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Bull Shoals Lake Fishing Report

Updated Fri, Sep 4, 2026 from live gauge and weather data

Deep, clear and quiet: Bull Shoals hides 45,000 acres of Ozark bass water behind one of the South’s great trout tailwaters.

2/5
Slow. Work for them.Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing.
Water temp
~84 F est.
Air / High
100 / 101 F
Wind
ESE 6 mph

Sources: USGS gauge 07053820, Open-Meteo, solunar calculated for these coordinates.

Satellite view
Friday
4
September 2026

Today's Fishing Report

Generated this morning from live readings: gauge, weather model, sun and moon. A fresh report is published here every morning.

2/5Slow. Work for them.Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing.

Bull Shoals Lake serves up more heat: the productive hours are the dim ones. Today brings clear skies, wind ESE around 6 mph, steady pressure near 1012 hPa and a high of 101. Water sits around 84 F for the season (estimated). With the last quarter, the solunar majors run 5:39 AM-7:39 AM and 5:39 PM-7:39 PM: plan around them and beat the heat.

The plan, species by species

Catfish (blue, channel)Good

Anchor on 20-30 ft baited holes with punch bait or cut shad. They keep biting through the heat when everything else quits.

Largemouth bassFair

Topwater at first light on points and seawalls, then slide out to 12-25 ft brush and points with a Carolina rig, deep crank or drop shot. The bite is dawn, dusk or deep.

White bassFair

Early schooling action over humps; slabs and small spinners under the birds.

CrappieSlow

Straight down on bridge pilings and deep brush at 15-25 ft. Minnows outfish jigs in hot water; move until the graph shows them stacked.

Tomorrow: Similar at 103 F. The solunar majors shift about 50 minutes later.Next report: Sat, Sep 5, 6:30 AMHow this report is made →

Water and weather

Live readings from Lake Taneycomo at Ozark Beach Dam, MO.

No live gauge on this water

Conditions here are modeled from weather, season and the nearest stations. Water readings appear when a USGS gauge is available.

5060708090JanMarMayJulSepNovSep, ~84 F now

Right now

Latest readings

Air temp100 F
High / Low101 / 75 F
WindESE 6-8 mph
Pressure1011.7 hPa, steady
Sky / Rain12% cloud, 1%
Sunrise / Sunset06:45 / 19:35
MoonLast Quarter, 50%
Water temp (seasonal)~84 F est.

Bite planner

Hour-by-hour bite forecast for today. Tap a bar to see why.

5 AM8 AM11 AM2 PM5 PM8 PMsunrisesunset

Next 7 days

Tap a day for the detailed outlook.

Fri Sep 4 · Partly cloudy, 101/75 F, wind 7 mph, rain 1%

Slow. 101 F: be on the water at dawn and off by mid-morning, or fish after dark.

Species guide

The species that matter on Bull Shoals Lake: seasons, structure and how to fish each one. Today's ratings live in the report above.

Largemouth bass illustration

Largemouth bass

Best: spring and fall

The headline act on most American reservoirs. Relates to cover: docks, brush, grass edges and points. Topwater at first light on points and seawalls, then slide out to 12-25 ft brush and points with a Carolina rig, deep crank or drop shot. The bite is dawn, dusk or deep.

Crappie illustration

Crappie

Best: Nov-Mar

Brush piles, bridge pilings and standing timber. The fish fry favorite. Straight down on bridge pilings and deep brush at 15-25 ft. Minnows outfish jigs in hot water; move until the graph shows them stacked.

Catfish (blue, channel) illustration

Catfish (blue, channel)

Good year-round

The most reliable bite on most southern waters. Blues run big; channels fill the cooler. Anchor on 20-30 ft baited holes with punch bait or cut shad. They keep biting through the heat when everything else quits.

White bass illustration

White bass

Best: Mar-May run

River-run spawners and open-water schoolers. Fast limits when you find them. Early schooling action over humps; slabs and small spinners under the birds.

When to come: the Bull Shoals Lake calendar

Activity by species and month, and how the water warms through the year. Tap any cell.

Species activity by month

1 = slow, 5 = peak. Current month highlighted.

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Largemouth bass
Crappie
Catfish (blue, channel)
White bass
SlowPeak

Water temperature through the year

Typical surface temperature for this water type; today is around 84 F (estimated, not a reading).

5060708090JanMarMayJulSepNovSep, ~84 F now

Angler reports

Real reports from real anglers, reviewed before publishing. The water log below tracks each day automatically.

No angler reports yet this weekBe the first: your report helps every angler who checks Bull Shoals Lake today, and we feature the best catch of the week.

Water log, last days

Auto-logged from live data
Thu, Sep 3

2/5 Slow. Work for them. Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing. Catfish (blue, channel) led the card at good. High of 98 F, wind to 9 mph.

Wed, Sep 2

2/5 Slow. Work for them. Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing. Catfish (blue, channel) led the card at good. High of 99 F, wind to 7 mph.

Tue, Sep 1

2/5 Slow. Work for them. Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing. Catfish (blue, channel) led the card at good. High of 98 F, wind to 7 mph.

Where roughly, what depth, what bait. Skip anything you want to keep secret.
Only used to send you this water's report each week. No spam, ever.

Before you go

License

Arkansas requires a valid fishing license for adults. Buy online from the state agency; one-day options exist for visitors.

Regulations

Arkansas or Missouri license depending on the section: reciprocal rules apply in parts. Black bass limits vary by state: check AGFC and MDC current regulations.

Access

Bull Shoals-White River State Park, Lakeview, Oakland, Theodosia and Highway 125 ramps; marinas around the lake.

About this water

A 45,000-acre Corps reservoir on the White River spanning Marion and Baxter counties, Arkansas, into southern Missouri.

Fishing Bull Shoals Lake: the full guide

The big Ozark lake

Bull Shoals floods 45,000 acres of the White River valley across the Arkansas-Missouri line, with 1,000 miles of shoreline and water clear enough to see structure 20 feet down. It is a bass lake first: largemouth, smallmouth and spotted bass on the endless gravel points and bluff ends: with white bass schooling the open water, crappie in the brush and walleye running the upper river arms in late winter. Below the dam, the White River becomes one of America’s premier trout tailwaters.

Clear-water bass work

Depth and clarity drive everything: fish relate to the thermocline and follow shad, so electronics matter. Spring pushes bass into the pea-gravel spawning flats and brushy pockets; summer sends them 20-35 feet on main-lake points and humps where drop-shots, spoons and deep crankbaits produce; fall brings them back shallow chasing shad into the creek arms. Smallmouth work the rocky bluffs year-round: a jerkbait in February is a legitimate trophy tactic.

Walleye and whites

Walleye run the upper White and Little North Fork arms in February and March: jigs and minnows in the current where the river enters the lake, producing the year’s best eating fish. White bass follow the same routes and then school the main lake through summer, blowing up on shad at dawn. Crappie hold the sunken timber and planted brush: 15-25 feet through most of the year.

Access and the tailwater

Corps ramps and marinas ring the lake: Bull Shoals-White River State Park, Lakeview, Oakland and Theodosia among many. The state park at the dam gives access to both the lake and the trout tailwater, where cold releases hold rainbows and brown trout past twenty pounds. Water levels swing seasonally with flood control: check current elevations, because ramps and structure change with them.

Common questions

Is the fishing pressure heavy?

Far lighter than Table Rock: the lake is enormous, deep and mostly undeveloped shoreline, so boats spread out even on holiday weekends.

When do walleye run?

Late February into March in the upper river arms: jigs and live minnows where current meets the lake.

Should I fish the tailwater too?

Yes: the White River below the dam is a world-class trout fishery with trophy browns. Many trips split days between the two.

Is fishing good at Bull Shoals Lake right now?

Check the daily report at the top of this page: it is regenerated every morning from live data. Today's read: Slow. Work for them. Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing.

Nearby waters

Lake Taneycomo19 miTable Rock Lake29 miNorfork Lake38 miBuffalo River38 miBeaver Lake57 miGreers Ferry Lake79 mi
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