NWA Fishing Report

BEAVER LAKE Striped bass fishing is excellent on the south end of Beaver Lake. Mike Whitehouse at Hickory Creek Marina said stripers to 40 pounds have been caught in the Horseshoe Bend and Hickory Creek areas. Brood minnows or shad are the best baits. Stripers are four to 10 feet deep.

White bass are biting jigging spoons 20 feet deep. Try crank baits for black bass. No report on crappie or catfish.

James Whittle at Hook, Line and Sinker in Rogers said several species are schooling on the surface chasing shad. Find surface action and white bass, black bass or stripers may be caught. Try spoons, white jigs or top-water lures.

Striper fishing is good from Prairie Creek park south into the White and War Eagle tributaries, Whittle said. Use brood minnows, top-water lures or Alabama rigs.

Try for black bass with buzz baits or crank baits. Use minnows or jigs for crappie.

Average water temperature is 57 to 59 degrees.

BEAVER TAILWATER Lisa Mullins at Beaver Dam Store reports good numbers of trout being caught with flies. Pheasant tails, midges, hare’s ears, San Juan worms and Copper Johns are good flies to try.

Anglers using bait are doing best drift-fishing in a boat. Use Power Bait in bright colors. The top lures for trout are small spoons in gold-silver or red-gold.

LAKE FAYETTEVILLE David Powell at the lake office reports little fishing activity. Some crappie have been caught by trolling minnows or jigs eight feet deep.

LAKE SEQUOYAH

Mike McBride at the lake bait shop said crappie fishing is fair with jigs or minnows eight feet deep. Try spinner baits or plastic worms for black bass.

SWEPCO LAKE Kenny Stroud in Siloam Springs said black bass are biting plastic worms. Spinner baits and crank baits may also work.

ILLINOIS RIVER Stroud recommends spinner baits, tube baits or Zoom Tiny Brush Hogs for black bass.

BELLA VISTA

Hook, Line and Sinker in Bella Vista reports little fishing activity. Try square-billed crank baits or jig and pigs for black bass at any Bella Vista lake.

EASTERN OKLAHOMA The Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation reports fair crappie fishing at Fort Gibson Lake on jigs or minnows 15 to 20 feet deep around docks and brush.

Catfish are biting fair on goldfish or shad. Black bass fishing is slow. Try crank baits or plastic worms.

TABLE ROCK LAKE Pete Wenners at Pete’s Professional Guide Service said black bass fishing is fair. Several lures may work including Rapala ice fishing jigs, grubs of various sizes or plastic worms on a drop-shot rig. Fish at the mouths of creek arms.

Try top-water lures early in the morning and on cloudy days.