BEAVER LAKE
Crappie are biting on the south end of the lake, but the fish are on the small side.
Erica Crafford at Hickory Creek Marina said crappie can be caught with jigs or minnows 10 to 15 feet around brush piles. Most being caught are under the 10-inch legal length limit. Anglers are having to catch a bunch of small crappie to get a few keepers, she said.
Fishing is slow for all other species.
Trolling remains a good way to catch crappie, said John Newlun at Hook, Line and Sinker in Rogers. Bandit 300 series crank baits are popular for trolling. Try trolling in creek arms such as Joe’s Creek and Esculapia Hollow. Anglers report catching some good-sized crappie by trolling, he said.
Minnows are also working for crappie 10 to 25 feet deep.
Black bass can be caught with anything an angler likes to use, Newlun said. Bass are biting 10 to 40 feet deep.
BEAVER TAILWATER
Ken Russell at the Beaver Dam Store said fly fishermen are catching lots of trout.
Wade fishing is good in the morning with midges, soft hackles and small streamers. Brown trout can be caught with peach or pink egg patterns. Russell caught a 27-inch brown trout on a peach egg on Oct. 19.
Power Bait and worms are always good baits for trout. Effective lures include countdown Rapalas, Super Dupers and micro jigs.
LAKE FAYETTEVILLE
Angela Perea at the lake office said fishing is good for black bass and catfish.
Bass are biting crank baits, spinner baits, buzz baits and chatter baits. Use nightcrawlers or goldfish for catfish.
Bluegill are biting fair on worms and crickets. Crappie are biting fair on jigs and minnows.
LAKE SEQUOYAH
Mike McBride at the lake bait shop said black bass are biting early on top-water lures, spinner baits and plastic worms.
Use minnows or jigs for crappie eight feet deep. Bluegill are biting worms or crickets fished close to shore.
SWEPCO LAKE
Kenny Stroud in Siloam Springs said black bass are biting top-water lures early and plastic worms later in the day.
SILOAM SPRINGS LAKE
Stroud suggests using squarebilled crank baits for black bass.
ILLINOIS RIVER
Stroud suggests using all types of soft plastics for black bass. Rooster Tails may also work.
BELLA VISTA
Justin McClelland at Hook, Line and Sinker in Bella Vista said black bass are biting top-water lures early at all Bella Vista lakes. Use plastic worms or crank baits later in the day.
Catfish are biting fair on shrimp or nightcrawlers. Bluegill are biting crickets or worms 15 to 20 feet deep.
EASTERN OKLAHOMA
Kenny Stroud in Siloam Springs reports black bass at Lake Eucha are biting buzz baits.
TABLE ROCK LAKE
Pete Wenners at Pete’s Professional Guide Service said black bass fishing is slow. Bass are scattered.
Try a small plastic worm on a drop-shot rig 20 to 25 feet deep. Or fish shallower with crank baits in shad or crawdad colors. Whopper Flopper top-water lures may also work. Bass could be anywhere, he said, from main lake points to the backs of creek arms.