NWA Fishing Report

BEAVER LAKE

Stripers are on the move and in a biting mood.

Jon Conklin, fishing guide, said the water temperature is in the low 50s and that kicks in the wintertime striper bite. Best area is between Horseshoe Bend park and Point 12. Locate schools of shad with electronics and stripers should be close by. Use brood minnows or shad. Stripers may also be chasing shad on the surface so have a top-water lure handy.

Try square-billed crank baits or spinner baits for black bass. Crappie are schooling around brush. Use minnows or jig 10 to 20 feet deep. Walleye are scattered and hard to catch.

BEAVER TAILWATER

Austin Kennedy, fishing guide said trout are biting prepared trout baits or small spoons. The river between the dam and Parker Bottoms has been fishing well.

Power generation at Beaver Dam may take place on chilly mornings, creating higher water and swifter flow. Late mornings and afternoons are usually best for low-water trout fishing.

LAKE FAYETTEVILLE

Lake Fayetteville Marina reports fair crappie fishing with minnows or jigs. Best depth varies daily so experiment shallow to deep. Bluegill are biting worms.

LAKE SEQUOYAH

Angler Mike McBride said there’s little fishing activity. A few crappie are being caught with minnows or jigs. Try fishing for catfish from the old White River bridge with any kind of catfish bait.

BELLA VISTA

Hook, Line and Sinker in Bella Vista recommends fishing for black bass with spinner baits, swim baits or Alabama rigs. Use minnows or jigs for crappie 10 to 20 feet deep around brush. Trout at Lake Brittany are biting prepared trout baits or small spoons.

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 are biting plastic worms, tube baits, spinner baits, square-billed crank baits and swim baits.

ILLINOIS RIVER

Stroud recommends fishing for black bass with small jerk baits, small hair jigs or tube baits in dark colors.

EASTERN OKLAHOMA

The Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation reports fair fishing for black bass at Grand Lake with crank baits, plastic worms and spinner baits around brush and rock. Crappie are biting fair on jigs around brush and docks. Blue catfish are biting fair on liver, cut bait and hot dog chunks

At Lake Tenkiller, black bass fishing is fair with crank baits, jigs or plastic worms around docks and brush. Crappie are biting well on minnows or jigs around docks or brush on the main lake.

TABLE ROCK LAKE

Focused Fishing Guide Service said black bass are biting jig and pigs 15 feet deep or less near brush piles or timber. Crawdad-colored crank baits are working along wind-blown banks. Try fishing deep with a jigging spoon or drop-shot rig in creek arms and along points where there are shad.