NWA FISHING REPORT

Editor’s Note: Due to early Thanksgiving deadlines, last week’s fi shing report is repeated this week. Happy Thanksgiving.

Beaver Lake: Anglers are reeling in a mix of species with jigging spoons in the midlake area, reports John Hodge at Hook, Line and Sinker in Rogers.

Spoons are taking white bass, hybrid stripers, small-sized stripers and an occasional walleye. Work spoons 20 to 40 feet deep.

Use spinner baits or crawdad-colored crank baits for black bass. Shallowrunning crank baits in crawdad or shad colors are also working.

For walleye, troll crankbaits over flats close to the river channel. Use a lure that runs 15 to 20 feet deep.

Average water temperature at Beaver Lake is 60 degrees.

Jason Piper at J.T. Crappie Guide Services recommends using minnows or tube jigs for crappie. Good jig colors are a black body and chartreuse tail or pink body and white tail.

Crappie are suspended 25 to 40 feet deep around timber that is close to a creek channel.

Work jigs from the bottom up slowly through the water column.

Good areas to fish include Eden’s Bluff, Monte Ne, Horseshoe Bend and Ventris.

No report from HickoryCreek Marina this week, but Garland Villines at the marina last week said anglers are using tube jigs for crappie 5 to 20 feet deep around timber.

Good jig colors are a black or red body with a chartreuse tail.

White River below Beaver Dam: No report this week, but Lisa Mullins at the Beaver Dam Store said last week that the top flies are egg patterns and red or olive midges.

The top lures are gold/ red Buoyant spoons or size 9 floating Rapalas in rainbow trout or brown trout patterns.

For bait, try orange or white Power Bait tipped with a waxworm. Nightcrawlersor red worms are also good.

Lake Fayetteville: Dollie Black said few people are fishing. She recommends jigs for crappie. Work them slowly about 20 feet deep.

Lake Sequoyah: Mike McBride at Lake Sequoyah bait shop said black bass are biting crank baits and plastic worms.

No report on other species.

Lake Elmdale: Lucky Key at Duck Camp Fishing Retreat recommends using a jig and pig for black bass.

Try a spinner bait in the afternoon.

Lake Atalanta: John Hodge at Hook, Line and Sinker in Rogers said trout are biting Power Bait.

Swepco Lake: Kenny Stroud at BW Outdoors inSiloam Springs said black bass are biting a variety of soft plastics, including worms and lizards, 1 to 25 feet deep.

Try a top-water lure at sunrise.

Illinois River: Stroud recommends fishing for black bass with small tube baits. Try brown and orange marabou jigs.

Bella Vista: Harvey Horne at Hook, Line and Sinker in Bella Vista said black bass are starting to bite jerk baits at all Bella Vista lakes.

Jig and pigs or shaky-head plastic worms are also good to use.

Bluegill are biting worms or crickets 10 feet deep at all Bella Vista lakes. Catfish are biting nightcrawlers or cutbait at all lakes.

Upper Table Rock Lake: J.D. Fletcher at Eagle Rock, Mo., said few people are fishing.

He recommends using crawdad-colored crank baits or spinner baits for black bass. Fish along rocky main-channel banks or in the backs of coves.

Try jigs for crappie 20 feet deep.

Eastern Oklahoma: The Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation reports fair fishing for largemouth bass with plastic worms or crank baits.

At Lake Eucha, crappie fishing is fair with jigs 15 feet deep.

Outdoor, Pages 8 on 11/22/2012

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