Arkansas Fishing Report Beaver Lake and more
February 13th, 2007 by Fishing admin
Beaver Lake: Anglers are battling three foes –cold water, muddy water and a falling lake level — no matter what species of fish they’re after.
The Army Corps of Engineers is generating electricity with two generators 24/7 at Beaver Dam until the lake level reaches 1,121.4 feet above sea level.
When that level is reached, generation will continue with two generators 12 hours daily until the lake reaches elevation 1,120.4 feet. Then normal generation will resume.
Bill Pope at Hickory Creek Marina said water clarity on the upstream end of the reservoir is improving, but fishing is slow. There is some skim ice on the lake, but it usually melts by afternoon. Few anglers are fishing.
The water temperature is in the high 30s and a shad kill is in progress. Pope recommends fishing for black bass with shad imitating lures such as soft or hard jerk baits in shad colors.
A few anglers are testing the water for crappie. Tube jigs or minnows are the best lure. Pope said the bite is very light. Most of the crappie caught are small.
Jason Piper at J.T. Crappie Guide Services in Rogers said crappie fishing is slow at Beaver Lake. He recommends fishing in the War Eagle arm and Blue Springs area around submerged timber in channel bends.
Black or dark green tube jigs on a one-sixteenth ounce jig head are working best. Shineee Hineees are another option. Live-bait anglers should work minnows 20 feet deep.
Work lures slowly just off the bottom. Fishing is best in the afternoon.
Aaron Jolliff at Hook Line and Sinker in Rogers said customers report catching suspended black bass 60 to 80 feet deep with jigging spoons.
Suspending jerk baits are a good wintertime lure for black bass, he said.
Bob Bauer at Lost Bridge Marina said fishing activity is minimal. Stripers are being caught with artificial lures. Anglers are marking lots of shad in the dam area with their depth finders.
White River below Beaver Dam: Betty Clark at Riverview Resort said customers report catching trout with nightcrawlers and waxworms. Power generation is taking place around the clock to lower the level of Beaver Lake.
Drift fishing from a boat can be productive in high water with floating or sinking Rapalas and Husky Jerks. Work the lures in current seams and eddies.
Mike McLellan at McLellan’s Fly Shop in Fayetteville said high-water drift fishing can be good with large shad-patterened streamers, egg patterns and San Juan worms.
Lake Fayetteville: Dollie Black at Lake Fayetteville boat dock said the lake is frozen and unfishable.
Lake Sequoyah: Jackie Smith at Lake Sequoyah said some ice is on the lake but fishing is possible.
Crappie fishing is fair with tube jigs, Roadrunners or minnows 6 to 12 feet deep. Try liver or worms for catfish. Good wintertime black bass lures include spinner baits or jig and pigs. The lake is clear and at normal level.
SWEPCO Lake: Kenny Stroud at the Siloam Springs Wal-Mart said black action has slowed a bit due to heavy fishing pressure at the warm-water lake.
Four-inch plastic worms in dark colors are working best. Fish them 1 to 20 feet deep. French fry worms fished Carolina style are working well. Dark colors such as green pumpkin, June bug or watermelon red are working best.
Jason Piper at J.T. Crappie Guide Services in Rogers said black bass fishing is good with minnows 10 to 15 feet deep at the mouths of coves.
Bella Vista: Nick Gann at Hook, Line and Sinker in Bella Vista said no one is fishing.
Water temperature is 38 degrees. There is ice on some of the lakes.
Upper Table Rock Lake: J.D. Fletcher at Devil’s Dive Resort said fishing is tough and few people are going.
He recommends a crawling grub for black bass, worked along points. For crappie, try minnows or jigs 15 to 20 feet deep at the mouths of coves where there is timber.
Kings River: Fletcher said the river is floatable, but fishing is normally slow in the winter.
Lake Taneycomo: Long periods of power generation with four generators are the norm. Mike McLellan at McLellan’s Fly Shop in Fayetteville said now is the time to drift-fish at Taneycomo from a boat with large scuds and sowbugs.
Have some shad-patterned flies on hand in the event of a shad kill at Table Rock Lake that sends shad through the dam.
Eastern Oklahoma: Kenny Stroud at the Siloam Springs Wal-Mart said anglers are taking refuge from the cold at the commercial indoor fishing docks at Grand Lake.
Crappie is good at these heated docks with minnows 10 feet deep.
The Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation said catfish at Grand Lake are fair on cut shad in the river channel.
Lake Eucha crappie are fair on jigs or minnows around brush. Black bass are fair on spinner baits.
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.