Beaver Lake
Fishing can be midsummer tough as July meets August. The best fishing for most species is early morning, late evening or at night.
Aaron Jolliff at Hook, Line and Sinker in Rogers said striped bass are biting brood minnows from Rocky Branch park downstream to Starkey park. Brood minnows are the best bait.
Black bass are hitting top-water lures from first light to sunrise. Use plastic worms or jig and pigs later in the day. Anglers report catching crappie 20 feet deep with minnows around brush piles or by trolling medium-diving crank baits in creek arms and over gravel flats. Walleye fishing with nightcrawler rigs has improved.
Southtown Sporting Goods in Fayetteville reports fair fishing for catfish with liver or stink bait. Bluegill are biting fair on worms.
Beaver tailwater
Beaver Dam Store reports good trout fishing with nightcrawlers inflated with a worm blower to keep them off the bottom. Power Bait is working well. Best colors are white, sunrise or peach.
Good lures to use include size 5 Flicker Shads or countdown Rapalas. Small jigs in olive or brown may work. Try heavy nymphs for fly fishing.
Power generation at Beaver Dam is mainly in the afternoon, creating high water conditions.
Lake Fayetteville
David Powell at the lake office said bluegill are biting well on worms, but catfish or black bass occasionally bite worms. For crappie, use minnows starting at the bottom and work toward the surface until fish are located. Go with glow worms or nightcrawlers for catfish.
Lake Sequoyah
Mike Carver at the lake office said black bass are biting plastic worms in shallow water. Bluegill are biting worms or crickets. For crappie, troll crank baits five to eight feet deep in the river channel.
Bella Vista
Hook, Line and Sinker in Bella Vista reports black bass fishing is good at night with big plastic worms, jig and pigs and dark-colored spinner baits. Some big largemouth bass are being caught after dark at Lake Windsor. One recent night tournament yielded two catches of 23 and 21 pounds, for five fish each.
Bluegill are biting worms or crickets at all Bella Vista lakes. Use liver or nightcrawlers 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 the best fishing for black bass is at night or early in the morning. Use big plastic worms or big tube baits in dark colors. Black spinner baits may also work at night. Top-water lures are good to use between sunset and dark.
Illinois River
Stroud recommends fishing for black bass with tube baits, 4-inch plastic lizards, grubs and buzz baits. Frequent showers occasionally create muddy conditions on the stream, he noted.
Eastern Oklahoma
The Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation reports fair fishing for largemouth bass at Lake Eucha and Grand Lake with crank baits, plastic worms and top-water lures. Catfish are biting well on cut bait or live bait. Crappie fishing is fair with minnows or jigs on both lakes.
At Lake Tenkiller, fishing is fair for black bass with crank baits or plastic worms. Crappie fishing is fair with jigs or minnows.
Table Rock Lake
Focused Fishing Guide Service reports the best fishing for black bass is with a finesse plastic worm on a drop-shot rig. Work it at the ends of community docks, around long gravel points and the tops of trees.
Pee wee football jigs fished 20 to 25 feet deep are worth a try. Fish along gravel points. Early top-water bass fishing is possible in the James River arm working a lure parallel to banks with a 45-degree slope.