Beaver Tailwaters:
While many people are turning their thoughts and energies toward Christmas and hunkering down for the colder months, anglers are still finding plenty of rainbows willing to leave the comfort of their favorite hidey-holes. The water level below Beaver Dam has been at minimum flow or below most of the week. Watch for the river rise later in the morning and stay ahead of it for the best fishing.
Flashy silver Cleos should work well in this water, as well as the silver-blue Cleos. Orange FireBait has been the popular bait for the rainbows to mimic the eggs from spawning activity. During the sunny parts of the late morning, Fire minnows have been doing well with many hatches occurring as the weather warms slightly; orange and yellow Fire egg patterns have been successful when the clouds return.
Kids will be looking for Christmas vacation adventures and the river answers that call. FireBait and Fire eggs are reliable baits to help them catch a rainbow or five.
The weatherman promises very mild daytime temperatures for the next week, so pick up your rod and reel, get outside and come join us on the river. Bundle up in the morning and enjoy the excellent wintertime fishing.
Hooked on Fishing Guide Service, Beaver Lake:
Striped Bass: The bite was good to excellent with a few fair days in-between this week. Just look at this picture of Will from Arkansas with his beautiful striper! Fish are still suspended offshore in deep open water, long points, offshore humps, islands, channel swings, end of mud flats and coves throughout entire lake. Slow trolling shad and minnows with light weight or weightless have been producing. Smaller shad and minnows have been catching schoolie stripers, larger shad for larger stripers.
Crappie: Docks, treetops, brush piles, mudflats and channel swings are holding fish. Livescoping, spider riggers, flipping docks, bobber and minnows in standing timber are producing. Match your jig head with depth where the fish are holding. Lighter jigs for fish higher in the water column or shallower fish and heavier jigs for deeper fish. I prefer purple chartreuse or money milk colors but they’re not very picky right now. 5 – 20 feet of water in stained water. 15 – 25 fow in clear water.
Bass: I’m seeing very large bass in shallow (less than 2 fow) water chasing big gizzards.
Walleye: Trolling crankbaits in 10 – 20 fow on main lake and secondary points are catching a few.
Catfish: Bottom fishing and jugs is producing fish hanging around big mudflats with channel swings. Cut bait was the most productive. 5 – 20 fow.
Water level: 1117.99, water temperature: 52.8° – 57.8°
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