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Greers Ferry Lake Fishing Report

Updated Fri, Oct 23, 2026 from live gauge and weather data

Greers Ferry Lake: 31,500 Corps acres, a walleye record from 1982 and the Little Red River tailwater below the dam.

4/5
Good. Solid day ahead.Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up.
Flow
2 cfs
Air / High
78 / 78 F
Wind
ESE 4 mph

Sources: USGS gauge 07075000, Open-Meteo, solunar calculated for these coordinates.

Satellite view
Friday
23
October 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.

4/5Good. Solid day ahead.Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up.

Greers Ferry Lake offers the kind of conditions this water was made for. The main inflow is running 2 cfs, falling. Today brings clear skies, wind ESE around 4 mph, falling pressure near 1021 hPa and a high of 78. Water sits around 74 F for the season (estimated). With the waxing gibbous, the solunar majors run 9:45 AM-11:45 AM and 10:13 PM-12:13 AM: the windows to build the day around.

The plan, species by species

Catfish (blue, channel)Excellent

Spawning season from late May into summer: Iowa DNR suggests drifting bait under a float along riprap and snags where males guard nests in cavities.

WalleyeExcellent

Summer pattern: nightcrawlers and leeches on rigs or jigs near bottom, trolled crankbaits to find scattered fish, and the shallows after dark in clear lakes.

Brown troutExcellent

Upper end of the range: fish dawn, dusk, night or cloudy days, with terrestrial flies along the banks and streamers through the deeper runs.

Hybrid striped bassGood

Look for shad on flats with timber near creek channels and on windblown points; cast jigs and swimbaits where fish break the surface.

CrappieGood

Early in this band crappie are spawning in protected coves; afterward they move to docks, brush piles and standing timber near deeper water.

White bassGood

Summer and early fall schooling season over open water; follow the shad, and try live bait on the bottom at night.

Tomorrow: Similar at 82 F. The solunar majors shift about 50 minutes later.Next report: Sat, Oct 24, 6:30 AMHow this report is made β†’

Before you go

Arkansas requires a fishing licence from age 16, from $10.50 for residents. What a Arkansas licence costs and where to buy it β†’

Chasing hybrid striped bass here? Check the size and bag limits with AGFC before you keep anything. The season dates for Arkansas, read off the agency, are on the Arkansas seasons page.

Water and weather

Live readings from Middle Fork of Little Red River at Shirley, AR (inflow).

Flow, last 30 days

USGS gauge 07075000.

1222 cfs09/2310/0310/1310/23

Right now

Latest readings

Air temp78 F
High / Low78 / 47 F
WindESE 4-5 mph
Pressure1020.7 hPa, falling
Sky / Rain0% cloud, 0%
Sunrise / Sunset07:22 / 18:23
MoonWaxing Gibbous, 91%
Water temp (gauge)63 F USGS
Water temp (seasonal)~74 F est.

Bite planner

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

5 AM8 AM11 AM2 PM5 PM8 PMsunrisesunsetPRIMEPRIME

Which day to fish Greers Ferry Lake this week

Today is the pick of the week on Greers Ferry Lake, at 4 out of 5.

Best day this week: today, Oct 23 β€” good at 4/5, falling pressure, usually the best window of a week.

Today, Oct 23 β€” Good

Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up.

Solunar majors
9:45 AM-11:45 AM and 10:13 PM-12:13 AM
Minor period
4:07 AM-5:07 AM
Sun
07:22 to 18:23
Moon
Waxing Gibbous, 91% lit
Sky and wind
Clear, 6 mph
Rain chance
0%

Forecast-based scores, less reliable further out: how the score is built.

Species guide

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

Hybrid striped bass illustration

Hybrid striped bass

Best: the spring shad spawn and fall; summer at dawn and dusk

A hatchery cross of striped bass and white bass, also called wiper or palmetto bass, stocked by state agencies into reservoirs and rivers as a sport fish that also eats gizzard shad. Schools roam open water after shad. Look for shad on flats with timber near creek channels and on windblown points; cast jigs and swimbaits where fish break the surface.

Catfish (blue, channel) illustration

Catfish (blue, channel)

Year-round, best at dusk and after dark

Three big catfish share most of the country's rivers and reservoirs: the channel catfish, the most widespread; the blue catfish, the largest; and the flathead, which hunts live fish. All feed mostly on or near the bottom. Spawning season from late May into summer: Iowa DNR suggests drifting bait under a float along riprap and snags where males guard nests in cavities.

Crappie illustration

Crappie

Best: the spring spawn; summer around docks, brush and the thermocline

Two slab-sided panfish, the white crappie and the black crappie, that gather around submerged timber, brush piles, docks and bridge pilings in lakes, reservoirs and slow river backwaters. Texas Parks and Wildlife counts crappie as the state's most popular panfish. Early in this band crappie are spawning in protected coves; afterward they move to docks, brush piles and standing timber near deeper water.

White bass illustration

White bass

Best: the spring run up the tributaries, then summer surface schools

A silvery temperate bass of rivers and large reservoirs, also called sand bass, that schools in open water after shad and runs up tributaries to spawn in early spring. Summer and early fall schooling season over open water; follow the shad, and try live bait on the bottom at night.

Walleye illustration

Walleye

Best: spring and late fall, around dawn, dusk and night

A cool-water perch of large lakes, reservoirs and rivers whose reflective eyes are built for low light, so it feeds most at night and in murky water. The Missouri Department of Conservation ranks it among the continent's most important freshwater game fish. Summer pattern: nightcrawlers and leeches on rigs or jigs near bottom, trolled crankbaits to find scattered fish, and the shallows after dark in clear lakes.

Brown trout illustration

Brown trout

Spring along Great Lakes shorelines; low light and overcast days in rivers; fall spawning runs

A European trout first stocked in the US in 1883 and now fished in rivers and lakes nationwide; it tolerates warmer water than other trout, and mature stream fish feed mostly at night. Upper end of the range: fish dawn, dusk, night or cloudy days, with terrestrial flies along the banks and streamers through the deeper runs.

When to come: the Greers Ferry 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
Hybrid striped bass
Catfish (blue, channel)
Crappie
White bass
Walleye
Brown trout
SlowPeak

Water temperature through the year

Typical surface temperature for this water type; today is around 74 F (estimated, not a reading).

5060708090JanMarMayJulSepNovOct, ~74 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 Greers Ferry Lake today, and we feature the best catch of the week.

Water log, last days

Auto-logged from live data
Thu, Oct 22

3/5 Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day. Brown trout led the card at excellent. High of 81 F, wind to 6 mph.

Wed, Oct 21

4/5 Good. Solid day ahead. Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up. Catfish (blue, channel) led the card at excellent. High of 77 F, wind to 6 mph.

Tue, Oct 20

3/5 Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day. Brown trout led the card at excellent. High of 76 F, wind to 5 mph.

Where roughly, what depth, what bait. Skip anything you want to keep secret.
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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

AGFC 2026–27: walleye 16-in. minimum on the lake and tributaries; black bass 12 in.; smallmouth 6 a day; no white bass limit. Tailwater: 2 trout a day, both under 14 in.; trout permit required from 100 yards below the dam to the Hwy 305 bridge; no fishing within 100 yards of the dam.

Access

Corps parks with ramps include Cherokee, Choctaw, Cove Creek, Dam Site, Devils Fork, Heber Springs, Hill Creek, Mill Creek, Narrows, Old Highway 25, Shiloh and Sugar Loaf; John F. Kennedy Park is on the river below the dam. Some ramps charge a day-use fee.

About this water

Greers Ferry Lake, a Corps reservoir on the Little Red River dedicated in 1963, Cleburne and Van Buren counties, Arkansas.

Fishing Greers Ferry Lake: the full guide

The lake

The Corps' Little Rock District gives Greers Ferry Lake 31,500 surface acres, 272 miles of shoreline and a 243-foot dam, dedicated in 1963 by President John F. Kennedy. It lists 22 launch ramps and 9 privately run marinas, and says AGFC has stocked almost every game fish native to Arkansas in the lake: black bass, bream, white and black crappie, channel and flathead catfish, walleye, white bass and hybrid striped bass.

Records

AGFC's state record list includes a 22-pound 11-ounce walleye from Greers Ferry Lake (March 12, 1982), noted as a 12-pound-line-class world record, and a 40-pound 4-ounce brown trout from the Little Red River (May 9, 1992), noted as a 4-pound-line-class world record. The Corps describes the walleye as the world record and the brown trout as a world record from 1992 to 2009. It also lists a state-record hybrid striped bass of 27 pounds 5 ounces from the lake.

2026–27 rules

From July 1, 2026, walleye on Greers Ferry and its tributaries must be 16 inches to keep, up from 14. Largemouth and smallmouth must be 12 inches, the smallmouth limit is 6, and white bass have no limit on the lake and its tributaries. In the tailwater below the dam anglers may keep only 2 trout, both under 14 inches, and the JFK, Mossy and Cow Shoals areas are catch-and-release.

Common questions

Where does the record brown trout fit in?

It came from the Little Red River below the dam: 40 lb 4 oz on May 9, 1992, still the Arkansas record. AGFC lists it as a 4-pound-line-class world record; the Corps says it held the world record from 1992 to 2009.

What is the walleye size limit now?

16 inches on Greers Ferry Lake and its tributaries, effective July 1, 2026 (AGFC).

How many trout can I keep below the dam?

Two, and both must be shorter than 14 inches; the JFK, Mossy and Cow Shoals areas are catch-and-release with artificial lures only.

Is fishing good at Greers Ferry Lake right now?

Check the daily report at the top of this page: it is regenerated every morning from live data. Today's read: Good. Solid day ahead. Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up.

Nearby waters

Little Red River11 miLake Conway38 miBuffalo River43 miWhite River48 miNorfork Lake60 miLake Dardanelle68 mi

Where this page's numbers come from

River and reservoir readings
USGS 07075000 β€” Middle Fork of Little Red River at Shirley, AR (inflow)
Read from the USGS Water Data API (api.waterdata.usgs.gov). Latest value timestamped 2026-10-23 at 19:00 UTC.
Weather and pressure
Open-Meteo forecast model
Queried at 35.5325, -92.2044 in this water's own timezone. A model, not an observation.
Moon and solunar windows
Calculated on this site
Astronomical calculation from these coordinates and the date, not a third-party feed. How much weight it deserves.
Pages checked
The facts in the written guide were checked against these pages, from the agencies and operators that manage the water, on October 6, 2026. Anything we could not verify was taken out.
The written guide on this page
Pablo Ruiz Quintero
How this page was made. The daily report is computed by our scoring engine from live readings; nobody types it. The written text was drafted with AI assistance from the official pages listed above, and its facts were checked against those pages by automated verification on October 6, 2026; anything that could not be verified was taken out. Pablo Ruiz Quintero sets every guideline, the data-verification system and the minimum standards a page must meet to be published, reviews page structure and approves what goes live; the responsibility is his, and the AI carries out the work. We work this way because it is how one person can keep every page current with named sources. Errors are published in the verification log; the full policy is in the editorial policy.

Readings refresh on a 30-minute window. The full method, with every figure and its source, is on how our reports are made. Something wrong here? Tell us and it goes in the log with the date.