Beaver Lake
Get out early to catch a top-water striper.
Taylor Surly at Hook, Line and Sinker in Rogers said striped bass are biting top-water lures at first light to sunrise between Rocky Branch park and the dam. Stripers suspend later in the day 30 feet deep over deeper water. Catch them with brood minnows or shad.
Trolling with crank baits is a good way to catch crappie. Channel swings and bluff ends are good places to troll. Try for walleye by trolling a nightcrawler rig behind a bottom bouncer 25 to 30 feet deep. Points and flats are good spots to fish.
Black bass are biting 15 to 25 feet deep on drop-shot rigs or bluegill-colored deep-diving crank baits. Try top-water lures at first light. For bass fishing at night, use large spinner baits in dark colors.
Average surface water temperature is in the low to mid-80s.
Beaver tailwater
Lisa Mullins at Beaver Dam Store said trout fishing is best done from a boat because of high water. Bank fishing is limited mostly to boat ramp areas.
Threadfin shad are plentiful in the river now. Mullins recommends fly fishing with a white streamer or spin fishing with a white jig. The top lures are size 6 or 7 Flicker Shad crank baits or size 5 or 7 countdown Rapalas in black and silver or black and gold.
Power Bait tipped with a waxworm is the best trout bait. Nightcrawlers are also good.
Lake Fayetteville
David Powell at the lake office said black bass are biting well on wacky worms and spinner baits. Crappie are biting small jigs tipped with a crappie nibble. Use nightcrawlers or glow worms to catch channel catfish.
Lake Sequoyah
Mike Carver at the lake office said catfishing is good with stink bait. Black bass are biting well on buzz baits and crank baits. Try for bluegill with crickets or worms. Crappie fishing is slow.
Bella Vista
Chip Wiseman at Hook, Line and Sinker in Bella Vista reports black bass are biting fair on spinner baits at night. Catfish are also biting spinner baits. Try top-water lures between first light and sunrise for black bass.
Black bass are biting well in Little Sugar Creek on Ned rigs.
Elk River
Drew Daniel at Big Elk Floats and Camping said black bass and bluegill are being caught in good numbers. Worms or nightcrawlers are a good bluegill bait. A brown jig and pig is a good choice for black bass.
Swepco Lake
Kenny Stroud in Siloam Springs said black bass fishing is good with all types of soft plastic lures. Try top-water lures at dawn and dusk. A Whopper Plopper is a good top-water choice.
Siloam Springs, Crystal lakes
Stroud recommends fishing for black bass early with top-water lures. Try plastic worms later in the day. Red shad or tequila are good colors.
Eastern Oklahoma
Fish for black bass during the day at Lake Eucha with crank baits that dive 15 feet deep, Stroud suggests. Try bass fishing at night with 10-inch plastic worms in dark colors. Spinner baits in dark colors are also good.
The Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation reports good largemouth bass fishing at Grand Lake with Alabama rigs, plastic worms and crank baits. Catfish are biting well on liver, cut bait and shad. Use minnows for crappie. Fish over brush piles.
Table Rock Lake
Focused Fishing Guide Service said top-water lures or jig and pigs are the top lures for black bass.
Try top-water lures at first light, but the bite ends quickly. Later, work a pee wee football jig or spider jig through bushes. Some type of crawfish-imitating trailer is good to attach to the jig. Plan on losing a few jigs in the bushes.
At midday, try a jigging spoon or drop-shot rig 25 to 45 feet deep to catch spotted bass and white bass.