BEAVER LAKE

Some cooler weather has arrived, but fishing is still stuck in the dog days. Early or late is best.

Jon Conklin, fishing guide, said striped bass are biting on the north end of the lake. Anglers need to be fishing by first light and the bite lasts an hour or two. Find schools of shad with a depth finder, then troll slowly with brood minnows or shad. Watch for surfacing stripers and cast to them with top-water lures such as a Red Fin.

Black bass are schooling on the surface early at random spots on the lake. Be ready with a top-water lure such as a Zara Spook or Tiny Torpedo. Most of these bass are small but still fun to catch, Conklin said. Spotted bass of any size may be kept. Largemouth and smallmouth bass must be 15 inches or longer to keep.

Try for walleye along main lake or secondary points near deep water. Troll slowly 30 feet deep with a nightcrawler rig behind a bottom bouncer weight. Best walleye fishing is on the north half of the lake. Walleye at Beaver Lake must be 18 inches or longer to keep. The daily limit is four. Troll for crappie with crank baits that run 15 feet deep. Catfish will also bite these. Average surface water temperature is in the mid to upper 80s.

Southtown Sporting Goods in Fayetteville reports fair fishing at night for black bass. Use jig and pigs, spinner baits or plastic worms in dark colors. Bass may also hit top-water lures early. Bluegill fishing is fair with worms or crickets.

BEAVER TAILWATER

Austin Kennedy, fishing guide, said trout fishing methods have been much the same all summer. Use prepared trout bait such as Pautzke Fire Bait or Berkley Power Bait in low water. During power generation, go with small red and gold spoons. Coat the spoons with Pautzke Fire Gel. Power Generation at Beaver Dam is mainly in the afternoons.

LAKE FAYETTEVILLE

Angela Perea at Lake Fayetteville Marina said crappie are biting well on spider rigs using jigs or minnows. A kayak angler caught a 2-pound crappie last week, she said. Bluegill fishing is good with crickets or worms. Black bass are hitting crank baits, but the fish are mostly small.

LAKE SEQUOYAH

Angler Mike McBride recommends trying for catfish with any type of catfish bait. Use live sunfish to target big flathead catfish. Black bass may bite top-water lures at first light but fishing is slow.

BELLA VISTA

Hook, Line and Sinker in Bella Vista said black bass are biting plastic worms in shaded, shallow water, but fishing is slow. Lakes Windsor or Loch Lomond are currently the top lakes for bass. Try for bluegill with crickets or worms 10 feet deep at any Bella Vista lake. Catfish are biting all types of bait at all Bella Vista lakes.

Please note that fishing in Bella Vista is open only to POA members and their guests.

ELK RIVER

Big Elk Floats, Camping and Lodging reports black bass are biting well on Whopper Plopper top-water lures, spinner baits, swim baits and plastic lizards. Deep holes with cover are good places to fish

SWEPCO LAKE

Kenny Stroud in Siloam Springs recommends fishing for black bass with plastic worms day or night. Go with a large plastic worm at night.

ILLINOIS RIVER

Stroud said black bass fishing is good with 4-inch plastic lizards or tube baits in dark colors. Tiny Torpedo top-water lures are good to use. Buzz baits or crawdad crank baits may also work.

EASTERN OKLAHOMA

The Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation reports good fishing for largemouth bass at Grand Lake with plastic worms, crank baits or top-water lures along rock, timber or weed beds. Catfish are biting well on cut shad or shrimp along flats on the main lake.

At Lake Tenkiller, black bass are biting fair on top-water lures, jig and pigs, crank baits or plastic worms along points or brush. White bass fishing is fair with inline spinners such as Rooster Tails. Crappie are biting fair on minnows or jigs around docks or timber on the main lake.

At Lake Eucha, black bass fishing is good with top-water lures, plastic worms or crank baits in coves and near weed beds. Crappie fishing is fair with minnows or jigs around brush. Channel catfish are biting well on liver, cut bait or hot dog chunks.

TABLE ROCK LAKE

Focused Fishing Guide Service said black bass are biting best on small plastic worms on a drop-shot rig 22 to 28 feet deep over long gravel points. When using a drop-shot rig, keep a spoon handy on another rod in case bass start schooling on the surface.

Jig and pigs or plastic worms may work along gravel points. Try deep diving crank baits along gravel or ledge banks in creek arms.