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Mulberry River Fishing Report

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

Arkansas’ whitewater river: the Mulberry runs smallmouth through Ozark National Forest bluffs.

2/5
Slow. Work for them.Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing.
Flow
6 cfs
Air / High
101 / 101 F
Wind
SE 9 mph

Sources: USGS gauge 07252000, 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.

Mulberry River offers the kind of conditions this water was made for. The river is running 6 cfs, dropping and clearing. Today brings clear skies, wind SE around 9 mph, rising pressure near 1011 hPa and a high of 101. Water sits around 73 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: the windows to build the day around.

The plan, species by species

MuskellungeExcellent

Bucktails and rubber over cabbage and rock bars; moon majors matter here more than anywhere.

Smallmouth bassGood

Peak season. Tubes, jerkbaits and swimbaits around gravel points, boulders and current seams.

WalleyeGood

Jig and minnow on rock reefs and points; the evening bite on wind-blown shores is the one to plan around.

Catfish (blue, channel)Good

Drift cut bait across flats near the river channel, or anchor on ledges at dusk.

Tomorrow: Similar at 104 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 Mulberry River near Mulberry.

Flow, last 30 days

USGS gauge 07252000.

914196 cfs08/0508/1508/2509/04

Right now

Latest readings

Air temp101 F
High / Low101 / 75 F
WindSE 9-10 mph
Pressure1011.2 hPa, rising
Sky / Rain4% cloud, 1%
Sunrise / Sunset06:50 / 19:38
MoonLast Quarter, 50%
Water temp (seasonal)~73 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 11 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 Mulberry River: seasons, structure and how to fish each one. Today's ratings live in the report above.

Smallmouth bass illustration

Smallmouth bass

Best: May-Oct

Current and rock. Finds gravel flats, boulders and drop-offs, and fights far above its weight. Peak season. Tubes, jerkbaits and swimbaits around gravel points, boulders and current seams.

Walleye illustration

Walleye

Best: May-Jun, Oct

The glass-eyed prize of northern lakes. Low light, wind-blown structure and live bait. Jig and minnow on rock reefs and points; the evening bite on wind-blown shores is the one to plan around.

Muskellunge illustration

Muskellunge

Best: Sep-Nov

The fish of ten thousand casts. Weed edges, rock bars and big-water structure. Bucktails and rubber over cabbage and rock bars; moon majors matter here more than anywhere.

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. Drift cut bait across flats near the river channel, or anchor on ledges at dusk.

When to come: the Mulberry River 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
Smallmouth bass
Walleye
Muskellunge
Catfish (blue, channel)
SlowPeak

Water temperature through the year

Typical surface temperature for this water type; today is around 73 F (estimated, not a reading).

4050607080JanMarMayJulSepNovSep, ~73 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 Mulberry River today, and we feature the best catch of the week.

Water log, last days

Auto-logged from live data
Thu, Sep 3

4/5 Good. Solid day ahead. Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up. Smallmouth bass led the card at excellent. High of 99 F, wind to 12 mph.

Wed, Sep 2

4/5 Good. Solid day ahead. Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up. Smallmouth bass led the card at excellent. High of 100 F, wind to 12 mph.

Tue, Sep 1

4/5 Good. Solid day ahead. Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up. Smallmouth bass led the card at excellent. High of 101 F, wind to 12 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 license. Smallmouth limits per current AGFC regulations.

Access

Highway 215 pullouts and Forest Service campgrounds at Redding and Byrd’s through the Ozark National Forest.

About this water

A 70-mile Wild and Scenic river through the Ozark National Forest to the Arkansas River, Franklin and Johnson counties.

Fishing Mulberry River: the full guide

A wild and scenic mountain river

The Mulberry River flows about 70 miles through the Ozark National Forest of western Arkansas to the Arkansas River, designated Wild and Scenic and known primarily for spring whitewater. When flows drop through summer, it becomes a clear, boulder-strewn smallmouth stream running through forest and bluffs with almost no development.

Smallmouth in the boulders

Smallmouth bass hold the pools, current seams and boulder gardens, taking tubes, small crankbaits, spinners and topwater on light tackle. Rock bass and sunfish fill out the catch. The river is small enough to wade thoroughly through the summer, and clear enough to sight-fish in the deeper pools when the light is right.

Flows and the seasons

Spring rain brings the whitewater season, when paddlers own the river and fishing is impractical. As flows drop through May and June the fishing opens, staying good through the summer and into fall. Late summer can leave it very low, concentrating fish in the remaining pools and demanding careful approaches.

Ozark National Forest logistics

Access is via Highway 215, which follows the river through the forest, with campgrounds at Redding and Byrd’s and numerous pullouts. Ozark and Clarksville are the nearest towns. The forest setting means no development along most of the corridor, and weekday summer fishing offers genuine solitude in beautiful country.

Common questions

When is the fishing season?

Late spring through fall, after the whitewater flows drop: summer wading is the classic approach.

Is it good for whitewater?

Famously, in spring: paddlers own the river then, and fishing is impractical until flows fall.

How is the access?

Excellent: Highway 215 follows the river through the national forest with pullouts and campgrounds throughout.

Is fishing good at Mulberry River 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 Dardanelle29 miBeaver Lake51 miRobert S Kerr Reservoir52 miNimrod Lake55 miIllinois River62 miTenkiller Ferry Lake67 mi
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