange lures, hooks, and other tackle. Even taking the time to read articles, study maps, and use the internet to learn new tactics to make you a better fisherman. So until the daytime temps again are back into the mid 40s or so, have patience. We have tons of good fishing coming up soon and as usual I will be back to try to help you score. Talk to you again soon. Good Fishin' Tommy Zinda, www.tommysfishingadventures.com <tadpole@g2a.net> - Thursday, January 07, 2010 at 07:32:38 (PST) 1/6/10 Greers Ferry: As of Tuesday, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reports the lake’s elevation at 470.25 feet MSL (Normal conservation pool – 461 MSL). Tommy Cauley of Fish Finder Guide Service said the water level at Greers Ferry is falling, and the temperature ranges from 42 up the creeks to 46 in the main lake. The hybrid and white bass can still be caught with spoons in 35-55 feet of water around shad when you find them, just work the spoon very slowly. The fish will be right on the bottom and will just load up on it, instead of hitting the lure with a thump. No report on crappie. No report on catfish. No report on bream. Walleye can still be caught with chartreuse spoons fished slowly on gravel flats close to deep water anywhere from 26 feet to 35 feet. Bass fishing has picked up on jerk baits and crankbaits. Wiggle Warts and Bombers are working best for the crankbaits. Also try football head jigs and Carolina-rigged lizards for the bottom-hugging fish. Good Fishin' Tommy Zinda, www.tommysfishingadventures.com <tadpole@g2a.net> - Thursday, January 07, 2010 at 06:57:57 (PST) 12/28/09 Hello All and Happy New year, Out with the old and in with the COLD! Throughout the first half of December we saw falling lake levels with very moderate water temperatures in the mid to low 50 degree mark. This in turn kept the bite consistent on most all species with our walleyes making a good showing throughout the first half of the month. Over the Christmas Holiday we saw upwards of 7 or more inches of rain which brought lake levels upwards once again. 2009 is now officially the wettest year on record, toppling the old record by more than 5 inches! Look for January to harbor some of the coldest water temperatures we will see here all year on Greers. Surface temperatures will range from the Upper to mid 40's on the main lake with some of the tributaries and feeder arms showing surface temperatures in the upper 30 degree range with below average temperatures predicted. January will mark the beginning of the pre-spawn stage for our walleyes. Our toothy friends already have eggs developing and they will further this development throughout the month. All of the female eyes that where boated and dressed in December had eggs and where feeding up for this highly anticipated event which will occur in February and be finishing up by the first week of March. When pursuing our eyes during this month look to main lake points and secondary points up feeder arms as prime locations for the staging eyes to be holding. The Narrows will have a big push this month with our migratory population passing through this gateway before heading up the feeder arms to the spawning grounds. Depths from 16 - 44 feet will hold these fish with the primary depth on any given day being dictated by light penetration, wind, and forage. During January Large Minnows, Crawlers and hard plastics should be your primary baits with the minnows coming in number one. Drop Shot rig's, Lead head jigs and modified split shot set-ups will be the ticket in presenting your live bait offering slow and steady. Our Hybrids and White Bass will be on the move as usual during this month feeding at opportune times during the day. They will be hanging at depths of 35 - 65 feet deep and feeding as they go. There will not be much consistency with these fish during this month but good days of 20 or more will be had to those who stay after them. Knowing how to read your electronics will pay Huge dividends as there will only be very limited surfacing during this period. If we get a string of warmer days put together to wards the end of the month expect the action and peak feeding times to increase. Mid day time periods will be key and will produce the most aggressive bite. As I have stated in previous articles, my go too number one bait for catching these fish at deeper haunts is the Fish Dinner line up of spoons. I prefer the 1/2 and 3/4 ounce white scale with the blue back version. These are NOW AVAILABLE on-line at http://www.fishdinnerlures.com, as well as, Golden Outdoors in Heber Springs. One of the most dependent bites on this reservoir is within our Kentucky/Spotted Bass population. These fish are fun to catch, school in large concentration's and feed aggressively when presented with live bait offerings or artificial. Look at our rock bluffs at mid range depths for these fish to be hanging in larger concentrations this month. Secondary Ledges adjacent to channel swings on the main lake and feeder creeks will also hold these fish in high numbers as well as the old faithful Bridge Pilings. By far my most successful way to boat a handful of these fish is by utilizing a drop shot rig with live bait or soft plastics. This is a very versatile rig; you can cast and retrieve, drop it vertical to suspended fish or simply drag the rig when drifting over flats or humps. Look for these fish to be suspended just off the bottom to mid column depth with there primary forage. Our small mouth population is already setting up on chunk and boulder rock piles in depths of 28 - 40 feet. During December at these very locations we saw them schooled and pretty active for short periods of time. During these windows we boated good numbers of these fish off of single locations within a very small area. I expect them to hold there locations over the next month with the windows of feeding time to decrease making them more difficult into taking your offering. Jig and Chunk combos, Jigging Spoons and finesse techniques with live or artificial bait should be your focus. January can offer some really great days of fishing on the water as long as you pick and choose your days wisely. When on the water during our cold water months choose your location's according to the wind, light, time of day and let your electronics play the key factor in locating fish. Once you have marked and located fish, drop your lines and wait them out. Remember that our fish's metabolism have slowed but they still have to eat. They will prefer one large meal over several smaller ones during this period. They simply will not exert more energy to catch their prey than the energy they receive by consuming it. As always, any day spent on the water is a great one! If you have any question's regarding our lake area or would like more information on setting a trip to fish with me please call (501) 691 - 5701 for the best available dates this Spring! It's going to be a Great year to fish Greers Ferry, I wish you a Happy New Year and hope to see you all soon! Cody S. Smith ...... Good Fishin' Tommy Zinda, www.tommysfishingadventures.com <tadpole@g2a.net> - Monday, December 28, 2009 at 05:01:14 (PST) 12/15/09 Cold temps have kept most folks from enjoying our favorite sport. A few hardy folks have been out with surprisingly pretty good results despite the cold. Water temps now are down to 51 to 53 degrees in the lake and soon will be in the mid 40s where it hits it's low for the winter. The lake level has fallen about 9 feet since I've talked to you. This is good news. Yesterday saw a good day with over 20 fish boated by us. All on live minnows, although we witnessed a couple other anglers popping a few on jigging spoons. The good thing about the live bait is the variety of fish we boated. Kentuckies, large mouth bass, whites, hybrids, drum, blue cat fish, and, yes, 'eyes. All species were together in the same areas in 17 to 30 feet. Move deeper into 45 to 50 feet and only whites and hybrids were in these depths. Nice hybrids, too, in the 6 to 7 lb class. One thing all species had in common: all hit very light and non aggressive. Even the hybrids mouthed the minnows and it was necessary to wait them out before setting the hook. If you set on these fish at the first tug, they would simply rip the minnow off without getting to the jig head. When this occurs, we use the method called "walking the dog". A very light resistance should be put on the fish, just like you do with a dog that isn't sure it wants that bone. If you slightly pull it, he bites a little harder to get that bone and holds onto it. Wait until the fish holds the bait and moves to the side holding that bait. Then, set the hook. Same thing with a slip bobber when a fish is simply pulling the bobber down and releases it. Wait until that bobber goes down and moves to either side for a least 4 to 6 feet. Expect this type of bite throughout the winter months as with the cold water the fish rarely hit aggressively. If you have no patience, you will get skunked a lot with this live bait method. Looks like the cold weather is still with us all week long. So bundle up good before hitting the water. See ya next time. Good Fishin' Tommy Zinda, www.tommysfishingadventures.com <tadpole@g2a.net> - Tuesday, December 15, 2009 at 05:29:38 (PST) 12/1/09 Well folks, finally water levels are falling in the lake. Still 13 feet over normal pool, but at least dropping. So far, this alone has not been enough to alter fish locations, but is flushing muddy water and debris out of feeder arms. The success on catching fish was surprisingly good over the long Thanksgiving weekend. Most anglers reported good catches on whatever species they fish for. The one thing in common for all species was the depth fish were active in. 25 to 45 feet was the ticket. By moving the boat slowly to locate schools of shad, it was just like clock work. You would begin to mark large schools of shad in 50 to 60 feet of water suspended. When you would hit the 40 foot level on points and flats, these shad were ether in the 10 foot to surface level or tight on the bottom, not suspended. Then the action would begin. Those that were shallow were being pushed to the surface by active whites and hybrids. Surfacing could be seen of both shad and the occasional smash on the surface of a hybrid. Birds and loons in that area also were tell tale signs for good action. When the shad were tight on the bottom, you could see bigger fish right with them, which most of the time were black bass and walleye. Sunday was probably our best action day. That day it was dead calm and surfacing could be seen for long distances. As soon as surfacing was seen, active birds converged on that area and you simply moved to that area to enjoy fast action on whites and nice hybrids. That day, my boat never left those areas in search of my walleye. They wore us out. Saturday and Monday were a little different story. We still caught plenty of whites and hybrids, but it was not nonstop action. Therefore we fished the bottom and produced nice large mouth, Kentucky, and some real nice eyes in the slot limit to 26 inches. Fish were caught on both 1/2 oz white spoons and live shiners in my boat. As usual, minnows out produced the spoons 4 to 1 in my boat on all species. The 20 grade shiner matches the size of these shad almost perfectly. The best method was using 8 lb to 12 lb mono with a 1/16 oz lead head on one rod, and a 1/8 oz lead head on a second rod. Make a very slow drift right through those schools of shad simply dragging the jig and shiner combo through them. The 1/8 oz will reach the bottom in 40 feet of water and the 1/16 oz will be in about 20 feet for the suspended fish. The hits, even on the hybrids in the 5 to 10 lb class, were very light. Sometimes they would actually feel like small bass or bream tapping at the bait. If you set too soon, they would simply rip the shiner off without getting to the light jig. This meant waiting until you felt the fish more steadily with the bait to pop them. Once you would get into minor feeder arms in about 30 feet of water, we would use mostly crawlers and switch from the shiner to a small Black Salty minnow for black bass and eyes, as very few whites and hybrids were in these particular areas. The Black Salty is a great minnow for bass and eyes, in that it resembles bream more than the shiners do. It's no secret that big eyes feed a lot on small bream right on the bottom. Water temps are falling now and in the mid 50s. As water temps continue to fall, the very slow retrieve is a must. Expect active fish for the most part to remain in those 30 to 45 foot depths throughout the winter season, except large mouth and occasional small mouth bass which can be found right up in the brush. Now I'm not saying the occasional eyes will not be in the deeper brush, too, but the very slow retrieve necessary to get these eyes, which will be on the bottom, are almost impossible to get at due to hang-ups when using lead heads. Even a weedless jig like my favorite Weedless Rickee jig will get hung up almost every cast. Oh, by the way, for me, the north portion of the lake is where I've been spending the bulk of my time. Higden Bay, Mill Creek, Five Fingers, Piney Point, and even Point 14 is where you will see by boat these days. Colder weather is coming in for the remainder of the week. Don't let that scare you off. Simply put on the heavy deer hunting clothes and get on the water. There is little competition out there. Lots of fun can be had if you shop around to find these active fish. Once found, spend a lot of time in that area and don't run and gun. Hope this info helps So Come On, Catch the Good Life With Us in the Beautiful Ozarks. Good Fishin' Tommy Zinda, www.tommysfishingadventures.com <tadpole@g2a.net> - Tuesday, December 01, 2009 at 04:45:51 (PST) 11/25/09 On this long Thanksgiving weekend, many of you will be spending a day or two on this great lake of Greers Ferry. Expect only moderate action with little fast action. The high water has given large mouth bass a huge amount of cover to relate to in the brush along the shore lines. Getting down to them is difficult, as hang ups will drive you crazy. Twitching floating crank baits over the top of this brush will produce some large mouths, but they must be aggressively feeding on shad to do this on the surface. Since the vast bulk of the shad are deeper, out in 30 to 50 feet of water, you will do much better on flats away from the brush. Most fishermen prefer to move along shore lines casting these shore lines, throwing at visible structure. However, your best bet is to move slowly in these deeper flats looking for schools of shad. Once you find these schools which normally will be suspended at 30 to 50 feet, look for game fish on your depth finders just below these bait fish. Use white spoons or better yet, #20 grade or bigger shiners on 1/8 oz jig heads around those shad slowly. A couple of days ago, we caught nine different species in a small area of only 500 yards in 40 feet of water where there was huge schools of shad. That particular day, there was a lot of surfacing in that area by Higden Bay to lead us to that particular spot. Watch for this telltale activity. By the way, decent size shiners are very hard to find in any local bait shops here and will be until March. So bring your live shiners along with you if you can find them elsewhere. I make regular trips down to Lonoke to Andersons Minnow Farm to get mine during this period and keep them under aeration at my house. Night crawlers will be your best second choice on live bait and action has been good on them right now with the water temps now in the high 50s. However, very soon, the water temps will be into the low 50s to mid 40s. Then crawlers fall off drastically and minnows are the way to go for good action. I'm a firm believer in live bait over artificials. Live bait will out produce plastics or artificials 3 to 1 if you're serious about your fishing. Concentrate your efforts on the upper part of the lake, from the Narrows north, with the exception of Salt Creek area, where there has been consistent action. Hope you do well and see ya on the next report. Come on, Catch the Good Life with us in the Beautiful Ozarks!! Good Fishin' Tommy Zinda, www.tommysfishingadventures.com <tadpole@g2a.net> - Wednesday, November 25, 2009 at 04:54:40 (PST) 11/19/09 Well folks, it's time for a prediction of December's fishing here on Greers Ferry Lake. As usual, weather conditions will play a dominant role. As you know, we went through a record wet October which raised water levels 15 feet over normal pools. This high water didn't budge the whole month of November and remains high entering December. This has made consistent fishing success a bit tough. The pattern has been from dawn to about 8:00 am, all species seem to be relatively shallow and surfacing on shad in flats of bays like Hurricane or Higden Bays in 10 to 25 feet. After 8:00, the shad forage backs out in 35 to 50 feet of water and so do the game fish. All species can be taken at the same time from hybrids to walleye in the early morning outings. I expect this pattern to continue into December. Since all species are feeding in these same areas, I've been prepared by having different rigs set up for specific species. All rods are set up with 8 lb to 12 lb mono line and medium light to medium action spinning rods. A white 1/2 oz jigging spoon or 1 oz Cicada silver spoon is ready if whites or hybrids are chasing shad on the surface. In these clean bottom bays, I've been casting them out over the surfacing fish and pumping them back to the boat instead of vertically jigging them. This way, you cove a lot more water as these schools of shad are constantly on the move. While doing this, I am constantly dragging a 1/8 oz Weedless Rickee jig with a whole crawler on the bottom for walleye and black bass. Also, it's a good idea to use a slip bobber and #20 grade medium live shiner set about 2 feet off bottom for these eyes and bass. Every so often you will hit some brush or limbs that have been blown into these bays by storms. If you find this, you have a hot spot and that should be fished thoroughly. These limbs offer shad protection from the predators. At times, in line spinners will out produce the jigging spoons for those hybrids. These are used with a steady medium retrieve, but let them fall to at least 10 feet before starting your retrieve. My favorites are Mepps #3, #4, or #5 Aglias in white with silver blades. Mepps, because they never fail to trip and spin at all times. These Mepps will not only pop whites and hybrids, but will produce black bass or even eyes. By the way, rest assured I recommend a specific lure or bait because I believe in them. No on pays me to recommend that particular lure. In mid morning, it's time to move into deeper water. Move out to 30 to 50 feet off points or deep brush edges. Find schools of shad on your depth finder. Suspended game fish normally mean whites and hybrids, so vertical jigging of these white spoons or the slip bobbers set at those depths with the live shiners should be used. If shad are just off bottom and the game fish are with them that normally means black bass or walleyes and the weedless jig with a live crawler should be used. Weedless jigs because these fish will be closely related to deep brush or rock on these points. As water temperatures continue to fall throughout December and the rest of the winter, use your lures and other rigs slower and slower to match the fish's metabolism as they do not want to chase a fast moving lure. Once lake levels begin to fall, if they do so in December, simply move with the bait fish and use the same methods. The major feeder arms are still dirty, but will clear up as water recedes from the lake. When this occurs, there will be action in the deeper holes of these arms, too. Winter fishing is generally believed to be poor. Don't believe this. Slow down as the water cools into the 40s and use finesse methods, not run and gun methods and you will produce fish every outing. Hey, Come On Catch the Good Life With Us in the Beautiful Ozarks!! Good Fishin' Tommy Zinda, www.tommysfishingadventures.com <tadpole@g2a.net> - Thursday, November 19, 2009 at 04:49:24 (PST) 11/18/09 Hello all! Greers Ferry is currently at 475 ft above msl and holding steady with recent rains and fore casted precipitation over the next few days. Water surface temperatures are still holding in the low 60's. Fishing has been on again off again throughout the past couple of weeks. We have seen great days of 40 fish or more as well as slower days of low double digit catches. Although fishing has been a little on the difficult side overall, we are catching most all species every trip out with walleyes coming in on all of the recent outings. Overall fishing has been the most consistent at greater depths. However there are bait fish from a foot deep out to depths as great as 90 feet. The shallow bite on most species has been hit or miss with these game fish moving a lot to keep up with the shallow schools of thread fin shad that have spawned this fall. Our walleye bite has been the most predictable at depths of 24 - 32 feet deep, although we have caught them as shallow as 12 feet and as deep as 46 feet. The drop shot rig with an 1/8 oz. lead and a whole night crawler has accounted for most of the eyes we have been seeing. However, the larger of the fish have come on the Fish Dinner spoon in a 3/4 oz. size, white with the blue back. Over the last week we have landed several fish in the 22 - 25 inch range along with a handful of 14 - 18 inch eating size fish. On one occasion last Sunday we lost a monster size eye right at boat side. This fish was in the 8 - 10 lb. class and did not want anything to do with the net! Needless to say it was exciting for my client and just as exciting or even more for yours truly even though she came unbuttoned before we could get the camera lens on her. Look for the walleyes to be hanging tight to break lines in deeper water and the shallower fish are really relating to the flooded bush's along pea gravel banks and points. The hybrids and whites are just not doing anything consistent. Here one day and gone the next! Most of the fish we have put in the boat have been located with bait fish in the immediate area. One location to check out is in the Mill Creek and Higdon Bay area. These fish have not been huge but are feeding at select times. Spoons and Spinners have been the only two baits we have contacted any on over the past few trips. Ol` Mr. Bronze Back (small mouth bass) have kept my guide trips going with action. These fish are reluctant to get going it seems but once you get a fish landed it seems to really get the rest of them in a feeding mood. Myself and clients alike have had to just simply wait the bite out, sitting on one location for up to 45 min. without a bite and then it's like a light switch turns on with several fish loaded to the boat over the next same time period. Several fish in the 2 - 3 lb. range have been boated over the last couple of weeks. Main Lake points, Humps and gravel with wood present have been the best location's. The very sparse grass we have here on Greers has come to an end and the fish that where relating to it have moved on. We are catching quite a few spotted bass (Kentucky's) throughout the day but location of bait seems to be key. If you do not have the bait these fish are not going to show up to the dance. I have seen them come from 50 foot deep and as shallow as 16, it is all bait dependant. Spoons and the Drop shot have been the deal in my boat. The better fish have been coming on the drop shot with a whole night crawler fished extremely thorough and slow throughout an area. Once you pick up a fish, slow down and stick with that area for as long as you can stand it. The main thing to consider right now is Location, Location, Location. Once in an area where you have located fish, stick with it, it's all about TIMING. Those fish will turn on and feed and they will turn off the same way. Over a 7 hour day we are only fishing 3 - 6 location's within this time slot. Fishing thorough right now will definitely pay off in a big way. You simply have to be in the right place at the right time to catch numbers of fish. The fact of the matter is it's not always going to work out in your favor but running and gunning is out of the question. If any of you have any question's regarding this report or our reservoir please contact me and I'll get back with you as soon as I can. Good Luck and Good Fishin` Cody S. Smith smittyc888@hotmail.com Trout Troller Guide Service The Little Red River and Greers Ferry Lake 501.691.5701...>> Good Fishin' Tommy Zinda, www.tommysfishingadventures.com <tadpole@g2a.net> - Thursday, November 19, 2009 at 03:37:49 (PST) 11/13/09 Today folks, let's talk about a theory or some may call it a fishing myth. Or is it only a myth? Major and minor fish feeding times and moon phases. Many dispel this effect of moon phases. I have followed this throughout my 33 years of professional guiding and I am a believer. The moon phase affects all liquids including tides in the oceans. I always pay attention to dark of the moon or new moon phases and find those days the best daytime bites. The dark of the moon will occur on the 16th this month and I look forward to a good bite this weekend and all of next week. Also, the major feeding period is around 8:00 am these days. It's been like clock work this past week with a lot of surfacing and action very early in the morning. Then by 10:00 am, it's pretty much over for the day. Yesterday we enjoyed the best bite of November so far. A great mixed stringer of large mouth, Kentuckies, walleye, white bass, and several real nice hybrids were taken in my boat. All between 7:00 am and 9:30 am in 12 to 35 feet of water in one bay, only covering a distance of around 500 to 700 yards. These fish were taken on pearl white 1/2 oz jigging spoons, Cicada spoons, jigs and crawlers, and jigs and minnows. In other words, they hit just about anything we threw at them. Now, granted, they didn't hit every cast and it was necessary to stick to that area for action. The run and gun boys who pop into an area and cast only 10 minutes and move on did not do well. Several of them entered the bay, spent a short time, and nervously moved out. That was a mistake. The key has been with this high water was to move into a bay with a large flats and a relatively clean bottom. Move around in this flats until you find some brush or limbs of trees that have blown into the lake by storms. Bait fish are congregated around these scattered limbs and so are the game fish. If you snag into one of these limbs, stick around that area and you will pick off a couple of predator fish with patience. So far, November has been a classic time to prove the importance of moon phases and fish feeding periods. This theory will work, barring any big weather pattern changes. November so far has been constant weather: calm, warm, and sunny. Just what the doctor ordered. No major storms. A sudden severe weather change of severe cold front will totally mess up this moon phase thing. So, to sum this up, make sure you get out on the water this weekend. It should be a good one for you if you practice patience and pay attention to the presence of shad in the cove flats. We will be out on the water every day barring no heavy rains and I'll let you know how we fare. Good luck and catch the good life with us in the beautiful Ozarks. Good Fishin' Tommy Zinda, www.tommysfishingadventures.com <tadpole@g2a.net> - Friday, November 13, 2009 at 03:37:59 (PST) 11/10/09 Well folks, to be honest, the fishing for all species has been tough with the water levels being so high, 15 feet over normal pool. We have been seeing quite a bit surfacing of whites and hybrids in some areas like Higden Bay and Mill Creek areas in early morning. By 8:30 am this surface activity ends. Even though there is a lot of surface activity early, these fish are very tough to come by. The activity is in 30 to 55 feet of water. We have been throwing every thing in the tackle box for them including spoons, crank baits, spinners, and even live minnows with very few hits. Strange indeed. I've been checking out feeder arms, too, like Devils Fork. These arms are plum full of debris and dirty water. Very little water is being drawn out of the lake and these arms simply are not flushing out. The bite that is occurring is happening on mid lake areas that have clearer water. The bite on all species is slow at best. The most consistent action has been on black bass tight on shore lines in flooded brush. Expect almost exclusive black bass action in these areas. Twitch your shallow crank baits right over the flooded brush for your best bite. The only other decent action we have had is on blue cats, nice ones too, up to 35 lbs in deep water of 50 to 80 feet in entrances to coves. Live night crawlers on 1/4 to 1/2 oz jigs is the thing to use for these cats, Hopefully the lake will recede back to normal pools soon. In the meantime, it's possible to score some decent stringers and the weather has been simply outstanding for an enjoyable outing on the lake. I'll be back in a day or two with more info on our pursuit of our finny friend. See ya then. Good Fishin' Tommy Zinda, www.tommysfishingadventures.com <tadpole@g2a.net> - Tuesday, November 10, 2009 at 04:58:51 (PST) 11/10/09 Tommy, I will be going to Greers Ferry this coming weekend and have not been down there in about three years, I see that the water is really high and this is the weekend that I will be able to make the trip so it makes it the best time to go, any tips or suggestions would be greatly appreciated, in the past I had some great trips with a great top water bite this time of year. Thanks John................>> John, You're right. The water is 15 feet over normal pool. This is making fishing tough. The best action seems to be to fish shallow flooded brush right on the shore lines. Crank baits that are shallow runners twitched over shallow brush is working best. Expect almost an exclusive black bass bit doing this. As water drops, if it does, the bite will improve. Hope this helps. Good Fishin' Tommy Zinda, www.tommysfishingadventures.com <tadpole@g2a.net> - Tuesday, November 10, 2009 at 04:43:04 (PST) 11/10/09 Tommy, Thanks for your help on this!! Does the walleye fishing shutdown on the lake during the fall / winter months? Adam........> Adam, In the past, we have had great eye fishing in the fall well into Dec. In most cases that has occurred when the lake was at or below normal levels. For the past couple of years, water levels have been very high. Seems like when this happens, shad forage remain deep and the eyes will suspend just about anywhere and hard to pinpoint. This is one of these years. In the dead of winter, eyes do back off and then begin their move up feeder arms in mid Feb provided these arms are not real muddy and too fast because of heavy rains. So, to sum it up, yes they often back off in the winter and then the big surge is in late March through May. This is post spawn and eyes then remain shallow in 10 to 30 feet. Remember though, even though eye fishing can be tough, you will pop whites, blacks, and hybrids all winter long. Let's face it, action of any kind is better than no action at all. Hope this helps. Good Fishin' Tommy Zinda, www.tommysfishingadventures.com <tadpole@g2a.net> - Tuesday, November 10, 2009 at 04:40:51 (PST) 11/8/09 Hello folks. I received an inquiry via email I am sharing with you because I feel it has some info many of you may find interesting. Tommy- Can you give me any tips on trolling for walleye on Greers Ferry? Thanks for your fishing reports and online updates! Adam---- Adam, Thanks for your kind words on my web postings. I always try to tell the truth to the best of my ability. I do a good amount of trolling, but my main weapon is finesse jig fishing. This being a huge lake, fish can scatter and roam flats looking for shad forage. If I do not contact active fish in a small area finesse fishing, I troll flats from 10 to 40 feet to contact fish. Once I pop a fish or two, I drop a marker in that area and finesse them. Therefore, I free line troll and do not use boards. Using boards is fine, but is too much messing around once I start finessing. I like trolling medium running Shad Raps, Berkley Frenzies, Walleye Divers, etc., that run 12 to 15 feet deep in these flats. I'll use shad color and silver blue or clown color combos. My Yamaha 4 stroke idles down to 500 to 700 rpms, which will give me .08 to 1 mph speed. While trolling major feeder arms in the spring in 8 to 15 feet of water, I use mostly Rapala X Raps or Rattling Rouges in similar colors. These will run 4 to 6 feet deep. Same pattern. When I pop a fish or two, I finesse with either crawlers or #20 grade shiners. I only use 8 or 10 lb mono for trolling to get these lures to the depth I want them with this free line slow troll. 8 to 10 lb test is plenty to land the largest of fish if your drag is set properly. Be aware while trolling this lake, timber will be as deep as 80 feet of water. Therefore, consult a Fishing Hot Spots Map of the lake to pick a trolling area. Otherwise, you will snag and lose a lot of lures. To sum this up, I prefer to go light tackle even when trolling. Too heavy and you will discourage finicky fish. Hope all this helps some and remember, this is only my opinion. Good Fishin' Tommy Zinda, www.tommysfishingadventures.com <tadpole@g2a.net> - Sunday, November 08, 2009 at 14:55:43 (PST) 11/6/09 Well folks, the recent very heavy rains here have certainly affected our fishing. The lake is still about 15 feet over normal pool and this has scattered fish all over. Consistent catches are tough to come by. We've been all over the lake and only a couple of spots in the Salt Creek area show any consistency at all. Small mouth, large mouth, and some decent Kentuckies have been take there, in addition to a few whites and small hybrids. However, most all these fish are on crawlers and biting very light indeed. All species show very little aggressiveness and simply are turning their noses up on artificials. As the water recedes, I look for the bite to improve. I'm a firm believer in new moon phases for a good day time bite, so I think mid month will see a vast improvement. Up until now after the heavy rain, all major feeder arms have been very muddy and dirty. They now are flushing out and I plan on returning to them today. The weekend looks to be a good one weather-wise, so if you're planning a fishing outing, it should be very comfortable for you. Plan on moving around a lot until a couple of active fish are found. Then spend up to 20 minutes in that spot. No more hits, move on. Hopefully, next report I can give you better news on the bite. See ya then. Good Fishin' Tommy Zinda, www.tommysfishingadventures.com <tadpole@g2a.net> - Friday, November 06, 2009 at 05:17:19 (PST) Hello all, Greers Ferry is currently at 476 ft msl and rising at the time of this forecast. Current water temperatures are ranging from the mid to lower 60's on all portions of the lake. During October we saw several strong fronts and lot's of heavy rain which brought lake levels well above normal pool. Do not let this hinder you in getting on the water. Once the lake comes to a rest and starts falling this will really position the fish to the outside edges of there new found cover making the more susceptible to catching. During November we will see low 50 degree water temperatures with fish still on the feed. Moderate feeding will continue until we reach the upper 40 degree range. Once this happens look for the bite to fall off a bit as the fish seek out there winter haunts in deeper more stable water. One key token to note during this month will definitely be to find the bait as this will lead you to the fish. Again, once they have settled and start to clear back up look to our main tributaries to the north as well as our feeder creeks to harbor the vast majority of the shad. The shad will be and are currently spawning up these arms and tributaries as they spawn multiple times in a year. Concentrate your efforts in these areas and you are sure to put some fish in the boat. With the new water that has entered the lake look at old bushy bank lines for the shad to use as cover. The game fish will be relating to this form of cover as well. Our Kentucky bass are definitely going to provide some really good action during this month. They will be found in moderate size schools way up feeder arms and tributaries along with some of the steeper main lake points and drop-offs. Secondary points and ledges both on the main lake and within these tributaries will hold really good numbers during the month. Jackall Jointed Crank baits, Fish Dinner spoons, Drop Shot rigs and 3" Grubs will be a good bet for landing these fish. Our Black Bass have made a big push shallow and will continue to be in water less than 16 feet until we see low 50 degree water temps. Flukes, Swim Baits and small crank baits are catching a fair amount of these fish that are staged during the day in and around the cover. Decent numbers of smaller Large mouth's will congregate around the new cover in the flooded areas. Look for the larger fish to be holding on isolated cover really close to the channel or old bank line in deeper water. As for the small mouth the majority we have found have been out on main lake points, both steep and slow to run out. The best location's to find these fish will be in 14 - 22 feet of water holding tight to the newly flooded bush's and cover that is normally out of the water. Another prime location for these bronze backs will be bluff ends and big chunk rock main lake points with current as they draw the lake down. The amount of current we have will dictate where these fish will hold on any given structure. When the corp is able to drop the lake levels I look for there to be a really strong small mouth surge. Ol' Mr. Walleye will be much more susceptible to patterning this month with the higher water. Over the course of the next month focus on the old brushy bank line that exsist on longer points, Gravel roll offs and Chunk rock Bluff Ends and Main lake Ledges with more than one lip or drop. I am still expecting a big surge within the bite among this species. This is definitely the time to be pursuing this tasty and toothy fish. We absolutely hammered these fish during May and June with the same water condition's. Taking into consideration the water temps and time of year I am going to be relying heavily on this same areas to produce good numbers of these fish until water temperatures reach the low 50's. Live Night Crawlers, Minnows, jerk baits and small cranks will put some fish in the boat. Our whites and hybrids are spread out and have been tuff to come by in any great numbers. I look for this to change over the first week of this month with the promise of Sunshine and more stable temperatures in the 60's. Once again, when the water levels start to level off this fish will school back up in tighter more aggressive groups. This will enable them to be caught on a more predictable basis. I will be keeping an eye out up the tributaries and main feeder creeks as well as some of the flats and big long points on the main lake to harbor these fish. One thing about the temperate bass is they have to have Shad and a lot of them! Fish Dinner Spoons, Spinners and a fair amount of top waters will produce once they get settled down. Well, the lake is up 15 feet and will likely gain another 6"'s to a foot before it starts to fall. Don't let this hamper your efforts, use the time you have spent on the lake to your advantage. Put together the pieces one at a time and you will definitely put some fish in the boat. Remember that cool old tree just on the waters edge a couple of weeks ago, that sheer bluff face that was only a foot or two out of the water, what about that isolated rock on a gravel bank? I be there are fishing using those location's right now! Use the information you have gathered in the past and make the new water work for you. If any of you have any question's or would like information regarding our fine reservoir or river please give me a call or shoot me an email and I will get back to you as soon as I'm off the water. Good Luck and Good Fishin` -------------------- Cody S. Smith Trout Troller Guide Service 501.691.5701 Little Red River & Greers Ferry Lake... Good Fishin' Tommy Zinda, www.tommysfishingadventures.com <tadpole@g2a.net> - Tuesday, November 03, 2009 at 15:41:55 (PST) 10/30/09 Folks, I received an email inquiry I thought I would share with you. I feel it's good basic information for those who may be interested. Please feel free to contact me with any questions, comments, etc. Tommy, I read your reports frequently. I am from Cleveland Ohio and an avid walleye fisherman. I moved down to Arkansas about 5 years ago and started almost exclusively bass fishing. This weekend my dad is coming down and I want to show him some Greers Ferry walleye. While I have caught many great lakes walleye in my day, I have no experience with Greers Ferry walleye. My plan was to try to mark fish in 20-30 feet of water and drift or troll spoons and worm harnesses. My beginning spot was going to be west of Eden Isle to Millers Point. I really want to show my dad a good time and was wondering what tips you might have.....Thanks in advance for any assistance you provide and goodluck the next time you are on the water.....Kevin.... Kevin, Glad to hear you read the reports on the website. We always try to tell the truth with no hype. Be aware that 'eye fishing here on Greers Ferry is much tougher than fishing them on the Great Lakes (Erie) or in the Northwoods of Wisconsin. This is due to less numbers of walleye per acre, water clarity, type of forage, and most of all, water depth. These eyes will follow shad forage in 50 to 150 feet of water, so they can be anywhere. The only time they are predictable is in February and early March, when a good percentage of them move up major arms to spawn and then in late March, April, and May, when they feed heavily after the spawn on shad that remain mostly shallow in timber in 30 feet of water or less. At this time, crawlers will out produce all other offerings and big numbers can be caught. The remaining periods of the year including fall and winter are a hit or miss thing. Consistent catches of numbers of eyes are rare. You will pick off one or two active fish from a school and then have to move on for more eye action. Your plan of running the flats in Cove creek area is a good one. Move slowly in the flats until you mark schools of shad. Then drift that area using spoons and crawler harnesses. If nothing else, you will find other game fish species right along with eyes like white bass, hybrids, black bass, etc. Action is the name of the game for a successful outing. Once you pop an eye, work that area hard, as you know there's is a school there. Hope this helps some. Good Fishin' Tommy Zinda, www.tommysfishingadventures.com <tadpole@g2a.net> - Friday, October 30, 2009 at 12:55:47 (PDT) 10/28/09 At the end of the 2009 Open Water Season let's take a look at my personal opinion of the success ratio. 2009 was certainly a strange out of the ordinary fishing season. A very cool spring continued throughout the entire season until Sep, when we saw the warmest month of the year. There was a very few days in late June that we hit 90 for 2 days. This raised water temps into the high 79s and fishing was excellent. Then it cooled off and surface water temps never hit 70 throughout July and Aug. Finally, in all months, Sep, water temps rose to 70 to 75 all month long. This whole scenario of cool weather affected spring spawning of all species. All early spawn species had a good year. Perch, walleyes, and northerns had a normal spawn this year. All other species had a much reduced spawn due to water temps remaining below 60s for most of the spawning season. When this happens, many of these warmer water spawners simply do not deposit their eggs and reabsorb them back into their bodies. Eggs were found in species like gills, crappie, and bass as late as Aug, telling us these fish never really spawned. All this was not doom and gloom, though. There always is something good no matter how poor anything looks. Because we had a great perch spawn again for another year, our lakes were chock full of tiny perch of the year for forage for the predators like walleye and crappie. In my opinion, that's why many, many of our best eye lakes never produced like Big and Little Arbor Vitae, Squirrel, Wild Rice, etc. Fish simply were not hungry and willing to hit our minnow offerings. Actually, for me, only the flowages were consistent eye producers this year. On these water, 30 to 50 eyes a day was common and best of all, all year classes were represented from 11 inches to 27 inches in the same areas fished. But again, this entire season was considered slow on eyes. Quite the opposite was seen on crappies. Crappies were very strong all season this year. Big year classes of smaller crappies showed up on lakes like Horsehead, Wild Rice, and many others. Literally hundreds could be caught in a day using simple 1/32 oz jigs and twisters. The bad thing was, most of these crappies ran from 5 to 10 inches. But if you picked through them, good meals were taken by all. On the other hand, some lakes produced big numbers of really big crappies all summer long. Squirrel, Willow Flowage, Pickerel, and many other lakes fell into this category. By far, if you were an action fisherman, large mouth and small mouth bass remained your big target. The past 5 years have seen a remarkable upswing in bass fishing in northern Wisconsin. Virtually all waters including flowages have seen a big surge of trophy fish boated. Years ago, 18 to 24 inch bass were rare. The past 2 or 3 years, they have been common. There are many opinions why this is happening. In my opinion, a big part of this is due to less walleyes in the lakes. Walleyes are a big competitor for food against bass. Less walleye stocking is being seen in most lakes, as well as the huge numbers of small eyes being taken from size exempt lakes the past 10 years or so. A lot of folks think nothing of keeping 10 to 12 inch eyes every day to eat, while screaming in horror if anyone keeps a 14 inch bass for eating. In my opinion, selective harvest is the key to a healthy fishery. Example, in lakes that have great bass numbers like the Flambeau Chain, a lot of folks keep 14 inch bass. This is not a bad thing as average size of these bass have been increasing dramatically over the past few years. Many, many other great bass waters never see harvest due to strict catch and release folks. Now don't get me wrong, I am for catch and release too, but nut exclusively. In my boat, it's fine to keep a few just legal bass for eating, buy any bass over 17 inches must be released unless it's going on your wall. Selective harvest works on most species including pan fish, or you end up with lots of stunted fish. All thoughts and opinions on the health of our fisheries are welcome. Remember though, most of these opinions lack scientific backing and that's what creel censuses and shocking studies by the DNR are all about. No matter what, the shear numbers of lakes in our area is the key to good angling. No matter what yearly conditions are, there is a lake or two among thousands here that will produce. This is what separates the best anglers from the rest. Stubbornly fishing only one lake all season is not the way to go unless the fishing remains very good every year. With natural trends in all lakes over time, this just doesn't happen. A good angler or guide will know a big number of different lakes and move from one to another throughout the season to find a hot one. Another thing that will make successful season of anyone, is be a multi species angler. Those that limit their angling to only one species are severely limiting themselves. To me, action is the name of the game. Fighting a 3 lb bass is just as fun as fighting a 3 lb eye, a 3 lb pike, or a 1+1/2 lb crappie. Have fun catching fish. Simple as that. Well, that's enough drivel out of me for now. Next report I will focus on my progress here on Greers Ferry Lake and will bring you updates all winter long. In the meantime, if you have a specific question I can help you with, let me know. I'll attempt to answer it. See ya next time. Good Fishin' Tommy Zinda, www.tommysfishingadventures.com <tadpole@g2a.net> - Wednesday, October 28, 2009 at 05:21:34 (PDT) 10/25/09 Well folks, things are pretty much back to normal after a busy guide season in Wisconsin for me. I've been back in my Ozark home here in Greers Ferry Arkansas for a week now and really enjoying the mild weather here. Yesterday was my first day on the water since I've been here. The past two weeks have been a little tough for me, as I've been battling a bout of pneumonia. The dramatic change from September's 70 degree weather to the very cold early October with soaking rain, snow, and highs only in the 30s and 40s certainly didn't agree with me. More on that later in future reports. Anyway, my guide associate here, Cody Smith, and I guided a group of air force flight trainers yesterday. Cody stayed on the south portion of the lake by the dam and Peter Creek area. I fished mostly north of the Narrows around the Edgemont Bridge, Hill Creek area. A severe cold front hit us last Thursday, dumping over 3 inches of cold rain on us. The water level in the lake rose three feet in 24 hours and morning temps were in the mid 40s. Needless to say, this dropped water temps to around 64 and made the action a little tough. Both boats produced fish, with Cody's boat having a better catch than mine. Most of the legal fish were Kentucky bass with a few small mouth and large mouth bass, too. Only one white bass. Live bait was used in both boats almost exclusively, except for a short troll with shad raps in Hurricane Bay which only produced one white bass. Fish were very finicky preferring crawlers over shiners. This was not unexpected due to the cold front conditions. Almost all the action occurred in 12 to 20 feet of water. Today's high is supposed to be in the mid 70s, so Pat and I plan on spending a few hours on the water to see if we can locate some 'eyes. I, of course, will be back to you with frequent updates from this point on. Also, starting in the next report, I'll report how the season progressed Up North this past summer, where most of our fish were caught, etc. While most of my buddies in Wisconsin are into the fall hunts and preparing for the fast approaching ice fishing season, I am preparing for my annual winter angling pursuits on the soft water here on Greers Ferry Lake. I'll be back regularly to keep you informed on my progress. See ya next time. Good Fishin' Tommy Zinda, www.tommysfishingadventures.com <tadpole@g2a.net> - Monday, October 26, 2009 at 05:00:46 (PDT) 10/19/09 Hello all, Greers Ferry is currently at 465.5 ft msl and falling slightly at the time of this report. Boy, has it gotten down right chilly outside or what? Water temperatures and the whitetail deer population is falling quickly! In turn this has provided some down right secluded days on the lake and river, which is always nice. Current water temperatures are ranging from the mid 60's to upper 60's on all portions of the lake. I have not seen the 70 degree mark over the last week anywhere. Bait fish (thread fin shad) are the main deal right now for all species. Find the bait and you will most definitely find the fish. This is much easier said than done however. Look to our main tributaries to the north as well as our feeder creeks to harbor the vast majority of the shad right now. Only a handful of pockets in the main lake are harboring any type of bait fish and game fish right now. Best I can tell the majority of fish are really relating to the fresh water entering the reservoir in some form or fashion. Over the last couple of weeks the water levels have come up over 4 feet assisting in the dispersal of bait and game fish. This has made for some really great days as well as some really tuff days on the water. As cold front after cold front swept through the state over the last week it really affected the positive bite we had going on here. Days of 40 and 60 fish where cut down to 15 - 20 fish days on average, that's quite a drop in activity among all species. I look for the hot bite to return over the next week with southerly winds and steady temperatures moving back in. As of right now the Kentucky bass staging on drops in the backs of the creeks are saving my days right now as they have been the most consistent species by a long shot. These fish are really cruising and tearing up the shad that are available. Depths of 18 - 30 feet are holding the largest majority of these fish while they are holding and waiting on there next meal. During peak feeding times they are pushing shallower in the column as well as up the creeks to ambush the shad. While they are suspended in deeper water my clients have had there best luck with a crawler and drop shot rig fished on light lb. line with a #2 Gamakatsu Offset EWG worm hook anchored by a 3/16 oz. finesse weight. 1/2 oz. Fish Dinner Spoons are also picking up a fair amount of fish in greater depths, The Blue Back with the reflective sides has been our best color. These are available at Golden Outdoors in Heber Springs at a very fair price! Our Black Bass (large mouth's) have made a big push shallow to the backs of most creeks and tributaries with current and brush. Flukes, Swim Baits and small crank baits are catching a fair amount of these fish that are staged during the day in and around the cover. Early mornings and late evenings the bucket mouth's that where in the bush's are roaming the flats in between and really keying in on shad. High numbers of these 12" - 15" fish can be caught on a variety of lures and live bait. Remember that any of these Largemouth less than 15" must be returned immediately. As for the small mouth bass I've seen them really dispersed throughout the water column. We have set up on fish as deep as 32 feet and done well along with scattered fish in less than 5 feet of water. We have been picking them up on a Lucky Strike 3 3/4" swim bait with a 1/Oz. weighted hook. The jig bite is on one day and off the next. When it's been on the Strike King Bitsy Bug paired with a Net Bait Tiny PAC Chunk is #1 in my boat. Ol' Mr. Walleye has been tuff with the condition's we have been dealing with here lately. I am still looking for a big surge in feeding activity to occur most any day. Look at longer points, Gravel roll offs and Chunk rock Bluff Ends to hold some fish over the coming days and weeks. Until water temperatures reach the mid 50's I will still be holding strong on Live Night Crawlers over Minnows. Fish the crawlers on an 1/8 oz. lead head jig in these location's for best results. Target depths from 12 - 30 feet. Now on to the beloved Hybrids and Whites. Since my last report things have not changed all that drastically with these temperate bass. They are definitely living up to there name! We have had great days of 60 fish or more with our days of 0 - 10 when looking at this species specifically. Most of the fish are spread out with the bait. When we get this reservoir back on a good falling water trend I look for the action to really explode. Our best days came right before the next cold front pushed through and a day or so after the previous. Post front and heavy rain really put these fish in a negative mood, even the fish deeper in the column seem to get lock jaw. The best bite has come on Fish Dinner Spinners while they are surfacing and again the 1/2 oz. Blue and Scale spoon to the deeper fish that are sounding. Keep an eye on your graph as well as the other boats for fish that are cooperating. If any of you have any question's or would like information regarding our fine reservoir or river please give me a call or shoot me an email and I will get back to you as soon as I'm off the water. Please bare with me on responses as this a very busy time of year, Oh Yeah the Brown Trout Spawn will be in full swing in a couple of weeks, book now for the best availability! Good Luck and Good Fishin` -------------------- Cody S. Smith Trout Troller Guide Service 501.691.5701. Good Fishin' Tommy Zinda, www.tommysfishingadventures.com <tadpole@g2a.net> - Monday, October 19, 2009 at 13:02:23 (PDT)

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