Beaver Lake: Fishing has improved for crappie, but the catching is in deep water.
James Whittle at Hook, Line and Sinker in Rogers said crappie are biting 30-35 feet deep around brush piles and docks. Minnow are working better than jigs. Anglers report catching mostly keeper-sized crappie 10 inches or longer.
Small plastic worms fished on a drop-shot rig remain the top lure for catching black bass, Whittle said. Fish 20-30 feet deep along points and humps. Bass are starting to hit spinner baits on the south end of the lake.
Anglers are catching white bass by trolling Bandit 300 crank baits in the War Eagle arm.
Striped bass are hitting top-water lures at dawn in the Lost Bridge area. Good reports have come from the Indian Creek arm, Whittle said.
Catfish are being caught with limb lines and jug lines baited with sunfish. Average water temperature at Beaver Lake is 76-79 degrees.
Mike Whitehouse at Hickory Creek Marina said crappie are biting jigs on the south end of the lake, or by trolling Bandit 300 crank baits. Catfish are biting liver or hot dogs.
Beaver tailwater: Nancy Rose at the Beaver Dam Store said trout are biting orange or white Power Bait tipped with a waxworm. The top lures are jigs, crank baits or spoons, all in small sizes. Best flies are olive-colored midges or woolly buggers for low-water fishing. Go with Clouser minnows or big streamers during power generation.
Lake Fayetteville: Dolly Black at Lake Fayetteville boat dock recommends fishing for bluegill with worms or crickets under a float. Go with plastic worms or crank baits for black bass. Catfish are biting liver or hot hogs.
Lake Sequoyah: Mike McBride at Lake Sequoyah bait shop said all fishing is best early or late. Try top-water lures or crank baits for black bass. Fish for crappie with jigs or minnows 8 feet deep near the channel edge. Use sunfish or liver for catfish.
Lake Elmdale: Lucky Key at Duck Camp Fishing Retreat said Rat-L-Traps are the top black bass lure. Fire tiger is the best color. Bass are also biting chartreuse/white spinner baits or white Zoom Flukes.
Bluegill are biting crickets 3 feet deep under a float. Crappie are slow. Try small jigs 7 feet deep.
Swepco Lake: Kenny Stroud in Siloam Springs said black bass are biting plastic worms 2 to 20 feet deep. Use larger worms for night fishing.
Illinois River: Stroud recommends using all varieties of soft plastics in small sizes for black bass.
Siloam Springs Lake: Stroud recommends using top-water lures early for black bass. Try plastic worms later in the day.
Bella Vista: Justin McClelland at Hook, Line and Sinker in Bella Vista said black bass are biting well on small plastic worms fished on a drop-shot rig 8-15 feet deep at all Bella Vista lakes. Jigs are also working for bass.
Bluegill are biting crickets or worms 8-12 feet deep.
Eastern Oklahoma: The Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation reports good crappie fishing at Grand Lake with minnows 10-15 feet around docks. Catfish are biting cut bait drifted from a boat or on jug lines 10-30 feet deep.
— Compiled by Flip Putthoff