Beaver Lake
Striped bass are on the prowl in the Rocky Branch area.
James Whittle at Hook, Line and Sinker in Rogers said stripers are biting brood minnows or shad from Rocky Branch park north to Point 5. Anglers are fishing the bait on a free line with no weight. Stripers are shallow and deep, Whittle said.
Crappie fishing is good from the Arkansas 12 bridge south to Hickory Creek park. Use minnows or jigs 15 feet deep around brush and docks. Trolling for crappie and walleye with crank baits is also good, he said.
Catfish are biting all varieties of catfish bait. Average water temperature is 66 to 69 degrees.
Hickory Creek Marina reports black bass are biting top-water lures early and jig and pigs later in the day. Trolling with crank baits is a good way to catch crappie.
Beaver tailwater
Lisa Mullins at the Beaver Dam Store said trout fishing is good. Low water levels in the morning are ideal for wade fishing.
A variety of flies are working, including midges, scuds, nymphs and soft hackles. The top lures are small spoons and Flicker Shad crank baits. The best bait is Power Bait in bright colors.
On the lake side of Beaver Dam, catfish are biting stink bait.
Lake Fayetteville
Angela Perea at the lake office said black bass fishing is fair with spinner baits, crank baits and chatter baits. Catfish are biting all types of catfish bait.
Use minnows for crappie 15 feet deep. Bluegill fishing is fair with crickets or worms 10 feet deep.
Lake Sequoyah
Mike McBride at the lake bait shop said catfish and black bass are biting.
Blue catfish to 20 pounds have been caught with liver, shad or sunfish. Top-water lures and plastic worms work well for black bass. Jim Thomas of Elkins caught a 7-pound largemouth bass last week on a plastic worm.
Swepco Lake
Kenny Stroud in Siloam Springs said black bass are biting top-water lures at dawn or later on cloudy days. Plastic worms are working for black bass from two to 20 feet deep.
Illinois River
Stroud suggests using small grubs or tube baits for black bass. Rooster Tails are another good choice.
Bella Vista
Justin McClelland at Hook, Line and Sinker in Bella Vista said black bass are biting fair on top-water lures at dawn. Use plastic worms or jig and pigs later in the day.
Bluegill are biting worms or crickets 12 to 15 feet deep.
Eastern Oklahoma
The Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation reports fair fishing for black bass at Lake Tenkiller with crank baits or spinner baits. Bass are biting on the main lake and in coves.
At Fort Gibson Lake, crappie fishing is good with minnows or jigs around docks, brush and rocks 12 to 15 feet deep. Black bass are biting fair on crank baits and spinner baits. Blue catfish are biting fair on shad.
Table Rock Lake
Pete Wenners at Pete’s Professional Guide Service said black bass fishing is slow. Cooler water temperatures are needed for catch rates to improve.
Try jig and pigs or plastic worms 15 to 30 feet deep along main lake points.