This week, we’re sharing part two of our interview with Dan Roberts.

Dan’s the go to guy on all things fly fishing large bodies of water, and in this episode, he shared species-by-species tips on how to fish Beaver Lake on the fly.

In today’s edition:

Five species to fly fish on Beaver Lake (ranked beginner to advanced)
When to fish ‘em and what to throw at ‘em
Dan’s tips for each species

Let’s go fishing.

— Kyle Veit

The Interview

Whether you're a beginner wanting a confidence-building species or a seasoned angler ready to chase topwater strikes, there's something here for every skill level.

0:00 – What We're Covering: Species & Tactics on Beaver Lake
1:30 – Crappie on the Fly: The Easiest Entry Point Into Still Water Fishing
5:30 – Dan's Secret Indicator Setup
10:00 – Bass Season Breakdown: Pre-Spawn Streamers to Post-Spawn Topwater
14:00 – Spotted Bass, Smallmouth & the Four Bass Species in Beaver Lake
20:00 – Walleye, White Bass & Everything Else Worth Chasing on the Fly

🎧 If you like platforms other than YouTube, find The Ozark Podcast on Apple, Spotify, and the rest.

Five Species to Fly Fish On Ozark Lakes

I love any chance to sit down with someone who is an expert in their field and pick their brain. Dan was generous with his knowledge on fly fishing open water, giving species by species tips, and I walked away with a lot!

While his tips were catered to fishing Beaver Lake, I imagine a lot of the principles apply to lakes throughout the Ozarks—especially up and down the White River’s lake chain.

Crappie

If you've never fly fished a lake, Dan says start here. If that's any indication, he took a four-year-old out a few weeks back and the kid caught crappie on the fly.

When: Spring (March through May), during pre-spawn and post-spawn. The fish are shallow and hungry.
Where: On the banks (1.5 to 3 feet) or over submerged mudflat structure (6 to 8 feet down).
What to throw: 1/32 or 1/64 oz Wapsi Super Jig Head, woolly bugger tied without hackle on the body, strike indicator. Bright contrasted colors in dirty water (chartreuse, black, red, yellow). Neutral in clear water (shad, gray, white, tan).
Dan's Tips: Crappie almost always feed up, so keep the fly above the fish. If you don't know how deep to set your indicator, start shallow and work down until you catch or snag.
Difficulty: Beginners

Bluegill

They're on the beds in May, and Dan's not wrong: this is the time of year to load the boat. Bluegill on a fly rod during the spawn is one of the most reliable bites on the lake.

When: May through June, while they're on the beds.
Where: Shallow gravel coves.
What to throw: Small poppers, small streamers, small woolly buggers. They're aggressive on the bed.
Dan's Tips: "If bluegill grew to the size of bass, nobody would fish for anything else." Hard to argue.
Difficulty: Beginners

Bass

Four species live in Beaver: largemouth, spotted, smallmouth, and meanmouth (a spotted-smallmouth cross). They sort by water clarity.

When: Pre-spawn (February through April) for shad flies on points. Right before the spawn for the big-fly bank bite. Post-spawn (May into June) for topwater.
Where: Smallmouth near the dam in clear rocky water. Largemouth up the river arm in dirty water. Spotted bass clear midlake. Prairie Creek to hit all four in a day.
What to throw: Shad flies in pre-spawn. A six-to-eight-inch double deceiver right before the spawn. Frog flies, poppers, or subsurface swim flies in post-spawn.
Dan's Tips: Slap the big swim flies on the bank and rip them back out. Like brown trout streamer fishing on the White, but for bass. Stay on topwater in the low-light hours.
Difficulty: Intermediate

Spotted bass

Spotted bass came up above, but they earn their own spot. In Dan’s opinion, they’re most underrated fly fishing target in the Ozarks.. They hit hard, heavy from the spawn, and travel in “wolf packs.”

When: Post-spawn (May into June).
Where: Clear midlake. Prairie Creek is the highest-percentage zone.
What to throw: Same bass setups. Topwater and subsurface swim flies are the post-spawn move.
Dan's Tips: Bring one to the boat and twelve more will follow. Keep casting at the school once you hook the first; they usually stick around. Bonus: AGFC has dropped the limit on some lakes. Fill the cooler.
Difficulty: Intermediate (but forgiving).

Walleye

Dan was honest about still figuring walleye out on the fly. He's learning from Clayton Eliason, a past guest and our go-to walleye guy on Beaver, Bull Shoals, and Table Rock. Here's what Dan has so far.

When: Spring, especially during the white bass run (March through April).
Where: Up the river arm. Around islands when you're bass fishing.
What to throw: Streamers. Program isn't fully dialed yet, but a Clouser or shad fly is the entry move.
Dan's Tips: Walleye come in as bycatch during bass and white bass fishing. Keep one tied on.
Difficulty: Advanced.

Loved getting time with Dan on these past two episodes! If you haven’t listened yet, get to it.

By the way, members of The Holler get 10% off casting lessons with Dan.

And I can tell you firsthand, there are few people I’d rather learn from when it comes to fly fishing. Be sure to take a look at all he has to offer from Beaver Lake Fly Fishing.

In addition to 10% Casting Lessons with Dan Roberts, members of The Holler save hundreds on outdoor gear from our partner outfitters. Including everyday discounts like: