Beaver Lake
Have a top-water lure tied on to catch striped bass.
Reese Jones at Hook, Line and Sinker in Rogers said anglers report schools of striped bass feeding on the surface at the mouths of creek arms. Top-water lures such as a Red Fin or Zara Spook are good to use.
Stripers are scattered lake-wide. For deeper stripers, troll with shad or brood minnows around schools of shad located with a depth finder.
Try for black bass with Alabama rigs, jerk baits or crank baits. Walleye may also bite these same lures, especially jerk baits.
Some anglers report excellent crappie fishing while others say it's slow. Try minnows or jigs around docks in deep water or around timber five to 20 feet deep. Average surface water temperature is in the mid-40s.
Southtown Sporting Goods in Fayetteville reports crappie can be caught close to brush. Fish 10 to 15 feet deep with minnows or jigs. Black bass are biting crank baits or Alabama rigs.
Beaver tailwater
Austin Kennedy, fishing guide, recommends fishing the deepest water for trout. Try Pautzke Fire Eggs or Pautzke Fire Worms fished on light tackle. The Houseman Access area has been fishing well.
For walleye, jig soft plastics or minnows near the bottom between the towns of Beaver and Holiday Island.
Power generation at Beaver Dam is mainly on chilly mornings.
Lake Fayetteville
The lake is closed and will reopen Saturday.
Lake Sequoyah
Angler Mike McBride said crappie fishing is slow. Try small jigs or minnows for crappie. Use plastic worms or jerk baits for black bass.
Bella Vista
Chip Wiseman at Hook, Line and Sinker in Bella Vista said crappie are scattered. Anglers who find schools of crappie are catching them. Fish with minnows or jigs 12 to 30 feet around brush. The best crappie fishing is at lakes Ann or Windsor.
Try for black bass with Alabama rigs or crawdad-colored crank baits at any Bella Vista Lake. Trout fishing is good at Lake Brittany with Power Bait or small red and gold spoons.
Please note that fishing in Bella Vista is open only to POA members and their guests.
Swepco Lake
Kenny Stroud in Siloam Springs recommends fishing for black bass with plastic worms on a drop-shot rig or rigged shaky-head style. Ned rigs or jerk baits may also work.
Eastern Oklahoma
Stroud recommends trying for crappie at Lake Eucha with hair jigs 10 to 20 feet deep. Go with jerk baits or Alabama rigs to catch black bass.
The Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation reports good crappie fishing at Keystone Lake with minnows or jigs around brush or docks. Largemouth bass are biting fair on crank baits, plastic worms or jig and pigs.
Table Rock Lake
Focused Fishing Guide service said black bass fishing is fair with jerk baits or crank baits along points and transition banks when there is wind. Try fishing in the mouths of creek arms 45 to 60 feet deep close to the bottom where there are shad. Use a jigging spoon or drop-shot rig.
-- Compiled by Flip Putthoff