August 29, 2025 | Beaver Tailwater Fishing Report
- Ryan Burks
- Aug 28, 2025
- 3 min read
After a shake up with the flows last week, we are back to some consistent generation this week. As I write this some much needed rain is falling and we are shaping up to get a couple inches. The temperatures have moderated wonderfully and I actually had to put on an extra layer a couple mornings. It's a great time to get out on the water.
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Beaver Tailwater Levels & Conditions
Our flows have settled back in a predictable routine, with one unit (3770 cfs) coming online late morning or mid-day and running until around midnight. At no generation, the tailwater level has been settling right around 916.6 msl. This makes access to most of the river possible for boaters, and some wade/bank access is available from the dam down to Bertrand Access.
The lake above the dam is right around 1122.4 has been inching closer and closer to flood pool 1121.43 msl. With only a foot to go and the major cool front we've had, I would expect a decrease in our flows in the coming week or two. Thursday brought a signifigant rain event to the region, and we will know by the weekend how much impact it will have on the lake. I'm personally loving the flows we are getting right now and would love to see them stay, so I'm sure happy to get the rain! Hopefully we will see a little bump in the lake and keep these flows around for another week or so. I haven't been on the river, but I would bet there will be some color that sticks around for a couple days, particularly in the lower half.
What's Working
There have been a few changes to what I'm throwing and what we are seeing success with, but many of the same techniques are still getting it done as well. During generation, we are fishing the long, high water rigs with two flies and throwing streamers on sinking lines. Drift fishing during generation I typically have success with the Y2K as the attractor and a Purple Haze sowbug as the trailer fly. We are running these 6-8 feet below an indicator with a BB size split shot, or two depending on the section of river. The streamer game is starting to pick up, and I missed a heartbreaker of a brown this week.
Lots of smaller brown trout were chasing and aggressive later this week and I anticipate it will only get better in the next week or two. I'm catching fish on Double Deceivers and Wool Head Articulated Buggers. The color can be a day to day, or even hour by hour change, but generally lighter colored flies on brighter days, and darker colored flies when we have some cloud cover.
During low water, the 1/124 oz. and 1/80 oz. micro jig continues to pull lots of fish to the boat. I am finding lots of fish on olive and black right now. In shallower water a double midge rig is hands down the way to go. This week, the Rootbeer Midge with an olive WD-40 was the ticket for me. The Tailwater Sowbug trailed with a midge was also a good producer.
Guide Insights
I know this report is about Beaver Tailwater, but as summer winds down I'd like to encourage you to get out and chase a native to the small creeks and rivers of Northwest Arkansas - the Smallmouth Bass. They are great to target on a fly rod, and are truly special fish. If you do - please release them. They are painfully slow growing fish, and fish like a couple of the ones pictured below are likely 10 years old. I probably caught them both last year too. Catch and release works! If you want some fish for dinner - there's lots of other options out there!
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