Beaver Lake
Ring in the new year with a big striped bass tugging your line.
Reese Jones at Hook, Line and Sinker in Roger recommends fishing for stripers between the Arkansas 12 bridge and Point 12. Try top-water lures early. Use brood minnows later in the day from the surface to 20 feet deep.
Top baits for black bass fishing include jig and pigs, jerk baits, crank baits and Alabama rigs. Try for crappie 10 to 20 feet deep around brush in the midlake area with minnows or jigs. Average surface water temperature is in the low 50s.
Southtown Sporting Goods in Fayetteville reports good fishing for crappie with jigs or minnows eight to 12 feet deep around brush. Try for catfish with stink bait.
Beaver tailwater
Guide Austin Kennedy said trout fishing is good in the deep pools with Power Bait, Fire Bait or small spoons. Good fishing is reported in the Spider Creek area.
Expect power generation at Beaver Dam on cold mornings creating high water and fast flows.
Lakes Fayetteville, Sequoyah
Both lakes are closed. They will reopen Jan. 15.
Bella Vista
Chip Wiseman at Hook, Line and Sinker in Bella Vista recommends fishing for trout at Lake Brittany with Power Eggs in white or yellow. Small spoons work well for trout. Use a jig and pig or Alabama rig for black bass at any Bella Vista lake. Nightcrawlers are recommended for catfish.
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 fishing is good with a variety of soft-plastic lures. Try top-water lures or square-billed crank baits at dawn and dusk.
Eastern Oklahoma
The Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation reports fair fishing for largemouth bass at Grand Lake with Alabama rigs and crank baits.
At Lake Tenkiller, use minnows or tube jigs for crappie around brush and docks. Largemouth bass fishing is fair with crank baits, plastic worms or jig and pigs around brush and docks.
Table Rock Lake
Focused Fishing Guide Service reports black bass can be caught on cloudy and windy days with crawdad-colored crank baits fished along points, pockets and rocky shorelines. Try fishing deep in the middle of creek arms that have schools of shad. Locate shad with a depth finder then fish vertically with a swim bait, drop-shot rig or jigging spoon.
-- Compiled by Flip Putthoff