Beaver Lake
Crappie are spawning and the catching is good.
Garland Villines at Hickory Creek Marina said crappie can be caught with minnows or jigs around wood cover close to shore. Fish two to five feet deep in the south half of the lake. Anglers are catching lots of limits.
Striped bass are biting in the White and War Eagle river arms on shad. Stripers to 25 pounds have been caught recently.
James Whittle at Hook, Line and Sinker in Rogers said crappie are biting well south of the Arkansas 12 bridge. Minnows are working best, fished three to 10 feet deep.
Black bass are biting spinner baits or square-billed crank baits. Try flipping a jig and pig or plastic worm around bushes.
Striped bass are scattered lakewide, from the river arms to the dam. Use live shad or brood minnows.
Beaver tailwater
Lisa Mullins at Beaver Dam Store said the top flies for trout are pheasant-tails, midges and hare’s ears.
Trout are biting small spoons in red-gold or red-silver. Power Bait works well in the bait category.
Lake Fayetteville
Angela Perea at the lake office said black bass, crappie and bluegill are biting.
Try plastic worms or crank baits for black bass. Crappie are biting minnows, jigs or small crank baits. Use worms for bluegill.
Lake Sequoyah
Mike McBride at the lake bait shop said crappie are biting well on minnows or jigs one to six feet deep. Use spinner baits or jig and pigs for black bass. Catfish are biting liver.
Lake Atalanta
James Whittle at Hook, Line and Sinker said black bass are spawning. Use Senkos or floating plastic worms to catch them.
Swepco Lake
Kenny Stroud in Siloam Springs said black bass are biting plastic worms two to 20 feet deep. Spinner baits or swim baits may also work.
Bella Vista
Nick Gann at Hook, Line and Sinker in Bella Vista said black bass fishing has improved. Use Ned rigs or plastic worms around docks at all Bella Vista lakes.
Bluegill are still deep, but can be caught with worms or crickets.
Eastern Oklahoma
The Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation reports fair fishing for largemouth bass at Lake Eucha. Use spinner baits, plastic worms or jig and pigs. Crappie and white bass are slow.
Crappie are biting well at Grand Lake on tube jigs around docks and wood cover. White bass are biting well in the Elk River arm on white jigs, grubs or spoons.
Table Rock Lake
Missouri Department of Conservation reports good crappie fishing in the James River arm on minnows or white jigs three to 10 feet deep in coves.
Black bass are biting well lake-wide on plastic worms or swim baits along chunk rock or gravel banks.
Sports on 05/01/2018
