Beaver and other NWA waters

[taxidermist]

http://www.nwaonline.net/articles/2007/04/...afishreport.txt

The Morning News

Beaver Lake: Drastic cold weather last week and early this week dropped water temperatures severely and has slowed fishing.

Garland Villines at Hickory Creek Marina said the surface temperature there plummeted 10 to 13 degrees. It now hovers around 55 degrees.

Tom Steinke at the Beaver Dam Store reports a drop of 6 to 7 degrees at the dam.

Villines, one of the top crappie fishermen at Beaver, said he caught only two crappie during a recent trip.

Crappie have backed off the banks, he said. It’s tough to predict if they will return to the shallows this weekend.

Black bass have been seen on spawning beds in the Hickory Creek area, Villines said. Those, too, may have retreated to deeper water.

Stripers could be the best bet for the weekend. Anglers report catching them on shad or brood minnows from Hickory Creek upstream into the White and War Eagle tributaries.

Bob Bauer at Lost Bridge Marina said white bass fishing on the downstream end of Beaver may be slowly recovering from the cold jolt.

Anglers out Tuesday caught white bass from the Indian Creek arm. They used white jigs.

Bauer said crappie are hitting jigs. Some stripers have been caught by anglers after crappie.

Jason Piper at J.T. Crappie Guide Services the cold weather has slowed crappie fishing at Beaver Lake.

Crappie have moved off the bank a slightly deeper water not to far from shallow water.

Try fishing wind-blown coves near standing timber or in bays off of creek channels.

Once the water warms a little the crappie should move back to the bank around laydowns and shallow brush. Chartreuse Shineee Hineee jigs are a good lure choice.

The best places to fish are Hickory Creek, Pine Creek and Coose Hollow.

David Messersmith at Hook, Line and Sinker in Rogers said a few black bass have been caught with spinner baits and jig and pigs. Bites are scarce, but most have come from big fish this week.

Crappie have moved out to deeper water after prowling the shallows before the cold snap.

White River below Beaver Dam: Tom Steinke at the Beaver Dam Store said trout are biting prepared baits like Power Bait or Gulp! Orange is a good color.

The top lures are spoons or Rooster Tails in orange and brown or any bright color.

Small-sized flies are working best. Try midge dry patterns in the afternoons. Small WD-40s or Griffith’s gnats are good patterns.

Mike McLellan at McLellan’s Fly Shop in Fayetteville said high-water fly fishing can be good drifting in a boat and using San Juan worms.

Lake Fayetteville: Jim Black at Lake Fayetteville boat dock reports little fishing activity in the wake of the cold weather.

Try minnows or jigs for crappie or shallow-diving crank baits for black bass.

Lake Sequoyah: Jackie Smith at Lake Sequoyah boat dock said no one is fishing.

Try minnows, jigs or Roadrunners for crappie. Spinner baits or plastic worms are wise choices for black bass.

Prairie Grove Lake: No report this week.

Bella Vista: Nick Gann reports limited fishing activity due to cold weather. Tournament anglers braved the chill to fish tournaments last weekend at Lake Windsor and Loch Lomond. Several black bass were weighed.

Most were caught with jig and pigs, crank baits or plastic worms 12 feet deep or less.

SWEPCO Lake: Kenny Stroud at the Siloam Springs Wal-Mart said black bass are hitting top-water lures early. Productive lures include Pop-Rs or floating Rapalas. Large-sized baits are working best.

Try main lake points and at the warm-water discharge from the Flint Creek Power Plant.

For deeper bass, go with Senkos or finesse worms 10 feet or deeper. Rig Senkos wacky style or fish them on a split shot rig.

Siloam Springs City Lake: Stroud said crappie are biting chartreuse/black, pink/black or blue/black jigs.

Illinois River: Stroud said smallmouth bass are biting 4-inch lizards.

Upper Table Rock Lake: J.D. Fletcher at Devil’s Dive Resort said cold weather has shut the white bass down.

His son, Jeff, took several guide trips out for whites last week before the cold snap and caught dozens of fish. A trip Saturday yielded only two white bass.

The black bass fishing has made up for it. Jeff guided a party Monday and they boated several bass including a 6-pounder, 5-pounder and two 4s. Most of their bass were caught with silver jerk baits.

Finesse worms and plastic lizards have also been working, Fletcher said.

Lake Taneycomo: Mike McLellan at McLellan’s Fly Shop in Fayetteville said scuds trailed by a Jujubee midge or Mercury midge are productive in low water.

During high water, drift in a boat and use large nymphs or sow bugs.

Eastern Oklahoma: The Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation reports crappie at Lake Eucha are biting minnows and jigs around brush and structure. Largemouth bass are hitting spinner baits or jerk baits.

At Grand Lake, anglers are heading to indoor docks during the cold spell and catching some good-sized crappie.

Lake Tenkiller’s largemouth bass are sluggish. A few are biting jigs 15 to 20 feet deep around drop-offs.

Trolling for crappie is fair on deep-running lures in the midlake areas. Morning fishing is best.