NWA Fishing Report

BEAVER LAKE

Proven winter tactics are the best bet to catch black bass.

Reese Jones at Hook, Line and Sinker in Rogers recommends using jerk baits, Alabama rigs or crank baits. Points with timber are good areas to try.

Crappie reports have been sparse, he said. Try minnows or jigs 10 to 25 feet deep around timber on the south half of the lake. Use shad or brood minnows 10 to 20 feet deep to catch striped bass. The Prairie Creek area is a good section for stripers. No reports on walleye.

Southtown Sporting Goods in Fayetteville recommends using minnows or jigs for crappie. Walleye are starting to migrate into the White and War Eagle river arms.

BEAVER TAILWATER

Austin Kennedy, fishing guide, said trout are biting prepared trout baits such as Power Bait when the water is low. During power generation, try Pautzke Fire Worms in the higher water. Use them on a one-sixteenth-ounce jig head. Fishing has been good in the Spider Creek and Parker Bottoms areas.

Power generation at Beaver Dam takes place mainly on cold mornings and evenings.

LAKE FAYETTEVILLE

Angela Perea at Lake Fayetteville Marina said crappie are biting, but they’re on the small side. Jigs are working best. Some anglers are trying for black bass, but they’re not catching much. Perea invites anglers to stop in and check out the new food items at the marina office.

LAKE SEQUOYAH

Angler Mike McBride said the crappie bite has slowed down. A few are being caught around the pilings of the old White River bridge or the one-lane bridge that crosses the lake. Use minnows or jigs two to 15 feet deep. Anglers fishing from the old White River bridge are catching catfish with liver.

BELLA VISTA

Chip Wiseman at Hook, Line and Sinker in Bella Vista recommends fishing for black bass at any Bella Vista lake with crank baits, jerk baits or Alabama rigs. Trout at Lake Brittany are biting Power Bait or small spoons.

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

SWEPCO LAKE

Chip Wiseman at Hook, Line and Sinker in Bella Vista said that, although most anglers fish for black bass at the lake, crappie and catfish can be caught with minnows. Use minnows around timber for crappie. Live or dead minnows work for catfish. Fish them on the bottom. Go with soft plastics to catch black bass.

EASTERN OKLAHOMA

The Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation reports fair fishing at Grand Lake for black bass with Alabama rigs or spinner baits around brush and docks. Blue catfish are biting fair on hot dog chunks, liver or shad. Crappie are biting fair on jigs around brush or docks.

At Lake Tenkiller, black bass fishing is fair with jerk baits, spinner baits or plastic worms around brush, rocks or docks. Crappie are biting fair on hair jigs, minnows or worms around brush and docks.

TABLE ROCK LAKE

Focused Fishing Guide service recommends fishing for black bass with jerk baits or crank baits around timber or docks. Breeze improves the bite.