NWA fishing report

Beaver Lake

Striped bass are going for brood minnows or shad on the south half of the lake.

Reese Jones at Hook, Line and Sinker in Rogers said the best fishing is from Prairie Creek park south to Point 12, where the White and War Eagle tributaries meets. Live bait is best, but trolling an Alabama rig is another option.

Try for crappie 15 to 20 feet deep on the north half of the lake. Fish more shallow on the south half of the lake. Work minnows or jigs around brush.

Black bass fishing has improved. Try crank baits or plastic worms. White bass are biting in the White and War Eagle tributaries.

Southtown Sporting Goods in Fayetteville reports fair walleye fishing with curly tailed grubs. Bluegill fishing is fair with worms or crickets.

Beaver tailwater

Guide Austin Kennedy recommends fishing for trout with small spoons and small crank baits. Add some Pautzke Firegel to the lure for best results. Good fishing is happening in the Spider Creek area.

Power generation takes place mainly in the morning. Drift-fishing in a boat is best during generation.

Lake Fayetteville

David Powell at the lake office said crappie are biting minnows best, but jigs work, too. Fish from the bottom up until fish are located.

Black bass are biting wacky worms and an assortment of other lures. Bluegill and catfish can be caught from the public fishing dock. Use worms or crickets for bluegill and nightcrawlers for catfish.

Lake Sequoyah

Mike Carver at the lake office said crappie fishing is good 5 to 8 feet deep along flats. Black bass are biting spinner baits, creature baits and shallow-diving crank baits. Use worms for bluegill. Fishing for catfish is slow.

Bella Vista

Chip Wiseman at Hook, Line and Sinker in Bella Vista said black bass are biting at all Bella Vista lakes on Alabama rigs with small baits attached to the swivels. Other good lure choices include crawdad colored crank baits, jerk baits and Ned rigs. Use worms to catch redear sunfish 12 feet deep.

Try for crappie with minnows or jigs four to six feet deep. Trout fishing is good at Lake Brittany with Power Bait or small red and gold spoons.

Swepco Lake

Kenny Stroud in Siloam Springs recommends fishing for black bass at Swepco Lake with soft plastic lures. For crappie, try minnows or jigs around wood cover. The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission sunk lots of brush in the lake two years ago. Find these brush piles with a depth finder and fish near them.

Illinois River

Stroud recommends fishing for black bass with football jigs, spinner baits, tube baits, grubs or chartreuse Rooster Tail spinners.

Eastern Oklahoma

The Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation reports good black bass fishing at Lake Eucha with Alabama rigs, crank baits and jerk baits. Crappie are biting well on jigs or minnows.

Crappie fishing is good at Lake Tenkiller with minnows or jigs fished around structure and docks in shallow water. Black bass fishing is fair with crank baits jigs or minnows.

At Grand Lake, black bass fishing is fair with Alabama rigs, crank baits or jerk baits fished around brush and docks. Catfish are biting well on liver or cut bait.

Table Rock Lake

Focused Fishing Guide Service reports black bass are on spawning beds. Try shaky-head plastic worms or spider jigs on the bottom in spawning pockets or on the inside of points.

Spinner baits should begin to work in a week or so and top-water lures in two weeks.

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