NWA fishing report

Beaver Lake

Early birds, real early birds, are catching striped bass.

Reese Jones at Hook, Line and Sinker in Rogers said prime striper fishing time is from the wee hours of morning, long before daylight, until just after sunrise. Best fishing is in the Beaver Dam area with brood minnows.

Walleye fishing is good. Nightcrawler rigs produce the best fishing, Jones said, but trolling deep-diving crank baits may work. Fish along points and flats 20 to 30 feet deep.

Try for crappie 20 to 30 feet deep around brush piles with minnows or jigs. Black bass fishing is fair. Jones recommends using a small plastic worm on a drop-shot rig 20 to 30 feet deep around rocky points and shorelines.

Average surface water temperature is in the mid-80s to low 90s.

Southtown Sporting Goods in Fayetteville reports white bass are schooling on the surface mornings and evenings and can be caught with top-water lures or white jigs. Catfish are biting fair on jug lines.

Beaver tailwater

Beaver Dam Store reports good trout fishing with prepared trout baits in bright colors. Nightcrawlers work well.

The top lures are small countdown Rapalas and Flicker Shads. Try size 16 nymphs or midges when fly fishing.

Power generation at Beaver Dam usually starts around 11 a.m., creating high water conditions and faster flows.

Lake Fayetteville

David Powell at the lake office said bluegill are biting well on worms. Anglers report catching largemouth bass with spinner baits. For crappie, start with a minnow or jig and work it from the bottom to the surface until fish are located. Powell recommends making one crank of the reel, pausing, then making another single crank.

Lake Sequoyah

Mike Carver at the lake office recommends fishing for catfish with stink bait, nightcrawlers and other catfish baits. Black bass fishing is slow.

Bella Vista

Chip Wiseman at Hook, Line and Sinker in Bella Vista recommends trying for catfish with nightcrawlers, cut bait or liver at all Bella Vista lakes. Bluegill are biting crickets or worms. Use plastic worms, swim baits or chatter baits for black bass.

Please note that fishing in Bella Vista is open only to POA members and their guests.

Swepco Lake

Kenny Stroud in Siloam Springs said black bass are biting at night on large plastic worms or large tube baits in dark colors. Try top-water lures early.

Illinois River

Stroud recommends fishing for black bass with tube baits, 4-inch plastic lizards, grubs and buzz baits.

Eastern Oklahoma

Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation said largemouth bass fishing is fair at Lake Eucha. Try crank baits or plastic worms along rocky shorelines. Channel catfish are biting well on cut bait and live bait. Crappie fishing is fair with minnows or jigs.

At Grand Lake, white bass fishing is good with Alabama rigs, inline spinners and spoons. Largemouth bass fishing is good with top-water lures early and plastic worms later in the day. Catfish are biting well on cut bait and live bait.

At Lake Tenkiller, fishing is good for black bass with crank baits, spinner baits or plastic worms. White bass action is good with small crank baits and jigs. Crappie fishing is fair with minnows fished near brush or docks.

Table Rock Lake

Focused Fishing Guide Service said black bass can be caught on top-water lures early. Fish along shorelines that slope 45 degrees and cast the lure where the water meets the bank and work it out to deeper water. Shady areas are the best spots.

Try a drop-shot rig or swim bait 20 to 35 feet deep along gravel points. Fish near the bottom.

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