NWA FISHING REPORT

Beaver Lake: Night time is the right time to fish for most species at Beaver Lake.

Aaron Jolliff at Hook, Line and Sinker in Rogers said the best fishing for black bass is after dark with spinner baits, buzz baits or plastic worms.

“The key is to cover a lot of water and be there when the fish are active,” Jolliff said.

Anglers are doing well at night fishing minnows or shad along bluff lines under lights 10 to 20 feet deep. Typical catches are a mixed bag of white bass, crappie, catfish and walleye.

Catfishing with jug lines or trotlines is good. Goldfish or bluegill are good baits.

Striped bass fishing is best at night. Troll live shad or large crank baits. Downriggers are handy for getting baits down deep as 60 feet.

Steve McClelland at Hickory Creek Marina said catfish are biting well on jug lines baited with small sunfish.

Black bass are biting finesse worms fished on a drop-shot rig around brush piles. Deepdiving crank baits fished along rocky points are also working.

For crappie, try trolling a black Bandit crank bait 12 feet deep over big flats.

White River below Beaver Dam: Tom Steinke at the Beaver Dam Store said Power Bait or Gulp bait tipped with a waxworm is a good combination for trout.

The top lures are olive or green micro jigs or small spoons.

Small woolly buggers or midges are the best flies.

Power generation typically is during midafternoon.

There’s lots of low-water for wading in the morning.

Lake Fayetteville: Dollie Black at Lake Sequoyah boat dock recommends fishing early with spinner baits or plastic worms.

Try liver for catfish. Go with worms or crickets for bluegill.

Lake Sequoyah: Mike McBride at Lake Sequoyah bait shop said catfish are biting liver, goldfish or shad.

All other fishing is slow.

Lake Elmdale: Lucky Key at Duck Camp Fishing Retreat said a few crappie have been caught with minnows 10 feet deep.

For black bass, work topwater plugs slowly at sunrise.

A slow-moving lure is more effective than a faster one such as a buzz bait.

Try worms fished near the bottom for redear. Go with crickets or worms 4 feet deep under a float for bluegill.

Prairie Grove Lake: Lake Manager Dennis Kruse said few anglers were on the lake last weekend. They caught mainly black bass with topwater lures at sunrise, then with plastic worms later.

The lake is open 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays.

Only electric motors or paddlecraft are allowed.

Bella Vista: Justin McClelland at Hook, Line and Sinker in Bella Vista said black bass are biting day and night at all Bella Vista lakes.

Try large crank baits or Bass X jigs 8 to 12 feet deep around points and brush piles during the day. At night, work the same areas with buzz baits, spinner baits or large crank baits, all in dark colors.

Catfish are biting rabbit liver at all lakes. Bluegill fishing is good at Loch Lomond and Lake Windsor with worms.

Siloam Springs Lake: Kenny Stroud at BW Outdoors in Siloam Springs said black bass are biting plastic worms at sunrise and sunset.

Illinois River: Stroud said the river is low. Try wadefishing with tube baits, grubs or small plastic lizards.

Upper Table Rock Lake: J.D. Fletcher at Eagle Rock, Mo., said all fishing takes place early. Try crank baits, Rat-L-Traps or top-water lures at sunrise.

Schools of white bass surface at random during the evening, he said. Use small jigs or small top-water lures.

Eastern Oklahoma: Kenny Stroud at BW Outdoors in Siloam Springs said night fishing for black bass at Lake Eucha is good with spinner baits or large plastic worms in dark colors worked along points.

The Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation reports largemouth bass fishing is fair with spinner baits or crank baits.

Catfishing is excellent with cut bait.

Outdoor, Pages 6 on 06/28/2012

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