Beaver Lake: If it swims in Beaver Lake, chances are good it’ll bite a jigging spoon.
James Whittle at Hook, Line and Sinker in Rogers said several species are biting jigging spoons, including black bass, white bass, walleye, catfish and striped bass.
Work jigging spoons 25 to 35 feet deep along points and flats in the midlake area. White is a good color.
Smallmouth bass and spotted bass are biting topwater lures early from Point 5 to the dam.
Crappie fishing is good with minnows 12 to 15 feet around brush. The best area is from Hickory Creek park to PrairieCreek park.
Average water temperature is 74 to 77 degrees.
Garland Villines at Hickory Creek Marina said trolling is the best way to catch crappie.
He recommends trolling deep-running crank baits over the edges of flats. Good colors are black or chartreuse/white.
Catfishing is good with nightcrawlers.
Jason Piper at J.T. Crappie Guide Services said the crappie bite is steadily improving as the water cools.
Fish near brush with a white or black/chartreuse curly-tail grub. Work the grubup from the bottom until fish are located.
Good areas to fish include Eden’s Bluff, Hickory Creek and Pine Creek.
White River below Beaver Dam: Tom Steinke at the Beaver Dam Store said fly fishing is good with midges, oliver woolly buggers or micro jigs. Work micro jigs under a strike indicator.
The top bait is Power Bait.
Colorado spoons are the best lure.
Power generation is typically in midafternoon.
Lake Fayetteville: Dollie Black at Lake Fayetteville boat dock recommends worms or crickets for bluegill. Try topwater lures early or on cloudy days for black bass.
Lake Sequoyah: Mike McBride at Lake Sequoyah bait shop said catfishing is good.
Use goldfish or sunfish for blue or flathead catfish. Try stink bait or liver for channel catfish.
Black bass are biting topwater lures early. Use crank baits or spinner baits later.
Lake Elmdale: Lucky Key at Duck Camp Fishing Retreat recommends spinner baits or plastic worms for black bass.
Use plastic worms on a light sinker.
Try minnows or jigs 11 feet deep for crappie. Redear are biting worms near the bottom.
Siloam Springs Lake: Kenny Stroud at BW Outdoors in Siloam Springs said black bass are biting plastic worms or medium-diving crank baits.
Swepco Lake: Stroud said largemouth bass fishing is good at night on plastic worms 15 to 25 feet deep.
Illinois River: Stroud said black bass are biting tube baits, grubs or Rooster Tails.
Bella Vista: Justin McClelland at Hook, Line and Sinker said black bass fishing is fair at all Bella Vista lakes with jigs or plastic worms 3 to 8 feet deep.
Bluegill are biting worms or crickets 8 to 12 feet deep.
Upper Table Rock Lake: J.D. Fletcher at Eagle Rock Mo., said black bass fishing is good with medium-diving crawdad-colored crank baits.
Work them along rocky mainlake shorelines.
Bruce Clark of Fayetteville and party caught several bass to 4 pounds last week with Model A Bomber crawdad crank baits.
Eastern Oklahoma: Kenny Stroud at BW Outdoors in Siloam Springs said black bass at Lake Eucha are biting buzz baits early or big plastic worms later in the day.
The Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation said largemouth bass fishing is good with crank baits or plastic worms along points.
Crappie are fair 10 feet deep around docks with brush.
COMPILED BY FLIP PUTTHOFF
Outdoor, Pages 6 on 09/27/2012