Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Starting gun ready on spawning runs
Anglers eager for walleye, white bass
Walleye and white bass are on the starting line, ready for their marathon spawning run up the White River and War Eagle River, the two main tributaries of Beaver Lake.
Anglers in boats and on shore will be eager to greet them along the way as the water warms through March. That steady marathon pace becomes a fin-flapping sprint as the water warms through the 50s and into the 60s.
Reports from the fishing grapevine are that the walleye run is in its early stages. Word is that walleye are starting to bite in the White River at Goshen, where Arkansas 45 crosses the river and also Richland Creek — Twin Bridges area, anglers call it.
The White River below Beaver Dam is another March walleye hot spot. Coffee shop talk is that walleye are biting the entire length of the river.
Most years the stretch between Houseman Access and the town of Beaver is walleye central during March. This is the area where the White River blends with the headwaters of Table Rock Lake.
Farther east, the Kings River arm of Table Rock Lake is giving up some quality walleye.
At all three places, walleye must be 18 inches or longer to keep. The daily walleye limit is four.
To catch them, tie on a crank bait or single-tail grub. We’ve had success with both the last two years in March at Twin Bridges. Crank baits
with some chartreuse in the color scheme are good to use. Grubs in bright colors such as white, yellow or chartreuse are apt to get bit by a toothy walleye.
Watch out for those teeth, sharp gill plates and fins when handling walleye.
The white bass spawning run comes on the heels of the walleye run. White bass fishing kicks into high gear around mid-March and can last into May.
The three areas mentioned here for walleye are superb for white bass once the run is on. Regulations vary from place to place. At Beaver Lake and its tributaries, such as the White and War Eagle rivers, there’s no daily limit on white bass. Anglers can keep all they care to clean of any size.
Nearly any lure that resembles a minnow will work for white bass. White bass gurus will testify that the Creme Lit’l Fishie is the best white bass lures going. It’s a soft-plastic minnow-like lure that white bass devour. For best results, use Lit’l Fishies on an Alabama rig. Other good lures are Roadrunners
and Rooster Tails.
Fly fishing for white bass is a barrel of fun. A Clouser minnow is deadly for white bass in the spring.
One white bass area that is often overlooked at Beaver Lake is the riprap on the north end of Beaver Dam. The line of rock stretches along the day-use area at a large bay on the lake side of the dam.
Jon Stein, area fisheries biologist with the state Game and Fish Commission, said white bass spawn on that riprap during spring. Could be why the locals call this “white bass cove.”
Last March, we chatted with Kevin Eubanks, wildlife officer with Game and Fish, after a morning at Twin Bridges. He said then the walleye fishing was superb on the White River.
“Over the last 10 years, I’ve seen bigger and bigger walleye,” Eubanks noted.
White bass fishing, too, was excellent last spring, he noted.
On the river that same morning, we fished close to Jon Conklin, an area multispecies fishing guide. Conklin pointed to the high number. Flip Putthoff can be reached at fputthoff@nwadg.com or on Twitter @NWAFlip.