SPRINGDALE — Beaver Lake: Here’s hoping for some crank baits and spinner baits in your stocking on Christmas morning.
Aaron Jolliff at Hook, Line and Sinker in Rogers said black bass are hitting crank baits and spinner baits shallow.
Work cover along steep banks and bluff ends.
Garland Villines at Hickory Creek Marina said striper fishing is good 15 feet deep with brood minnows in the Hickory Creek area. There is little activity on other species, he said.
Crappie have been biting jigs tipped with minnows close to cover along creek-channel bends and drop-offs 15 to 30 feet deep. Good places to fish include War Eagle, Blue Springs and Monte Ne.
White River below Beaver Dam: Bryce Cadion at the Beaver Dam Store said trout are biting Power Bait. A combination of white with orange, yellow or pink works best.
The top lures are small spoons in rainbow or brown trout patterns.
Effective flies include midges, scuds in tan or olive, woolly buggers and WD-40s in olive. Cadion caught two 20-inch brown trout Tuesday with a WD-40.
Lakes Fayetteville, Sequoyah: Both are closed. They will reopen Jan. 15.
SWEPCO Lake: Kenny Stroud at the Siloam Springs Walmart said anglers are returning to the lake now that the Flint Creek Power Plant is back in operation and warm water is again being discharged into the lake.
He recommends working plastic worms of all varieties near the discharge.
Illinois River, Flint Creek: Stroud recommends fishing for smallmouth bass with tube baits, jigs and small spinner baits.
Bella Vista: Nick Gann at Hook, Line and Sinker in Bella Vista said trout fishing is good at Lake Brittany with Power Bait, small spoons and small inline spinners.
Black bass are hitting drop-shot rigs 12 feet deep.
Upper Table Rock Lake: J.D.
Fletcher at Eagle Rock, Mo., said black bass are biting finesse worms on a drop-shot rig 12 to 25 feet deep.
Eastern Oklahoma: The Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation reports good black bass fishing at Grand Lake on crank baits and plastic worms 18 to 20 feet deep. Catfish are fair on shrimp 20 to 30 feet deep.
Crappie fishing is good with minnows or green jigs around docks and brush.
Crappie fishing is good at Lake Hudson 10 to 20 feet deep with minnows or jigs around brush. Lake Eucha is slow for all species.
Opinion, Pages 7 on 12/24/2009