Northwest Arkansas Fishing Report
Last updated Friday, September 22, 2006 12:55 AM CDT in Outdoors
By The Morning News
Beaver Lake: Fall fishing patterns are beginning to work for black bass. That calls for casting your favorite spinner bait.
Chris Johnson at Hawg Country Bait and Tackle in Rogers said spinner baits work best on cloudy, rainy or windy days. White and chartreuse or smoke purple are the best colors. Work them along rocky banks 2 feet deep.
At night, switch to a black spinner bait, but keep working it 2 feet deep.
For bass fishing on sunny days, try a jigging spoon or drop-shot rig 30 feet deep around shad schools.
Crappie fishing has improved. Minnows are working near pole timber 4 to 16 feet deep in the midlake area.
Schooling white bass are reported in the midlake portion of Beaver. Small top-water lures or small spoons are effective lures.
Catfish are going for liver or worms fished on rod and reel.
Bill Pope at Hickory Creek Marina said the lake turnover is complete on the upstream end of Beaver and fishing has improved.
Largemouth bass are hitting spinner baits near wood cover. Spotted bass are going for jigging spoons or jigs.
Crappie fishing has improved. Work minnows or jigs 15 to 25 feet deep around brush or troll a crank bait over flats where they drop into the river channel.
Catfish are biting on jug lines baited with a variety of enticements, from hot dogs to minnows.
Aaron Jolliff at Hook, Line and Sinker in Rogers reports black bass are coming in on jigging spoons worked near schools of shad. Drop-shot rigged finesse worms are also effective.
Stripers are biting in the Rocky Branch area on shad 30 to 40 feet deep.
Crappie fishing has improved. Try minnows or jigs around brush 10 to 15 feet deep.
Bob Bauer at Lost Bridge Marina said stripers are moving shallower by the day and hitting jigs.
Channel catfish are coming in on liver or worms.
White River below Beaver Dam: Betty Clark at Riverview Resort said trout are biting chartreuse Power Bait or nightcrawlers.
The top lures are micro jigs tipped with a waxworm, Colorado spoons or countdown Rapalas.
Small bead-head nymphs, scuds and sowbugs are good fly choices.
Generation occurs during the late afternoon.
Lake Fayetteville: Dollie Black at Lake Fayetteville boat dock said catfish are biting well on liver and nightcrawlers.
Black bass fishing is good early with top-water lures and shallow-diving crank baits.
For crappie, try jigs or minnows 12 feet deep around brush. Bluegill are biting worms 12 feet deep.
Lake Sequoyah: Jackie Smith at Lake Sequoyah boat dock said fishing is fair for all species. Most fish are 4 to 8 feet deep.
Crappie are hitting minnows and tube baits. Catfish are biting worms, liver or cut bait. Try buzz baits or plastic worms for black bass along points or wood cover. Bluegill are biting crickets.
The lake is clear and at normal level.
Prairie Grove Lake: No report. The lake is open Saturday, Sunday and Sept. 30, but will close for the season at sunset, Oct. 1.
Bella Vista: Joyce Gann at Hook, Line and Sinker in Bella Vista said black bass are hitting top-water lures early. Bass to 3 pounds have been coming in.
Bluegill are biting crickets 10 feet deep.
SWEPCO Lake: Kenny Stroud at the Siloam Springs Wal-Mart said black bass are hitting top-water lures early and plastic worms fished Carolina style or on a jig head later.
White/chartreuse spinner baits are working, along with plastic lizards.
Siloam Springs City Lake: Stroud said black/blue plastic worms are working for black bass. Try top-water lures early and late for bass.
Illinois River: Stroud said the river is muddy from the weekend rain. No report.
Upper Table Rock: J.D. Fletcher said some whopper black bass have been caught at night. Two 9-pounders were caught in the Shell Knob area on plastic worms during a night tournament.
Carl Mosely of Fayetteville caught a 5.8-pound black bass on a buzz bait, along with other bass in the 2.5-pound range.
Fletcher’s son, Jeff, has had success on smaller-sized bass with a crawdad-colored Model A Bomber.
Bluegill fishing is excellent in the backs of coves with worms or crickets.
For catfish, use live sunfish or goldfish on a trotline. Crappie are scattered, but can be caught with minnows 12 feet deep near brush.
Eastern Oklahoma: The Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation said black bass fishing is good at Ft. Gibson lake on spinner baits and salt craws. Try cut bait and stink bait for catfish.
At Grand Lake, catfish are coming in on jug lines baited with shad and fished in the river channel.
Lake Tenkiller crappie fishing is fair with minnows around boat docks 10 to 15 feet deep. Catfish are fair with cut bait 30 to 40 feet deep.
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