Beaver Lake
Striped bass are on the prowl in the middle portion of Beaver Lake.
Reese Jones at Hook, Line and Sinker in Rogers said anglers report catching stripers early on top-water lures from Prairie Creek park downstream to Rocky Branch park. A Whopper Plopper is a popular lure. Use brood minnows or shad for stripers later in the day.
Try top-water lures for black bass early, then switch to a jig and pig for midday fishing. White bass are schooling on the surface in the Prairie Creek area. Catch them with top-water lures, spoons, crank baits or jigs. Troll crank baits to catch walleye.
Beaver tailwater
Lisa Mullins at Beaver Dam Store said fly fishing for trout is good with size 14 rabbit-hair nymphs. Olive color with a gold bead works best. Midges in size 16 fished under a strike indicator are also good.
Micro jigs are working, fished with a fly rod or a spin-cast rod. Olive and orange or olive and black are good colors. Other good lures are size 5 or 7 countdown Rapalas, silver or gold in color with a black back. Small spoons in red and gold or gold and silver are good to use.
For bait fishing, try nightcrawlers or Power Bait in bright colors combined with a waxworm.
Lake Fayetteville
David Powell at the lake office said few people are fishing. Windy days and deer hunting have kept anglers away. Try for crappie with jigs fished beside the lake's intake tower. Use glow worms or nightcrawlers for catfish.
Lake Sequoyah
Mike Carver at the lake office said few people are fishing. Black bass fishing is good with plastic worms. Bluegill are biting worms. Crappie and catfish are slow.
Bella Vista
Chip Wiseman at Hook, Line and Sinker in Bella Vista recommends fishing for crappie eight feet deep at any Bella Vista lake with minnows or jigs. Bluegill are biting worms at all Bella Vista lakes.
Try for black bass at dawn and dusk with top-water lures. Use Ned rigs or plastic worms for midday bass fishing.
Swepco Lake
Kenny Stroud in Siloam Springs recommends using plastic worms rigged any way an angler likes to fish them. Try top-water lures at dawn, dusk and cloudy days.
Siloam Springs Lake
Stroud recommends using square-billed crank baits at dawn for black bass. Use small swim baits later in the day.
Illinois River
Fish for black bass with tube baits, grubs or buzz baits, Stroud suggests.
Eastern Oklahoma
The Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation reports good fishing for crappie with jigs or minnows. Bluegill fishing is good with crickets, grasshoppers or worms. Black bass are biting well on crank baits.
At Fort Gibson Lake, crappie fishing is good with grubs, jigs or minnows. Catfish are biting fair on shad or inline spinners. Use spoons or jigs for white bass. Some boat ramps are closed because of low water.
Table Rock Lake
Focused Fishing guide service said the top lure for black bass is a pee wee football jig. Work the lure along points with a mix of ledge rock and gravel. Bass are 10 feet deep or less early, then 10 to 20 feet later in the day.
A Jewel Gem Blade fished in the backs of creek arms has been an effective lure. Try top-water lures along shady banks in shallow water.