NWA Fishing Report

BEAVER LAKE

Fishing for striped bass is heating up.

Reese Jones at Hook, Line and Sinker in Rogers said stripers are biting from Prairie Creek park upstream to Hickory Creek park. Point 12 is a hot spot for stripers. Fish with brood minnows, shad or Alabama rigs. Locate schools of shad with a depth finder and stripers will likely be near the shad. Fish where gulls can be seen feeding on shad.

For black bass, try crawdad-colored crank baits or Alabama rigs.

Fish for crappie with minnows 10 to 20 feet deep around wood cover. Southtown Sporting Goods reports crappie are biting eight to 12 feet deep around isolated wood cover. Minnows are working best.

Average surface water temperature is in the low to mid 50s.

BEAVER TAILWATER Beaver Dam Store reports good trout fishing with bait, lures and flies. Power generation has decreased at the dam so there is more low water.

Power Bait in bright colors tipped with a waxworm is a great bait. Nightcrawlers are good. The top lures are size 5 or 7 countdown Rapalas. Good colors are silver or gold with a black back. Size 6 or 7 Flicker Shads in shad colors are worth a try.

For fly fishing, use a size 16 midge under a strike indicator. Small jigs are good as well.

LAKE FAYETTEVILLE David Powell at the lake office reports little fishing activity. Try for crappie with hair jigs. Black is a good color. Use a jig and pig to catch black bass.

LAKE SEQUOYAH

Mike Carver at the lake office recommends fishing for black bass with a jig and pig.

Anglers report catching crappie by trolling with shallow-diving crank baits. Troll at the edge of the river channel on the west side of the lake. Crappie are usually six to eight feet deep in nine feet of water. Roadrunners are also working.

BELLA VISTA

Chip Wiseman at Hook, Line and Sinker in Bella Vista said fishing is good at Lake Brittany for trout. Fish with Power Bait or small spoons.

Crappie are biting jigs or 2-inch Keitech Swing Impact swim baits in the sexy shad color. Try crawdad crank baits for black bass at any Bella Vista lake.

SWEPCO LAKE

Kenny Stroud in Siloam Springs recommends fishing for black bass at Swepco Lake with soft plastic lures rigged any way. Zoom Flukes are working Try top-water lures early and on cloudy days.

ILLINOIS RIVER

Stroud recommends fishing for black bass with tube baits, grubs or buzz baits.

EASTERN OKLAHOMA

The Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation reports good fishing for largemouth bass at Grand Lake. Use Alabama rigs, crank baits or spinner baits around docks and along flats and points. Crappie fishing is fair with jigs or minnows around docks and brush.

At Lake Tenkiller, white bass fishing is fair with spoons or jigs. Try creek channels, flats and points. Go for black bass with jig and pigs or plastic worms.

TABLE ROCK LAKE

Focused Fishing guide service said black bass are biting best in the center of creek arms. Work a swim bait over tree tops. A jigging spoon may also work. Jerk baits are effective on cloudy, windy days. Fish them along steep, rocky banks.