Mist and Trout on the Beaver Tailwater

Fall fishing awaits all across the Natural State

Arkansas Wildlife Editor Guide Austin Kennedy sent us this spectacular photo that catches the Beaver Lake tailwater in all its October glory, with a happy angler, Karen Van Anrooy from Missouri, displaying her catch. Behind the boat is a layer of mist as the warmer, humid air meets the cool waters below Beaver Lake Dam in northwest Arkansas. In Karen's hands is a healthy 19-inch rainbow trout.

Kennedy says the trout bite has been great both above and below the U.S.

Highway 62 bridge this past week. The best way to catch them has been with Firebait and Fire Balls fished on light terminal tackle. 'With that being said, hit it early on those clear, sunny days. When the sun starts to get high in the sky, start focusing on the deeper water,' he advises. Houseman Access has been the hot spot for trout.

Kennedy (479-244-0039) also says walleye are being caught in some nice numbers on the tailwatertoward Holiday Island. Lucky anglers with a graph handy should locate the fish and work that area.

After this latest weather front passes through Arkansas on Tuesday and Wednesday, we should see some fantastic weather for the weekend: sunny and temps returning to the 70s after the mid-week freeze, according to the National Weather Service. That sounds like perfect fishing weather to us, no matter what you're looking for.

On the other side of the dam on Beaver Lake, guide Jon Conklin says the stripers and walleye can be caught in good numbers at various times, but that there is still a thermocline at 35 feet. When the lake fully 'turns over,' he said, fishing should be out of sight.

He says that crappie have made a big improvement in activity in the past two weeks, with cooler temperatueres leading to big bites.