Norfork Lake Fishing Report

Norfork Lake has been on fire for the past week. I have been out in the mornings live bait fishing as well as throwing a topwater Zara spook . We have landed striped bass, hybrid bass, white bass, largemouth, smallmouth and spotted bass, with a few catfish thrown in for good measure.

The stripers and hybrids were caught in 25 - 40 feet of water. They seem to be suspended in the 10 - 25 feet range. I have been using all down poles with live shad set at 20 - 30 feet deep. My daughter and I arrived at my current fishing location at around 5:15AM this morning. I started marking fish, but nothing was biting. I was rebaiting a pole and had drifted into 25 feet of water when all of sudden one rod bent to the water. My daughter grabbed that pole and the fish started to swim into a line next to it, I grabbed this rod and as soon as I had it, it bent to the water. I got that pole out of the way and it had a large white bass on it. I flung it into the boat because a third rod took off. Both of us had a big fish on and it was really fun listening to the drag of both rods zing out to deep water. I had my fish close to the boat, it took a dive and my line snapped. I guess I should have retied after yesterday's trip. My daughter did a much better job and finally landed her 12 pound striper. With all the break-offs, missed fish and released fish we could have had 3 limits by 7:30AM. It was a really fun morning.

Largemouth, smallmouth and spots are coming to the surface early in the morning, off of points that have trees in the water. You need to have space between the trees to cast your lure. I caught 4 nice black bass this morning and I think around 6 yesterday morning all on a spook. Live bait still is working the best for the black bass. Today we released over a dozen bass including this nice 3 - 4 pounder that my daughter caught. Shiners should work as well as the shad. I have been using a down rod with a slip sinker and dropping it to the bottom. The fish are in the 20 to 25 feet range. Last Friday I had a couple of our guests (Jim & Scott) out and we started to pitch live shad between the trees with no weight. We were catching fish after fish. Jim also landed one nice striped bass. On Wednesday I fished with one of my guests (Greg) and my daughter and we landed one nice striper and many, many black bass. It has really been a great week of fishing for me..

I have been fishing the mid lake area both on points in the creeks and off of main lake points.

Pan fish are biting well on crickets, worms or nightcrawlers. Use a bobber and a small split shot. The fish are on the bottom in the trees and at the edges of the trees. You should be able to fill up a basket in no time.

Catfish are still biting well on trotlines with live bait.

Norfork Lake is still falling slowly (about 2 - 3 inches per day) and currently sits at 573.91. The water temperature is in the low 80's. The main channels are clear and the creeks and coves are clearing up nicely.

Happy fishing and see you on the lake.

Norfork Lake Fishing Report

Spring fishing on Norfork Lake is heating up and will only get better. The warm Ozark weather has helped to increase the surface water temperature which is making the fish more active. Top water action for black bass has been good at sunrise and sunset back in coves and creeks. Yesterday morning I went to check on the dock at around 6:30AM and when I got there the fish were popping all over. I always carry a rod with me when I go to the dock and of course I had a Zara spook tied on. What's the jingle? - Don't leave home without it- something to do with a credit card not really a rod and reel! In less than 15 minutes I landed 4 spotted bass in the 2 pound range. I was casting from the end of the dock. When the bass aren't breaking the surface I have been using a 3 inch curly tail grub with a 1/8 oz. jig head. I have had a lot of luck on deep bluff lines especially on bluff points.

Word has it that the crappie are starting to move to the banks. They have either started to spawn or are really close. The crappie in the photo were caught off of my dock. Several very good places to find crappie are on fallen timber that is close to the shore or brush piles in 10 - 20 feet of water. The crappies are suspended only 2 - 6 feet down. I like small twister tail grubs with a 1/16 or a 1/32 ounce jig head. Use very light line, just 2 - 4 pound test. Live minnows are also working very well.

White bass are schooling and can be found back in coves and creeks in shallow water, 10 - 20 feet. They also can be found close to brush piles. I haven't seen any top water action on whites yet, but it should start soon. Small spinners and spoons are working well.

Walleye are being caught in many different locations. They are typically being found in 10 - 20 feet of water and at night on the shoreline feeding. The same 3 inch grub I use for bass is catching walleye. Last night a suspending rogue cast to the bank was the ticket for this nice walleye. Crank baits being slow trolled along the banks are picking up a few nice walleye.

Striped bass fishing is starting to heat up. I just got back from a successful night fishing trip. I ended up catching 2 striped bass (15 pound and 10 pound), 1 walleye, 3 white bass and a couple of bluegill. I missed as many as I caught. I caught all on a Smithwick Rattlin Rogue, blue on the top, white on the sides with an orange belly. The bite really didn't start until around 10pm, but when it did the fish just started to explode around me. I could hear stripers and white bass breaking the surface all around me. As soon as I heard the splashes I got my first fish. They stuck around in the area for an hour worth of fun. I released all fish, the ones in the photo where released at my dock. The morning bite for stripers is also heating up. Stripers and hybrids are being caught all over the lake. Three of my guests from the Oklahoma area took a guided trip with Robert Lee of Lee's lite line and they landed these 3 nice hybrids and lost as many more.

The Norfork Lake water level is rising slowly and currently sits at 550.54 ft above sea level. The surface water temperature last evening was in the low 60's. The water is clear with some stained water due to the 1.25 inches of rain that we had the other day.

Happy fishing and see you on the lake.

Norfork Lake Fishing Report

Happy New year to all!

It has been a pretty busy winter for Linda and me, but I am finally back to fishing on Norfork Lake. I think I have only been out on the lake a couple of times, so I am more that ready to get back at it. I headed out on the lake around 1PM to try the afternoon bite. My goal was to striper fish and try to find where the fish are feeding. I did a lot of graphing. I started graphing around the 62 bridge and Henderson area. I marked bait and some fish, but nothing real exciting. I then headed to the mouth of float creek. I headed towards the hump and marked a nice school of striper. I set out four down poles with large shiners. Two at 60 ft and 2 at 45 ft. But as happens on occasion (more than I like to say) I could not find the school again. I was getting ready to move and one of my deeper poles bent to the water. The fish started to run, then it just stopped. I thought I was snagged, then took a quick glance at the depth find and saw I was in 99 feet of water. I finally felt a few head shakes and a constant pull straight down. For about 10 minutes each time I gained on the fish, it headed to the bottom and gained on me. It was a good fight, but I knew it was not a striper. It had to be a huge walleye or a big catfish. Low and behold it was a monster blue catfish. As I was trying to net the fish the hook came out and the cat just layed on its side. I got the net over the head with the tail hung over the edge. It was fun trying to get the fish into the boat, but I finally did. The cat weighed well over 50 pounds as my scale maxed out. I am guessing in the 65 pound range. I am still using 8 pound test monofiliment fishing line on light tackle.

I resumed my search for stripers and graphed back by the 5A marker and didn't see much. I did mark a lot of smaller fish, largemouth and Kentucky bass when I got into less than 40 feet of water. Spooning would have worked as these fish were in good size schools. I headed over the mouth of Fall Creek and then to Panther Creek and again I marked bait, but no fish. I graphed the bluff line along the number 4 marker and started to mark stripers and a lot of bait. I set out my poles and my bait was continually becoming excited, but no strikes. There was fish, but I guess the Arctic blast that we had slowed the bite. Hopefully the warmer days will turn the fish on!

I currently have a guest striper fishing and he had a similar type day. He did land two small stripers, marked plenty of bait and fish, but they were not going to cooperate today. Tomorrow will be a new day.

I went to the Corps of Engineers office on Wednesday and picked up my tree cover permit. At the meeting I got to talk with several crappie fishermen and crappie guides. They are currently doing well with live bait. The crappie are suspended in 10 - 12 feet of water over brush that is in 25 -35 feet of water. Start using your slip float and cast to the brush as our water has gotten really clear. I have also been told that suspending rogues and small crank baits are working for crappie and walleye when cast over the brush.

The Norfork Lake level is falling and currently sits at 544.08. The surface water temperature was 45 - 46 degrees today in the main lake and colder in the creeks where the water is more shallow than 20 feet. The lake is getting gin clear, some stain back in the creeks. The Corps has been running all generators sporadically during the day. The air temperature this afternoon almost hit 50 degrees. I LOVE IT!

Happy fishing and see you on the lake.

Norfork Lake Fishing Report

Yesterday morning was a perfect day for fishing on Norfork Lake, even with the light rain. Today, however, is a different story. Snow flurries, cold, and strong winds. This current weather pattern is to last a couple of days, but then get back to normal. I will get back to the business of fishing at that time.

I had a great day of fishing yesterday. I got back to Float Creek at around 7 AM. A few boats were already fishing. I spent the first half hour graphing different areas in Float, then I finally started to mark some big fish. I haven't used the large shiners since last winter so I decided to give them a try. I put out 4 down poles. Each pole had a 3/4 ounce egg sinker, a plastic bead and a number 7 barrel swivel. The bead helps protect the knot from the sinker. I then put on a 2 - 3 foot leader with a kahle hook. I was using a number 4 hook yesterday, small but effective with the size of the shiners. When using large gizzard shad as bait, tie on a much larger hook. I still use 8 pound test Ande green monofilament line. I started to drift down the deep bluff side on the edge of the channel. I tried to stay in 40 - 50 feet of water and the fish were at all depths. I had each pole at a different depths starting at 30 feet down to the bottom. I caught fish at all depths. The bite started around 8AM and lasted for about 2 hours in this location. I ended up landing 4 stripers and 1 hybrid in the 8 to 12 pound range and broke off 4 others. I don't know why I had all the break offs but they seemed to be close to my knots. I guess I retied my poles too late the night before and my eyes sight was just not good enough!!! When my boat drifted into 30 - 40 feet of water I started to get black bass. They were all the nice big ones. I landed 7 bass and the 4 in the photos would not go back down, so we had fish tacos for supper.

When the bite stopped close to the bank I headed out to the deeper water in the main channel. I ended up catching two other stripers. Both were caught when I was moving with my trolling motor. So this meant that my baits were much higher up in the water. The fish are continually moving so make sure you check out all areas. I have also received reports of stripers being caught in all the major creeks and also up in the Calamity area.

Crappie have moved over the brush in deep water. The brush in 40 feet of water is producing some nice fish. The Crappie are suspended over the brush from 15 - 40 feet down. Bass and walleye are also hanging close to the brush piles.

As you have noticed by my last couple of reports, I have been using live bait more than I usually do. I'm in a learning mode. My new boat gives me many more options. I have been testing out the shad tank and also learning how to throw a cast net and catch my own bait. I will be fishing the live bait method for a while until my comfort level is right with all aspects. Then I'll be back to artificial bait fishing, which I dearly enjoy.

The Norfork Lake water level is holding fairly steady and currently sits at 546.7. The surface water temperature was in the 54 to 55 degree range. The lake is clear and just gorgeous.

Stay warm, happy fishing and see you on the lake.

Have a great holiday season.

Norfork Lake Welcomes BASS tournament

Welcome BASS fishermen and women to Norfork Lake. The Arkansas BASS Federation is holding their annual championship tournament on Norfork Lake this week. The actual tournament will be this coming Friday and Saturday and the weigh-in is at Henderson Marina. I haven't heard a final count, but I am being told it should be close to 150 boats.

My new Skeeter Bay boat has finally arrived. This new addition to the Hummingbird Hideaway fleet will allow me to fish whatever style is working best. I have a shad tank ordered so I will soon be able to live bait fish as well as fish with artificial bait as I have done in the past. I will also be able to start guiding occasionally. With all the bass boats around I was trying to wait until after the tournament to break in the boat, but I couldn't do it. We cruised around for about an hour this morning.

Look for an updated fishing report next week, but the guides are telling me that the fishing trends have not changed from my last report.

Norfork Lake level is at 552.3 and hold fairly steady. Generation has been sporadic. The surface lake temperature is in the low 80's early and mid 80's in the afternoon. The lake is clear and the creeks and covers are clearing nicely.

Happy fishing and see you on the water.

Norfork Lake Fishing Report

The weather has been gorgeous the past week on Norfork Lake. The forecast is calling for warm sunny days with light winds for the upcoming Memorial Holiday Weekend. (We still have a few openings for those last minute plans.)

I have fished the last 5 mornings and have done well. I've caught largemouth bass, Kentucky bass, white bass, walleye, crappie and striped bass. The striped bass are are both deep and also pushing the shad to the surface. The past several days I have been using a spoon and vertical jigging, but today I got into some nice top water action. I caught these two stripers (one 14 pounds and one 10 pounds)on a Zara Spook. I caught these fish on 8 pound test monofilament line. I used my favorite spook, a junior sized one with a white body and chartreuse head. Stripers are being caught in the Fouts area, Float Creek, Panther Creek, Fall Creek, Cranfield area and the Robinson area. As you can see they are throughout our end of the lake.

On Sunday, a father and daughter team (Kevin and Abbie) took a guided trip with Tom Reynolds of STR Outfitters and landed 4 nice stripers and lost 8 others. Tom was using live gizzard shad and caught the fish in 25 - 40 feet of water. He was fishing the Fouts / 6A area. The second photo is of Mary Ann, one of our Collinsville, IL guests. She spooned up this nice 10 pound striped bass suspended in 40 feet of water in the White Rock area. Doug and Mary Ann also caught white bass and black bass both on top water and vertical jigging and also trolled up a nice 6 pound hybrid in the Cranfield area. Another one of our fishing guests (not in a photo) has been catching nice sized largemouth and Kentucky bass. He has also caught several walleye, one 18 inches. Larry loves to use a jig and pig and last winter he made up over a hundred jigs in various colors. He also uses real pork rind instead of the plastic ones.

As you can see fishing has been pretty active lately. For the top water bite you need to be out on the lake before sunrise as the fish start to go deep as the sun gets above the tree line. Even though this morning the striper top water bite lasted until 9AM and was still going on slowly as I left. The top water action is spotty and the fish come up quickly and go back down. If you are in the right place at the right time your spook will catch these fish.

The Norfork Lake surface water temperature this morning was in the low to mid 70's, The lake level is rising slowing and currently sits at 560.18, 8 feet above normal pool. The main lake is clear and the creeks and coves are slightly stained.

Happy fishing and see you on the lake.

Norfork Lake Striped Bass Fishing

Here are some photos of recent catches on Norfork Lake. These vacationers fished with two different striper guides in the past week. Both guides use live bait and lite tackle. It is really a blast to catch one of these 15 to 30 pound fish on 8 pound test line and lite action rods and reels. If you are looking for a fishing experience of a lifetime come on down and visit us at Hummingbird Hideaway Resort on Norfork Lake. We are located in Mountain Home, Arkansas in the Arkansas Ozarks. The two guides are Robert Lee of Lee's Lite Line (www.leesliteline.com) and Tom Reynold of STR Outfitters (www.stroutfitters.com). Contact us and we will help you set up your guided trip or you can contact the guides directly. The big fish are really hitting well. I can attest to that because I caught a 20 pound striped bass this morning with Robert Lee.