Beaver Lake
The water is slowly cooling, but not enough to kick good fall fishing into gear. Midday water temperature remains in the mid-70s.
Reese Jones at Hook, Line and Sinker in Rogers said black bass fishing is fair with top-water lures at dawn, dusk and on overcast days. Go with plastic worms or jig and pigs later in the day eight to 25 feet deep. Points with timber or rocky shorelines are good areas to fish.
Crappie are 20 to 40 feet deep around brush. Use minnows or jigs. Striped bass fishing is slow. Best area is from Point 5 to Beaver Dam with brood minnows. No report on walleye or catfish.
Southtown Sporting Goods in Fayetteville reports sporadic walleye fishing. Try working long gravel points with jigging spoons or nightcrawler rigs. Bluegill fishing is fair with crickets or worms. Try for crappie in the White and War Eagle tributaries 12 to 15 feet with jigs or minnows around brush.
Beaver tailwater
Guide Austin Kennedy said trout fishing is best in the deep pools. Use prepared trout dough baits or cast small spoons. Good fishing is reported between the U.S. 62 bridge and Houseman Access.
Power generation has been mainly at midafternoon, creating high water and faster flow.
Lake Fayetteville
David Powell at the lake office said bluegill are biting well at the southeast corner of the lake on worms. Black bass are biting plastic worms or Zoom Flukes. Anglers report catching lots of small bass.
Lake Sequoya
Mike Carver at the lake office recommends fishing for black bass early with top-water lures. Try for crappie nine feet deep with minnows.
Bella Vista
Chip Wiseman at Hook, Line and Sinker in Bella Vista said black bass fishing has improved. Try soft-plastic crawdads, plastic worms or Alabama rigs on any Bella Vista lake.
All types of catfish bait are working for catfish. Use crickets or worms for bluegill.
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 fair on a variety of soft-plastic lures in dark colors. Try top-water lures at dawn and dusk.
Siloam Springs, Crystal lakes
Stroud recommended using top-water lures or square-bill crank baits at dawn and dusk. Try plastic worms for midday fishing.
Illinois River
Black bass fishing is good with tube baits, small jig and pigs, Rebel Wee Crawfish lures and Tiny Torpedo top-water lures, Stroud said.
Eastern Oklahoma
The Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation reports good fishing at Grand Lake for largemouth bass with crank baits and spinner baits. Catfish are biting well on cut bait or live bait.
At Lake Tenkiller, fishing is fair for black bass with crank baits, plastic worms, spinner baits and top-water lures. Crappie are biting fair on minnows or tube jigs around brush and docks.
Table Rock Lake
Focused Fishing Guide Service reports black bass fishing is best on the upstream half of the lake. Try a drop-shot rig around docks and gravel points. A pee wee football jig 20 to 30 feet is good to try.
Top-water fishing at dawn is hit and miss. Buzz baits are good to use. Bass are scattered. Move around and cover lots of water.
Compiled by Flip Putthoff