NWA fishing report
Beaver Lake
Winter tactics are in full swing for catching black bass.
Reese Jones at Hook, Line and Sinker in Rogers said good lure choices include Alabama rigs, jerk baits, crawdad-colored crank baits and swim baits.
Try for striped bass shallow to 20 feet deep using brood minnows or shad. Jones recommends fishing between Rocky Branch and Horseshoe Bend parks. Have a top-water lure tied on in case stripers are seen chasing shad on the surface.
For crappie, fish 10 to 20 feet deep around brush or docks. Walleye reports are spotty. Swim baits may work to catch walleye or black bass. Average surface water temperature is around 50 degrees.
Southtown Sporting Goods in Fayetteville suggests fishing for black bass with jig and pigs, spinner baits or top-water lures. Striped bass should begin moving into the White and War Eagle river arms soon. Brood minnows or shad are the best baits.
Beaver tailwater
Austin Kennedy, fishing guide said trout aren’t biting as well as last week. He recommends sticking with prepared trout baits on light tackle. Drift-fish with pink Pautzke Fire Worms during power generation.
Power generation at Beaver Dam may take place on chilly mornings and also in the evening. This creates higher water and swifter flow.
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 a few crappie are being caught with minnows or jigs. Go 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 deep over tree tops in creek arms where there are shad. Use a small plastic worm on a drop-shot rig or a jigging spoon.
Try crawdad-colored crank baits, jig and pigs or glide baits for bass along steep banks in creek arms.
Crappie are schooling around brush piles and standing timber. Use minnows or jigs and try different depths.