Welcoming Water, Plus Trophy Trout

Northwest Arkansas anglers seeing big catches in June

Arkansas Wildlife Editor How about that monster of a brown trout in the photo to the right!

The story behind this massive fish is that Mike Joneson, who sent us the photo, took the 9-year-old son of a good friend of his fishing last weekend on the Beaver Lake tailwater in Northwest Arkansas. The youngster in the photo hooked this trophy brown trout on 6-pound test line with an ultralight rod while they were trolling the tailwater.

“It took about 10 minutes to get in,” Joneson told us.

“We snapped a few pictures and tried to release the fish, but unfortunately we couldn’t get her to go, so she will be mounted.”

The brown measured 33 inches long and 17.36 pounds, and provided memories that will last a lifetime.

“There is nothing better than to see a kid catch a

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fish of a lifetime like this,” Joneson said.

• Beaver Lake — Jon Conklin with FishOn Guide Service (479-233-3474) said Beaver Lake is still above normal level and still lots of debris in certain areas. The lake is warming close to 78-80 degrees. A thermocline is setting up on the south end at an around 18 feet. Striper fishing is finally starting to show signs of life. There have been some pretty nice catches these last couple days. Look anywhere from Rocky Branch down to the dam. Trolling shad and brood minnows are working. When trolling you do not want to be above 1 mph. Another tip: Downsizing your leader to 15-pound test in fluorocarbon will help put more fish in the boat. Walleye have become elusive this last week but we have been catching some on crawler harnesses trolling below 1 MPH. Crappie are starting to suspend and can be caught trolling various crankbaits that dive to 12 feet. Bream are bedding and up shallow. There are some pretty good catfish been caught as of late.

Trotlines and jugs are filling live wells. “The summer pattern will be in full swing by mid-July. Be safe and enjoy this beautiful lake!”

Visit Jon’s Facebook page for latest updates, FishOn Guide Service Goshen AR.

Southtown Sporting Goods (479-443-7148) said the lake is “pretty clear,” while Beaver has been at a high level now for a few weeks.

Bream are good on redworms and crickets.

Crappie are fair; try minnows, jigs or spider-rig minnows and troll crankbaits. Black bass are fair. Topwater is working early in the day and late in the evening. Anglers also are using finesse presentations and spinnerbaits during the day while night fighting with plastic worms, jigs and deep-diving cranks. Catfish are good on limb lines, jigs and trotlines. Cut bait works well now.

• Beaver Tailwater — Guide Austin Kennedy (479-244-0039) said the bite in the tailwater have been up and down this past week. To stay on the chew, you have to be willing to move around. Fishing the

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deeper pockets has produced the best numbers.

Fishing with light terminal tackle and various PowerBaits has done well.

Also, throwing quarterounce spoons along with Rapala hard baits have done nicely as well. Most fish have been caught between Parker Bottoms and the dam. Walleye are still being caught in the tailwater but much further down, past Beaver town.

Trolling deep-diving hard baits and jigging with live minnows have been the best approaches for these fish.

If you’re looking for bass, try tossing soft plastics towards chunk rock and structure. If you’re fishing from the shore, your best bet is probably going to be Parker Bottoms for the trout. “Remember to follow my fishing Facebook page (Busch Mountain Fishing Guide Service) for more information and tips.”

• Lake Fayetteville — Lake Fayetteville Boat Dock (479-444-3476) said Wednesday that the lake clarity is dirty; the water level is normal. No surface temperature was reported.

Bream are fair on redworms and crickets.

Crappie are also fair; use minnows and jigs. Black bass are fair; no baits were suggested. Catfish disappeared; no reports.

• Lake Sequoyah — Lake Sequoyah Boat Dock (479-444-3475) said Thursday that the clarity is muddy and the lake has risen to 6 inches above normal level.

That doesn’t appear to have bothered the fish bite, which is good overall.

Bream are shallow and biting well on redworms and crickets. Crappie are good; they have moved deeper and are being found off the old bridge as well as by trolling the channel. Use minnows or jigs. Black bass are good on spinnerbaits, soft plastic worms and topwaters fished both early in the day and late in the evening. Catfishing is good using chicken liver, nightcrawlers or cut bait.