Beaver Lake Fishing Report for March 29th

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http://www.nwaonline.net/articles/2007/03/...hingreports.txt

Beaver Lake: Crappie are prowling the shallows and getting ready to spawn on the upstream half of the reservoir.

Lee Winkler at Hickory Creek Marina said minnows and jigs are both working for crappie around all types of cover including laydowns, stickups and brush piles.

Crappie are shallow, from 1 to 5 feet.

White bass are schooling at sunrise and sunset near Point 12. Anglers are watching for surfacing fish and casting top-water lures, Rat-L-Traps and jigs to the swirls.

Black bass fishing is tough, Winkler said. Anglers report catching a few bass with spinner baits along points.

No reports of catfish or walleye, he said.

Jim Ritter at Hook, Line and Sinker in Rogers reports crappie are hitting minnows and jigs on the upstream half of the lake. The Blue Springs area in the White River arm has been a hot spot this week.

Black bass are going for crank baits in crawdad or shad colors along chunk rock or pea gravel banks.

Jason Piper at J.T. Crappie Guide Services in Rogers said crappie fishing is good. Water temperature is around 60 degrees upstream from Hickory Creek park.

Try small jigs in shallow water where there is brush or weeds. Some slab-sized crappie have been caught this week.

The best fishing is upstream of Hickory Creek park and up the War Eagle and White river arms with jigs or minnows about 2 feet deep.

White bass are biting on anything that looks like shad. The Sidewalk Hole in the War Eagle arm is producing well for white bass.

Joyce Bauer at Lost Bridge Marina said white bass fishing is excellent in the Indian Creek arm with white jigs.

Stripers are going for shad near the dam.

White River below Beaver Dam: Tom Steinke at the Beaver Dam Store said fishing is excellent in the river and lake.

Trout are biting Gulp! and Power Bait prepared bait. Buoyant Spoons in the rainbow trout color are working also.

Walleye are being caught from Holiday Island upstream to the dam. Trolling is the best method. Try Rapalas, Wally Divers, jointed Shad Raps or a jig and minnow combination.

The best fishing is at night or on cloudy days.

White bass are biting at Beaver Lake in White Bass cove north of the dam.

Black bass are biting in the Beaver Dam area of the lake on spinner baits worked along wind-blown banks.

Scott Branyan at Ozark Fly Flinger guide service said trout are hitting bead-head woolly buggers and pheasant tails. Scuds and sculpin patterns are other likely choices.

Mike McLellan at McLellan’s Fly Shop in Fayetteville said midge patterns are good in low water, especially on breezy days.

Lake Fayetteville: Jim Black at Lake Fayetteville boat dock said crappie fishing is excellent. Limits are coming in on minnows or jigs 2 to 3 feet deep.

Black bass are beginning to nest. They’re being caught with crank baits or jig and pigs.

Lake Sequoyah: Jackie Smith at Lake Sequoyah boat dock said crappie fishing is excellent with jigs or minnows. Trolling 4 to 6 feet deep over the mud flats is the best way to catch them.

A few black bass are coming in on spinner baits and plastic worms fished 4 to 6 feet deep.

Smith recommends liver, worms or cut bait for catfish.

Bella Vista: Nick Gann at Hook, Line and Sinker said black bass and crappie are biting at all the village lakes.

Bass are hitting finesse worms, jig and pigs, soft jerk baits and crank baits.

Crappie are scattered. Try jigs or minnows 8 feet deep.

SWEPCO Lake: Kenny Stroud at the Siloam Springs Wal-Mart said black bass have moved deep. Try Senkos or jig-head worms 15 feet deep. Dark colors are best.

Catfish are biting liver, nightcrawlers or cut bait.

Siloam Springs City Lake: Stroud said crappie are biting one-sixteenth-ounce red/white or blue/white jigs.

Illinois River: Stroud said a few smallmouths have been caught with Rebel crawfish lures or small tube baits.

Prairie Grove Lake: Lake manager Paula Keen said fishing was good for black bass and crappie last weekend.

Rick Jedlicka caught and released 11 bass to 4 pounds on crank baits. Brett and Scott Seaman caught two crappie and five bass with jigs. Tom and Sandy Anderson used jigs to catch 10 crappie and three bass.

The lake is open Saturdays and Sundays from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. Only paddlecraft or electric motors are allowed on the lake.

Upper Table Rock Lake: J.D. Fletcher at Devil’s Dive Resort said white bass are biting in river channel bends from Holiday Island to Houseman Access. Plenty of whites are being caught in Butler Creek.

Fletcher’s favorite white bass lures are a chartreuse jig with a red head or a Rooster Tail.

Lake Taneycomo: Mike McLellan at McLellan’s Fly Shop in Fayetteville said power generation has slacked off. There are some good wade-fishing conditions. Scuds, sow bugs and midge patterns should hook trout.

Drift large scuds or sow bugs from a boat during power generation, McLellan suggested.

Eastern Oklahoma: Kenny Stroud at the Siloam Springs Wal-Mart said white bass and crappie fishing is good at Lake Eucha.

For white bass, try Rat-L-Traps or Roadrunners. Go with small jigs for crappie, worked around main lake brush.

At W.R. Holway Reservoir, try crank baits along main-lake points. Stroud fished there Saturday and caught five bass, but lost a 5-pound smallmouth bass at the side of the boat.

The Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation reports Grand Lake is fishing fair to good for crappie around docks and brush piles. Paddlefish snagging is good upriver.

Black bass are biting at Lake Tenkiller on jig and pigs worked along drop-offs.