After knocking off the Florida Gators in Round 2, the Ole Miss Rebels are now tasked with beating the two-seed, Arkansas Razorbacks in the quarterfinals.

In the new SEC Tournament format, the double bye holds even more weight as there is no longer double elimination rounds. The Razorbacks have the advantage and/or option to throw their ace against the Rebels second starter, which matters.

Back in early March these two teams squared off when Arkansas was the third ranked team in the country. After winning Hunter Elliott’s Friday night start 10-6, the Rebels pitching staff gave up 12 runs in each of the next two contests.

Riley Maddox was the starter in that contest and he gave up three runs across four innings while the bullpen gave up eight over the remaining five innings. It will likely be Maddox on the bump again today and Coach Mike Bianco will need Maddox to bring his best performance for one more resume building win.

The Razorbacks are 6-4 over their last four contests which includes a series win over Tennessee, a series loss against LSU and a sweep over then #1 Texas. Last season, Arkansas was known for their incredible pitching staff. In 2025, the Hogs just score… a lot.

In that 10 games stretch they have scored 70 runs, for an average of seven runs per contest. Ole Miss is 4-7 in SEC contests in which they give up 7 or more runs. The Rebs are also 6-4 on SEC Saturdays, typically Riley Maddox days. They are similarly 6-4 against SEC #1 starters.

What does all this mean? It’s a toss up. Maddox will have to limit the damage and go five to six innings. The Rebels offense needs to find its stride to keep up with a good Razorback offense.

Assuming weather cooperates, Ole Miss and Arkansas will play Friday at 3:00.

Craig D. Campbell Lake Conway Reservoir (under renovation)
For the most up-to-date lake level, visit the U.S. Geological Survey’s Lake Conway water level site.

(updated 5-15-2025) AGFC staff reported that fishing is still going well at the Lake Conway Nursery Pond. Anglers have caught harvestable bream in good numbers. While Lake Conway is drawn down for renovation, the Lake Conway Nursery Pond is open for fishing in the immediate area of the big lake, with bream and trout being reported among catches. The 70-acre pond has been stocked by the AGFC with mature bass, crappie, catfish and bream as well as rainbow trout for the cold weather months.

Little Red River
For the Army Corps of Engineers’ real-time outflow report from Greers Ferry Dam, visit the Corps’ Little Rock office website or by calling (501) 362-5150). Also check the Southwestern Power Administration website to see forecast generation schedule.

(updated 5-22-2025) Mike Winkler of Little Red River Fly Fishing Trips (501-507-3688) said, “Memorial Day weekend is here, marking the unofficial start of summer. Before diving into fishing, I want to take a moment to thank all the veterans who have served our country, especially those who made the ultimate sacrifice. We’re grateful for your service.
“Now, let’s talk fishing. The generation schedule on the Little Red has been pretty consistent lately. The Southwestern Power Administration has been right on the money with its projected releases. Right now, we’re seeing water releases from Greers Ferry Dam starting around 10 a.m. and running until 10 p.m., with two units. That’s 12 hours on, 12 hours off — a great pattern that really opens up the entire river for fishing.
“We did get hit with some heavy rain earlier this week, and that brought in a good bit of muddy runoff. But the river’s starting to clear up nicely. As of Wednesday night, things are looking better from Swinging Bridge all the way down to Lobo Landing.
“I was out today on a half-day trip launching from Lobo Landing. The water was still a bit off-color, but definitely fishable. With the clearing conditions and not much pressure on the river this past week, things are shaping up for some really solid fishing over the holiday weekend.

“Here’s what’s been working: pink San Juan Worms, Pheasant Tail Soft Hackles, Guide’s Choice Hare’s Ears, midges (especially in low water). And don’t sleep on the streamer bite — it’s still going strong, particularly on cloudy days. Toss those articulated streamers along the banks and you’ve got a shot at hooking into a nice brown.
“Hope everyone has a fun and safe Memorial Day weekend out on the water. If you’re looking to book a guided trip, give me a shout!”

(updated 5-15-2025) Fish ’N Stuff (501-834-5733) in Sherwood said the Little Red has been fishing really well. Early mornings have been better, as the generation at the dam gets going about 11 a.m.

Most anglers are having success with a marabou jig and a Trout Magnet. Also, Rooster Tails and a No. 5 ShadRap are solid now. Anglers can use these patterns both drifting or bank fishing for browns or rainbows. Wading is available early on before the generation. There have been a lot of people wading in the mornings near JFK Park, the Swinging Bridge and Cow Shoals.

Greers Ferry Lake
For the Army Corps of Engineers’ real-time lake level and outflow report from Greers Ferry Dam, visit the Corps’ Little Rock office website. 

(updated 5-22-2025) Tommy Cauley of Fishfinder Guide Service (501-940-1318) said the water level at Greers Ferry Lake is at 468.47 feet msl, which is 6.93 feet above normal pool (462.04 feet msl) and falling with generation. But it came up with the last rain right at 2 feet. 

Fish remain scattered all over the lake. Some of the crappie are up on bank, while other are still floating around in deeper water. Jigs and minnows working best at all depths, and use crankbaits for trolling in 12-18 feet for the mid-depth fish and in 40 feet for the deeper fish.

Walleyes are scattered everywhere. Some are deep, some shallow and all in-between — and, of course, the lake fish are staying put on points, humps, etc. from 10-40 feet. Try dragging a jig tipped with minnow or crawler, and or drop-shot. Big Minnow-style plugs are working trolled.

Catfish are eating real well all over lake and rivers. Lots of blues coming in. Lines and jugs are working best with a variety of baits.
Bream are showing up more now. Try crawlers, crickets, small cranks and inline spinners. 

A lot of white bass and hybrid bass are still up rivers, others are done and still others in between, with a lot still deep in the lake at around 50 feet. Use Road Runners and grubs for shallow fish, spoons and inline spinners for rest in 25-40 feet. Black bass are scattered as well, with some around old buckbrush line, while some are still super shallow and others have moved offshore, plus more just roaming around chasing shad. They’re in 12-20 feet, and just about any baits working at this time.
“Have a happy holiday weekend. Be safe and wear your life jacket.”

(updated 5-15-2025) Fish ’N Stuff (501-834-5733) in Sherwood said the lake is only about 4 feet above normal pool. You can go out and catch a bunch of black bass, though the bigger fish haven’t been showing up yet. As for numbers, you’ll get them. Most species are beginning to pull out a bit deeper and the best fishing is in the 10- to 15-foot range again.

Try a shaky head worm or a drop-shot in that depth. Also, anglers are throwing a Carolina-rig as well as a jig. Mostly they’ll use a natural color, watermelon or green pumpkin.

In the early morning or late in the evening there is a good topwater bite now. Go with a clear or bone Zara Spook Jr. or similar bait and key in around main lake or secondary points.

For crappie, the depth range is going to be about the same, fishing in 15-20 feet of water. A natural, shad color jig or one in blue and white will be your best bet.

Walleye are hungry, and a drop-shot with a nightcrawler in roughly about 20 feet of water is the way to go. Fish around the main lake points.

Water clarity is fairly clear overall with stain up in the rivers.

Harris Brake Lake
(updated 5-22-2025) Bing Watkins at Harris Brake Lake Resort (501-889-2745) said this last week has been a big one for catfish, both in catches and in several large cats brought in. They’ve been biting trotlines baited with baby bream and minnows, with channel cats and flatheads from 2 to 5 pounds reported.

Also, one of Harris Brake’s veteran anglers was fishing from the shoreline trying for bream with crickets when a 9-pound flathead jumped on instead. The same angler noted that he even had a catfish bite a trotline hook with no bait on it.

Obviously, the cats are hungry. This is typically a great time for flatheads, as catfish begin to spawn.

Bream have been biting. People have been catching them on worms and crickets, reporting that some of them were “pretty big-sized,” Bing said. Bream are in their spawn and males are guarding the nests.

Some crappie are being caught by anglers on boats out in deeper water and using a Fish Finder, we’re told. Some of these anglers who are stopping into the shop have indicated they’ve shifted from fishing Lake Conway, which is drained for renovation, and have been finding lots of crappie willing to bite. Minnows are working best now, and reportedly some big crappie (white crappie and black crappie) are being caught.

Black bass have been “kinda slow,” she says. “I haven’t heard any reports in the last couple of weeks on bass.”
Follow more from Harris Brake Lake Resort on its Facebook page.

Lake Overcup
(updated 5-22-2025) John “Catfish” Banks at Overcup Landing off Arkansas Highway 9 had no new report this week. Most recently, he noted that the said the water level was almost at normal pool. Surface temperature was around 81 degrees and clarity was good, but that was before this week’s rain. 

Black bass were doing well on buzzbaits and soft-plastic worms. Crappie were still doing well in 6-8 feet of water, but the spawn is over. Catfish were being caught on yo-yos, jugs and trotlines with shad, nightcrawlers and perch.

Bream were starting to bed up at John’s last report and were biting the usual crickets and redworms.
“We have all of your fishing supplies and goggle-eye (rock bass), shad, skipjack and minnows, worms and crickets. Come out and do some fishing at Overcup Landing off Highway 9, Morrilton.

Lake Maumelle
NOTE: Bryan Rupar, the watershed protection manager for Central Arkansas Water, said recently that repairs to the Lake Maumelle Dam, initiated in early March, are progressing steadily. The contractor is now restoring the dam’s outer shell, a major undertaking that could take up to two more months to complete, depending on weather conditions. To facilitate repairs, CAW aims to keep the lake level around 5 feet below normal pool elevation; however, this will depend on rainfall and the progress of the work. 

(updated 5-22-2025) WestRock Landing in Roland (501-658-5598) reports that water temperature is ranging 75-78 degrees, while the water level continues to inch upward, now about 4.5 feet low (after being as low as 11 feet for Central Arkansas Water’s repair work at the dam). 

Black bass are fair. The largemouths are fair and can be found on points and humps in 2-10 feet of water. Try using Carolina rigs, jigs, Chatterbaits and crankbaits. Spotted bass (aka Kentucky bass) are also fair in found in the same depth range as the largemouths in 2-10 feet. They’ll favor a jerkbait or a jig).

The bass fishing in WestRock’s Tuesday tournament produced some decent 5-bass stringers. Cody Bryant and Brad Lequieul won the event with 12.96 pounds, including the Big Bass of 4.12 pounds.

White bass haven’t been reported lately, but they’re out there and might bite a Twister Tail or a crankbait.

The crappie is good. The last report from anglers was that they were off of the shoreline and scattered around brush and rockpiles at 12-14 feet. Jigs are your best bet these days.

Bream are great since the last full moon. Reports of bluegill bedding this week on brush and about to move off. Use crickets or worms.

Catfishing is good, and reports have the blues being found on the shoreline in 2-4 feet. Little bream, chicken liver and worms will work.

(update 5-8-2025) Crappie guide Eric Watts of Natural State Fishing (501-548-8990) has been fishing Lake Ouachita (see report below, under West-Central Arkansas) and had no report this week from Maumelle. Last week, he said:
“Lake Maumelle is approximately 6 feet below normal pool, but accessible. Crappie can be found in 7-10 feet of water on brush and roaming in 15-20 feet of water.
“People often think crappie only bite in the spring. As we move toward summer and the weather stabilizes, crappie fishing will get even better! Follow the action on Facebook at Natural State Fishing Guide, and visit www.nsfguide.com to schedule your next fishing trip.”

Arkansas River at Morrilton
For the real-time water flow at the Ormond Lock and Dam and Morrilton stage level, visit the Corps’ Little Rock office website. 

Little Maumelle River
(update 5-22-2025) Ray Hudson at River Valley Marina (501-517-1250) says water is normal height but is on the stained side after a big rain earlier this week. It was murky on Wednesday but some anglers still caught a few. He says the water should be good in a couple of days.

Bream are still bedded and anglers are still catching them on crickets and worms. You can find them in about 1½ feet of water.

Anglers have been catching a lot of bass on topwater now, as well as with worms and crankbaits. “You can catch bass now with just about anything you can get in front of them right now,” he said.
After the rain and the water starting to move, catfish got to biting. Chicken liver and, around the docks, hot dogs are the best baits to use. 

Arkansas River (Maumelle Pool)
For the real-time water flow at the Toad Suck Lock and Dam, visit the Corps’ Little Rock office website. 

Arkansas River (Little Rock Area Pools)
For the real-time water flow at the Murray Lock and Dam and David D. Terry Lock and Dam, as well as the Little Rock pool stage level, visit the Corps’ Little Rock office website.

(updated 5-22-2025) Fish ’N Stuff (501-834-5733) said the river is even way higher than it was at this time last week, with a flow of 180,000-plus cfs on Wednesday, necessitating a small-craft warning for a few more days before it can get down under 75,000 cfs. That’s been the case for the river for a while now. So the best they can advise for regular angers for now is to stay off the river.

But they also note that there are other, safer places to catch fish now (see their reports from Greers Ferry Lake and Little Red River, plus new ones this week from Lake Ouachita, the Buffalo River and DeGray Lake, for example).

Peckerwood Lake
(updated 5-15-2025) Donna Mulherin at Herman’s Landing (501-626-6899) said Peckerwood got quite a bit of water from the rains in April but the lake is back to level full and the color has been dingy.

Anglers are catching decent amounts of crappie and a few bream and catfish. “I don’t know about the bass. They don’t fish for bass on this (south) end of the lake, but I’m sure they are catching them (in other areas).”

Crappie will bite minnows and jigs, though she didn’t have any hints from anglers on color. The dingy conditions would probably favor a chartreuse in there, though. Catfish are biting “about anything, but definitely hot dogs and minnows.”

The bream are being picked up on yo-yos, but they’ll bite minnows too.

Arkansas’ federal congressional delegation has submitted two letters to Pentagon Secretary Pete Hegseth to support expansion of vanadium production in the U.S. in order to counter the current effective control of vanadium supply chains by Russia and China.

In two separate letters to Hegseth, Arkansas Sens. Tom Cotton (R) and John Boozman (R) and Arkansas Reps. Bruce Westerman (R-4) and French Hill (R-2) urged Hegseth to direct the National Defense Stockpile to purchase and store at least one year’s supply of vanadium in order to better insulate the U.S. military and commercial manufacturers from potential supply chain disruptions because of Russia’s and China’s control of 75 percent of global vanadium supply chains. U.S. Reps. Troy Balderson (R-OH), Rich McCormick (R-GA), Mike Kelly (R-PA) and Randy Weber (R-TX) also joined in urging action.

Arkansas-based U.S. Vanadium is the leading producer of high-purity vanadium oxide in the U.S. It praised the Arkansas delegation for promoting more domestic production of vanadium, which is a U.S. government-designated critical mineral.

“We applaud the strong leadership of Senators Cotton and Boozman and Congressmen Westerman and Hill for alerting the Pentagon and the Trump Administration to the strategic vanadium vulnerability facing the U.S., and to take action to mitigate this threat by stockpiling vanadium and encouraging greater domestic production of this strategic material,” said US Vanadium Executive Chairman Mark Smith in a statement. “We also greatly appreciate the continuing strong support provided to our company by the entire Arkansas congressional delegation and for their ongoing efforts to support economic growth and job creation in Arkansas.”

The Arkansas senators wrote: “Vanadium is an official USGS critical mineral required for ballistic missiles, jet engines and airframes, night vision, armor steel, body armor, combat vehicles, and other weapons systems critical to national defense. China and Russia control 75% of the global vanadium supply, leaving the Department of Defense open to significant disruption in its weapons supply chain.

“Vanadium compounds such as high purity vanadium pentoxide and ferrovanadium are critical to applications where steel and titanium are used, meaning they are a key element of US defense and essential civilian technologies. The United States consumed 14,000 metric tons of vanadium in 2024, with domestic production only accounting for 3,800 metric tons. The United States imports high purity vanadium pentoxide from Brazil and South Africa, but market conditions threaten those supply chains. Ferrovanadium supply chains rely on material converted in-part from Russian and Chinese material. Currently, no substitute materials exist.

“The United States risks being left without viable resources of this critical mineral if the Department and Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) do not take decisive action. We request DLA immediately begin to stockpile at least one year of military and essential civilian uses of both ferrovanadium and aerospace grade vanadium pentoxide in the National Defense Stockpile (NDS). We also request the Department work with the rest of the United States government to prioritize domestic production of vanadium compounds, to include reviewing environmental and other regulations that stifle domestic production.”

The congressmen reiterated the need for action on vanadium: “When President Trump addressed the joint session of Congress on March 4, 2025, the President reiterated his support of dramatically expanding production of critical minerals and rare earth elements in America. Therefore, we ask your office to direct the DLA [Defense Logistics Agency] to stockpile at least one year of military and essential civilian uses of ferrovanadium and aerospace grade vanadium pentoxide. As our country reviews critical supply chains that are central to our competitiveness in the face of rising global threats, we urge you to consider the importance of vanadium and the concerning global supply chain of the industry.”

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