Beaver Lake
Top-water fishing for black bass has improved.
Brian Rusher at Hook, Line and Sinker in Rogers said top-water lures are working at dawn and dusk. Work lures along points or banks that have a mix of rock and gravel.
After sunrise, fish for black bass with plastic worms, plastic creature baits or jig and pigs.
Minnows are working for walleye and striped bass. Use medium-sized bass minnows for walleye. Go with larger brood minnows for striped bass. Striper fishing is best on the north end of the lake.
Use liver for catfish and crickets for bluegill. Crappie fishing is slow.
Beaver tailwater
Lisa Mullins at Beaver Dam Store reports good trout fishing with Power Bait in bright colors. Combine it with a waxworm for best results. Nightcrawlers injected with air are good to use.
Fly fishing for trout is good with size 16 midges. Red and silver or copper and gold are good colors. Brown is a good choice. A white streamer that imitates threadfin shad is worth a try.
The best lures are size 6 or 7 Flicker Shads or small spoons. Gold and red or gold and silver are good spoon colors. Power generation at the dam has decreased so wade-fishing conditions are good.
Lake Fayetteville
David Powell at the lake office said black bass are biting spinner baits. Try jigs for crappie, but they will also catch an incidental catfish. Use worms for bluegill.
Lake Sequoyah
Mike Carver at the lake office said black bass fishing is good with spinner baits and crank baits. Catfish have an appetite for liver or cut bait.
Try for crappie by trolling crank baits six feet deep over water that's 10 feet deep. Worms are the best bluegill bait.
Bella Vista
Chip Wiseman at Hook, Line and Sinker in Bella Vista recommends fishing for black bass early with top-water lures at all Bella Vista lakes.
Try for smallmouth bass at Little Sugar Creek with Ned rigs.
Swepco Lake
Kenny Stroud in Siloam Springs said top-water action for black bass is picking up. Use top-water lures at dawn, dusk and on cloudy days. Try plastic worms rigged Carolina or Texas style or on a shaky-head jig.
Illinois River
Stroud recommends fishing for black bass with tube baits, grubs or small black buzz baits.
Eastern Oklahoma
The Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation reports fair fishing for black bass at Lake Tenkiller on small plastic worms. Crappie fishing is fair with jigs around brush.
At Fort Gibson Lake, black bass fishing is good with buzz baits, crank baits, spinner baits and top-water lures. Bluegill are biting well on crickets, worms and small jigs.
Table Rock Lake
Focused Fishing guide service reports black bass are hitting top-water lures. The best fishing is along shady banks. Cast parallel to shore over steep banks of gravel and chunk rock.
For deeper bass, use a jig and pig 10 to 25 feet deep.