I hope all had a great Thanksgiving holiday. My wife and I hosted a family reunion for her side of the family and we had a great time with 29 family members. I had the opportunity to fish with many different family members during the week. We had a lot of fun but did get a little cold at times. We caught fish most days. It was a real joy watching the ones that don't get to fish often land a fish on their own. No better feeling than seeing those big smiles and shaking arms.

Norfork Lake has entered its fall fishing pattern. The only big change over the last couple of weeks is that the fish have started to move into shallower water. Stripers, hybrids and whites are being found on 20 - 45 foot flats. The flats are holding bait fish at all different depths depending on the time of day and big schools of stripers, hybrids and whites are roaming at all different depths feeding on the shad early in the morning as well as in the evening. It is a big challenge finding the schools of fish and it will take some time watching your electronics, but when you find the fish it is a blast. We had 4 on at the same time a few times. My group has been vertical jigging with a spoon bouncing it off the bottom, but if you mark fish suspended, reel up to their depth and hang on. Areas where I have been fishing has not changed from my last report. Start looking on the flats around the 101 bridge up to the Red Bank area, as well as, from the 62 bridge up to the Fouts area. Check out the Robinson flat as fish are starting to move in. There has been some isolated top water action for striped bass and if you are in the right spot and ready you will pick up a few fish.                                                                                       Largemouth
bass are starting to school part way back in creeks and coves. I found some nice schools of bass on the bottom in 30 - 35 feet of water. We were vertical jigging and hooking up one after another. Nice 2.5 - 4 pound fish were being boated. Spotted bass will also be schooling up this time of year. Spinner baits have worked well on the windy days and crank baits are also working on main lake points, as well as, secondary points.

Crappie are becoming more aggressive. Look at brush in 20 - 40 feet of water. You will find the bigger slabs in the deeper water inside of the brush and other nice fish will be suspended above the brush. Small spoons, grubs and live bait are all working at times. Live bait is still your best bet.

Walleye are in similar areas as the stripers, hybrids and whites. We have been catching quite a few walleye in 30 feet of water vertical jigging, but the majority of the fish are short.

The lake level has risen slightly and currently sits at 552.86 The surface water temperature is falling slowly and is currently 59 - 60 degrees. Most of the lake is stained with the main lake the clearest. I believe the lake has finally finalized its turnover so the lake clearing will begin.

Happy fishing and see you on the lake.

Norfork Lake Fishing Report by Lou of Hummingbird Hideaway Resort

 Merry Christmas and Happy Hanukhah to all my family, friends, followers and fishing enthusiasts.

Fall fishing is slowly coming to a close on Norfork Lake and the winter pattern is starting to emerge. Stripers, hybrids and whites have moved from the shallow flats and are moving to the deeper flats in 60 - 70 ft of water. A lot of the same flats but start looking out farther in the lake. If you have a GPS on your boat you can look at the contour lines to see the areas to fish. This migration of the fish is typical for this time of year. The amount of daylight hours as well as the water temperature causes the bait and fish to move into their comfort zone. The bait has started to move out of the backs of creeks and into the deep water of the creeks as well as the main lake. You will still find stripers, hybrids and whites in the major creeks, but start looking in the deep water channels especially if the old  river channel swings in close to a bluff line. Large schools of stripers and hybrids are roaming and chasing small 2 - 3 inch bait fish. You might consider using smaller baits at this time. The schools that I have found are suspended down 30 feet and on down to the bottom. A good graph on your boat is definitely a big plus this time of year. I have been mainly vertical jigging with a spoon as shown in one of my photos. I typically have my bait on the bottom jigging and when I see suspended fish above my bait I reel up to them and start jigging though the school of feeding fish. Be ready when you are reeling up to the fish because you never know when a striper will attack your bait and try to yank the rod out of your hands. I am speaking from experience. :-) I have been fishing several different locations, Float and Panther Creeks, Howard Cove Area and Cranfield Area. I have been working the flats as well as the deep water in all these locations.

Largemouth bass have moved up into the shallow waters to feed. Some nice fish are being caught in 10 - 20 feet of water. I have also noticed a little top water action early in the morning close to the shoreline, both back in creeks, as well as on points of the main lake. Crank baits, spinner baits and of course plastics worked along the bottom have been producing fish. This all being said I have also caught some nice size largemouth vertical jigging in 50 - 70 feet of water. This tells me these fish are also starting to move to their winter pattern. In the past once the water gets in the 40 to low 50 degree range the bass tend to go deep and hang close to brush and deep rocky bluffs and points.

Crappie are moving into the the brush and under and around docks. There are some nice fish being caught off of my dock as well as brush in 30 - 40 feet of water. As the water cools a little more, start looking for this species in 50 foot brush piles. I have caught some really big slabs during the cold winter months on deep brush piles.

Norfork Lake water level is falling slowly and currently sits at 554.72. The Corps is currently running 1 generator and dropping the lake approximately an inch a day. The main lake is clear and the creeks and coves are still stained but are starting to clear. As the water level stabilizes the water will become very clear. The surface water temperature this morning was 55 - 57 degrees depending what part of the lake I was on.

Happy fishing and see you on the lake.

A big Congratulations go out to Hummingbird Hideaway Resort's 2015 fishing derby winners. John Fink of St Louis, Mo caught the largest Striper of 39.5 inches on March 20th, Rob Bruce of Troy, MO co-shared the largest Crappie of 15.5 inches on May 17th, and Ron Adams of West Plaines, MO co-shared the largest Crappie of 15.5 inches and also caught the largest Largemouth of 20 inches both on July 6th. Steve Holderman of Augusta, KS won the free week stay at Hummingbird Hideaway Resort. Great job to these winners and all that entered our Derby. We are planning for next years Derby to start March 1, 2016. Watch our website and facebook page for details. Photos of winners below.

Norfork Lake Fishing Report by Lou of Hummingbird Hideaway Resort

Norfork Lake's fishing pattern is entering into its fall phase. Striped bass are continually moving and not being very consistent in their feeding location. Over the last week I have covered most of the central to northern parts of Norfork Lake from the Robinson area, up to the state line and also back though the Fouts area and all areas in between. The most notable thing is that the bait has moved back into the creeks with very little bait being found in the main lake area. I have found scattered stripers back in the creeks feeding on small 2 inch shad. I have also noticed a few scattered fish along the deep bluff lines in the main lake. My guests and I have caught stripers back in the creeks during the early morning hours as well as the afternoon. Both live thread fin shad as well as vertical jigging with a spoon has been working once you find the fish. As the water temperature continues to fall the fish will become more aggressive in their feeding habits and will start to school. Any time now you will find stripers feeding after dark up close to the banks. If you decide to try the night bite get a few suspending jerk baits and cast as close to the shoreline as you can, then retrieve to the boat very slowly. I will start fishing after dark this week with the full moon.

Largemouth, smallmouth and spotted bass are biting fairly well. The bigger bass started to move up into the sunken brush a week or so ago, but has since moved back out. I believe their move to deeper water occurred due to the drop in the lake level. Most of the sunken buck brush is now exposed or is out of the water. You can still find a few areas with brush out in the water, but I can only catch small fish in these areas. One of our guests loves to throw a jig and pig and is doing quite well. You will catch a lot of short fish, but the bigger ones are also in the area. You will be able to find some good bass in and around brush piles in 30 - 35 feet of water. Vertical jigging with a spoon will start to work as the water temperature continues to cool. In general, soft plastics are working the best worked along the bottom starting in 10 - 15 feet of water out to 40 feet of water.

The bluegill bite is still very strong. If you want to fill up your freezer with a lot of tasty fillets get some crickets and fish around 20 - 30 feet brush piles.

I am finding a lot of schooling white bass back in the creeks feeding on the the bait fish. Most of the whites are small to medium sized fish, but are a blast to catch. Spooning has been working very well.

Crappie fishing has also been inconsistent. One of my lake friends caught 20 one day and then the next day they were gone. They are still roaming through the deeper water going from brush to brush. Keep checking out all your brush piles and you will find them.

Norfork Lake water level continues to drop 3 - 4 inches per day. The lake level currently sits at 556.72 which is only about 3 feet above normal pool. Normal pool is expected to be reached by month end. The lake surface water temperature is also falling and this morning was 70.3 degrees. The water temperature will continue to fall with our cool night and normal day time temps. The main lake is clear with the creeks and coves stained.

Happy fishing and see you on the lake.

Over the last couple of days I have seen 10 deer crossing the lake. If this continues we are going to need someone to direct traffic!

Norfork Lake Fishing Report

Spring has officially arrived and the weather is finally cooperating. Norfork Lake fishing is really starting to heat up. My daughter and I have been fishing the night bite over the last week and having a blast. We are throwing suspending stick baits after dark and slow rolling them back to the boat. We have been catching 7 to 8 stripers an evening from around 8 - 10pm. The bite is continuing after that but my daughter seems to get cold and tired around 10PM. :-) Remember to reel as slow as you can and reel all the way back to the boat. I get hits a lot of times next to the boat. One evening I landed a monster 28 pound striped bass and Keri landed a nice 12 pounder. A few days later one of our guests landed a 26 pound striped bass in the early afternoon throwing a soft plastic jerk bait. The best bite for striped bass is after dark, but the morning bite will start very soon as the water continues to warm. Top water action is on its way, but warmer water is needed. Check out my last report for details on how to fish for stripers after dark.

Largemouth and spotted bass fishing is also getting good. Start looking part way back in creeks and coves and watch for bait working on
the surface. The bass will not be far behind. Hard and soft jerk baits are working well. My guests slammed the bass this morning throwing pearl colored flukes with a weighted hook. In the early afternoon work some of the docks as the bass are coming under them for cover and bait fish. You will also find some nice bass around the shallower brush piles especially if the brush is on a point.

Crappie fishing is getting better and better every day. All the crappie fisherman that I talk with are doing very well in shallow water. The crappie are moving up to the shore line to start looking for their spawning areas and are on their typical pre-spawn feed. There will be a lot of the males in tight to the shore as they are the ones doing the search, but the big females will not be far behind. Crappie typically like 60 - 65 degree water to spawn and we are not too far away from that water temp. Now is a great time to catch crappie and have a lot of fun. Start looking back in creeks and coves where you can find dead timber and brush in shallow water. Cast out small grubs or swimming minnows with a light weighted jig head and reel back to the boat slowly. During your retrieval stop occasionally and let the bait fall, the crappie will hammer it during the fall. I also like to tip the plastic baits with a live small minnow for added action and scent. The fish are in 2 - 20 feet of water near brush anywhere from the surface and down 10 feet depending on the time of day . You still may find some of the big females down a little deeper in the brush. Yesterday around 2PM I was at my dock and my granddaughter yelled at me to look at all the fish. When I came over there were dozens of big slab crappies 2 - 10 ft down, stacked like cord wood. This is a great sign of the fish getting ready for the spawn.

I have caught a few walleye after dark slow rolling a jerk bait. One of my guests landed a nice 23 inch walleye last evening. Some of the walleye have spawned already and a few are still back in the creeks spawning. The night fishing for walleye will pick up everyday. Look for walleye in the same areas as the striped bass as they will be feeding up tight on the shoreline after dark. Jerk baits are working after dark, slow rolled. In daylight hours look for them along the bluff lines and also large flats. Crawler harnesses with bottom bounces will work. Drop shot rigs with large minnows will also work well.

Norfork Lake is still rising very slowly and currently sits at 554. 09. This is basically normal pool. The surface water temperature is in the low to mid 50's depending on time of day and location. The creeks and coves are stained, but clearing and the main lake is fairly clear.

It is time to fish Norfork Lake. The weather is great and the fishing is good. Give Hummingbird Hideaway Resort a call at 870-492-5113 to make your reservations and find out from me where and how to catch the fish. I am always excited to help my guests catch fish. If you haven't heard we are also running a fishing derby this year with a $300 prize for 3 different species as well as a chance to win a free one week stay. Give us a call for details or go to our website at www.hummingbird-hideaway.com .

Happy fishing and see you on the lake.

 

Norfork Lake Fishing Report

  

11-19-13 Today's Catch

Fishing is still in the fall pattern on Norfork Lake. Striped, hybrid and white bass are all schooling and a lot of times can be found feeding together. I have been mainly fishing two areas for the last month, Cranfield and the 101 area. I have checked many other locations but always tend to return to these two. I have had reports of stripers and whites being caught in the Calamity Beach area and also Float Creek. Recently I have been finding my fish in 45 - 55 ft of water, but have also found them in 30 ft. These areas are big so it does take some looking around with your electronics until you mark fish. Today was a very good day for me. I first checked out the Cranfield area and did not mark much that excited me, so I headed to the 101 area. I arrived around 8AM and stopped and talked to one of my friends that had been fishing. So far he had landed a nice 6 pound hybrid on a live shiner using just a small split shot for weight. This method would be good for fish up on the surface. I started up my motor and moved away from him slowly when I started marking some big arcs under my boat. Then I saw a few fish breaking the surface. I stopped and grabbed my casting rod that was baited with a  1/2 ounce silver Kastmaster with a feather tail, and casted past the blow-ups. It wasn't long into my retrieval when I got a bump, but missed it. I continued reeling and a second fish hammered it and took off on a long run. It was a good fight and I thought the fish was much bigger than it turned out to be. The top water action didn't last long, but I started marking fish on the bottom and started vertical jigging with a spoon. Smaller stripers were on the bottom, which kept me entertained for the next 20 minutes or so. I lost the school and started moving around again. It took at least 15 minutes until I  found a huge school of fish. They were in 47 ft of water and feeding. I dropped my spoon and on the fall  could feel the fish hitting it then the fall stopped so I set the hook. This was  a school of hybrids in the 3 - 5 pound range. I kept on this school for about 20 minutes and then lost it. I started moving around again and found another big school of fish on the bottom. Dropped the spoon and started to pull up huge white bass one after the other. This went on for about 30 minutes and I lost them. It was a little after 10AM so I decided to head home to work on  leaf cleanup at Hummingbird Hideaway Resort. The friend that I was talking with when I first arrived, did land a nice 18 pound striper on a live shiner. Live bait as well as artificial baits are working. The changing weather patterns that we have been having play havoc on the fish. Everyday is different and the bite is never the same. As I always say the fish are biting somewhere on the lake and your job is to find them! Stripers, hybrids and white bass are continually moving and chasing the bait fish which sometime makes it very challenging.

 

As you have noticed I have not talked about other species as I have mainly been fishing for this white bass group of fish. I will get back on crappie, walleye and black bass soon. As the water temperature continues to cool, jerk bait time will be here, as well as, hopefully the night bite with suspending jerk baits.

 

The Norfork Lake water level is holding fairly stable and currently sits at 552.58. The surface water temperature this morning ranged from 60 degrees to 61.5 degrees. The main lake is fairly clear, but the creeks and coves are stained with a nice green tint. Periodic power generation occurs during the day which is maintaining the lake level.

 

The Norfork Lake Chamber of Commerce has been busy working out the details for the upcoming 2014 spring fishing derby. Look for details on www.NorforkFishingDerby.com and start making your spring fishing plans now.

 

Happy fishing and see you on the lake.

Norfork Lake Fishing Report

Norfork Lake fishing is in its summer pattern. Fish are located below the thermocline, on the bottom as well as suspended in deep water channels. The thermocline appears to be between 26 to 30 feet deep.
 

Striper Bass fishing has been very erratic. It is good one day and tough the next. Stripers are being caught from mid lake (Robinson area) to the dam area. You can find stripers half way back in creeks and also out in the main lake. They are still very scattered and have not really schooled up as they typically do this time of year. You will find the stripers 30 to 60 feet down in 40 - 130 feet of water. It has been challenging, but that is what I enjoy about striper fish, the hunt! Live bait is working as well as vertical jigging. Trollers are finding fish in the same areas, keeping their baits 30 - 40 feet down.

The best bite for me at this time is walleye. I should have limited out the last two days, but I malfunctioned on the netting part. I guess my superstition of not having my net ready until I see the first fish has to end. The last two days I have lost very nice walleyes because I am fumbling around trying to get the net extended and the fish wiggles off the hook. I am finding walleye in 30 - 33 feet of water in and around brush. Most of the fish are inside the brush.

 

 

Largemouth and spotted bass fishing with a few smallmouth bass has also been good. Most days there has been a good top water bite starting at sunrise which ends when the sun gets over the trees. On cloudy days the bite lasts longer. I have been throwing a Zara Spook when the fish start to erupt. There are some nice fish along the shore, but don't be afraid to cast out to deeper water. The bass are chasing shad and can be in any depth of water. Mid size hybrids are also coming up in the same locations. Once the bass go down throw a crank bait that dives 10 feet. You will extend the morning bite this way. I haven't been out in the evening, but I would assume the bass are doing the same thing at sunset. Mid day look out in 30 - 45 feet of water and start vertical jigging a spoon. I have found most of the action half way back into creeks along a channel swing. The fish will be on the points and out in the middle of the channel.

The catfish bite has been good on trotlines. Set your trotline along a deep bluff. Tie both ends off to some rocks along the shore then tie on a rock half way up the line and drop it into the water. Your line will be shaped in a half moon shape. The deep side should be in 20 - 30 feet of water. Bait up the line with live bait, shiners or small gills. 

 

The current lake level is 554.65 and holding fairly stable. Slight generation is occurring. The surface water temperature fell a few degrees and this morning was 81 - 83 degrees. The water is somewhat stained in coves and creeks and clear on the main lake.

 

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

The Norfork Lake spring fishing bite is in full swing. It is very hard to say what is the current best bite on the lake, but I guess I would have to say it is smallmouth, largemouth and spotted bass. Coming in a very close second would be hybrid bass and striped bass. The walleye and crappie bites are picking up and the catfish are hitting trotlines and jugs. Oh yeh, throw some white bass into the mix and you have the full spectrum of fish on Norfork Lake. Pick your species and go out and have fun. I guess I am making it sound easy, every day has its ups and downs, but I believe this is a great time of year for fishing. Norfork Lake is a very dynamic place right now, the fish are continually moving, the lake is dropping rapidly, the water is trying to clear-up and Mother Nature has thrown in a few cold fronts on occasion to make sure we get fishing changes. After our 11foot rise in water a few weeks back the bite stalled for about 4 days after the rise, but boy has the bite come back with a vengeance.

The smallmouth, largemouth and spotted bass bite for this spring is the best I have ever seen. You can find fish on shallow points as well as on deep bluff lines. Crank baits that dive about 10 feet are catching nice fish. Spinner baits on windy days are working great. Probably the most productive baits are the tube jig, jig and pig, and Texas rigged worms worked slowly along the bottom. Start your baits in around 5 feet of water and work it through 25 feet depths before you bring it up. Crawdad colors of the green to the deep reds are working well. Of course, swimming minnows / grubs worked close to the bottom are also effective. I am finding bass up very shallow early in the morning with some top water activity. If you see the top water action throw a Zara Spook. I have caught many smallmouth this way early in the morning. As the sun comes up I have found the fish dropping back to 10 - 20 feet depthsr. The largemouth and spots are typically in the 10 - 15 range and the smallmouth seems to be in the 15 - 20 range. You can find bass all over the lake. Live bait is working exceptionally well.

The striper and hybrid bass bite are improving by leaps and bounds. Just today one of my guide friends, Tom Reynolds of STR Outfitters, caught a limit for 2 clients in 50 minutes and continued to catch and release thereafter. Tom was fishing the dam area with live shad. I have been catching hybrids and stripers up close to the banks early in the morning with Zara spooks, Flukes and free swimming live shad. After the sun rises fishing with swimming minnows should also work. Live bait is still one of your best options. Drop a couple baits down about 20 feet and also have a few free swimming baits thrown towards the shore. The fish are continually moving and if they are in the area they will find your bait. The dam area has been one of the better bites lately, but the fish are starting to bite in the Bennetts area, Float and Panther creeks as the water in these areas are starting to clear. I am going to concentrate my striper fishing to these areas next week. I will let you know.

Walleye fishing has improved. Several of our bass fishermen have been catching some nice fish off the ends of deep bluff lines with crawdad colored crankbaits. The walleye seem to be in about 10 feet of water. I caught a nice 22 inch 3.5 pound walleye the other morning before daylight throwing a suspending rogue at the ends of docks with lights.

Channel cats are coming into shallow water to feed and spawn. A couple of our Bass Cat guest set a couple of trotlines and were baiting them up with live shiners. They ended up catching a bakers dozen. the best part of their catch was that they ended up catch 4 nice cats on bare hooks. Yes I did say no bait. They had set their lines one evening then a storm rolled in and they didn't get a chance to bait them up. The next evening they went out to bait up the lines and ended up finding 4 cats with no bait. These fish must really be hungry.

The lake level is currently falling about 8 inches per day and sits at 555.84. The Corps has forecast to be at normal pool of 552 by April 22, 2012,  The quick drop in water level will slowly diminish over the next week until the level stabilizes. This will also enhance the clearing process. The surface water temperature yesterday morning was from the mid to upper 60s. This should help spur on some top water action. The lake is still stained, but is having color changes showing the clearing process has started.

Happy fishing and see you on the lake.