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John N. Felsher's Bass Fishing Adventures
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Greers Ferry Lake
offers something
fishy for every
Arkansas angler
offers something
fishy for every
Arkansas angler
Tom Cauley of Fish Finder Guide Service in Bee Branch, Ark.,
shows off a largemouth bass he caught on a crankbait while fishing
at Greers Ferry Lake near Heber Springs, Ark.
shows off a largemouth bass he caught on a crankbait while fishing
at Greers Ferry Lake near Heber Springs, Ark.
A smallmouth bass jumps at
boatside. Greers Ferry Lake near
Heber Springs, Ark., offers
outstanding smallmouth fishing as
well as fishing for many other
species. It produced the world
record walleye, a 22-pound,
11-ounce fish.
boatside. Greers Ferry Lake near
Heber Springs, Ark., offers
outstanding smallmouth fishing as
well as fishing for many other
species. It produced the world
record walleye, a 22-pound,
11-ounce fish.
Looking somewhat like a lopsided, leaning “M” nestled in the foothills
of the Ozark Mountains, Greers Ferry Lake contains populations of every
species of game fish available in Arkansas.
The lake produced two current state records and one world record.
Jerald C. Shaum landed a 27-pound, 5-ounce hybrid striped bass on April
24, 1997. Clark Stevenson caught an 11-pound, 5-ounce lake trout on
Dec. 15, 1997. Al Nelson caught the world record walleye, a 22-pound, 11-
ounce fish, on March 12, 1982. Impounded in 1964, the lake also produces
good catches of catfish, white bass, crappie and various bream species. In
the Little Red River tailrace below the dam, anglers catch rainbow, brown,
brook and cutthroat trout. However, bass often take the focus of local
anglers.
“Greer’s Ferry is fair for largemouths and occasionally produces a
big fish, but it’s pretty good for smallmouths and spotted bass,” said Carl
Perrin, an Arkansas Game and Fisheries Commission biologist in
Mayflower. “It produced a few 14-pound largemouths and at least one 15-
pounder that I know about. We stocked Florida bass into the lake years
ago. The biggest smallmouth probably weighs about 5 pounds. The
biggest spotted bass would be in the 4- to 5-pound range.”
Fed by three rivers and numerous creeks, the 40,000-acre lake
offers anglers plenty of deep water and about 460 miles of shorelines. A
deep and clear highland reservoir with a maximum depth of 190 feet,
Greers Ferry actually resembles two lakes. The deeper lower lake around
Heber Springs looks like a huge inverted “V” with plenty of tributaries
feeding it. “The Narrows,” a river-like channel, connects the upper and
lower halves of the lake. The upper lake near Fairfield Bay looks more
riverine with channels cutting through rocky bluffs and hills.
“Largemouth bass fishing is getting better,” said Tommy Cauley of
Fish Finder Guide Service in Bee Branch, Ark. “In a tournament, a good
five-fish stringer will weigh about 20 pounds. The lunker will be in the 4- to
8-pound range. I caught a 10.4-pounder on a Wiggle Wart in the spring of
2005. In the past 10 years, the water clarity has gone down hill as the lake
gets more fertile, but that’s good for fish.”
Stained water actually helps largemouth bass fishing on the lake.
Bass become spooky in very clear water. In stained water, bass hold tight
to cover, ambushing any prey that passes too close. Throw baits that
thump and rattle such as a large Colorado bladed spinnerbait or a rattling
crankbait.
“Fish adapt to muddy water,” said Bill Dance, a legendary angler and
host of his own television show. “In stained water, I fish single-bladed black
spinnerbaits and wobbling crankbaits. Black holds its identity better than
any other color in muddy water. Make repeated casts to the same spot in
muddy water. The fish hears the sound and starts looking for the source of
that sound.”
Although the lake contains some stumps and standing timber, rocks
create the dominant largemouth cover. People often fish rock piles off the
ends of points, especially where a point juts into a creek channel.
“Any point with shallow sloping water on one side that drops rapidly
into deep water on the other side, is a high percentage point,” Dance said.
“Fish instinctively use channels to migrate to feeding areas and spawning
areas. A channel point combines an underwater highway that draws fish
and an extended point that offers fish access to deep or shallow water.”
Sometimes, fish hold on the shallow side of a point. At other times,
bass prefer the deep water, perhaps 20 to 30 feet. Often, people make the
mistake of only fishing a point from the deep side, throwing toward shallow
water. Lures thrown in deep water and pulled up the slope toward the
shallows stay in the strike zone longer.
“Establishing the right depth is the key to fishing points,” Dance said.
“People could fish the best lures in the world, but if they fish in the wrong
place, they won’t catch anything. When I approach a point, I use a series of
fan casts to establish a depth. A point with a fast drop is always going to be
the most productive point.”
Greer’s Ferry contains very little grass. To enhance spawning and
fishing, biologists planted vegetation on some muddy flats and surrounded
these patches with cages to keep things from eating the grass.
For booking trips, call Cauley at (501) 654-2008 or (501) 940-1318.
On the Internet, see greersferry.com/members/fishfinder.
of the Ozark Mountains, Greers Ferry Lake contains populations of every
species of game fish available in Arkansas.
The lake produced two current state records and one world record.
Jerald C. Shaum landed a 27-pound, 5-ounce hybrid striped bass on April
24, 1997. Clark Stevenson caught an 11-pound, 5-ounce lake trout on
Dec. 15, 1997. Al Nelson caught the world record walleye, a 22-pound, 11-
ounce fish, on March 12, 1982. Impounded in 1964, the lake also produces
good catches of catfish, white bass, crappie and various bream species. In
the Little Red River tailrace below the dam, anglers catch rainbow, brown,
brook and cutthroat trout. However, bass often take the focus of local
anglers.
“Greer’s Ferry is fair for largemouths and occasionally produces a
big fish, but it’s pretty good for smallmouths and spotted bass,” said Carl
Perrin, an Arkansas Game and Fisheries Commission biologist in
Mayflower. “It produced a few 14-pound largemouths and at least one 15-
pounder that I know about. We stocked Florida bass into the lake years
ago. The biggest smallmouth probably weighs about 5 pounds. The
biggest spotted bass would be in the 4- to 5-pound range.”
Fed by three rivers and numerous creeks, the 40,000-acre lake
offers anglers plenty of deep water and about 460 miles of shorelines. A
deep and clear highland reservoir with a maximum depth of 190 feet,
Greers Ferry actually resembles two lakes. The deeper lower lake around
Heber Springs looks like a huge inverted “V” with plenty of tributaries
feeding it. “The Narrows,” a river-like channel, connects the upper and
lower halves of the lake. The upper lake near Fairfield Bay looks more
riverine with channels cutting through rocky bluffs and hills.
“Largemouth bass fishing is getting better,” said Tommy Cauley of
Fish Finder Guide Service in Bee Branch, Ark. “In a tournament, a good
five-fish stringer will weigh about 20 pounds. The lunker will be in the 4- to
8-pound range. I caught a 10.4-pounder on a Wiggle Wart in the spring of
2005. In the past 10 years, the water clarity has gone down hill as the lake
gets more fertile, but that’s good for fish.”
Stained water actually helps largemouth bass fishing on the lake.
Bass become spooky in very clear water. In stained water, bass hold tight
to cover, ambushing any prey that passes too close. Throw baits that
thump and rattle such as a large Colorado bladed spinnerbait or a rattling
crankbait.
“Fish adapt to muddy water,” said Bill Dance, a legendary angler and
host of his own television show. “In stained water, I fish single-bladed black
spinnerbaits and wobbling crankbaits. Black holds its identity better than
any other color in muddy water. Make repeated casts to the same spot in
muddy water. The fish hears the sound and starts looking for the source of
that sound.”
Although the lake contains some stumps and standing timber, rocks
create the dominant largemouth cover. People often fish rock piles off the
ends of points, especially where a point juts into a creek channel.
“Any point with shallow sloping water on one side that drops rapidly
into deep water on the other side, is a high percentage point,” Dance said.
“Fish instinctively use channels to migrate to feeding areas and spawning
areas. A channel point combines an underwater highway that draws fish
and an extended point that offers fish access to deep or shallow water.”
Sometimes, fish hold on the shallow side of a point. At other times,
bass prefer the deep water, perhaps 20 to 30 feet. Often, people make the
mistake of only fishing a point from the deep side, throwing toward shallow
water. Lures thrown in deep water and pulled up the slope toward the
shallows stay in the strike zone longer.
“Establishing the right depth is the key to fishing points,” Dance said.
“People could fish the best lures in the world, but if they fish in the wrong
place, they won’t catch anything. When I approach a point, I use a series of
fan casts to establish a depth. A point with a fast drop is always going to be
the most productive point.”
Greer’s Ferry contains very little grass. To enhance spawning and
fishing, biologists planted vegetation on some muddy flats and surrounded
these patches with cages to keep things from eating the grass.
For booking trips, call Cauley at (501) 654-2008 or (501) 940-1318.
On the Internet, see greersferry.com/members/fishfinder.