NWA FISHING REPORT

Beaver Lake

Anglers are beating the bushes and casting to deep water in the heat of summer.

Taylor Surly at Hook, Line and Sinker in Rogers said bass can still be caught between first light and sunrise with buzz baits around flooded bushes. Deep-diving crank baits work later in the day. Good colors are blue and chartreuse or white and purple. Work them along bluff ends, points and bends in the main channel that have timber.

Try trolling mediumdiving crank baits for crappie along bends in the main lake channel. For striped bass, work the north end of the lake from Point 5 to the dam with shad or brood minnows. A jigging spoon may also work.

Try for catfish by jug fishing. Bait up with small sunfish or goldfish. Bluegill are biting small purple plastic worms in shallow water. Anglers are catching some big bluegill while using the small worms for bass. Try for walleye around underwater humps with a jigging spoon 25 to 30 feet deep.

Beaver tailwater

Lisa Mullins at Beaver Dam Store reports good fishing for trout. Fishing from a boat is best because of high water. Power generation is mainly in midafternoon.

Try Power Bait tipped with a waxworm. Nightcrawlers are a good trout bait. The top lures are small jigs, countdown Rapalas or small gold and red spoons.

Lots of threadfin shad are in the White River, so fly fishing with a white streamer could bring success.

Lake Fayetteville

David Powell at the lake office said black bass fishing is good with wacky worms. Bluegill and catfish are both biting crickets. Tip a crappie jig with a minnow and troll to catch crappie.

Lake Sequoyah

Toby Carroll at the lake office said fishing is slow. Try for catfish with liver, cut bait or nightcrawlers. Use buzz baits for largemouth bass from first light through early morning.

Fish for crappie along bluff banks close to the main channel. Use minnows, jigs or small crank baits 5 to 8 feet deep.

Elk River

Drew Daniel at Big Elk Floats and Camping said black bass fishing is good with top-water lures, small crawdad crank baits, tube baits or small plastic worms. Nightcrawlers and creek minnows are good live baits.

Bella Vista

Chip Wiseman at Hook,

Line and Sinker in Bella Vista reports good bluegill fishing two to six feet deep with crickets or worms. Loch Lomond is the best bluegill lake, but they’re biting at all Bella Vista lakes.

Black bass are biting fair at night on spinner baits. Try top-water lures between first light and sunrise for black bass.

Swepco Lake

Kenny Stroud in Siloam Springs said black bass fishing is best at night with all types of soft plastic lures. Try top-water lures at dawn and dusk. A Whopper Plopper is a good topwater choice.

Siloam Springs, Crystal lakes

Fish for black bass early with top-water lures, Stroud recommends. Try medium-diving crank baits in shad colors. Plastic worms should work as well.

Illinois River

Stroud suggests tube bait, grubs or plastic lizards for black bass . A small topwater lure may also work.

Eastern Oklahoma

Stroud recommends fishing for black bass during the day at Lake Eucha with deep-diving crank baits. Try bass fishing at night with 10-inch plastic worms in dark colors. Spinner baits in dark colors are also good.

The Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation reports good largemouth bass fishing at Fort Gibson Lake with plastic worms and spinner baits around docks and rocks.

Table Rock Lake

Focused Fishing Guide Service said black bass fishing with top-water lures is hit and miss. Best time is first light to sunrise.

The best technique is to drag a swim bait along the bottom of gravel points. Thread a swim bait on a one-half ounce jig head to keep it on the bottom. Bass can also be caught from tree tops 25 to 35 feet deep with a drop-shot rig.