NWA Fishing Report

BEAVER LAKE

Bluegill have an appetite for worms.

Reese Jones at Hook, Line and Sinker in Rogers said bluegill fishing is good with worms five to 10 feet deep. Try fishing along gravel banks.

Black bass are biting in shallow water on all types of lures including plastic worms, crank baits, spinner baits. Top-water lures are working early. Lay-down trees are good structure to target.

Striped bass are biting between Prairie Creek Park and Point 12 on shad or brood minnows one to 25 feet deep. Top-water lures including Red Fins or Zara Spooks are good to try when stripers are surfacing.

Walleye fishing is in a transition time now that the spawn is over. Fishing should improve from week to week. Troll slowly with nightcrawler rigs along gravel points and flats. Or troll with a jig and minnow combination or jig and nightcrawler.

BEAVER TAILWATER

Austin Kennedy, fishing guide, said the trout bite is up and down depending on cold fronts. Fishing should stabilize with the arrival of warm days and nights. Try prepared trout baits or small jigs, spoons and crank baits. A good area to fish is between Bertrand Access and Spider Creek.

Power generation at Beaver Dam is generally in the mornings and afternoons, creating good conditions for drift-fishing from a boat.

LAKE FAYETTEVILLE

Lake Fayetteville Marina reports good for bluegill, crappie and black bass. Try worms or crickets for bluegill, minnows or jigs for crappie. Go with plastic worms for bass or try top-water lures early.

LAKE SEQUOYAH

Angler Mike McBride said crappie have finally moved close to shore and are biting minnows or any type of crappie jig. Black bass fishing is good on plastic worms, top-water lures, spinner baits or any bass lure. Catfish are biting well on liver.

BELLA VISTA

Chip Wiseman at Hook, Line and Sinker in Bella Vista said redear and bluegill are biting well on all Bella Vista lakes. Crickets or worms are the best baits.

Black bass are in various stages of the spawn, from prespawn to done. Try plastic worms in natural colors such as green pumpkin. Use minnows or jigs for crappie.

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

SWEPCO LAKE

Kenny Stroud in Siloam Springs recommends using any type of soft plastic lure for black bass, such as plastic worms, plastic lizards or tube baits. Try for catfish with liver, nightcrawlers or cut bait.

ILLINOIS RIVER

Stroud said black bass fishing is good with small soft plastic lures.

ELK RIVER

Drew Daniel at Big Elk Floats and Camping reports good black bass fishing with white Zoom Flukes fished with no weight, large swim baits and green 8-inch plastic worms. Bass are getting ready to spawn.

EASTERN OKLAHOMA

The Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation reports good crappie fishing at Lake Tenkiller with tube jigs or minnows fished around brush, rocks or docks. Black bass are biting well on crank baits, plastic worms, spinner baits or top-water lures worked along points or around brush.

At Grand Lake, black bass fishing is good with crank baits, plastic worms or spinner baits worked around brush, docks, rocks or standing timber. Crappie fishing is good with tube jigs or minnows around docks or rocks. White bass are biting Sassy Shads, shad-type lures or tube jigs in tributaries.

At Lake Eucha, black bass fishing is good with crank baits, spinner baits or plastic worms around brush and rocks. Crappie are biting well on minnows or jigs around standing timber. White bass fishing is good in creek arms with jigs or small crank baits.

TABLE ROCK LAKE

Focus Fishing Guide Service said fishing for black bass is good one day, slower the next.

Fishing with top-water lures has improved. Work spawning pockets with lures such as a Zara Spook or Pop-R. Swim baits are good to use in mossy areas. Work the lure off the bottom above the moss.

Bottom-bouncing lures such as jig and pigs or plastic worms are good to use in areas without moss. Fish five to 15 feet deep. Spinner baits or chatter baits may work on breezy days around lay-down trees and other cover.