NWA Fishing Report

Beaver Lake

Fishing for striped bass is good at several areas of the lake.

Mike Whitehouse at Hickory Creek Marina said stripers are biting brood minnows or shad in the Hickory Creek area. Lots of fish, and lots of big fish, are being caught.

"If someone wants to give a guided striper trip as a Christmas gift, this would be the year to do it," he said.

Crappie are biting well on minnows or jigs 12 feet deep worked around submerged timber and docks. Limits of 15 crappie are common, Whitehouse said. Good areas to try include Nelson Hollow, Pine Creek and Big Hickory.

James Whittle at Hook, Line and Sinker said schools of shad are in the creek arms and striped bass are following them. Top-water lures will work for surfacing stripers, he said.

Good creek arms to try include Coose Hollow, Ventris Hollow, Joe's Creek, Prairie Creek and Blackburn Creek.

For black bass, try top-water lures early. Go with Alabama rigs or swim baits later.

Average water temperature is 49 to 52 degrees.

Beaver tailwater

Lisa Mullins at Beaver Dam Store said the best way to catch trout is to drift with the current in a boat and use a waxworm-Power Bait combo.

Good flies for trout include midges in black or olive and pheasant tails. San Juan worms or Copper Johns may also work.

The top lures are small spoons or Flicker Shads in sizes 4 or 5.

Lake Fayetteville

David Powell at the lake office said black bass are biting plastic worms worked slowly. Crappie are biting jigs or minnows eight feet deep over 15 feet of water.

Lake Sequoyah

Mike McBride at the lake bait shop said crappie are biting minnows eight feet deep. All other fishing is slow.

Swepco Lake

Kenny Stroud in Siloam Springs said black bass are biting top-water lures, Zoom Flukes, Rat-L-Traps and plastic worms.

Illinois River

Stroud said black bass are biting jig and pigs or jerk baits.

Eastern Oklahoma

Black bass at Lake Eucha are biting jig and pigs, jerk baits or Alabama rigs, according to Stroud.

Bella Vista

Nick Gann at Hook, Line and Sinker in Bella Vista said black bass are biting swim baits or jig and pigs at all Bella Vista lakes.

Trout at Lake Brittany are biting small spoons.

Table Rock Lake

Pete Wenners at Pete's Professional Guide Service said the best black bass fishing is early in the morning or late in the afternoon. Fish shallow with crank baits in crawdad colors. The James River arm is one of the best areas.

Deeper bass can be caught along main lake points with white jigging spoons or single-tail grubs.

Sports on 12/12/2017

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