Cody Smith

Greers Ferry Lake is currently sitting at 460.3 ft above msl., which is a foot lower than normal pool of 461.3 ft.. Water temperatures are currently ranging from the low to mid 40's up to 49.5 degrees in the main basin of the lake. The (main) south basin, is holding the warmest temperatures and the most productive fishing. The warmest of the cold water is found on the edge of the main river channel and the fish are locating themselves relevant to these areas. All major and minor feeder arms of the reservoir are cooler and void of active fish. There are however, small pods of bait hugging close to structure within these arms. I'm sure depending on time of day there are gamefish moving in and out of the main channels to take advantage of this forage, however I have yet to have any real sucess fishing these location's. Fishing during February will be much dependant on the weather and condition's we experience during this month. February marks the beginning of the walleye runs that will occur on into the spring and ending in April. Prespawn eyes will begin there move up the arms of the Little Red River when water temps start on a rising trend. Once water temps stabilize in the mid to upper 40's and warmer water once again starts to fill the reservoir from the main and minor feeder arms look for an active prespawn bite in 18 - 32 feet of water. Large minnows on Light jigs and light line are a must. Be sure and contact Fairfield Bay Marina to join in on the World Walleye Classic which is a month long tournament held annually here on our fine reservoir. There will be weekly prizes and a grand prize for the largest walleye caught and weighed during the tournament. Now, for all you bass fisherman, February will fish very similar to the summer pattern. Points, Ledges and the old river channel will be your best bet for locating active fish. Watch your graph carefully for tightly schooled bass in and around these location's. Stick Bait's and finesse tactic's,ie. Light Jigs, Tubes, Drop Shot rigs, Shakey Head presentation's, combined will be the winning ways. Tournament anglers will be on the water by the end of the month and will continue throguhout the summer. Our hybrids and whites will start making appearances with the warming water as well. Main Lake points and the mouth's of feeder creeks with rock and timber will be hot spot's when we have had a few warming days in a row. March and April we will see a HUGE influx with these two species, more on that next month (set your guide dates now for the best action of the year). For now, Stick with the Main Lake areas until you see water temperatures swap, Meaning once the water temps start to increase the further up the arms you go it's time to get shallow and stay there. All of this is weather dependant. If we have a cooler than average February look back at the forecast for January to dictate where you fish. One thing that myself and the other local guides agree on is 52 degrees is the magic temperature to spur all of the great fishing that is possible here on Greers Ferry. Once we hit this magic number you will be able to score big on all species we have to offer. Once the water gets into the mid 50's the shad will start moving back in the creeks and feeder arms and all of the gamefish will follow. This generally does not happen until March, so we will save it for next time! Good Luck out there and if you have any question's or would like to book a date here on Greers Ferry or The Little Red River, please contact me and I will get with you as soon as I'm off the water. See ya Later Ducks and Hello Walleye~

Water temperatures on the Main Lake are 48.5 - 49.5 degrees, partly up some of the creeks water temps fall off to 45- 46 degrees. There was a small amount of baitfish up a select few of the arms, Rocky Branch and Drip Creek. However not much action seen by gamefish up these arms. All of my bites came on ledges just off the main channel and drops off of sheer banks. Depths of 15 to 32 feet. Finesse fishing produced all of the action. Light line and light tackle was the ticket. Some nice LM's and Spot's where boated on the windy side of these location's. Speaking of the wind, it was howling across the main section of the lake producing some nice 3 footers. Fished jerk bait's, cranks and spoons which resulted in nothing. Slow presentation and sticking with the schools once you located one was the only way to boat a mess. There are definately some nice fish to be caught, it's just slow right now with my artificial's. Good Luck out there and Be Carefull on the water~

" i like to travel as light as possible" Traveling light is the only way to FLY~

the Fireline is great, Sensitivity is amazing, when they say you can feel a fish swim by your bait they where not lying! Jerkbait's, Topwaters, Cranks, Swimbait's perfect for all of these situation's. Word to the wise though, if your going to fish it on the bottom, Make sure you use a mono or fluoro leader to prevent breakoffs. Take a piece of it and just run it over a rock a few times....... Not Good, I quit fishing it on all my Jigs, drops, rigs, and shakey head set ups.

Hello All and Happy New Year! I've been chasing those ducks here as of late and have not been on Greers much since the first of December. Water temps are as suspected, upper 40's to the lower 50's. All the action was found on ledges and points in and around the main lake. Water depths of 14 - 28 feet produced best when coupled with the main river channel. In a short trip this past saturday the spotted bass where by far the most aggresive and willing to participate. I did boat one nice largemouth of 4lbs. and a short smallie, the rest where kentuckies. Light tackle and a slow presentation was the key. All my fish where boated with a shakey head presentation, I could not get bit by any other method. Windy sides of the main lake produced all the fish with the exception of 2 fish that where located in 32 feet of water just inside a small pocket off the main lake, water temps where key here 54 degrees in this location. The largest of the kentuckies was boated here with 3 other shorts. It seemed if you found one taker you could patrol the area and pick off a few more. Once 3 or 4 where caught it was time to move on. We currently have a strong cold front passing through, with light winds adjoinging this front I would not suspect the water temps to fall much if any. We have been fortunate so far to keep surface temps in the 50's this will keep the fish feeding throughout the day. Once surface temps reach below 50 degrees it's going to be work to boat a limit. Enjoy it while the getting is good and I'll keep you up to date with my findings, Duck season ends the 25th of January and I'll be back full time. Please let me know if you have any question's regarding this report or would like to set a date on the water. Catch`em All!

Just thought I would give a brief update on the river..... Water temps are scary high right now and the DO levels are not too good. However, fishing and catching is great. Lot's of fish in the river and the lowest water levels we have had around here in quite awhile. It was very nice to actually fish some dries with the water on the bottom. Produced several great fish on all the standards; Cracklebacks, Gnats, Midges, and Adams, All with standard grizzly or olive grizzly hackles (Sizes 16 - 20). BTW The trees are peaking and have not started to clog the river with leaves yet. If your going to get out there now is the time. Good Luck and we'll see ya on the river~

Just thought I would give a brief update on the river..... Water temps are scary high right now and the DO levels are not too good. However, fishing and catching is great. Lot's of fish in the river and the lowest water levels we have had around here in quite awhile. It was very nice to actually fish some dries with the water on the bottom. Produced several great fish on all the standards; Cracklebacks, Gnats, Midges, and Adams, All with standard grizzly or olive grizzly hackles (Sizes 16 - 20). BTW The trees are peaking and have not started to clog the river with leaves yet. If your going to get out there now is the time. Good Luck and we'll see ya on the river~

Greers Ferry is currently at 461.89 feet above MSL. Lake levels have been sucessfully drawn down to normal power pool after heavy rains in the months of September and October. Look for the power house to continue dropping lake levels down to the upper 450 range. This will be the preferred maximum through our winter months. Water temps where actually above average for the month of October. Ranging from 70 - 76 degrees, this in turn pushed the major feeding activity back a few weeks for most all species. During the month of November look for water temps to fall into the mid to upper 50's by the end of the month. Forecasters are calling for a much cooler than normal year this fall and it's going to have to come quick to get these water temps down. Once water temps reach the mid 60's there will be a tremendous bite going on most all major game fish species. The bite should continue unabated until water temps get down in the 50's. Large schools of shad are currently up main feeder arms of the lake on the north basin. Wads of bait that contain numbers upwards of 1000 minnows in each school. Most of the bait is in the 3 - 4 inch range and this should be taken into consideration when pursuing your quarry. With this being said, most of the smaller bait fish in the 1 - 2 inch range are still staging out off of main lake flats and points. The hybrids and white bass are rounding them up and feeding heavily. Although the bite is really just beginning there has not been as much activity as in years past. I really feel there is so many bait fish present that the hybrids and whites truely are not having to work as hard as in years past to feed. This trend may or may not continue into late fall. Some days the fish are really pushing to the top and others they seem very scattered and difficult to target. One thing is certain, you have to be on the water to keep a hook wet and have any chance at all. Through the month of November target areas in 25 - 60 feet of water and keep an eye out for surfacing. Three and four inch grubs fished on a 1/4 oz. head will produce. Swimbait's, Rat-L-Traps and Spoons will also produce fish, although not as consistantly as the Action Bait Grubs. Spotted and Smallmouth bass fishing has been excellent. These fish are schooling most everyday and are holding around Road Beds, Points and mid to shallow flats where bait fish are present. A variety of mehtods are producing fish; 3 and 4 inch Grubs, Flukes, Small Crankbaits, Shakey Head's with Zoom 6 inch finesse worms, Strike King Bitsy bugs with Net Bait Trailers and carolina rigs to name a few. I would expect the bite to get even better with current and water temps falling. My clients and myself have caught them from 3 feet of water down to 26 feet depending on the weather and sunlight. Once the water temps really back off towards the end of the month start looking deeper and resort back to your main lake points and ledges. Largemouth are following the receeding water and are staging in most of the creeks right on the breaks and just outside of the once flooded cover. Secondary points should not be overlooked as well. The walleye are scattered and continue to be tuff. The water levels coming down will help position them on rocky points and gravel banks with wood around 16 - 24 feet deep. Crawlers and Minnows fished on a 1/16 oz or 1/8 oz. jig head always produce best. Also keep an eye out for them below the schools of bait heared by the whites and hybrids. There are always a few to be caught beneath these schools but you have to get down below the other gamefish. The walleye are pretty much playing cleanup eating injured or dying bait from the other fish. Catfishing should continue to be good on trotlines and jugs in 7 - 18 feet of water on creek and channel bends with deep water near by. Live Sunfish and Liver are best when pursuing our whiskered friends. If you have any question's regarding our fine reservoir or the Little Red River please contact me and I'll get back to you as soon as possible. Fall is one of the best time's to be on the water, If you would like to set a date please contact me and I will get you on fish!

What won the tourney?

I've been on the water alot lately with clients and sneaking off to the deer woods when I can. Here is a brief rundown on the lake~ I've fished from Middle fork to Peter Creek, Water temps are ranging from 71 - 76 degrees depending on time of day. Lot's of shad up Middle fork and schooling fish here and there. Pretty easy pickings for smaller spots and whites. The hybrids are not going great yet. Certainly going to be later this year, just like all year a little higher water and everything has been about 2 or 3 weeks behind since March. I am seeing this trend continue into our fall fishing. Find the bait and you will find the bite's. Good Luck, I'll post a more detailed report in the coming days.

Always enjoy your posts. Very nice read~

Greers Ferry is currently 467 feet above msl. Water temperatures are ranging from 77 - 83 degrees. Temps and water levels have come up and plained off since our most recent rain showers. Fish can be caught from 22 feet deep on the ledges and drops up to 2 feet of water in the bush's. Over the last couple of days I have seen a push with the larger fish coming shallower. Yesterday we got bit in the 7 - 10 foot range in and around newly flooded bush's. Swim Bait's and Jig's produced all the fish. Ton's of bait are moving shallower mid-way back creeks and along pockets of water on the main lake. I would expect in the next week or so larger concentration's of fish moving towards the backs of the main creeks and tribs. Don't overlook main lake points and ledges just yet. There are still some really nice fish holding in these location's. HUGE schools of small spotted bass are cruising and feeding heavily on bait in and around the bush's. If you want to catch a boat load of smaller fish, down size your lure and keep casting around visible structure. There has not been alot of hybrid and white action yet, However anyday the bite could really kick into gear and I'm sure somewhere on the lake there already going. I'll be back on the water soon and I'll report what I find. Good Luck, some of the best fishing is on the horizon.

Sorry for the lack of reports guys an gals, I took a really bad fall in one of my deer stands a few weeks back. That has been something to work through, all is well now and I'm back on the water. On with the report........... I hit the water yesterday in all the leftover rain from Gustav and fishing was really pretty good, all things considered. The water has come up over 5.5 feet in the last 48 hours from our recent rains that topped over 8 inches with another 2 day period. The reservoir is still relatively clear and present water levels are 466.9 feet above msl. Surface Water temperatures are ranging from 72 degrees in the backs of creeks to 81 degrees in a couple of hot spots. These are really cool ranges for this time of year, typically we would still be around 85 degrees. My main concentration was on the smallies. I boated 18 fish in less than 3.5 hours of fishing, 4 of which where really chunky nice fish of 15"'s or better. Several nits and there where also some spots that got mixed into the bunch. By far the most active fish are still on Points and ledges in the 12 - 18 foot range. I did boat a few fish up the creeks and around bush's but the largest and most active fish where definately on the drops. Jig and Chunk combo's, Swarming Hornets and Jigging Spoons produced, however the best lure for yesterday was the ole shakey head with a 7" finesse worm in watermelon. With the water temperature's still on a pretty good falling trend the Hybrids and Whites will be cranking into full gear before to long, I can hardly wait. Some can be finessed into biting now early and late, however before to long we should see good long periods of consistant fishing. I'll be back on the water soon and will report my findings. Good Luck and Be Safe out there!

Sorry for the lack of reports guys an gals, I took a really bad fall in one of my deer stands a few weeks back. That has been something to work through, all is well now and I'm back on the water. On with the report........... I hit the water yesterday in all the leftover rain from Gustav and fishing was really pretty good, all things considered. The water has come up over 5.5 feet in the last 48 hours from our recent rains that topped over 8 inches with another 2 day period. The reservoir is still relatively clear and present water levels are 466.9 feet above msl. Surface Water temperatures are ranging from 72 degrees in the backs of creeks to 81 degrees in a couple of hot spots. These are really cool ranges for this time of year, typically we would still be around 85 degrees. My main concentration was on the smallies. I boated 18 fish in less than 3.5 hours of fishing, 4 of which where really chunky nice fish of 15"'s or better. Several nits and there where also some spots that got mixed into the bunch. By far the most active fish are still on Points and ledges in the 12 - 18 foot range. I did boat a few fish up the creeks and around bush's but the largest and most active fish where definately on the drops. Jig and Chunk combo's, Swarming Hornets and Jigging Spoons produced, however the best lure for yesterday was the ole shakey head with a 7" finesse worm in watermelon. With the water temperature's still on a pretty good falling trend the Hybrids and Whites will be cranking into full gear before to long, I can hardly wait. Some can be finessed into biting now early and late, however before to long we should see good long periods of consistant fishing. I'll be back on the water soon and will report my findings. Good Luck and Be Safe out there!

Sorry for the lack of reports guys an gals, I took a really bad fall in one of my deer stands a few weeks back. That has been something to work through, all is well now and I'm back on the water. On with the report........... I hit the water yesterday in all the leftover rain from Gustav and fishing was really pretty good, all things considered. The water has come up over 5.5 feet in the last 48 hours from our recent rains that topped over 8 inches with another 2 day period. The reservoir is still relatively clear and present water levels are 466.9 feet above msl. Surface Water temperatures are ranging from 72 degrees in the backs of creeks to 81 degrees in a couple of hot spots. These are really cool ranges for this time of year, typically we would still be around 85 degrees. My main concentration was on the smallies. I boated 18 fish in less than 3.5 hours of fishing, 4 of which where really chunky nice fish of 15"'s or better. Several nits and there where also some spots that got mixed into the bunch. By far the most active fish are still on Points and ledges in the 12 - 18 foot range. I did boat a few fish up the creeks and around bush's but the largest and most active fish where definately on the drops. Jig and Chunk combo's, Swarming Hornets and Jigging Spoons produced, however the best lure for yesterday was the ole shakey head with a 7" finesse worm in watermelon. With the water temperature's still on a pretty good falling trend the Hybrids and Whites will be cranking into full gear before to long, I can hardly wait. Some can be finessed into biting now early and late, however before to long we should see good long periods of consistant fishing. I'll be back on the water soon and will report my findings. Good Luck and Be Safe out there!

Depending on the size of the WB's you could fish all of the flies you purchased under an indicator on a DEAD DRIFT. BTW this is the most important factor when fishing with the fly rod. I would suggest doing all the research you can to understand and present your fly on a dead drift. However, all the research in the world is not going to make you have a perfect drift. As far as, how far to set your indicator, you will want to fish all of your flies on the bottom. They should be barely touching or slighlty above the moss and rocks. If your not catching fish it's a simple fact your not presenting your fly on a dead drift or your not getting it down. For most of the shoals and areas you can wade into around here, put your indicator about 3 1/2 feet above your fly. With good current your indicator needs to be twice the depth of the water your fishing to get the fly down to an effective range. Good Luck~

Boat for the Camper would be a superb sacrifice..... IMO the river definately fishes better from a boat simply b/c your covering new water or "good runs" a couple of times. Lobo would be a good section to fish from Libby Shoal down to Mossy. You can locate this section on any river map. This area holds great opportunity for both larger brown's and lots o` bows. Easy to navigate and you should be able to figure it out rather quickly~

Will you have access to a boat?

I took my tire guy out yesterday for a morning trip. We had 13 doubles and landed WELL over 50 fish in a few hours. #14 and #16 BH Sow Bug ~ Tan and Grey, BH Pink San Juan #16, #16 Zebra Midge and a #2 Deena (my version) where the homerun hitters. Largest Fish was just over 20"'s landed by myself and my partner landed another brown close to 18"'s. We simply killed it! FANTASTIC FISHING~

Since some will research this as an archived file for future use. I must say that I am a big fan of my Bolle's. I own 2 different pair with different tented lenses for different situation's. I must say that there lower end line which is H2O optics, are very nice for the price of less than $80.00.

Got to the park around 8:30, Fishing was pretty constant. 23 to Hand with no Bigun's to shout about. #14 BH San Juan in Cerise was best. Fished a few zebra's and got a couple of takes but with the water so murky, seemed the larger fly in bright colors was the way to go~

Got to the park around 8:30, Fishing was pretty constant. 23 to Hand with no Bigun's to shout about. #14 BH San Juan in Cerise was best. Fished a few zebra's and got a couple of takes but with the water so murky, seemed the larger fly in bright colors was the way to go~

Phill, I am your man! Shoot me over a PM or an e-mail and we can talk details, or pick up the phone and give me a shout 501.362.9958

Hybrids, Smallies and Spots; Been catching them good here on Greers for a couple of weeks on the C & C Spoons~

Greers Ferry Lake is currently at 465 ft. above msl. That's right, Only four more feet to go and we are back at normal summer pool of 461.44. With the lake dropping at 2 - 5 inches a day we should be at the target stage by the middle of August with moderate rain forecasted. Mother nature has been very giving this year with the sustained high water we have had since the first of March. Now, Greers Ferry is back down, however the rest of the white river impoundments are still within 6 feet of Top of flood pool. Forecasted dates for the other impoundments to reach normal pool levels are pushing into later November. Water temperatures are ranging from 87 - 92 degrees depending on time of day, wind, rain, and the area of the reservoir you are located. On with the forecast..... August is the begining and end to many things. One of which is the end of the warmest average temperatures we see throughout the year. August 16th marks the last day of 92 degree avg. temperatures here. After this point we typically start falling back off a degree or two until September arrives with some much more comfortable temperature trends moving in. Throughout the month of August you must pick and choose wisely on time of day in which to pursue your quarry. No matter what species you are after, Baitfish should be your #1 objective. Once you have located the bait your target species will be close by. When coming to fish Greers in August, start your seach on Main Lake Points with good drops and ledges located on or adjacet to these points. You will find that the best location's are points and humps that have water from 8 - 26 feet on top and the ole river channel hugging the outside edge. A good topo or Navionics Card will undoubtly reward you with these special "spot on a spot" locals. Sure you will find a few scragglers hanging around bush's and shallow cover but if you want to catch fish consistantly you must concentrate on specific areas that harbor bait and have the relief of deeper cooler water nearby. Now with all this being said the smallmouth bite has been superb for this time of year. Some really fat 14 - 17 inch fish are feeding aggresively in the mornings and better yet in the evenings. You will have the best luck on Shaky Head's with 6" finesse worms (Gambler and Zoom) and Strike King's Bitsy Bug's in 1/8 oz and 3/16 oz sizes when paired with a good chunk like the small Paca Chunk by Net bait. Fish these bait's when waiting on time of day to play into your favor. Once the fish turn on you will also produce on small profile medium running cranks. My personal favorite is the Bill Norman series. The Spot's are hanging right on the drop off's compared to the Smallies that are staging on top of the points and flat's. Once again it's all about the bait. The Largemouth have been scattered and you will catch a couple scattered in and around these location's. However, if your after the LM's I have found that mid creek points with channel swings are more productive than the main lake location's for this individual species. The Hybrids are on and off from day to day. I have had the best luck when the fish are surfacing on small jerk baits, both hard and soft, rather than strict topwater action. When they are down, Large 1/4 - 1/2 oz jigging spoons or 1/4 4" grubs will catch a few. Fish fast and cover alot of water when searching for the pods of fish. Some nights and morning's have been producing up to 20 hybrids within your window of oppurtunity. You have about 30 minutes and up to one hour to get on them good and then your done. There have been some white's mixed in with them that are taking the same offerings. Walleye are going to be in the same location's, Jig and Minnow or Crawlers cannot be beat. Fish for them right on top of the drops from 12 - 35 feet deep. Folks, I can't say it enough, Main Lake point's, some better than others, is where your going to catch`em right now through the first part of September. When you locate and catch a fish or two, don't move more than 100 yards fish it thouroughly and then fish it again. Stick with it and be confident that it's only time you need. You can and will produce if you hang in there. Well, September should kick off some better action as the water temps start to cool. I'll be on the water and reporting the action throughout the month. If you have any question's regarding our reservoir or river please e-mail me and I'll be happy to answer any of them you have. BTW, I'll be at Bass Pro Shops (Memphis) for the Fall classic. Come by and Say hello! Dates are available through August and I am booking now for the fall Brown Trout Spawn on the Little Red River. smittyc888@hotmail.com or 501.362.9958 Cody S. Smith / Trout Troller Guide Service / Greers Ferry Lake and The Little Red River