NWA Fishing Report

BEAVER LAKE

Winter can be big bass season at Beaver Lake for anglers who bundle up and go. Bites can be few, but often come from big largemouth, smallmouth or spotted bass.

To catch them, Reese Jones at Hook, Line and Sinker in Rogers recommends using jerk baits, crank baits, jig and pigs or Alabama rigs. Forty five can be the magic number. When the water is 45 degrees, fish rocky shorelines that slope 45 degrees and cast at a 45-degree angle to the shoreline. Black bass are often in very shallow water.

Try for crappie 10 to 25 feet deep with minnows or jigs around timber and brush piles. Average surface water temperature is in the mid-40s.

Southtown Sporting Goods reports good striped bass fishing with brood minnows, spoons and soft jerk baits on the south end of the lake. Bluegill are biting fair on worms or crickets.

BEAVER TAILWATER

Guide Austin Kennedy said trout are biting well on small spoons coated in Fire Gel and fished on light tackle. Power Bait is another good choice. The section of river from Parker Bottoms to Spider Creek is a good area to fish for trout. Walleye fishing in the tailwater should pick up soon as spawning time nears. Minnows or jerk baits work well.

Expect power generation at Beaver Dam on cold mornings and cold days creating high water and fast flows.

LAKE FAYETTEVILLE

David Powell at the lake office said black bass are biting jerk baits. Try for crappie with black and yellow hair jigs at varied depths.

LAKE SEQUOYAH

Mike Carver at the lake office said crappie have been caught near the old White River bridge with minnows 12 feet deep. A few white bass have been caught with crank baits.

BELLA VISTA

Chip Wiseman at Hook, Line and Sinker in Bella Vista said bluegill fishing is good with worms or crickets at Loch Lomond and Lake Windsor. Trout fishing is good at Lake Brittany with Power Bait or small spoons. For black bass, use crawdad-colored crank baits, jerk baits or Alabama rigs.

Please note that fishing in Bella Vista is open only to POA members and their guests.

SWEPCO LAKE

Kenny Stroud in Siloam Springs said black bass fishing is good with all types of soft plastic lures. Hard-bodied swim baits are good to use.

SILOAM SPRINGS, CRYSTAL LAKES

Stroud recommends fishing for crappie with minnows or small jigs.

EASTERN OKLAHOMA

Fish for black bass at Lake Eucha with Alabama rigs or jerk baits, Stroud suggests. Go for crappie with minnows or small jigs.

The Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation reports fair fishing for largemouth bass at Grand Lake with Alabama rigs, spinner baits and crank baits.

At Lake Tenkiller, crappie are biting fair on minnows or jigs fished around brush and docks. Try for black bass with crank baits, jig and pigs, plastic worms or spinner baits around brush, points and rocky shorelines.

TABLE ROCK LAKE

Focused Fishing Guide Service reports black bass are biting jigging spoons 35 to 50 feet deep in creek arms that have shad schools. Finding shad is key. Try crawdad-colored crank baits along steep banks, main lake points and secondary points. For crappie, try the Kings River arm with small swim baits.