Norfork Lake Fishing Report

Norfork Lake fishing has been on fire since my last report on 5/8/13. Fishing was good 9 days ago and has only gotten better. I anticipate that fishing will continue to improve with top water action getting better and better. I have been using 3 main baits. A fluke or bass assassin with a 5/0 worm hook unweighted, a Heddon Zara Spook junior size and live shad. You can use large shiners if you don't have a shad tank. Rogues, or a similar type of suspending jerk bait, are working the best for walleye. The best bite has been at sunrise and at sunset. If you are fishing mid-day, you may need to go a little deeper for all species. A jig & pig has been working well for largemouth, smallmouth and spotted bass for one of my guests.

All species are showing up in the same areas. It is fun to go out fishing without really knowing what you are going to catch. I just love this time of our fishing year!  Fish are being found from the mouth of the major creeks to half way back into the creeks. Some fish have started to move out to the main lake points. This is still slow to happen, but it won't be long. The shad are in the buck brush possibly spawning. As I have said before, find the shad and you will find fish. I have found shad just going crazy on the shore because the fish have them cornered and are having a buffet.

This morning was no exception to prior mornings. I landed several good size bass and lost two really nice hybids. The first was lost when I was getting ready to net the fish and had the hook that was in the fish break. I have never had a spooks hook break at the barb. I guess I was placing too much pressure on the fish to get him in the boat so I could get back to fishing. The next hybrid was next to the boat still acting up, but when I reached for the net it came unhooked. I finally changed out the broken hook after this fish got away! One of my guests was in a different part of the lake and came across a huge area of water just boiling with top water fish. It was a fun morning.

Overall the best bite has been for largemouth, smallmouth & spotted bass. Striped bass and hybrid are probable the next best bite with white bass, catfish, walleye and crappie rounding out the species being caught. Look for points in the creeks with sunken brush and I bet you will find a few catchable fish.

Norfork Lake is rising very slowly and currently sits at 558.8. The surface water temperature is also rising slowly and was in the mid to upper 60's this morning. The main lake is gin clear with some of the major creeks somewhat stained.

Don't forget, on the evening of May 25th, Cranfield Marina will be shooting off fireworks over the lake. Should be a great show. It is really fun to watch fireworks out of your boat. We still have several one bedroom cabins available over the Memorial Day holiday period. If you are looking for a great place to stay give us a call at 870-492-5113.

Happy fishing and see you on the lake.

Norfork Lake Fishing Report

The spring bite for Norfork Lake fishing is getting better and better as the weather stabilizes and warms up the water. The biggest issue for the late spring bite has been the huge weather swings that we have had for the last month. Just over the last 10 days since my last report we had major weather changes. Notice in the photos what people are wearing. These are all recent photos. We get several days in the the 70's and 80's and then a cold front to reverse the benefits the warm weather was giving. Hopefully we are over the cold weather and we can get down to a seriously good bite for all species.

The bass bite is definitely the best bite on the lake at this time. I am finding bass back in the major creeks on the shallow shoreline as well as along the deep bluff sides.  Free swimming live bait has been working great, but top water action is starting to take off with Zara Spooks. Flukes, swimming minnows and rogues are all still working. The fish are active so vary your retrieval speeds as I am finding that a fast retrieval or quick jerks have been working the best for me. I have been on the lake for the last five mornings and have fished from Float Creek, Fall Creek, Panther Creek, Bennett's area and the Cranfield area and have found bass (largemouth, smallmouth & spots) just about everywhere I try to fish.

Striped bass fishing has been challenging, but as you can see from the photos I am starting to find the fish. I have been fishing at one point on and off for the last week. The fish seem to be in this spot every morning sometime between 5:30AM and 7AM. By 7AM they are gone and I have not been able to find where they go. The bite this morning was fun. I had a couple of our guests out fishing with me and we landed 7 different species of fish including two stripers. Brian and Deb, guests from Tinley Park, Illinois, found some top water hybrids back in a creek this morning and landed this nice hybrid on a spook. The hunt is what I really enjoy about fishing. Very soon the thread fin shad will start to spawn in the sunken buck brush. When this happens the stripers will be going crazy like we typically get in the spring months on main lake and creek points. Stripers are being caught all over the lake, but mainly back in the major creeks where the bait is located.

I have not done any crappie fishing, but the spawn should be complete for most of the fish. In prior years after the spawn they have been located on brush in 20 - 40 feet of water. Live bait as well as jigs will be working. The lake is clear so you will need to stay away from the brush and cast into it.

 

Catfishing is starting to take off. This morning we landed a nice 8 pound channel catfish. I was dragging live shad through 10 feet of water and this big cat hammered the bait. I thought we had a striper on, as much as it pulled drag.  Trout lines and jugs are starting to catch some very nice size flatheads. The cat's are gearing up for their spawn.

 

We also landed a nice 19.5 inch walleye in the same area. Overall fishing for all species is picking up and will only get better. Who knows the night bite may start getting active. I'll have to start thinking about getting out at night!

 

The Norfork Lake level is rising very slowly and currently sits at 558.5. This is a great level for fishing as the buck brush is sunken in the water and will be great cover for the young fry of all species after the spawns. The main lake is gin clear with the backs of creeks and coves somewhat stained. Surface water temperature was in the low to mid 60's.

Plan your Norfork Lake getaway now. We still have a few cabins available for Memorial week end. Fireworks will be held near Cranfield Marina on Saturday, May 25. Happy fishing and see you on the lake.

Norfork Lake Fishing Report



 From what I have seen over the last couple of days the Norfork Lake fishing is starting to take-off, finally. The extreme weather changes that we have had during the month of April has made for an interesting time of fishing. The crappie should have been spawning a week or two ago, but it appears they have moved to the banks again and this time to stay. Largemouth and smallmouth bass have started to move to their beds over the last couple of days. We are a couple of weeks behind where we normally are, but for a positive note, this delay should make for a fantastic May bite. May is typically a good fishing month, but I think this year should be outstanding. All this said, I am assuming the air temperature is going to get back to normal and start to warm the lake. The other positive lake effect is that the water has risen a little and the buck brush is getting submerged. With this lake level the shad will move into the brush and the fish will follow making for a great shallow bite. Thread fin shad that I netted this morning are really fat, telling me they are ready to spawn. With all the brush in the water they will be all over the lake spawning. The fish will start to move out of the major creeks to feed on the spawning shad.

 

This morning was a fantastic striper bite. I caught my limit is less than an hour. I was using gizzard and thread fin shad and the fish were coming up to get the bait. I was also throwing a spook, but had no takers today, unlike a few evenings ago when I landed two nice stripers and missed several others on a clear spook with a hint of yellow on the top and a white feathered rear treble hook. That was a fun evening watching the fish jump out of the water to attack my Zara Spook. Once it became too dark to see, the bite seemed to quit. I haven't been able to get out after dark since my last report so I don't really know if the night bite has every taken off.  I do know that the stripers are in shallow water hitting rogues as Jerry landed this nice 24 pound fish in the Cranfield area last Wednesday morning, right at sunrise. The stripers still seem to be back in the major creeks in the off colored water.

 

Crappie fishing has been up and down over the last week or so. They start to move in to spawn then a cold front arrives so they move out. This weekend I had several boats out crappie fishing and even with the cool front and a lot of rain the crappie seemed to stay on the banks and on shallow brush. Try using a light weight hair jig, a paddle tail or twister tail grub. For best results tip with a crappie minnow or some crappie niblets. I had a fishing group in last week that were crappie fishing, bass fishing and striper fishing. The crappie bite was OK, but not great. They did manage to pick up enough crappie to feed 20 guys. The Eelpout Fishing Club has a great group of guys and Linda and I look forward to their next visit.

Largemouth and smallmouth bass have also started to move onto their beds over the last several days. They are coming up for spooks, rogues and flukes. You will also find some good top water action early and late in the day. I was back in Fall Creek earlier in the week and found the bass stacked on several points and off the sides of points. They were hammering my white with chartreuse head spook on just about every cast. Look back in creeks with gravel banks and you should find the fish.

Norfork lake is on the rise. We have had well over two inches of rain over the last couple of days and with little or no power generation the lake is coming up slowly. The lake currently sits at 556.7 which is only 3 feet above the new normal pool. I have been told there is a mud line toward Cranfield. I didn't go that way this morning so I can't confirm, but the main lake from Mallard Point to the bridges and beyond is very clear. Hummingbird Hideaway's cove did get somewhat stained over the gin clear conditions of 3 days ago. Great fishing color in the coves and creeks. The surface water temperature has fallen to the upper 50's, again. This should warm and stabilize over the next few days with our current beautiful weather forecast. Over all the lake is in great shape. I'm looking for an exciting May.

Don't forget to ask about the Norfork Lake Fishing Derby. The Derby continues though May 31, 2013. When you check-in to your Chamber member lodging facility sign up.  You could win $500.00.

Happy fishing and see you on the lake.



Norfork Lake Fishing Report

The Norfork Lake spring fishing bite started a little slow this year, but is starting to pick up. The drastic weather changes that we have had has played havoc on the fish as well as all the fishermen & women. Winter clothes one day and the next you need shorts and a tee shirt.
Today we have a frontal system coming though that I think may be good for fishing. Very little lightening in the area with a light gentle rain. The rain should help stain up the coves and creeks making it easier to catch fish. If my dock is any indication of the numbers of fish and the size of fish, Norfork Lake is in great shape. The water is gin clear and on any day you can count over 15 largemouth bass with over half of them well over keeper size. Large crappie and numerous bluegill are swimming around under the dock. Just try your luck at catching one of the dock fish, they seem to look at you and smile!

Crappie fishing has been the most popular targeted species in the last week. I have seen many people bringing in big slabs to the dock, but not in great numbers. Crappie are currently spawning and can be found on the banks as well as shallow brush piles. Go back in the major creeks and try to find some stained water with dead wood sticking up in the shallows. The crappie will be around this dead wood. I suggest using crappie minnows on a slip float. Stay as far away from the brush as you can and cast into it and bring back to the boat slowly with slight twitches. Roadrunners and small grubs should also work in the same method. The fish are in 10 - 15ft of water and may only be down a couple of feet. After you catch a few off one brush pile the bite will seem to stop so move to the next pile. Check back in Bennett's Bayou, Pigeon & East Pigeon Creeks, Float Creek, Panther and Fall creeks. I haven't been targeting crappie, but when I go out in the late afternoon and start casting a rogue up to the banks I have caught a couple of nice slabs each time out. It is amazing to me that a 15 inch fish with attack a 5 inch bait.

Bass fishing has also been picking up, in fact it is probably the best bite on the lake at this time. All methods of fishing for bass is working. They are moving very shallow in the mornings and evenings to feed with a little top water activity. They will drop back into to 15 - 20 ft of water during the day. You can find some really nice spotted bass hiding in brush at the 30 feet level.



Catfish are starting to hit trotlines and jugs. Live shiners and small blue gill are working very well. You should find them in shallow water as their spawn is upcoming soon.

White Bass are starting to show up in the backs of creeks and coves. Find some shad and I bet there will be white bass and the smaller hybrids feeding on them.

Striper fishing has been up and down. There has been some really nice fish caught but the numbers are down for this time of year. I am still attributing this to the constant weather fluctuation turning the bite off and this should and will change very shortly. I have mainly been fishing in the late afternoon and after dark. Two nights ago I was fishing with one of my guests back in Bennett's and noticed a fish coming after some bait. We both switched from a rogue to a spook and started casting in all directions. On one cast Grant had his bait almost back to the boat when a huge eruption occurred and the fish missed, but in a blink of an eye the fish slammed the bait again and inhaled the spook. Grant had a great fight in catching his largest striper in 30 + years of fishing Norfork Lake with a nice 20+ pound fish. After that, the bite was slow with us only catching a nice 15 inch crappie. Yesterday, one of our guests saw a little swirl back in a small cove and casted a Rattle Trap at it. As soon as the bait hit the water the fish took off. He tried to slow down the fish with no luck and it finally spooled him. Bruce has since gone out and got a reel that holds more 8 pound test line than his other one. Tom Reynolds of STR Outfitters and Russ Breckenridge has fished a few of our guests and have landed some nice fish. I have also fished in the Cranfield area after dark and have been catching medium size hybrids. The fish are still scattered from Cranfield, Bennett's to Big Creek. Find bait and you should find the stripers. They should start to move out of the creeks shortly as the shad seems to be spawning and will move out after the spawn. Start looking for stripers on secondary points in the creeks. Spooks, rogues and flukes are all good baits at this time of year cast into the bank.

Norfork Lake level is staying fairly stable with slight fluctuations due to intermittent power generation and currently sits at 553.61. The currently normal pool has risen to 553.8 due to minimum flow being enacted. The surface water temperature is in the low 60's up at my end of the lake to the high 60's back in the creeks and slightly cooler at the south end of the lake. The main lake and most coves are gin clear. Some staining may occur with the rain we had today.

Don't forget about the Norfork Lake 2013 Fishing Derby that is currently going on until May 31st. You could win $500 for the longest fish in each of 5 different categories. When checking into your resort ask them about the derby and how to enter. The cost is only $20 per species. So far all species are wide open with no monsters being measured in. The winner could be you!

Some other lake news is that Cranfield Marina will be shooting off fireworks over the lake again this Memorial Day week end. Mark your calendars for the evening of May 25th. They will be held just south of the marina and only minutes from our resort. Last years fireworks were fantastic and they have told me this year will be even better. Give us a call for your Memorial weekend reservations while we still have a few openings

Happy fishing and see you on the lake.

Norfork Lake Fishing Report

Norfork Lake Fishing is heating up for a great spring season. The lake has finally warmed up to the low fifties and the temperature is gradually increasing each day. The winds are starting to come from the south which is the sign I always look for in the spring.

Striper fishing is improving daily. I fished Friday and Saturday with live thread fin shad. Friday I pre-fished with Tom Reynolds of STR Outfitters 870-421-1541 with great success on the number of bites. We landed 4 stripers. The biggest was 16 pounds and we caught several white bass in the 3.5 pound range. We also had 4 other fish hooked and the fight was on, but things happened and they got their freedom earlier than we wanted. Overall it was a great day. Yesterday I fished alone and landed 2 with the biggest being 13 pounds and missed more than I should have. It is difficult to get a good hook set and work the trolling motor in a windy day, but I had fun. Both days we fished with live thread fin shad free, swimming with just a very small split shot. The baits were floating about 80 ft behind the boat. I also have credible reports that 3 nice stripers were landed in the 101 area on flukes and rogues. The night bite is also improving, but slowly. I expect the night bite to really take off with the warmer water. Fish were landed last evening in the Cranfield area as well as the 101 area. Slow rolling a rogue back to the boat is the ticket for the night bite. Walleye are starting to move back into the area so things are looking up. Find the bait and you will find the fish.

White bass fishing had been phenomenal for me the last couple of weeks. I was landing big fat 3.5 + pound whites at will. I was spooning the fish, as well as casting, and trolling an umbrella rig. I have found whites back by 6B and in the Cranfield area. The last couple of days has slowed somewhat for white, but I really wasn't targeting them. We did land several Friday with live shad. The few fish that I cleaned were still full of eggs so expect them to be travelling back into the creeks to do their annual thing. Look back in Pigeon Creek, back in the Bennett's area and up river in the Calamity area. The males should be waiting .

I haven't been out just bass fishing lately, but good sources have been catching nice size fish off of creek bluff lines and main lake bluff lines in about 15 feet of water. With the rise in water temperature they should start to stage for their upcoming spawn.

Crappie had started to move up to the shoreline before our unseasonal snowfall. They moved back out, but with the warming of the water they have started to move back to the banks. Look for dead timber on the shoreline and shallow brush and you should start to find the crappie. I have seen crappie and blue gill back under my dock, as well,  so that is a great sign for the arrival of spring.

Walleye are starting to be caught all over the lake especially in the evenings and early mornings. Their spawn should be over and the migration out of the creeks has started. Look for more walleye during the night bite.

Norfork Lake is rising very slowly and currently sits at 552.2. The new normal pool is 553.75 with minimum flow so the level is perfect for this time of year. The lake water temperature is rising daily and currently in the low 50's. The main lake is clear with creeks up by Hummingbird Hideaway Resort still a little stained.

If you are planning on visiting Norfork Lake in the next couple months be sure to check out the Norfork Lake Chamber of Commerce fishing derby. Details can be found on Hummingbird Hideaway Resort's website at www.hummingbird-hideaway.com or give us a call for more information. 870-492-5113

Happy fishing and see you on the lake.

Norfork Lake Fishing Report

Norfork Lake fishing is gearing up for what I expect to be a great spring bite. Over the last couple of weeks I have seen indicators that the spring bite will only get better. The night bite is starting, and the fish are moving up higher in the water column, striped bass are still schooling and feeding on shad in deep water. Find the bait and you will find the stripers. I have not been out much over the past couple of weeks with all the nasty cold and windy days this past week and my trip to Houston, Texas the week before for my grand daughters's first birthday. It does appear that the weather is finally going to get back to normal. One great fishing sign that excited me happened last weekend with the full moon. Two of my guests decided to stay out and fish after dark. The evenings were cool, but they braved the elements. They started throwing suspending jerk baits (Lucky Craft) right up to the shore line. Saturday night they landed one nice striper, a walleye and missed numerous other fish, one a break-off. Then on Sunday night they landed 3 or 4 good stripers and a couple more walleye. They stated that the bite ended around 9:30PM. The biggest key to success for the night bite is to slow roll your jerk bait. Do not jerk or twitch it, slow and steady all the way back to the boat. I ended up getting cabin fever on Wednesday 

 evening even though the temperature was in the mid 30's and the wind was blowing 10 - 15 mph. I headed out around 5:30PM and got to my fishing location as the sun was setting. I was throwing a Smithwick rogue to the banks. No stripers, but I did land a nice walleye and missed 3 other fish. One of the misses was at the boat while trying to net the fish. My walleye bites have been really light bites or even just nudges. You do need to set the hook quickly. I ended up going out again last evening with some success. Again no stripers after dark but I did land one walleye. It was before dark that I had success vertical jigging with a spoon. I started fishing around 5PM which gave me about an hour of light. I found medium size schools of white bass, hybrid bass and stripers. I caught 4 nice whites, 2 smaller hybrids and missed a much bigger fish. I guess I was day dreaming a little and did not get a hook set. I was twitching my spoon in 50 feet of water when all of a sudden my pole was almost jerked out of my hands. I did not respond quickly enough and lost the fish. The schools of fish that I was marking were in 20 to 50 feet down in about 80 feet of water.

 No other new news about black bass or crappie at this time. They both should be showing up in and around brush in 20 - 40 feet of water. Bass will also be feeding in shallow water early and late in the day. Jerk baits and medium depth cranks baits will also work. Main lake points have always been a favorite location of mine for bass, especial along the bluff lines.

If you are guest of a Norfork Lake Chamber of Commerce resort and would like to win $500 dollars or more you may want to join the 2013 Norfork Lake Fishing Derby. The Derby lasts from 3/1/13 through 5/31/2013. A $500.00 prize will be awarded for the largest striped bass, hybrid bass, crappie, walleye and black bass. For more details go to our website at www.Hummingbird-Hideaway.com then click on the button for Fishing Derby.

The current lake level has risen to 548.16 over the last couple of weeks. The lake is in great shape with all ramps back in operation. The surface water temperature last evening was 44.5 - 44.9 degrees, somewhat of a cool down after all the cold weather and rain we have been having. The main lake is clear with the creeks and coves stained.

Happy fishing and see you on the lake.

Norfork Lake Fishing Report

If you want to catch a striped bass, now is a great time to fish Norfork Lake. For me, the best bite on the lake has been for striped and hybrid bass with black bass and white bass not far behind. I have caught 24 stripers and hybrid in the last 4 days and only fished 3 of those 4 days. All but 3 fish, were returned to the lake to be caught again someday. I have used live shiners, but vertical jigging with a spoon has by far been the better bait. I have been using a 3/4 and a 1 ounce spoon in all white, and white with a green back. To be honest, I don't think color matters much when you are dropping the spoon into a school of feeding fish. The biggest secret for this time of year is to work the spoon very, very slowly. No big jerks or fast movements. It is cold water and the fish are moving slower this time of year, even though a few bites today almost jerked the rod out of my hands. Today's bite started out really slow. I looked and looked for stripers in the early morning with little success. I finally found schooling fish around noon and caught 9 stripers/hybrids in the next 1 1/2 hours. It was a great end to a beautiful day on the lake. I have been finding stripers and hybrids in the Cranfield area, 101 area and the Henderson area. The fish are feeding on small 1 inch shad. Find the shad and you will find the fish. The schools that I have found this week are anywhere from 30 ft. down to 90 ft. down in 100 ft of water. I have actually spooned up a striper from the bottom at 100 ft deep. Look in the old deep river channel or just off the edge of the channel, these are the types of areas where I have been have had the most luck.

 

White bass fishing has also been really good over the last couple of weeks. These are the big 2.5 plus pound whites. The great thing about the white bass is that they are hanging in very similar areas as the stripers and hybrids. When you find one you typically find the other, but maybe not at the same time of day. They are also schooling in huge schools feeding on shad. Vertical jigging with a spoon is working great for me at this time. A few times I have found the whites in a little shallower water 55 feet and deeper. I have marked them at all depths in the water column. A very good tool this time of year to finding whites is to find the feeding seagulls. If you see the birds diving in the water, go that direction and there will be fish under them. Some people think this is a silly tool to use, but why not use what nature is providing. If I am looking for a place to fish and I see birds feeding, guess what, I'm  heading that way to check out what is under the birds. I have used this method in ocean fishing for years, so why not use it here. The birds typically stick around through the winter and early spring, then they are gone. If they are not diving in the water and are just flying around, more than likely there are no fish under them.



Black bass fishing has also been very good. Today I was back in Float Creek and noticed a lot of birds feeding in a shallow cove. I headed that way and found a ton of bait. I was only in 20 feet of water and started casting a bone and orange colored suspending rougue. I worked it as a jerk bait for a while with no success then I started to just slowly roll the bait back to the boat. I landed 3 nice 17 inch largemouth. They were out in the middle of the cove not on the bank. I also landed 3 spotted bass vertical jigging in 30 - 40 ft of water off of some bluff lines.

I still have not been crappie or walleye fishing lately. I am having way too much fun striper, white and black bass fishing. I guess if the striper bite slows, I will start checking out these other species. Winter has typically been a really good bite for me for the big black and white crappies. Walleye are staging for their upcoming spawn. The spawn should happen at anytime if not already.

 

The Norfork Lake level is rising slowly and currently sits at 542.52. The lake has risen about 2.5 ft over the last week. No power generation has occur for the last week. The surface water temperature this morning was 47 - 48 degrees. A slight warming trend is going on, but I would guess we will still get some cold weather. The main lake is clear with a slight green tint and the creeks and coves are still a little stained.

 

Keep an eye on this blog, I'll be writing about the upcoming Norfork Lake Chamber of Commerce Fishing Derby. Hummingbird Hideaway Resort will be participating and we hope to have many of our guests enter. This is a first derby for the Chamber. We think it will be a fun way to welcome spring and hope to make it an annual event.

 

Happy fishing and see you on the lake.