Decembeer 4, 2025 | Beaver Tailwater Fishing Report
- Ryan Burks
- Dec 5, 2025
- 2 min read
Although winter doesn't officially begin until December 21, nobody told Mother Nature. The trees are bare and we've had quite a few nights getting down in the upper 20's. Don't let that stop you...the fishing has been great and the river traffic is way down.
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Beaver Tailwater Levels & Conditions
Beaver Lake is sitting somewhere just below flood pool (I can't quote the exact number - the corp website has been down), and without any major precipitation in the forcast it should continue it's slow fall. The tailwater elevation has been falling as well as Table Rock lake downstream has been releasing water to meet power demands as well. We have been seeing fairly predictable generation schedules, with the generators coming on around 6:00 in the morning and turning back off around 11 - 12. This is bad news for wading, but great water for fishing from a boat.
With the consistent generation, the debris and leaves in the water have not been too bad on the initial rise and the water is clear and fishing well. I've seen an uptick in brown trout on redds, and several larger rainbows moving up into shallows as well. Please do the fish (and all your fellow anglers) a favor - don't pick on fish sitting on redds. Let them do their thing and help to produce another generation of trout that we can all enjoy in the future. As soon as they drop off of redds and get in a post spawn they will be hungry and aggressive, and it will be time to target browns with big streamers, but for now...let's all let them be.
What's Working
Right now, the typical winter programs are working well. When the water is up, I'm drifting egg and midge combos and catching fish equally on both flies. With flowing water, having an egg or another brightly colored attractor fly really seems to help out with fish finding your flies.
The streamer bite has been hit and miss. Some days they are in the mood to chase and some they aren't, but we can usually get a few fish to go as long as the dam is releasing water. I lost a damn good fish boatside this week and otherwise just didn't seal the deal with several other solid fish north of 20". If you've ever been curious about streamer fishing, now through the next couple months will be prime time. I've got open dates, so get your trip booked.
In windows whlen the water has fallen out, a double midge rig under an indicator has been hard to beat. Ruby and Rootbeer midges paired with something without flash, like a WD-40 have been producing very well. The old reliable micro jig is always great in deeper water as well.
Check out the store portion of our website for flies, and if you need something you don't see there...don't hesitate to reach out! I can make it happen.
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